BR  53  .S65  1884  v. 6 
Spence,  H.  D.  M.  1836-1917, 
Thirty  thousand  thoughts 


THIRTY  THOUSAND   THOUGHTS. 

i',i    Hi    Hi    ^ 

w  « 

SECTIONS  XV L,  XVI I. 
WITH    A   GENERAL    INDEX   TO    ALL   SIX   VOLUMES. 


THIRTY 
THOUSAND   THOUGHTS, 

BEING 

EXTRACTS  COVERING  A  COMPREHENSIVE  CIRCLE  OF 
RELIGIOUS  AND  ALLIED  TOPICS, 

GATHERED  FROM  THE  BEST  AVAILABLE  SOURCES,  OF  ALL  AGES  AND  ALL  SCHOOLS  OF   THOUGHT: 

WITH    SUGGESTIVE   AND    SEMINAL    HEADINGS,   AND    HOMILETICAL 

AND   ILLUMINATIVE    FRAMEWORK  : 

THE   WHOLE  ARRANGED   UPON   A   SCIENTIFIC   BASIS. 

WITH 

CLASSIFIED   AND  THOUGHT-MULTIPLYING  LISTS,   COMPARATIVE  TABLES,   AND   ELABORATE 
INDICES,  ALPHABETICAL,  TOPICAL,  TEXTUAL,   AND  SCRIPTURAL. 


EDITED   BY   THE 

VERY    REV.    H.    D.    M.'  SPENCE,    D.D.. 

REV.    JOSEPH    S.  EXELL,  M.A., 

REV.  CHARLES    NEIL,    M.A. 


;;«  •;•  ^i  « 


XVI.  OLD  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS  (MALE). 
XVn.  KEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS   (MALE). 


INDEX   TO    THE  SIX  VOLUMES. 


NEW   YORK : 

FUNK    &    WAGNALLS,    Publishers, 

i8  AND  20  AsTOR  Place. 

1888. 


SECTION    XVI. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 

(MALE.) 


VOL.  VI. 


SECTION    XVI. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 

(MALE.) 

INTRODUCTION. 

SYLLABUS. 

PAGB 

I.  The  Study  of  Scripture  Biography 3 

11.  The  Superiority  ok  Sacred  to  Profane  Biography       4 

III.  The  Crimks  and  Sins  of  Scripture  Saints 4 


SECTION   XVI. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 

(MALE.) 

INTRODUCTION. 


SCRIPTURE  BIOGRAPHY. 

I.  The  Study  of  Scripture  Biography. 
I       Its  importance. 

[16702]  Biography  is  a  species  of  history 
peculiarly  interesting  and  useful  ;  and  in  this 
the  Bible  excels.  The  sacred  writers  describe 
to  the  very  life — they  fear  no  displeasure — they 
conceal  no  imperfection — they  spare  no  censure. 
And  while  they  discover  their  impartiality,  they 
equally  prove  their  wisdom  and  prudence.  This 
appears  from  the  characters  they  delineate. 
What  are  philosophers,  politicians,  or  heroes, 
to  the  generality  of  mankind  ?  They  may  excite 
wonder,  but  they  cannot  produce  imitation. 
They  may  indulge  curiosity,  but  they  cannot 
furnish  motives,  encouragements,  or  cautions. 
But  here  we  are  led  into  private  life — we  con- 
template ordinary  scenes — we  see  goodness  in 
our  new  relations  and  circumstances — we  be- 
hold blemishes  which  we  are  to  shun,  excel- 
lences which  we  are  to  pursue,  advantages 
which  we  are  to  acquire.  Thus  the  Scripture 
becomes  not  a  glaring  comet,  but  "  a  lamp  unto 
our  feet,  and  a  light  unto  our  path." — Anon. 

[16703]  It  is  very  interesting  and  instructive 
to  look  at  these  sacred  persons,  not  merely  in 
their  official  character,  but  as  men  believing 
what  they  taught,  and  exhibiting  in  their 
history  phases  of  religious  experience  and  con- 
tlict  bearing  upon  ourselves ;  to  unfold  their 
inner  spiritual  life  ;  to  bring  out  their  conflicts 
and  their  trials — their  weakness  as  well  as  their 
virtue  ;  to  allow  them  to  pass  before  us  neither 
as  dim  abstractions,  nor  as  cold  officials — 
neither  as  unfallen  angels,  nor  as  perfect  men — 
but  as  brethren  of  our  own,  who,  along  with 
their  amazing  gifts,  had  human  infirmities;  who, 
while  inspired  truth  sat  in  regal  splendour  on 
the  throne  of  their  minds,  had  manifold  battles 
going  on  between  good  and  evil  in  their  hearts. 
— Anon. 


2      Its  proper  method. 

//  must  be  cotiducted  with  the  tnind  and  the 
soul. 

[16704]  Such  narratives  must  be  turned  to  a 
moral  and  religious  application,  or  they  will  be 
useless,  or  at  any  rate  of  no  greater  utility  than 
ordinary  every-dayhistoiy.  The  mere  bare  facts  of 
history,  whether  of  Jewish  history  or  of  English 
history,  have  no  spiritual  effect  upon  the  soul. 
If  I  say  that  Samson  was  a  strong  man,  the 
mental  effect  would  be  just  the  same  as  if  I  said 
Hercules  was  a  strong  man.  If  I  say  that 
Joshua  commanded  at  the  battle  of  Beth-horon, 
no  other  powers  are  called  into  play  than  if  I 
said  that  Wellington  commanded  at  the  battle 
of  Waterloo.  If  I  am  told  that  Solomon  reigned 
forty  years,  I  believe  it  just  as  I  believe  that 
Elizabeth  reigned  rather  more  than  forty  years. 
Unless  we  get  something  more  out  of  the  Bible 
than  these  bare  facts  of  history,  we  get  no  reli- 
gious gain  whatever.  It  is  simply  secular 
knowledge  we  are  getting.  A  man  may  read 
the  Bible,  and  it  may  be  nothing  but  a  worldly 
pleasure  or  study  ;  and  as  for  a  man's  thinking 
that  he  is  very  religious  when  he  is  reading  the 
Bible,  it  quite  depends  upon  the  spirit  and 
understanding  with  which  he  reads  it.  He  may 
read  it,  and  find  that  God  is  teaching  him,  that 
his  mind  is  opened,  that  his  soul  is  stirred, 
sustained,  or  rebuked  ;  or  he  may  read  it,  and 
simply  know  that  Goliath  was  a  big  man  and 
Zaccheus  was  a  little  one.  Therefore  we  must 
bring  our  minds  to  the  Bible,  for  it  is  not  an 
amulet  or  a  charm,  which  acts  as  it  were  by 
magic.  A  verse  of  the  Koran,  when  pounded 
up  and  swallowed,  is  said  by  devout  Mussulmans 
to  cure  certain  diseases  !  We  are  not  to  treat 
our  Bibles  in  this  way  ;  we  must  bring  our  mind 
to  the  Bible — nay,  more,  we  must  bring  our  soul, 
and  that  is  our  mind,  suffused  by  the  Spirit  of 
God  ;  and  around  the  hard  text  the  crystals  of 
Divine  revelation  will  form,  reflecting  the  light 
of  heaven,  and  the  "  word  of  the  Lord  will  be 
precious  in  these  days."  —  Rev.  IV.  Page 
Roberts. 


16705 — I67I0] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
INTRODUCTION. 


[scripture  biography. 


3       Its    largely-resulting    effect   when    rightly 
pursued. 

[16705]  If  we  study  Old  Testament  history 
for  reli;,'ious  education,  and  not  for  secular 
instruction,  what  sort  of  influence  will  it  be 
likely  to  have  upon  us?  To  a  very  large  extent 
the  influence  of  warning.  It  is  true  there  are 
many  tine  and  noble  characters  whose  lives  are 
presented  to  us  in  the  Old  Testament,  but  many 
of  them  are  stained  with  darkest  faults  and 
crimes.  If  some  of  the  things  which  were  done 
in  those  old  days  by  men  who  stand  high 
amongst  the  servants  of  God  were  done  now, 
we  should  shrink  away  from  the  doers  rather 
than  attach  ourselves  to  them,  and  never  dream 
of  taking  them  for  our  religious  guides. — Ibid. 

II.  The  Superiority  of  Sacreu  to  Pro- 
fane Biography. 

[16706]  The  Holy  Scriptures  possess  an  ac- 
knowledged superiority  over  all  other  writings 
in  all  the  various  kinds  of  literary  compo- 
sition ;  and  in  no  one  respect  more  than  in 
that  species  of  historical  composition  which  is 
called  Biography,  or  a  delineation  of  the  for- 
tunes, character,  and  conduct  of  individuals  : 
and  that,  whether  the  historians  be  themselves 
the  men  whom  they  describe  and  record  ;  or 
whether,  from  proper  sources  of  information, 
they  record  the  lives  and  actions  of  other  men. 
— Rev.  II.  Hunger. 

[16707]  A  great  part  of  profane  history  is 
altogether  uninteresting  to  the  bulk  of  mankind. 
The  events  therein  recorded  are  removed  to  a 
vast  distance,  and  they  have  now  entirely  spent 
their  force.  The  actors  exhibited  are  either  too 
lofty  to  admit  of  our  approach,  with  any  interest 
or  satisfaction  to  ourselves  ;  or  too  brutal  to  be 
considered  without  disgust,  or  too  low  to  be 
worthy  of  our  regard.  The  very  scenes  of  action 
are  become  inaccessible  or  unknown  ;  they  are 
altered,  obliterated,  or  disregarded.  Where 
Alexander  conquered,  and  how  Cresar  fell,  are 
to  us  mere  nothuigs.  But  on  opening  the  sacred 
volume,  all  these  obstructions  in  the  way  of 
knowledge,  of  truth,  of  pleasure,  and  of  improve- 
ment, instantly  disappear.  Length  of  duration 
can  oppose  no  cloud  to  that  intelligence  with 
which  "  a  thousand  years  are  as  one  day,  and 
one  day  as  a  thousand  years."  The  human 
heart  is  there  unfolded  to  our  view  by  Him 
"who  knows  what  is  in  man,"  and  "whose  eyes 
are  in  every  place,  beholding  the  evil  and  the 
good."  The  men,  and  the  events  therein  repre- 
sented, are  universally  and  perpetually  interest- 
ing, for  they  are  blended  with  "  the  things  wiiich 
accompany  salvation,"  and  they  aftect  our  ever- 
lasting peace.  There,  the  writers,  whether  they 
speak  of  themselves  or  of  other  men,  are  con- 
tinually under  the  direction  of  the  Spirit  of  all 
truth  and  wisdom.  Those  venerable  men, 
though  subject  to  like  passions  with  others,  there] 
speak  not  of  themselves,  but  from  Cod;  "for 
the  prophecy  came  not  in  old  time  by  the  will 


of  man  ;  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they 
were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost." — Ibid. 

III.  The  Crimes  and  Sins  of  Scripture 
Saints. 

I       They   cannot  but   have  been  recorded  for 
important  ends. 

[16708]  Every  one  must  have  been  perple.xed, 
in  reading  the  Scriptures,  by  the  awful  crimes 
of  those  who  are  called  saints,  and  spoken  of  as 
approved  of  God.  The  unbeliever  has  taken 
occasion  from  thence  to  blaspheme,  and  the 
humble  Christian  has  often  found  difficulty  in 
satisfying  the  minds  of  others,  and  perhaps  his 
own,  upon  this  point.  Certainly  we  must  be- 
lieve that  a  God  of  wisdom  has  not  left  these 
defiling  stains  on  Scripture  characters  to  be 
recorded  in  His  Word,  without  intending  there- 
by to  answer  some  important  end. — Rev.  W. 
Lewis,  D.D. 

( 1 )  lliej  afford  a  striking  proof  of  the  veracity 
of  the  Scriptteres. 

[16709]  The  greatest  saints  have  their  weak- 
nesses and  iinperfections,  and  they  often  appear 
when  least  expected.  Who  would  have  imagined 
that  Abram  could  yield  to  criminal  distrust,  and, 
to  avoid  imagined  danger,  resort  to  dissimula- 
tion, or  at  least  equivocation  most  unworthy  of 
his  character?  Yet  such  was  the  case.  A  common 
historian  would  have  drawn  a  veil  over  these 
blemishes,  but  the  sacred  writers  never  either 
blazon  the  virtues  or  palliate  the  faults  of  the 
characters  they  portray,  but  simply  relate  things 
as  they  really  were.  This  affords  a  strong  and 
striking  proof  of  the  truth  of  Scripture.  It  is 
written  on  principles  the  very  opposite  to  those 
which  have  dictated  the  most  admired  works  of 
men,  and  yet,  with  all  its  impartiality  and  sim- 
plicity, an  innate  majesty  runs  through  all  its 
delineations,  to  which  their  most  laboured 
efforts  have  never  attained.  The  facts  are  in 
themselves  exceedingly  instructive,  as  they  tend 
to  exemplify  human  nature  as  it  really  is  ;  to 
teach  us  that  the  most  exemplary  saints  were 
not  perfect,  but  stood  in  the  same  need  of 
Divine  mercy  as  ourselves  :  to  reinind  us  that 
the  most  eminent  should  distrust  themselves, 
and  not  imagine  that  they  are  beyond  the  reach 
of  danger,  while  they  are  still  in  the  flesh,  and 
surrounded  by  temptations  ;  and  to  encourage 
us  to  hope  in  the  mercy  of  (^od,  notwithstanding 
the  unallowed  and  lamented  imperfections  of 
which  we  often  find  ourselves  the  subjects. — 
Ation. 

(2)  T/uy  are  consistent  witJi,  and  serve  to 
emphasize^  the  fact  that  man  everywhere  and 
under  all  conditions  is  a  sinner. 

[167 10]  Some  men  regard  the  Bible  as  a  kind 
of  picture  gallery,  in  which  they  expect  to  find 
splendid  specimens  of  perfected  humanity. 
Entering,  they  observe  strongly-marked  defects 
in  the  faithfully-drawn  portraits  of  such  men  as 
Abraham,  Jacob,  David,  Peter,  John,  and  many 
others.     "  What  !  "  they  ask,  "  are  these  men 


16710 — 16715] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  5 

INTRODUCTION.  fsCKIPTURE  BIOGRAPHY. 


after  God's  own  heart  ?  Then  away  with  them, 
and  away  with  your  Bible  which  speaks  of  them 
as  such.  If  these  defective  characters  repre- 
sent Christianity,  we  do  not  need  it  ;  it  is  high 
time  it  gave  place  to  something  better."  How 
common  is  this  kind  of  reasoning,  how  exactly 
it  tells  the  thouglits  of  many  minds  ;  and  yet  a 
little  consideration  is  amply  suflicient  to  show 
its  fallacy.  The  Bible  could  never  have  been 
designed  to  portray  the  excellency  of  human 
character,  for  the  obvious  reason  that  man 
everywhere  and  under  all  conditions  is  a 
sinner.  "  There  is  none  righteous,  no,  not 
one."  Such  is  the  emphatic  testimony  of  the 
living  God.  An  excellent  sinner— who  ever 
heard  of  such  a  being  ?  The  object  of  the  tes- 
timony of  Scripture  in  regard  to  the  actions  and 
lives  of  the  men  whose  names  I  have  quoted  is  to 
show  that,  tested  by  the  Divine  standard  of 
righteousness,  every  man  at  his  best  estate 
comes  short  of  the  glory  of  God,  and  needs  to 
be  redeemed  from  sin  and  death.  These  men 
were  not  justified  before  God  on  the  ground  of 
their  personal  character,  but  because  they  as 
sinners  having  confessed  their  iniquity,  obtained 
His  forgiveness  who  "  set  forth  His  Son  a  pro- 
pitiation for  their  sins,"  and  for  whose  sake  they 
were  pardoned  and  in  whom  they  were  accepted. 
— Rev.  A.  Edersheiffi,  D.D. 

[167 11]  We  go  to  extremes  in  this  matter. 
We  begin  by  thinking  that  all  the  men  who  are 
commended  in  the  Bible  are  almost  perfect, 
quite  beyond  anything  which  we  see  in  our  day. 
The  sentiments  of  our  childhood  linger  about 
us,  and  Noah  and  Jacob  and  Samson  and  David 
and  Solomon  are  shadowy  and  grand  in  the 
distance ;  their  great  faults  are  passed  over, 
until  we  scarcely  think  of  them  at  all,  and  they 
take  their  places  unquestioned  in  the  saintly 
calendar.  And  then  comes  another  period,  and 
we  fly  too  often  to  the  opposite  extreme.  We 
think  only  of  the  drunkenness  of  Noah,  of  the 
deceitfulness  of  Jacob,  of  the  fierce  immoralities 
of  Samson,  of  the  murder  and  adultery  of  David, 
and  of  the  licentiousness  of  Solomon  and  his 
court  ;  and  as  we  had  before  half  deified  them, 
now  we  wrathfully  degrade  them.  In  both  cases 
we  are  wrong.  They  neither  desen'e  our  adora- 
tion, nor  yet  our  contempt. — Rev.  IV.  Page 
Roberts. 

2       Palliation  of  them  is  not  to  be  attempted. 

[16712]  Some  have  laboured  in  their  defence, 
as  if  our  religion  depended  on  their  vindication, 
and,  under  their  pleadings,  that  which  is  re- 
corded as  the  grossest  crime  has  been  made  to 
appear  as  a  very  venial  transgression.  But 
against  such  ingenuity  common  sense  will  re- 
volt, and  though  carried  away  for  a  while,  as 
the  judgment  may  be,  by  an  eloquent  plea  for 
a  criminal  at  the  bar,  the  verdict  will  still  be 
one  of  condemnation.  No  argument  can  cover 
the  falsehood  of  Abraham,  nor  excuse  the 
murder  and  adultery  of  David.  The  feeling  of 
every  heart  is,  that  so  far  from  being  excusable, 
their   crimes  were   rendered  more  heinous  by 


their  professions  of  religion.  Indeed,  the  more 
we  labour  to  justify  one  who  is  evidently  guilty, 
the  more  shall  we  increase  indignation  against 
him.  Ingenuous  confession  is  the  best  plea  for 
a  gross  offender.  And  this  is  precisely  the 
course  which  the  Scriptures  pursue.  They 
name  certain  individuals  as  guilty  of  great 
crimes,  though  servants  of  the  Lord  ;  they  do 
not  say  a  word  in  their  justification  ;  they  do 
not  even  mention  those  extenuating  circum- 
stances which  might  be  mentioned  ;  they  do 
not  say  that  Peter  was  overcome  by  fear,  or 
Jacob  by  his  mother's  persuasions  ;  but  only 
bring  the  offender  before  us  with  a  plain  account 
of  his  crime,  and  leave  us  to  form  our  own 
judgment. — Rev.  W.  Lewis,  D.D. 

[167 1 3]  We  may  admit  most  fully  that  Abra- 
ham and  Sarah  and  Isaac  were  guilty  of  false- 
hood ;  that  Jacob  was  a  supplanter  deceiving 
his  blind  father  by  fraud  ;  that  Aaron  was  so 
stupid  as  to  make  a  golden  calf  for  the  people 
to  worship,  even  at  the  foot  of  Sinai,  when  God 
was  giving  the  law  above  ;  that  David,  the  man 
after  God's  own  heart,  was  guilty  of  such  com- 
plicated crimes,  as  seem  almost  incredible. 
We  may  allow  that  James  and  John  showed  a 
most  revengeful  spirit  when  they  would  have 
called  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  a  whole 
village  for  want  of  hospitality  ;  that  Peter  de- 
nied the  best  of  masters  with  aggravated  guilt ; 
and  that  it  was  a  sad  spectacle  when  two  apostles 
contended  so  sharply  as  to  be  ever  after  sepa- 
rated in  preaching  the  gospel.  We  may  confess 
that  there  is  scarcely  a  Scripture  character  with- 
out a  blot,  and  need  be  at  no  pains  to  excuse 
the  fact.  We  should  indeed  give  the  same 
justice  to  them  that  we  do  to  others  in  dwelling 
upon  their  faults,  but  there  is  nothing  in  the 
Bible  requiring  us  to  regard  sin  any  differently, 
whether  seen  in  a  prophet,  minister,  Christian, 
or  infidel. — Idid. 

3       Their  guilt  furnishes  no  argument  against 
religion. 

[16714]  It  has  often  been  used  for  this  end, 
but  without  reason.  Will  it  be  said  that  a 
religion  which  holds  up  such  transgressors  as 
the  saints  of  the  Lord  cannot  be  from  a  holy 
God  .''  But  that  religion  does  not  commend 
their  sins  ;  if  it  did,  we  might  well  reject  it.  .  .  . 
The  record  of  their  faults,  so  far  from  weighing 
against  the  truth  of  Scripture,  is,  indeed,  one 
strong  evidence  in  its  support.  .  .  .  Uninspired 
biography,  and  often  even  that  which  is  called 
Christian,  has  none  of  this  candour  ;  .  .  .  so  that 
many  a  religious  character  of  modern  times 
appears  fairer  on  the  pages  of  his  biographer 
than  the  fairest  of  those  whose  lives  are  written 
by  the  pen  of  inspiration.  .  .  .  Why  is  the  Bible 
so  different  from  all  other  books  in  this  respect .'' 
Because  it  is  the  truth  of  God,  and  the  God 
who  gave  it  knew  that  it  had  nothing  to  fear 
from  telling  the  truth. — Ibid. 

[167 1 5]  If  we  deal  with  the  most  striking  case 
in  point,  the  mixed  character  of  David,  I  think 


I67IS— I67I9] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
INTRODUCTION. 


[scripture  biography. 


we  may  see  how  great  he  was,  even  in  the  midst 
of  his  faults.  We  must  measure  a  man  by  the 
standard  of  his  own  age,  by  his  circumstances, 
by  his  education,  and  by  the  recognized  obh'ga- 
tions  which  lay  upon  him.  There  are  things 
which  most  of  us  know,  and  even  our  children 
know,  about  the  structure  of  the  globe  and  many 
other  things,  which  were  altogether  unknown 
by  such  mental  giants  as  Bacon  and  Newton. 
Can  we  therefore  say  that  we  and  our  children 
are  mightier  in  mind  than  those  intellectual 
monarchs,  because  we  make  fewer  mistakes  in 
some  thmgs  than  they  made.'  Certainly  not. 
And  just  so  is  it  in  the  realms  of  morals  and 
religion.  How  many  men,  of  all  of  us,  live  up 
to  what  we  admit  to  be  our  duty — the  claims  of 
(iod,  of  our  Church,  and  of  our  fellow-men.'' 
How  many  of  us  are  as  good  as  we  know  we 
ought  to  be  ?  and  I  would  further  ask,  how 
many  are  there  who  rise  above  the  ordinary 
requirements  of  their  age  in  matters  of  morality 
and  religion.'  How  many  men  are  there  who 
would  not  do  what  nearly  everybody  does?  and 
how  many  men  are  bold  enough  to  be  alone, 
and  take  up  an  earnest  line  in  religion  and  in 
religious  service,  when  no  one  else  does  it,  and 
they  would  be  observed  upon .'  It  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  the  great  majority  of  good  sort  of 
people  fall  much  below  what  they  see  to  be  the 
best,  and  what  public  opinion  itself  admits  to  be 
best  ;  and  scarcely  one  in  ten  thousand  rises 
above  the  level  of  ordinary  requirements. — Rev. 
IV.  Page  Roberts. 

4  Had  all  the  characters  of  Scripture  Bio- 
graphy been  represented  as  faultless,  the 
Bible  would  not  have  been  more,  but  less 
credible  than  it  is. 

[167 1 6]  The  question  would  have  been  asked. 
Why  is  it  that  no  such  perfect  characters  are 
formed  under  the  power  of  the  gospel  in  the 
present  day .'  Men  would  have  looked  around 
upon  its  professors,  and  seen  that  they  were  but 
imperfect,  and  they  would  have  said  either  that 
religion  had  lost  its  power,  or  that  it  never  had 
any.  lUit  now  the  representations  of  Scripture 
and  the  actual  state  of  things  in  the  Christian 
world  are  in  perfect  harmony.  There  we  see 
good  men  sometimes  overcoming  their  sins,  and 
sometimes  overcome  by  them,  and  if  we  turn  to 
the  Bil)le,  we  find  just  such  mingled  characters 
drawn  in  its  histories.  I-Ivery  one  must  feel 
that  the  Scriptures  are  much  more  credible, 
describing  believers  as  but  imperfectly  sancti- 
fied, than  they  would  have  been  had  they  re- 
presented them  as  perfect.— AVz/.  IV.  Lewis, 
D.D. 

5  In  their  case  all  the  secret  guilt  of  theirsins 
is  brought  to  light. 

[16717]  We  may  pride  ourselves  in  our  su- 
periority o\er  them,  but  suppose  tiiat  the  worst 
action  of  our  life  was  held  up  to  view,  with  all 
the  secret  circumstances  and  corrupt  motives 
that  attended  it,  should  we  have  much  to  boast 
of?  Would  one  be  found  so  sinless  that  he 
could  venture  to  cast  the  first  stone  at  them? 


It  would  silence  the  scoffs  of  many  a  person 
who  now  holds  up  the  sins  of  Scripture  saints 
to  derision  could  some  one  of  his  sins  be  drawn 
to  light  by  a  God  who  knew  all  its  secret  guilt. 
—Ibid. 

6       God's  dealings  with  these  His  guilty  ser- 
vants were  eminently  severe. 

[167 18]  In  the  ordinary  course  of  things  their 
crimes  would  have  been  in  a  great  measure 
concealed.  David  might  have  sinned  and  the 
world  never  known  his  guilt,  had  not  a  special 
providence  revealed  it.  No  one  heard  the 
plottings  of  Rebecca  and  Jacob  against  the 
aged  Isaac,  and  had  not  God  unfolded  them 
by  inspiration,  they  would  have  passed  down  to 
judgment  among  ten  thousand  other  unknown 
sins.  There  were  only  a  few  around  Peter  who 
heard  him  curse  and  swear,  and  deny  his  Master. 
In  the  ordinary  course  of  things  they  would  have 
made  a  few  scoffing  remarks  upon  his  conduct, 
his  fellow-disciples  would  have  been  grieved, 
but  the  recollection  of  his  sin  would  soon  have 
died  away.  Had  not  God  taken  special  pains 
to  record  it  in  the  Gospels,  we  should  never  have 
heard  of  Peter's  denial,  tradition  would  not  have 
brought  it  to  us,  and  we  should  have  known  him 
only  as  the  ardent  and  bold  disciple  of  his  Lord. 
But  God  would  not  suffer  these  offenders  so  to 
escape.  What  would  have  been  forgotten.  He 
has  engraved  on  an  enduring  monument  to  their 
shame.  What  would  have  been  unknown,  He 
has  dragged  to  light,  and  the  greater  part  of 
those  very  crimes  which  so  awaken  cavil  might 
have  never  come  to  our  view  in  this  world,  had 
not  God  unfolded  them.  Does  not  this  look 
like  the  confidence  of  truth  ?  Common  judg- 
ment would  have  told  any  one  that  such  crimes 
as  those  set  down  against  good  men  w-ould 
awaken  cavils,  and  that  it  would  be  better  in 
human  prudence  to  keep  them  back  ;  when 
therefore  we  see  them  studiously  brought  to 
view,  as  a  perpetual  punishment  for  those 
offenders,  certainly  we  must  feel  that  this  is 
the  boldness  of  truth. — Ibid. 

7       They   have    encouraged    many  a   believer, 
overtaken  in  a  fault,  to  seek  forgiveness. 

[167 1 9]  No  doubt  many  have  drawn  en- 
couragement from  hence  to  sin,  and  because 
such  crimes  as  those  of  David  and  Peter  have 
been  forgiven,  some  have  been  led  to  presume 
that  they  too  should  find  forgiveness,  however 
they  might  live.  From  the  same  plant  poison 
and  honey  are  extracted.  But  many  a  time 
also  has  the  Christian  been  led  by  the  deceit- 
fulness  of  sin  into  some  gross  transgression,  yet 
after  long  indulgence  he  awakens  from  his  dream 
of  pleasure,  and  finds  the  stings  of  conscience 
can  still  reach  him.  In  an  agony  of  remorse  he 
desires  forgiveness  ;  and  had  he  never  heard  of 
one  that  had  sinned  as  vilely,  who  had  been 
pardoned,  he  would  despair.  But  he  sees  that 
others  as  wicked  have  found  remission,  and  he 
is  encouraged  to  come  and  seek  the  same  mercy. 
Ten  thousand  times  has  the  despair  of  a  real 
penitent   been   chased    away   by   the   story  of 


I67I9 — 16722] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  7 

INTRODUCTION.  [SCRIPTURE   BIOGRAPHY. 


Peter's  sin  and  repentance.  Instead  of  cavil- 
ling, then,  at  the  scriptural  record  of  the  offences 
of  believers,  we  ought  to  bless  God  that  they 
have  been  left  on  the  pages  of  His  Word,  to  in- 
spire with  hope  the  desponding  mourner. — Ibid. 

[16720]  Would  any  one  say  that  a  contrite 
sinner  ought  not  to  be  forgiven,  whatever  his 
guilt  may  have  been  .''  Then  why  object  be- 
cause David  was  forgiven  ?  He  was  not  called 
"the  man  after  God's  own  heart  "during  that 
black  year  of  his  apostasy;  and  had  he  died  in 
that  season,  God's  own  assurance  is,  that  "  all 
his  righteousness  that  he  had  done  should  be 
no  more  remembered,  but  in  his  sin  that  he 
sinned  he  would  have  died.''  Because,  how- 
ever he  lived  to  repent,  he  was  forgiven  ;  be- 
cause he  became  eminent  in  holiness  he  was 
loved  ;  and  who  would  wish  it  had  been  other- 
wise, or  say  that  the  door  of  mercy  should  be 
shut  against  any  penitent  offender .''  No  ;  we 
bless  God  that  his  sins  were  forgiven,  that 
Abraham  and  Noah,  Peter  and  Paul,  were  for- 
given, and  that  they  have  become  examples  of 
the  long-suffering  of  our  God,  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  true  penitents  to  the  end  of  time.  Those 
very  pages  stained  with  the  sad  failings  of  be- 
lievers may  have  inspired  hope,  and  saved  the 
souls  of  many  who  would  otherwise  have  sunk 
to  everlasting  despair.  He  who  would  cavil  at 
such  things  in  Scripture  might  plunge  the 
drowning  wretch  from  the  rock  on  which  he 
was  clambering,  or  persuade  the  trembling 
penitent  that  God  had  no  mercy  in  store  for 
him. — Id  id. 

8      They  have   made  believers  of  succeeding 
ages  more  circumspect. 

[1672 1]  Many  a  one  disposed  to  say, "  I  never 
will  deny  Thee,  Lord,"  has  had  presumptuous 
confidence  checked  by  the  recollection  how 
vain  the  boast  was  in  the  mouth  of  an  apostle. 
Probably  every  Christian  can  declare  that  he 
never  reads  these  melancholy  accounts  without 
being  made  more  humble  and  distrustful  of  self; 


and  thus  they  have  their  use.  In  a  great  naval 
contest  of  England  we  are  told  that  one  ship 
ran  aground,  so  as  to  be  entirely  out  of  reach  of 
the  enemy,  but  contributed  very  much  to  the 
victory  by  serving  as  a  beacon  to  the  other 
ships  bearing  down  into  action.  It  was  not 
a  way  of  contributing  to  victory  which  any 
brave  captain  would  choose,  but  it  would  be  a 
matter  of  rejoicing  even  in  this  way  to  serve 
one's  country.  And  so,  though  we  would  not 
choose  that  holy  men  of  old  should  have  fallen 
into  sins,  we  rejoice  that  the  great  Captain  of 
our  salvation  is  making  use  of  their  failures  to 
swell  the  triumphs  of  His  people,  and  to  bring 
glory  to  His  own  great  name. — Idid. 

9      They  teach  that  salvation  is  not  of  works, 
but  of  grace. 

[16722]  What  a  view  of  human  depravity  does 
it  give  us  to  see  such  eminent  servants  of  God 
falling  into  such  transgressions  !  To  find  the 
foul  worm  in  a  mass  of  pollution  does  not  sur- 
prise us  ;  but  to  see  it  in  the  fairest  flower,  to 
discover  it  in  the  most  delicate  fruit  or  upon 
the  most  perfect  form  of  earthly  beauty,  shocks 
and  disgusts.  We  look  for  sin  in  the  lawless 
transgressor,  but  does  it  not  defile  the  character 
of  a  Paul  or  an  Abraham .-'  Did  this  worm  of 
the  abyss  leave  its  pollution  on  the  soul  that 
at  other  times  breathed  the  inspiration  of 
heavenly  psalms  ?  Then  surely  we  must  feel 
that  "  there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not 
one."  Are  we  better  than  David?  Have  we 
a  greater  perfection  by  nature  or  grace  than 
Paul  ?  It  would  be  arrogance  to  pretend  to  this. 
And  we  see  that  they  were  sinners.  We  feel 
that  they  could  not  have  entered  heaven  by  their 
own  good  works.  Then  let  us  fall  with  them  at 
the  foot  of  the  cross  and  say,  "  Not  by  works  of 
righteousness  which  we  have  done"  do  we  hope, 
O  Lord,  to  be  saved,  but  only  of  Thine  infinite 
mercy  in  the  Redeemer.  Their  sins  brought 
them  to  this  conclusion.  May  their  sins,  as 
well  as  our  own,  teach  us  that  to  this  we  must 
come  I — Ibid. 


PART   A. 


PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


(Adam  to  Abraham,  B.C.  4004-1996 :   2008  years.) 


SYLLABUS. 


L  Ante-Diluvian  Period. 

In  the  Messianic  line. 
Adam  ... 
Enoch 
Noah 

Out  of  the  Messianic  line 
Cain     ... 
Abel 
Lamech 


n.  PosT-DiLUviAN  Period 
Job  


9 
17 

20 


26 
29 
TO. 


34 


PART   A. 


PRIMITIVE  ERA. 


ADAM. 

I.  The   Circumstances  of    our   First 
Father's  Formation. 

The     peculiarly     poetic      interest      attaching 
thereto. 

[16723]  First  among  Scripture  characters 
abundantly  entitled  to  the  epithet  poetical 
stands  Adam  himself.  How  interesting  the 
circumstances  of  his  formation  !  Mark  with 
what  dignity  God  accompanied  the  making  of 
man.  Behold  the  whole  Trinity  consulting 
together  ere  they  proceeded  to  this  last  and 
greatest  work  of  the  Demiurgic  days.  God  had 
only  said,  "  Let  there  be  light,  let  there  be  a 
firmament,  let  the  waters  be  gathered  together, 
let  the  earth  bring  forth  the  living  creature  after 
his  kind  ;"  but,  when  man  was  to  be  taken  out 
of  the  clay,  the  style  of  Deity  rises,  if  we  may  so 
speak,  up  to  itself,  and  He  says,  "  Let  us  make 
man  after  our  own  likeness."  We  may  imagine 
ourselves  present  at  this  thrilling  moment.  A 
mist  is  watering  the  face  of  the  ground,  and 
partially  bedimming  the  sun.  Slowly,  yet  mys- 
teriously, is  the  red  clay  drawn  out  of  the  ground, 
fashioned,  and  compacted  into  the  shape  of 
man,  till  the  future  master  of  the  world  is,  as  to 
his  bodily  part,  complete,  and  lies,  statue-like 
and  still,  upon  the  dewy  ground.  But  speedily, 
like  a  gentle  breeze,  the  breath  of  the  Lord 
passes  over  his  face,  and  he  becomes  a  living 
soul,  and  his  eyes  open  upon  the  green,  glad 
earth,  and  the  orb  of  day  shining  through  a 
golden  mist,  and  his  ears  open  to  the  melodies, 
which  seem  to  salute  him  as  Lord  of  all,  and  he 
starts  to  his  feet,  and  stretches  out  his  hands  to 
the  sun  as  if  to  embrace  it,  and  the  mists  dis- 
perse, and  the  beams  of  noon  show  him  Eden 
shining  in  all  its  beauty — the  abode  of  man,  and 
the  garden  of  God. — G.  Gilfillan. 

[16724]  Adam's  emotions  on  awaking  to  life 
can  no  more  be  conceived  than  described.  The 
infant  is  introduced  step  by  step  into  the  sight 
of  the  great  temple  of  the  creation.  But  it 
must  have  burst  in  all  but  an  instant  upon  the 
view  of  the  man-boy,  Adam.  His  happiness, 
however,  was  not  complete  :  he  was  alone. 
And  he  could  not  be  long  in  the  world  till  he 
desired  a  companion.     The  sun  he  could  not 


grasp  ;  the  moon,  walking  in  her  brightness,  he 
could  not  detain  ;  the  trees  cooled  his  brow, 
but  yielded  no  sympathy  to  his  heart  His  own 
shadow  was  but  a  cold  and  coy  companion. 
And  probably,  while  full  of  cravings  after  society, 
which  mingled  with  and  damped  his  new-born 
raptures  of  joy,  he  felt  creeping  over  him  the 
soft  influences  of  slumber.  He  slept.  Man  was 
scarcely  created  till  he  slept ;  and,  while  asleep, 
"  God  took  one  of  his  ribs,  and  made  of  it 
woman,"  not  of  rude  clay,  but  of  the  finished 
portion  of  a  finished  man,  forming  her  from  a 
finer  material,  and  clothing  her  with  a  more 
fascinating  loveliness.  "  He  brought  her  to  the 
man,"  as  a  companion  to  his  joys — for  sorrows 
as  yet  he  had  none — to  talk  with  him  in  Eden, 
in  the  large  sweet  utterance  of  a  tongue  tuned 
and  taught  by  God  Himself,  to  wander  with  him 
by  the  rivers  of  Paradise,  to  be  united  to  him 
by  a  tie  of  tender  and  indissoluble  affection. 
With  joy  he  welcomed  her  as  the  breathing 
essence — the  glorious  marrow  of  his  own  being 
— "  bone  of  his  bone,  and  flesh  of  his  flesh  ; " 
and  surely  we  may  believe  that  the  harps  of 
angels,  as  well  as  the  glad  sounds  of  nature, 
celebrated  the  happy  union. — Ibid. 


n. 


Wherein  the  Image  of  God  Con- 
sisted IN  Man. 


Man  resembled  his  Creator  with  regard  to 
his  spiritual,  intellectual,  and  moral  quali- 
ties, being  a  noble  human  reflection  of 
the  Deity  itself. 

[16725]  In  spirituality,  and  consequently  im- 
materiality, this  image  of  God  in  man,  in  the 
first  instance,  consists,  .  .  .  and  the  sentiment 
expressed  in  Wisdom  ii.  23  is  an  evidence  that, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  ancient  Jews,  the  image  of 
God  in  man  comprised  immortality  sAso.  "For 
God  created  man  to  be  immortal,  and  made  him 
to  be  an  image  of  his  own  eternity."  .  .  .  To 
these  we  are  to  add  the  intellectual  powers,  and 
we  have  what  divines,  in  perfect  accordance  with 
the  Scriptures,  have  called  "the  natural  image 
of  God  in  His  creatures,"  which  is  essential  and 
ineffaceable.  Man  was  made  capable  oi  know- 
ledge, and  he  was  endowed  with  liberty  of  will. 
This  natural  image  of  God  was  the  foundation 
of  that  moral  image  by  which  also  man  was 
distinguished.     Unless  he  had  been  a  spiritual, 


16725—16731! 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[ADAM. 


knowin.c^,  and  willing  being,  he  would  have  been 
wholly  incapable  ol  moral  qualities. — Eticyclo- 
ptedia  {^Edwards). 

111.  The  Innocence  and  Purity  of  the 
Primeval  Age. 

Adam,  before  the  Fall,  had  no  conscious- 
ness of  guilt,  and  consequently  no  reason 
for  shame  concerning  his  natural  state. 

[16726]  The  words  of  Genesis  which  imme- 
diately precede  the  history  of  the  fall  describe 
to  us  better  than  anything  else  the  perfect 
innocence  and  purity  of  primitive  man  :  "  And 
they  were  both  naked,  the  man  and  his  wife, 
and  they  were  not  ashamed."  Like  truth,  which 
has  been  represented  naked,  to  give  us  an  idea 
of  the  purity  of  its  attractions,  our  first  parents, 
until  sin  had  poured  over  them  its  poison,  saw 
in  the  majestic  beauty  of  person,  with  which 
God  had  endowed  them,  no  motive  for  shame. 
And  this  is  the  feature  of  the  Divine  image, 
which  we  trace  most  faithfully  in  the  young 
child,  which  has  not  yet  had  the  misfortune  to 
feel  the  seeds  of  that  corruption  which  is  natural 
to  us,  develop  themselves  within  him,  and 
whose  purity  and  innocence  sin  has  not  yet 
withered  by  its  impure  breath.  What  a  charm 
does  this  ignorance  of  evil,  which  keeps  aloof 
shame,  the  offspring  of  sin,  shed  over  infancy  ! 
Why  should  the  tender  infant,  whom  you  love 
to  press  to  your  heart,  be  ashamed  of  its  nudity .' 
It  has  not  yet  sinned  !  Oh  !  who  has  not  re- 
gretted those  days  of  childhood,  the  remem- 
brance of  which  still  sometimes  returns  to 
soothe  the  miseries  inseparable  from  a  world 
which  lieth  in  wickedness  !  Who  has  not  shed 
bitter  tears  over  the  loss  of  that  ignorance  of 
■evil,  which  allowed  us  to  indulge,  without  dis- 
trust and  witii  happy  feelings,  in  enjoyments  in 
which,  at  a  later  period,  we  find  at  every  step 
the  poison  of  sin  1 — L.  Bonnet. 

[16727]  Man,  as  he  came  forth  from  the  hands 
of  his  God,  possessed  an  innocence,  a  purity  of 
heart,  which  nothing  had  as  yet  sullied.  Per- 
haps also  the  body,  with  which  God  had  clothed 
him,  partook  of  the  glory  and  beauty  of  the 
Divine  image  which  adorned  his  soul  ;  the 
Father  of  lights  had  perhaps  invested  with  a 
halo  of  celestial  brightness  the  creature  of  His 
love.  "He  had  crowned  him,"  the  Scripture 
tells  us,  "  with  glory  and  honour."  The  "glori- 
ous body,"  with  which  the  elect  of  God  shall  be 
clothed  by  the  power  of  Him  who  hath  repaired 
the  disorders  of  the  fall  and  of  sin,  shall  prob- 
ably be  but  the  restoration  of  that  body  which 
the  immortal  being,  created  by  (iod,  the  Sove- 
reign of  the  Universe,  possessed.  He  was  not 
naked,  he  was  crownccl  with  glory  and  honour. 
—Ibid. 

[16728]  That  Adam's  corporeal  and  intellec- 
tual elevation  was  accompanied  with  entire 
moral  purity  appears  not  only  from  the  capacity 
shown  for  free  intercourse  with  God,  and  the 
<lisposition  to  fall  in  with  all  His  arrangements, 


but  also  from  the  express  statements  respecting 
both,  that  "  they  were  naked,  and  were  not 
ashamed."  Sin  as  yet  wrought  not  in  their 
bosoms.  .  .  .  Truth  alone  was  in  their  inward 
parts— the  truth  of  pure  and  holy  love  ;  and 
nothing  but  this  could  be  mirrored  in  the 
features  or  the  movements  of  their  external 
frames. — Fairbairn. 


IV.  The  Grand  Beauty  and  Harmony 
OF  Adam's  Human  Nature  as  Origi- 
nally Cre.'vted. 

1  As  regards  his  physical  being. 

It  may  be  reaso?iably  inferred  tJiat  the  first 
mail  was  characterized  by  pe?-fect  personal  beauty 
of  form  and  mien,  from  the  very  fact  0/  his  bein^i^ 
framed  by  the  fingers  of  God,  witJiout  the  inter- 
vention  of  a  second  cause. 

[16729]  The  Divine  record  says  nothing  of 
the  personal  appearance  of  Adam  when  he  came 
from  the  hands  of  his  Creator  ;  but,  fashioned 
as  he  was,  by  the  immediate  agency  of  God, 
and  standing  chief  among  the  productions  which 
were  all  pronounced  "very  good,"  we  cannot 
doubt  that  in  form  and  aspect  he  belonged  to 
the  highest  type  of  humanity. — Ibid. 

[16730]  The  region  where,  according  to  all 
the  indications  of  modern  research  as  well  as 
of  ancient  tradition,  the  human  family  had  its 
first  local  habitation,  favours  the  supposition. 
The  exact  site  of  Paradise  has,  by  subsequent 
changes  on  the  earth's  surface,  been  hopelessly 
placed  beyond  the  reach  of  our  investigations, 
but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  lay  somewhere 
within  that  district  of  Western  Asia  in  which 
the  Caucasian  territory  is  situated  ;  and  from 
tiie  earliest  periods  to  the  present  times  the 
Caucasian  type  of  man  has  always  been  placed 
by  naturalists  in  the  highest  rank.  The  sculp- 
tured figures  in  the  ancient  Assyrian,  Grecian, 
and  even  Egyptian  remains  bear  much  of  this 
cast  ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  offshoots  of  the 
original  race  receded  from  the  Caucasian  centre, 
and  planted  themselves  in  the  more  distant 
extremities  of  the  globe,  they  became  deterio- 
rated in  appearance.  It  is  therefore  in  perfect 
accordance  with  all  that  we  know,  and  have 
reason  to  believe,  that  the  first  pair  were,  even 
in  a  physical  respect,  cast  in  the  finest  mould 
of  humanity. — Ibid. 

2  As  regards  his  mental  and  moral  being. 

The  grace  and  sytnmetry  of  his  cliaractcr 
viewed  as  a  whole. 

\.^(^73A  T''''^  ^'^'''  ^'^'^  noble  product  was  made 
in  "God's  image"  — understanding  not  by  this, 
as  some  suppose,  his  erect  bodily  form— a  form 
possessed  by  apes  as  well  as  by  men — but  a 
similitude  of  mental  and  moral  character, 
mingled  together  in  large  and  equal  proportions. 
We  deny  not,  indeed,  that  this  may  have 
expressed  itself  in  the  outward  lineaments  of 
our  first  parents,  nor  will  call  those  mere  en- 
thusiasts who  may  tell  us  that  Adam  was  fairer 


16731—16732] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PKIMITIVE    ERA. 


[ADAM. 


far  than  any  of  his  sons,  and  Eve  than  any  of 
her  daughters  ;  nay,  that  the  sun  is  not  more 
},dorious  than  the  face  of  the  first  man,  nor  the 
rising  moon  of  evening  more  beautiful  than  that 
of  the  first  woman,  ihit  the  glory  was  chiefly 
mental  and  moral.  Adam  bore  a  mental 
resemblance  to  his  Maker.  He  had  an  ample 
intellect,  a  rich  imagination,  united  together  by 
a  link  of  burning  soul,  as  superior  to  that  of 
Milton,  who  sang  him  in  strains  which  shall 
never  die,  as  that  to  the  trodden  worm.  But 
he  had  not  only  a  high  but  a  holy  spirit  —  a 
conscience  the  most  undefiled  —  a  sense  of 
duty  electrically  quick — affections  sunning  them- 
selves in  God — and  a  love  pure,  and  bright,  and 
constant  as  the  lamps  which,  while  shining  in 
the  Divine  presence,  owe  their  radiance  to  the 
Divine  eye. — G.  Ciljillan, 

V.  The  Test  of  his  Fidelity  and  Love 
TO  the  CRE.VI'OR. 

Man  placed  under  a  sense  of  dependence  and 
responsibility. 

[16732]  Glorious  and  perfect  as  he  is,  Adam, 
upon  his  first  reflection,  teels  himself  a  depen- 
dent and  a  limited  being.  No  sooner  had  his 
eye  ascended  to  the  God  who  made  him,  than 
it  returns  to  the  earth  from  whence  he  was 
taken  ;  and  the  very  first  excursion  of  his  reason 
informs  him  that  he  is  at  the  disposal  of  another, 
and  that  he  is  restrained  by  a  law.  He  receives 
a  whole  globe,  over  which  he  is  permitted  to 
exercise  an  unlimited  sovereignty  ;  but  one  tree 
is  reserved,  as  a  token  of  his  subjection.  Every 
plant  in  Paradise  offers  itself  to  gratify  his  sense, 
every  animal  does  homage  at  his  feet  ;  but  the 
sight  of  one  kind  of  fruit  in  the  midst  of  the 
garden  continually  reminds  him  that  he  himself 
is  dependent  upon  God,  and  accountable  to 
Him  ;  and  while  six  parts  of  time  are  allowed 
for  his  own  employments  and  delights,  the 
seventh  is  set  apart  as  sacred  to  his  Maker. — 
Rev.  H.  Hunter,  D.D. 

VI.  The   Moral   Weakness    Displayed 
IN  his  Failure  under  the  Test. 

"  She  took  of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat, 
and  gave  also  unto  her  httsbaftd,  and  he  did  eat" 
(Gen.  iii.  6). 

[16733]  Adam  appears  to  have  sinned  with 
his  eyes  open,  and  to  have  done  it  from  love  to 
his  wife  ;  he  hearkened  to  her  voice,  and  plunged 
headlong  into  her  sin.  The  dearest  and  most 
lawful  attachments  may  prove  a  snare  ;  and 
though  father  or  mother,  husband  or  wife,  son 
or  daughter,  should  tempt  us  to  forsake  God,  we 
must  not  hearken. — E.  Copley. 

[16734]  I  know  not  if  the  ingenious  and 
beautiful  idea  of  the  poet  of  Eden  be  true,  that 
Adam  gave  himself  up  to  crime  and  misery,  to 
share  the  lot  of  his  beloved  companion,  whatever 
it  might  be  ;  but,  however  that  may  be,  his  sin 
was  not  the  less  great.  Evil  is  not  less  cursed, 
nor  does  temptation  less  inevitably  lead  to  ruin, 


because  it  is  presented  to  us  by  a  hand  that  is 
dear. — L,  Bonnet. 

[16735]  r»y  what  arguments  Adam  was  pre- 
vailed upon  to  become  a  partner  in  her  guilt, 
we  are  not  informed.  From  the  apology  he 
made  for  his  conduct,  it  is  to  be  inferred  that 
female  insinuation  and  address  misled  him  from 
the  law  of  his  God.  And  thus  were  both  ruined 
by  the  operation  of  principles  in  themselves 
good  and  useful  ;  but  carried  to  excess,  because 
unchecked  by  reason,  and  unawed  by  religion. 
Eve  perished  by  a  curious  and  ambitious  desire 
after  a  condition,  for  which  God  and  Nature 
had  not  designed  her,  a  desire  to  be  "  as  God, 
to  know  good  and  evil  ;"  Adam  fell  by  com- 
plaisance to  his  wile,  carried  to  unmanly 
weakness  and  compliance,  yielding  to  his 
subject,  bidding  defiance  to  his  Sovereign. — 
Rev.  H.  Hu7iter,  D.D. 

VII.  The  Loss  of  Innocence  consequent 
ON  the  Fall. 

[16736]  "  They  saw  that  they  were  naked;" 
stripped  of  the  virgin  robe  of  conscious  innocence 
which  shielded  the  soul's  sensitive  and  shrinking 
delicacy  from  the  rude  contact  of  sin,  and 
enwrapped  them  from  its  bold  and  familiar  gaze 
in  the  modest  veil  of  sin-repelling  purity.  Till 
now  they  had  felt  themselves  protected,  en- 
veloped, sanctified  by  the  presence  of  God. 
"  To  the  pure  all  things  are  pure  ;  to  the  defiled 
and  unbelieving  is  nothing  pure."  And  now, 
guilty  in  conscience,  and  defiled  in  mind,  the 
light  of  heaven  shamed  them  :  they  blushed,  as 
the  eye  of  Essential  Purity  looked  upon  them  : 
and  they  commenced  the  drudgery  of  sin,  by 
labouring  to  conceal,  with  a  patch-work  of  futile 
devices,  the  shame  which  sin  had  tempted  them 
to  incur.  "  They  sewed  fig-leaves  together,  and 
made  themselves  aprons "- — a  just  and  lively 
emblem  of  the  deceitfulness  of  sin,  and  of  the 
folly  and  unfruitfulness  of  its  vain  devices. — 
Rev.  y.  Hiffernan. 

[16737]  Innocence  refuses  any  longer  to  intro- 
duce and  support  them  in  the  awful  presence  of 
the  Divine  Majesty :  penitence  has  not  yet 
taught  them  to  prostrate  themselves  before  the 
heart-seeing  God,  in  full  confession  and  entire 
self-abandonment.  Guilty  fear  betrays  all  their 
resources,  and  gives  them  an  experimental 
acquaintance  with  those  deeps  of  spiritual 
darkness  to  which  Satan's  promised  knowledge 
was  to  lead  them,  while  it  induces  them  vainly 
to  fly  from  the  all-pervading  presence,  and 
foolishly  attempt  to  hide  themselves  from  the 
All-seeing  eye  of  the  Lord  God,  among  the  trees 
of  the  garden. — Idld. 

VIII.  Force    of   the    Divine    Inquiry, 
"Where  Art  Thou.?" 

The  bringing  of  Adam  face  to  face  with  his  real 
position  now  as  compared  with  what  his 
position  previously  had   been. 

[16738]  There  is  something  more  in  this  in- 


16738—16741] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[ADAM. 


quiry  than  an  expression  of  a  desire  on  the  part 
of  God  to  discover  the  local  position  which  Adam 
occupied.  God  could  have  done  that  without 
asking  any  question  ;  but  it  always  seems  to  me 
as  though  God  would  say  not  only — "  Where  art 
thou  in  the  material  world  .■"'  but  "Where  art  thou 
as  compared  with  the  moral  position  which  thou 
didst  previously  occupy.'  Only  a  few  moments 
ago  thou  wast  the  favoured  creature  of  the  God 
who  made  thee,  exalted  to  a  high  and  glorious 
position,  permitted  to  hold  fellowship  with  thy 
Creator.  A  little  while  ago  it  was  thy  joy  to 
hear  My  voice  :  a  little  while  ago  it  was  thy 
highest  honour  to  be  admitted  into  .My  presence, 
and  to  participate  in  the  blessedness  which  My 
presence  always  carries  along  with  it  ;  a  little 
while  ago  thou  wast  able  to  think  the  thoughts 
of  heaven,  and  to  bitathe  its  very  atmosphere  ; 
and  now  how  changed,  how  fallen  !  The  very 
voice  which  caused  a  thrill  of  joy  within  thy 
heart  now  only  creates  terror  ;  the  thought 
of  meeting  Me  fills  thee  with  confusion  and 
dismay  ;  thou  wast  My  companion,  and  now 
thou  fliest  away  to  hide  thyself  There  was 
something  within  thy  nature  which  found  that 
which  corresponded  to  and  harmonized  with 
itself  in  My  nature,  and  now  thou  discoverest 
that  thou  and  I  are  at  variance  with  each  other 
Hitherto,  unbroken  love  has  bound  thy  heart  to 
Mine,  and  My  heart  to  thine  ;  but  now  there 
has  stepped  in  something  between  thyself  and 
Me  ;  the  chain  of  love  is  broken,  and  instead  of 
this  there  has  arisen  a  fearful  sense  of  separa- 
tion " — for  wherever  sin  goes  it  brings  with  it 
separation  of  the  sinner  from  his  God  — 
"  Where  art  thou,  but  a  few  moments  before 
e.xalted  so  high,  that  thou  seemedst  but  little 
inferior  to  those  bright  spirits  that  stand  around 
My  throne.''  And  it  had  been  thy  glorious 
destiny  to  rise  to  an  even  more  exalted  height, 
and  to  know  a  deeper  and  a  more  wondrous 
blessedness  than  even  they  can  attain  to.  But 
where  art  thou  .''  Hurled  down  from  this  height 
of  moral  purity  ;  hurled  down  to  degradation  and 
to  sin  :  how  art  thou  fallen,  thou  son  of  the 
morning  !  fallen  to  the  very  gates  of  hell  !  Thy 
hope  dashed  and  blighted  ;  a  dark  cloud 
between  thee  and  the  meridian  splendour  of 
Divine  glory  ;  an  awful  sense  of  condemnation 
brooding  upon  thy  soul  ;  already  a  paralysis  of 
the  will  lias  induced  within  thee  a  certain  sense 
of  moral  helplessness,  of  incapacity  to  become 
what  thou  desirest  to  be.  Where  art  thou? 
Fallen,  fallen,  fallen  :  oh  how  deeply  fallen  ! 
fallen  from  the  very  threshold  of  the  world  of 
glory  down  to  the  very  portal  of  the  world  of 
doom  !  " — Rev.  Hay  /lit ken. 

[16739]  Where  art  thou?  saith  the  Lord  to 
Adam,  covered  with  confusion,  and  not  yet 
repentant,  where  art  thou  ?  O  My  creature,  O 
sovereign  of  this  universe,  into  what  a  gulf  of 
misery  thou  hast  precipitated  thyself!  Thou, 
whom  I  loved,  thou  wast  so  happy  in  communion 
Avith  Me,  where  art  thou?  Thou  who  wast 
clothed  with  majesty  and  innocence,  thou  on 
whose  brow  I  planted  a  ray  of  Mine  own  glory, 


where  art  thou  ?  How  great  is  thy  disgrace ! 
How  great  the  bitterness  of  thy  remorse  !  What 
a  voice  of  mercy  !  How  calculated  to  make  the 
two  guilty  inmates  of  Eden  look  within  them- 
selves, to  show  them  the  depth  of  their  fall,  and 
to  lead  them,  humbled  and  repenting,  to  the  feet 
of  their  Creator,  to  see  if  they  might  find  grace 
and  pardon  with  Him  ! — I..  Bonnet. 

IX.  The  Gradual  Step.s  of  Adam's  De- 
clension TRACED  IN  HIS  SELF  - 
DEFENCE. 

I       Unholy  fear,  shame,  and  folly. 

"  /  heard  Thy  voice  in  the  garden^  a7id  I  ivas 
afraid,  because  I  was  naked,  ai7d  I  hid  myself." 

a.  Adam's  haste  to  make  excuse  proved  that 
he  had  eaten  of  the  forbidden  tree. 

[16740]  The  consciousness  of  evil  leads  to 
self-vindication  :  the  consciousness  of  innocence 
is  slow  to  suspect  a  charge.  If  you  ask  a  man 
how  he  is,  and  he  answers,  "  I  am  sober,"  you 
are  tempted  to  suppose  that  he  may  have  in- 
dulged too  freely  :  and,  if  inquiring  what  he  is 
carrying,  he  replies  that  it  is  his  own,  you  fancy 
it  possible  that  he  has  made  too  free  with  his 
neighbour's  goods.  Why  should  a  man  deem 
it  needful  to  defend  himself,  unless  he  is  at- 
tacked ?  and  if  there  is  no  attack  from  without, 
is  it  not  likely  that  there  is  one  from  within, 
and  conscience  does  the  office  of  accuser? — 
Rev.  A.  Morris. 

b.  The  nature  of  the  excuse  urged  was  in  itself 
an  involuntary  admission  of  guilt. 

[ 1 6741]  The  excuse  which  Adam  made  proved 
that  he  had  eaten  of  the  tree.  He  was  afraid, 
and  hid  himself.  Now  whatever  he  knew  not, 
he  should  have  known  that  he  had  no  right  to 
be  afraid  of  God.  Fear  was  no  feeling  for  "man 
new  made."  If  a  child  dreads  its  parent,  the 
child  or  parent  must  be  wrong.  He  had  not 
been  afraid  before.  What  had  made  the 
change  ?  Only  eating  of  the  tree.  Ah,  that 
was  It.  He  had  committed  "  the  offence."  With 
abundance  of  all  kinds,  he  had  coveted  the  one 
reserved  good  :  with  almost  unlimited  freedom, 
he  had  trespassed  on  the  one  forbidden  spot. 
He  had  broken  a  law,  not  which  withheld  all 
things  but  one,  but  which  allowed  all  things 
but  one  ;  and  for  the  gratification  of  a  single 
sense  in  a  single  mode,  he  had  despised  the 
riches  of  God's  goodness,  and  defied  the  terrors 
of  His  curse.  And  when  he  heard  the  voice  of 
God  (even  though  he  had  been  insensible  till 
then)  it  echoed  through  his  guilty  soul  and 
aroused  his  slumbering  conscience,  like  a  voice 
of  doom,  and  he  sought  a  vain  shelter  in  what 
might  have  been  a  grateful  shade.  He  was 
afraid  of  God,  because  he  had  sinned  against 
God.  It  was  not  his  unclothed  body,  but  his 
naked  soul,  that  frightened  him.  Whatever 
occasion  of  shame  might  have  been  furnished 
by  his  natural  nudity,  there  was  no  shame  until 
he  made  shame.  He  had  not  been  ashamed 
until  now,  and  would  never  have  been  so  but 


16741— 16745] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[ADAM. 


13 


for  sin.  If  he  connected  any  thoughts  or  feel- 
ings, except  of  honour  and  purity,  with  what 
God  had  created  honourable  and  pure,  he  must 
have  undergone  a  sad  deterioration,  must  have 
admitted  a  perverting  and  polluting  iniluence 
into  his  nature.  God's  work  was  perfect,  and 
if  man  saw  in  it  aught  of  dread  or  of  disgrace, 
he  must  have  lost  his  own  perfection.  Adam's 
plea  was  thus  his  condemnation.  He  had  no 
natural  right  with  the  feelings  he  acknowledged 
and  urged  as  the  excuse  of  his  conduct.  A 
child  afraid  of  a  perfectly  good  father,  one  who 
had  made  him  in  his  own  image,  and  prepared 
for  him  a  garden  of  delights  !  A  creature  afraid 
of  God  for  being  in  the  state  in  which  that  God 
had  made  him !  No  better  proof  were  needed 
of  the  "  broken  covenant  "  and  commandment 
trampled  under  foot ! — Ibid. 

2      Cowardice,  selfishness,  meanness. 

The  whole  shuffling  excuse  culminating  in 
hardihood,  iniplted  blasphemy  and  inipeni- 
tence. 

"  The  woman  whom  Thou  gavest  to  be  with 
me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat." 

[16742J  Have  I  heard  aright?  What!  his 
beloved  companion,  her  whom  he  lately  loved 
so  dearly,  her  whom  God  had  given  him,  who, 
by  participating  in,  had  enhanced  his  happi- 
ness, had  added  double  charms  to  his  abode  in 
Eden,  and  multiplied  the  joy  of  his  blissful 
existence  ;  her  whom  he  ought  to  have  pro- 
tected, at  the  risk  of  his  own  life,  against  all 
dangers  ;  upon  her  he  throws  all  the  blame, 
all  the  fault  of  his  sin  !  Yes,  and  if  the  sentence 
pronounced  against  sin  must  be  executed,  let  it 
strike  Eve,  Adam  accuses  her  !  If  the  maledic- 
tions and  thunders  of  Divine  Justice  must  reach 
the  author  of  sin,  let  them  fall  upon  Eve,  Adam 
accuses  her  !  If  endless  misery  must  be  the 
deplorable  consequence  of  the  fall,  let  Eve 
drink,  even  to  the  dregs,  the  bitter  cup,  Adam 
accuses  her  !  Behold  sin,  corrupting  the  most 
intimate  and  the  purest  affections.  See  that 
monstrous  selfishness,  which  withers  in  the 
root  the  most  generous  feelings  of  the  heart, 
brought  into  existence,  and  become  the  moving 
principle  of  human  life  !  Let  all  around  me  be 
humbled  and  confounded  so  that  my  pride  be 
satisfied  !  Let  even  that  which  I  most  love 
be  stricken  before  my  eyes,  so  that  I  escape  ! 
Let  all  perish  so  that  I  live  \—L.  Bonnet. 

[16743]  Confidence  has  fled,  and  gloomy  sus- 
picion scowls  amid  the  ruins  of  despair.  In  the 
treacherous  purpose  of  their  own  bosoms  they 
mutually  read,  each,  the  separate  interest,  the 
exclusive  hope,  the  selfish  defence  which  ani- 
mates the  other.  Confidence,  and  with  it  affec- 
tion, vanishes,  and  distrust  and  enmity  succeed. 
Once,  indeed,  they  were  of  one  heart  and  one 
mind,  and  each  would  have  felt  happy  to  relieve, 
by  enduring  them,  the  sorrows  of  the  other. 
Life  hitherto  had  been  a  bridal  -  day.  Each 
lived  but  in  the  affections  of  the  other  ;  and 
they  twain,  by  a  commerce  of  sympathies,  had 


become  one  flesh.  Once,  rather  than  be  severed 
from  his  second  self,  his  beloved  Eve,  Adam 
was  content  to  plunge  into  the  abyss  of  ruin, 
which,  undeceived  as  some  suppose,  he  saw 
yawning  to  ingulf  him  if  he  cUaved  to  her  ; 
but  now,  guilt  has  obliterated  those  fascinating 
charms  which  innocence  alone  can  perpetuate — 
"  the  beauty  of  holiness  "  has  fled — and  now  he 
repels  from  his  selfish  bosom  the  degraded 
partner  of  his  crime,  and  interposes  her  be- 
tween him  and  ruin.  Now  he  immolates  this 
once  sinfully-adored  idol  at  the  shrine  of  selfish- 
ness ;  and  sets  up  upon  the  vacant  throne  of 
the  heart  that  new  god,  to  which,  since  then, 
man  has  ever  prostrated  his  heaven-born  nature, 
self — Rev.  J.  Hiffernan. 

X.  The  Terrible  Retribution  in- 
volved IN  the  Penalty  incurred 
BY      Adam      and      his      Posterity 

THROUGH     the    VIOLATION    OF     DiVINE 

Law. 

It    is    impossible    to    measure    the    far-reach- 
ing consequences  of  even  one  single  sin. 

[16744]  O  Adam!  O  sovereign  of  the  crea- 
tion !  Methinks  I  see  thee  tasting  the  bitter- 
ness of  thy  sin,  shedding  tears  of  blood  over  the 
loss  of  that  crown  of  innocence  and  glory  which 
adorned  thy  now  polluted  and  confounded 
brow  !  For  the  first  time  thou  bedewest  with 
thy  tears  that  beautiful  soil  of  Eden,  from 
which  thou  art  about  to  part  for  ever,  with  the 
favour  of  thy  God.  But  what  would  have  been 
thy  grief  and  thy  despair  if  thou  couldst  have 
seen  all  future  generations  ingulfed  in  the  abyss 
of  sin  and  death,  which  thou  hadst  created  ;  if 
thou  couldst  have  seen,  beforehand,  that  pesti- 
lential cloud  of  iniquity  which  each  successive 
age  sends  up  to  heaven,  as  a  testimony  of  con- 
demnation ;  if  thou  couldst  have  heard  the 
sighs,  and  seen  the  suflerings  and  woes  of  each 
generation  of  men  ;  if  thou  couldst  have  heard 
the  groaning  of  creation  "  made  subject  to 
vanity  ;  "  if  thou  couldst  have  seen  the  ravages 
and  disorders  of  sin,  which  finds  no  remedy 
save  in  the  death  of  the  eternal  Son  of  God;  if 
thou  couldst  have  seen  the  merciful  Redeemer, 
expiring  under  the  strokes  of  Divine  justice, 
and  in  the  agonies  of  the  second  death  ;  if  thou 
couldst  have  he.'.rd  the  echo  of  the  fearful 
trumpet  of  judgment,  which  shall  put  an  end 
to  all  things  present  ;  if  thou  couldst  have  wit- 
nessed the  endless,  boundless  torments  of  the 
damned  ! — L.  Bonnet. 

[16745]  The  corruption  of  the  soil  henceforth 
to  be  prolific  in  noxious  weeds,  the  pain  and 
peril  of  childbirth,  the  ravages  of  sickness,  the 
throes  of  disease,  the  horrors  of  the  pestilence, 
the  desolations  of  war,  the  failings  and  deformi- 
ties of  age,  the  agonies  of  the  last  mortal 
struggle,  the  dark  prison-house  of  the  grave, 
the  foul  companionship  of  corruption  and  the 
worm — all  were  the  unmitigated  consequences 
of  a  single  sin. — Bp.  Woodjord, 


14 


16746— 16750] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[ADAM. 


[16746]  By  the  fall  of  Adam  it  came  to  pass 
that  as  before  he  was  blessed,  so  now  he  was 
accursed  ;  as  before  he  was  loved,  so  now  he 
was  abhorred  ;  as  before  he  was  most  beautiful 
and  precious,  so  now  he  was  most  vile  and 
wretched  in  the  sight  of  his  Lord  and  IMaker  : 
instead  of  the  image  of  God,  he  was  now  be- 
come the  image  of  the  devil  ;  instead  of  the 
citizen  of  heaven,  he  was  become  the  bond-slave 
of  hell,  having  in  himself  no  one  part  of  his 
former  purity  and  cleanness,  but  being  alto- 
gether spotted  and  defiled  ;  insomuch  that  now 
he  seemed  to  be  nothing  else  but  a  lump  of  sin, 
and  therefore,  by  the  just  judgment  of  God, 
was  condemned  to  everlasting  death. — Rev.  T. 
Gregg. 

XI.  The    Teculiar     Guilt    of   Adam's 
Transgression. 

Argued  from  the  very  perfection  of  his  natural 
character  and  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  was  placed. 

[16747]  What  was  it  which  gave  Adam's 
fault  so  deep  a  dye  as  to  provoke  from  God 
such  a  tremendous  penalty  1  We  are  conscious 
that  we  all  offend  oft.  Numbers  among  us  do, 
not  only  as  Adam  did,  give  way  to  a  solitary 
temptation,  but  again  and  again  fall  into  sin  ; 
and  yet  God  spares  us,  yet  (iod  foigetteth  not 
to  be  gracious.  There  is  a  penalty  denounced 
for  wickedness  ;  but,  nevertheless,  we  are  in- 
formed how  we  may  win  pardon  or  acceptance. 
There  seems  here  an  unaccountable  contrast 
between  our  position  and  that  of  Adam.  To  us 
it  is  said,  "  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they 
shall  be  as  white  as  snow  ;  though  they  be  red 
like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  To  Adam 
there  was  extended  no  hope  of  forgiveness. 
"  In  the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt 
die."  He  was  not  allowed  a  second  trial  ;  one 
offence  marred  the  whole  of  the  new  creation. 
...  In  treating  of  this  topic,  it  is  necessary  to 
call  to  mind  the  perfection  of  Adam's  nature  ; 
that,  unlike  us,  he  had  no  innate  evil  to  contend 
with,  no  unrigliteousness  within  to  second  the 
voice  of  temptation  from  without.  Now  this 
freedom  from  natural  defilement,  whilst  it  gave 
him  the  capacity  of  attaining  a  height  of  virtue, 
beyond  aught  that  we  may  reach,  did  at  the 
same  time  mimcasurably  increase  his  guilt  if  he 
fell.  When  we  offend,  we  arc  the  victims  of  a 
double  assault.  Satan  attacks,  and  our  apostate 
nature  helps  his  assault.  In  our  case  there  are 
foes  in  the  citadel  to  back  the  efforts  of  the 
external  adversary.  Not  so  with  Adam  ;  he 
was  tempted,  like  as  wc  are,  by  the  serpent  ; 
but  he  had  no  natural  infirmity  ;  he  sinned, 
therefore,  without  any  of  that  palliation  which 
our  inherited  defilement  affords  to  our  unright- 
eousness.— Bp.  W oodford. 

[16748]  God  had  condescended  to  explain 
His  will  respecting  the  conduct  of  Adam  in  a 
manner  which  he  could  not  mistake.  He  im- 
posed no  rigid  rule  upon  him  to  impress  that 
will  upon  his  recollection  ;  but  He  lelt  him  to 


the  enjoyment  of  the  beauties  amidst  which  He 
had  placed  him,  of  the  society  of  the  fair  partner 
He  had  given  him,  and  to  the  unbridled  grati- 
fication of  his  own  free-will.  Adam,  having 
received  the  command  of  God,  had  all  he  re- 
quired to  guide  and  direct  him.  He  was 
threatened  by  the  terrors  of  no  fiery  law,  or 
the  thunderings  and  lightnings  of  the  Mount  ; 
but  he  had  received  the  clear  warning  of  His 
Maker—"  In  the  day  thou  eatest  thou  shalt 
surely  die."— ^<.v.  A.  Mursell,  D.D. 

XII.  Reflections  on   the  Banishment 
FROM  Eden. 

<'The  Lord  .  .  .  drove  out  the  man;  and  He 
placed  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden 
Cherubim,  and  a  flaming  sword  which 
turned  every  way,  to  keep  the  way  of  the 
tree  of  life." 
(i)  The  defilemeiit  of  si?i  who!/y  unfits  man 
for  inhabiting  an  Eden  of  purity. 

[16749]  Man  must  bid  an  eternal  adieu  to 
the  delightful  fields  of  Eden,  those  hallowed 
spots  where  the  Lord  conversed  with  him  as 
a  man  converseth  with  his  friend.  "The  Lord 
sent  him  forth  from  the  garden  ;  he  drove  out 
the  man."  Such  is  the  last  act  of  the  Mosaic 
account.  Behold  man  exiled  from  Eden  ! 
Behold  the  most  heart-rending  banishnient  that 
was  ever  denounced  against  any  of  the  human 
race  !  We  understand  your  grief  and  your 
tears,  oh  unhappy  beings,  whom  an  inexorable 
arrest  of  the  law  snatches  from  all  the  endear- 
ments of  a  beloved  land,  where  the  hours  of 
childhood  have  been  spent,  from  all  the  joys 
of  a  family  and  friends  tenderly  beloved,  from 
all  the  indescribable  charms  of  the  place  where 
you  learned  to  feel  and  to  love,  and  removes 
you  to  some  inhospitable  clime,  where  the 
severest  privations  are  the  least  of  your  evils, 
and  where  you  languish,  rather  than  love.  But 
what  are  your  afflictions,  compared  with  those 
of  our  first  father,  when  he  went  out  of  Eden 
at  the  voice  of  his  Judge,  to  wander  with  his 
unhappy  companion  in  the  desert  countries  of 
an  accursed  earth  !  Oh  delights  of  Eden,  life 
of  innocence  and  love,  blissful  retreats  where 
the  Lord  revealed  Himself  to  the  soul,  where 
everything  was  ravishing  beauty  without,  and 
harmony  and  peace  within,  favours  of  God, 
happiness  of  His  love  and  of  His  presence  ; 
you  arc  lost  for  ever  !  Bitter  regret  !  profound 
misery  !  Oh,  could  Adam  find  again  the  way 
to  Eden  !  Oh  that  the  flaming  sword  of  eternal 
justice  no  longer  glittered  ! — L.  Bonftet. 

(2)  To  the  sinner  tainted  7vith  guilt  Eden 
would  have  been  not  oily  u?isuitable  but  also 
uncongenial. 

[16750]  Adam  can  no  longer  even  desire  the 
abode  in  Eden  ;  and  this  is  the  completion  of 
his  misery  !  To  fallen  man  Eden  has  no  more 
attractions,  no  more  glory,  no  more  happiness 
What  avail  the  beauties  of  man's  first  abode  .'" 
his  heart,  deprived  of  innocence  and  peace, 
could  no   longer  enjoy    them.     What   does    it 


16750—16753] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[ADAM. 


15 


avail  that  the  glorious  majesty  of  the  Lord  still 
shines  forth  in  all  His  works?  man  is  despoiled 
and  ashamed.  What  does  it  avail  that  he  still 
beholds  over  his  head  the  azure  firmament  of 
heaven,  and  the  brightness  with  which  it 
sparkles,  while  darkness  reigns  in  his  soul,  and 
gloomy  clouds  hide  froin  him  the  glory  of  the 
Most  High  ?  What  does  it  avail  that  all  created 
beings  unite  to  send  up  on  high  one  melodious 
hymn  of  praise  .f"  there  is  nothing  now  in  the 
heart  of  man  but  discord,  anguish,  and  grief. 
What  does  it  avail  what  riches  and  abundance 
replenish  Eden  ?  man  is  poor,  miserable,  and 
naked.  What  avails  the  tree  of  knowledge .'' 
man  sees  in  it  an  accusing  witness  of  his  crime. 
What  avails  the  tree  of  life.''  man  reads  in  it 
the  sentence  of  death  against  himself.  What 
avails  even  the  presence  of  God.''  man  now  only 
sees  in  Him  a  Judge  ;  he  feels  in  His  presence 
only  the  fear  of  a  slave,  the  shame  of  a  criminal, 
the  terror  of  a  condemned  malefactor. — Ibid. 


(3)  Adam,  in  aspiring  to  be  a  law  unto  hitn- 
self,  contradicts  his  own  existence,  and  by 
volu7itary  exile  from  God  exchanges  life  for 
death. 

[1675 1]  Adam  has  separated  himself  from  the 
source  of  life,  and  broken  the  bonds  which 
united  him  to  his  Creator  by  trampling  under 
foot  the  supreme  law  of  God  :  now  then  let  him 
go  and  try  his  new  mode  of  existence  beyond 
the  precincts  of  Eden,  cultivating  with  toil  an 
accursed  earth  ;  let  him  go  and  live  without 
God,  without  communion  with  Him,  without 
His  grace  !  Live  without  God  !  without  Him 
who  fills  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  in 
whom  alone,  whether  as  it  regards  the  soul  or 
the  body,  we  can  "  live,  move,  and  have  our 
being  " — such  an  existence  is  a  mere  contradic- 
tion, such  a  life  is  death  itself  !  Hence,  let  the 
expulsion  of  Adam  explain  to  us  the  existing 
state  of  man.  Let  it  teach  us  why  the  natural 
man  "  lives  without  God  in  the  world,"  without 
spiritual  life,  without  the  love  of  God  ;  why,  far 
from  "seeking  after  God,"  he  desires  not  the 
knowledge  of  Him,  and  does  not  receive  the 
Divine  law  as  the  rule  of  his  existence  ;  why, 
on  the  contrary,  he  learns  to  take  pleasure  in 
offending  Him,  from  whom  he  has  received 
everything,  and  in  living  in  sin,  in  pollution, 
and  in  forgetfulness  of  God,  as  his  natural  ele- 
ment ;  why  (whilst  God  in  His  infinite  mercy 
condescends  to  seek  him,  to  call  him  to  Him- 
self, to  prevent  him,  by  an  incomprehensible 
love),  he  too  often  refuses  to  hear  His  voice, 
despises  His  word  and  the  invitations  of  His 
grace,  hardens  his  heart,  and  persists  in  his 
rebellion.  Let  the  expulsion  of  Adam  explain 
to  us  the  grief  which  has  invaded  the  whole 
human  race  and  the  numberless  sufferings  which 
result  from  >nan's  want  of  harmotty  with  himself 
and  with  his  God /  Let  this  fact  explain  to  us 
disease  and  death  —  death,  that  mystery  in- 
scrutable to  human  wisdom,  that  abyss  which 
has  yawned  beneath  the  feet  of  man  ever  since 
he  was  banished  from  Eden  ! — Ibid. 


XIIL  Comparison  between  Adam,  the 
Federal  Head  and  Representa- 
tive OF  THE  Human  Race,  and 
Christ,  the  Covenant  Head  and 
Representative  of  the  Church. 

I       The  resemblance. 

(1)  Adam  typified  Christ,  as  beifig  in  a 
peculiar  sense  the  Sott  of  God. 

[16752]  The  Evangelist  Luke,  in  tracing  the 
natural  pedigree  of  our  Saviour,  ascends  step 
by  step  from  Son  to  Father,  till  he  comes  to 
the  first  progenitor  of  all,  "  who  was,"  says  he, 
"the  Son  of  God  :  "  that  is.  His  immediate  off- 
spring, deriving  his  existence  without  any  inter- 
position from  the  great  Source  of  being.  And 
what  saith  the  Scripture  concerning  the  Mes- 
siah .''  "  I  will  declare  the  decree  :  the  Lord 
hath  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  My  Son,  this  day 
have  I  begotten  thee  "  (Psa.  ii.  7).  And  when 
He  bringeth  in  the  first-begotten  into  the  world, 
He  saith,  "And  let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship 
Him"  (Heb.  i.  6).  As  the  manner  in  which 
Adam  was  produced  was  new  and  unexampled, 
so  the  conception  and  birth  of  Christ  were  "a 
new  thing  in  the  earth  ;"  the  former  was  created 
of  dust  from  the  ground,  the  latter  formed  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  womb  of  a 
virgin. — Rev.  H.  Hunter,  D.D. 

(2)  The  constitution  of  Ada/n's  nature  pre- 
figured the  person  of  Christ. 

[16753]  The  same  stamp  of  Deity  was  put 
upon  them  both.  Both  were  formed  in  the 
same  glorious  likeness,  designed  as  the  mirrors 
to  reflect  the  life  and  image  of  the  Author  of  all 
life.  It  was  a  pure  pattern  by  which  the  Creator 
first  designed  His  noblest  creature;  for  His  own 
declaration  of  His  design  was,  "  Let  us  make 
man  in  our  own  image."  He  who  had  looked 
upon  unfallen  Adam  would  have  beheld  the 
likeness  and  the  form  of  God  ;  the  erect  nobility 
of  the  Maker  would  have  been  visible  in  the 
crowning  work  of  His  creative  hand.  Sinless, 
and  pure  in  heart,  he  entered  on  his  Eden  life, 
and  in  the  scope  of  his  soul,  as  well  as  in  the 
semblance  of  his  body,  he  was  the  reflex  of  his 
Creator's  mind  and  form.  Even  so  when  we 
turn  to  the  Antitype,  Jesus  Christ,  do  we  not 
discover  a  similar  perfection .''  We  find,  indeed, 
with  reference  to  His  bodily  proportions,  but 
little  of  the  grace  and  comeliness  which  marked 
the  human  type.  Physically,  he  is  not  the 
Adonis  which  it  would  appear  the  first  Adam 
was  made.  There  is  no  courtly  symmetry  in 
His  stature,  nor  smooth  elegance  in  His  coun- 
tenance :  for  those  who  saw  Him  found  "no 
beauty  that  they  should  desire  Him,"  and  "  His 
face  was  marred  more  than  any  man's."  Yet 
the  eyes — those  windows  of  the  soul — bespoke 
a  character  which  was  verily  of  God;  upon  His 
brow  there  shone  Divinity  ;  and  in  His  life  the 
Godhead  showed  in  meekness,  and  in  power, 
and  in  love.  Holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  He 
was  verily  the  likeness  of  the  Father,  "the 
express  image  of  His  person."  And  as  in 
Adam,  ere  he  fell,  the  unblushing  cheek,  where 


i6 


16753— 16758] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[ADAM. 


shame  had  been  "  ashamed  to  sit,"  formed  the 
mirror  which  reflected  the  likeness  of  the 
Father,  so  was  that  same  likeness  printed  on 
the  form  and  feature  of  the  spiritual  life  of 
Jesus  Christ,  in  so  far  that  He  could  claim  with 
righteous  honesty  His  heavenly  pedigree,  and 
declare,  "  He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the 
Father."— AVi^.  A.  Mtirsell,  D.D. 

(3)  The  fiaternal  relation  which  A  darn  dears 
to  all  the  linmatt  race  represents  to  us  Jesus  the 
Son  of  God  as  the  spiritual  Father  of  all  them 
that  believe. 

[16754]  The  first  man,  Adam,  was  made  "a 
living  soul,"  that  is,  the  source  of  a  natural  life, 
to  them  who  had  it  not  before  ;  the  last  Adam 
was  made  "a  quickening  spirit,"  that  is,  the 
giver  and  restorer  of  a  spiritual  and  Divine  life, 
to  those  who,  having  lost  it,  were  "  dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins."  As  every  man,  upon 
coming  into  the  world  of  nature,  the  instant  he 
draws  the  breath  of  life,  bears  the  image  of  the 
first  man  whom  God  created,  so  from  Jesus 
Christ,  the  progenitor  of  them  who  believe,  ail 
who  are  regenerated  or  born  into  the  world  of 
grace  derive  their  spiritual  existence  and  bear 
the  image  of  Him  from  whom  the  whole  family 
of  heaven  and  earth  is  named. — Rev.  H.  Hunter, 
D.D. 

(4)  The  institution  of  marriage  in  Eden 
syviboiized  the  sacred  espousals  of  Christ  with 
the  Church,  His  Bride. 

[16755]  Adam's  soul  was  enlarged  to  a  higher 
and  more  peaceful  apprehension  of  his  bliss  ; 
his  eye  saw  fairer  beauty  in  the  bloom  of  flower 
and  the  blush  of  sky  ;  his  ear  heard  richer 
music  in  the  matin  of  the  lark  and  vesper  of  the 
nightingale,  and  paradise  became  more  like 
itself  than  it  had  ever  been  before,  when  the 
union  of  husband  and  of  wife  was  formed. 
Now  this  conjugal  relationship  is  one  of  the 
most  striking  types  of  Christ's  union  with  His 
Church.  He  is  the  Bridegroom,  and  that 
Church  is  "the  Bride,  the  Lamb's  wife."  Now 
the  sleep  of  Adam  seems  to  show,  by  a  vivid 
emblem,  the  means  whereby  Christ  obtained 
the  Church  as  His  Bride.  When  the  first 
Adam  slept,  his  side  was  opened  and  the 
woman  fashioned  from  the  rib  which  was  re- 
moved. It  behoved  the  nobler  Bridegroom, 
Christ,  to  sleep  the  sleep  of  death,  and  in  the 
article  of  that  heavy  sleep  His  side  was  pierced  ; 
His  inmost  heart  was  wounded  by  the  shaft, 
and  the  very  stab  which  human  hate  infixed 
into  that  heart,  opened  a  wound  of  love,  whereby 
the  union  with  the  desired  Bride  was  made  ; 
for  "Christ  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  Him- 
self for  it."  That  is  a  mysterious  cleaving  with 
which — for  better  or  for  worse — in  storm  and 
shine— an  honest  man  protects  and  loves  his 
wife  ;  that  is  a  deeper  mystery  of  love  which 
links  the  Saviour  with  the  saint,  and  purchases 
the  comely  garment  which  can  decorate  our 
dust  for  the  embrace  of  such  a  Bridegroom. 
Yet  Adam  and  Eve  were  not  more  intimately 
and  emphatically  one    flesh,  than  Christ  and 


the  Christian  are  one  spirit.  "  This  is  a  great 
mystery  ;  but  I  speak  concerning  Christ  and 
the  Q\\\xxch:'—Rev.  A.  Murscll,  D.D. 

(5)  Adam  and  Christ  bear  a  striking  resem- 
blance in  respect  of  dominion  and  sovereignty. 

[16756]  When  God  had  created  man  "He 
blessed  him,  and  said  unto  him.  Have  dominion 
over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the 
air,  and  over  every  living  thing  that  moveth 
upon  the  earth."  David  also  descants  upon 
this  thought  in  Psa.  viii.  5-8. 

2      The  contrast. 

[16757]  Adam  was  assaulted  of  the  wicked 
one  by  a  slight  temptation,  yielded,  and  fell. 
Christ  was  tempted  of  the  devil,  by  repeated, 
vigorous,  and  well-conducted  attacks,  resisted 
to  the  last,  and  overcame.  Adam  in  Paradise 
became  guilty  and  miserable  and  liable  to 
death  ;  Christ  passed  through  a  corrupted 
world,  lived  in  the  midst  of  a  sinful  and  adul- 
terous generation,  but  preserved  unspotted 
innocence  ;  He  "  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile 
found  in  His  mouth."  Adam,  by  one  offence, 
became  guilty  of  the  whole  law,  poured  con- 
tempt upon  it,  and  transmitted  his  crime,  to- 
gether with  the  punishment  of  it,  to  all  mankind  ; 
Christ,  by  a  complete  obedience,  "  magnified 
the  law,  and  made  it  honourable,"  approved 
Himself  unto  God,  and  conveys  the  merit  ot 
His  obedience  and  sufferings  to  all  them  that 
believe,  for  their  justification  and  acceptance 
with  God.  Adam,  aspiring  to  a  condition 
superior  to  that  in  which  his  Maker  placed 
him,  not  only  failed  to  obtain  what  he  aimed  at, 
but  also  lost  that  which  he  had  ;  desiring  to  be 
as  God,  to  know  good  and  evil,  he  acquired  the 
fatal  knowledge  of  evil,  but  lost  the  knowledge 
of  good  which  he  already  possessed  ;  and, 
sinkmg  himself,  drags  down  a  devoted  world 
with  him  :  whereas  Christ,  for  the  voluntary 
abasement  of  Himself,  is  exalted  to  "  the  right 
hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,"  "  for  the  suffering 
of  death,  is  crowned  with  glory  and  honour," 
and,  "  lifted  up  on  the  cross,  draws  all  men 
unto  Him."— AVz/.  H.  Hunter,  D.D. 

XIV.    HOMILETICAL  APPLICATIONS. 

I  The  history  of  Adam  furnishes  a  lesson 
respecting  the  duty  of  gratitude,  adora- 
tion, and  service. 

[16758J  Let  us  endeavour  to  improve  our- 
selves by  learning  habitually  to  acknowledge,  to 
adore,  and  to  serve  the  great  Author  and  Pre- 
server of  our  being,  who  has  lavished  so  much 
goodness  upon  us  ;  who  adorned  our  nature 
with  His  own  glorious  image,  who  pitied  us  in 
our  low  and  lost  estate,  and  has  laid  help  for  us 
on  one  who  is  mighty  to  save  :  and  who,  by  the 
exceeding  great  and  precious  promises  of  the 
gospel,  is  aiming  at  making  us  partakers  of  a 
Divine  nature,  and  delivering  us  from  that 
bondage  of  corruption  into  which  we  are  sunk 
by  reason  of  sin. — Ibid. 


16759—16765] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[ENOCH. 


17 


2  It  censures  the  spirit  and  practice  alike 
of  selfish  misanthropy  and  of  morbid 
asceticism. 

[16759]  Let  me  take  occasion  from  that  in- 
stitution which  God  designed  for  the  completion 
of  human  happiness,  in  a  state  of  innocence, 
and  for  the  mutual  assistance  and  comfort  of 
the  sexes  in  their  fallen  condition,  to  censure 
and  condemn  that  spirit  and  practice  of  celibacy 
which  is  one  of  the  cryins?  vices  of  our  own  age 
and  country,  and  which  is  equally  inimical  to 
religion,  to  good  morals,  to  public  spirit,  and  to 
human  comfort.  He  who  says,  or  lives  as  if  he 
thought  that  it  is  "  good  for  man  to  be  alone," 
gives  the  He  to  his  Maker  ;  sins  against  the 
constitution  of  his  nature  ;  dishonours  his 
parents  ;  defrauds  another  of  one  of  the  justest 
rights  of  humanity,  and  in  a  case,  too,  where  it 
is  impossible  so  much  as  to  complain  ;  and  ex- 
poses himself  to  commit  offences  against  society, 
which  are  not  to  be  mentioned.  In  truth,  celi- 
bacy is  a  vile  compound  of  avarice  and  selfish- 
ness, which  would  fain  pass  upon  the  world  for 
prudence  and  self-denial  ;  and  the  state  of  our 
own  country  at  present,  in  this  respect,  looks  as 
if  a  single  state,  as  in  Roman  Catholic  countries, 
were  established  by  law,  but  that  the  laity,  not 
the  clergy,  were  bound  by  it.  But,  alas  !  I  am 
only  furnishing  matter  for  a  little  conversation. 
There  must  be  more  virtue,  religion,  and  good 
sense  among  the  young  men  of  the  age  before 
this  crying  evil  be  remedied. — Ibid. 

3  It  inculcates  the  necessity  of  contentment 
and  steadfastness. 

[16760]  Let  us  learn,  from  the  sad  example 
of  the  first  transgression,  to  rest  contented  with 
that  state  and  condition  which  Providence  has 
assigned  to  us  in  life  ;  let  us  learn  to  use  only 
lawful  means  for  bettering  it  ;  to  make  the 
known  will  of  God  the  only  rule  of  our  conduct  ; 
never  to  reason  and  tamper  with  temptation  ; 
but  to  repel  or  flee  from  it  at  once  ;  and  let  us 
shun  those  as  our  worst  enemies,  who,  on  any 
occasion  or  pretence,  would  attempt  to  make 
us  think  lightly  of  the  law  of  God. — Ibid. 

4  It  teaches  the  advisability  of  searching 
self-examination,  that  in  condemning  we 
be  not  ourselves  condemned,  and  should 
force  the  question  upon  each  individual 
conscience,  "Who  art  thou  that  judgest 
another.' " 

[16761]  In  depicting  the  depravity  of  the 
first  Adam,  let  us  bear  in  mind  that  we  are 
depicting  our  own.  We  are  the  posterity  of 
the  first  sinner,  and  his  sin  is  our  heavy  heritage. 
Let  us  not,  therefore,  gloatingly  lecture  our  first 
father,  as  though  we  were  above  his  yielding 
and  superior  to  his  sin,  but  remember  that  when 
we  probe  his  wound  we  probe  our  own  ;  that  the 
ulcer  of  his  leprosy  inheres  in  us,  and  chokes  us 
like  a  pestilence.  We  are  the  heirs  to  all  the 
miseries  his  fall  produced. — Rev.  A.  Miirsell. 
D.D. 

[16762]  Not  only  have  we  inherited  the  guilt 
VOL.   VI.  3 


of  Adam,  but  we  have  disproved  our  right  to 
blame  him  by  showing  that  we  are  as  guilty  as 
he,  and  should  have  done  the  same  thing  in  the 
same  circumstances.  We  have  imitated  his 
sin.  He  proudly  clambered  after  that  which 
lay  beyond  his  reach.  Elated  with  the  joy 
which  grace  had  given  him  ;  drunk  with  the 
nectar  love  had  distilled  for  him,  he  grew  wan- 
ton for  the  knowledge  wisdom  had  denied  ;  he 
tried  to  run  the  blockade  of  God's  decrees  ;  he 
sought  to  break  loose  from  the  Divine  spell, 
and  broke  the  embargo  of  Jehovah's  word. 
And  which  of  us  has  not  proudly  climbed,  and 
disgracefully  fallen,  on  the  ladder  of  a  like 
ambition  ? — Ibid. 


ENOCH. 

\.  The  Peculi.\r  Points  Observable  in 
HIS  History. 

1  The   extreme    brevity   of  the  Biblical   re- 
cord. 

Those  lives  which  deserve  most  to  be  had 
in  reniembra7tce  are  most  easily  recorded,  and 
consist  of  fewest  articles. 

[16763]  The  history  of  an  Enoch  is  comprised 
in  three  words,  while  the  exploits  of  an  Alex- 
ander, a  Csesar,  or  any  other  of  the  scourges 
and  destroyers  of  mankind  swell  to  many 
volumes.  But  what  comparison  is  there  be- 
tween the  bubble  reputation  bestowed  by  his- 
torians, poets,  or  orators,  on  the  worthless  and 
the  wicked,  and  the  solid,  sterhng  praise  con- 
ferred on  the  wise  and  good,  by  the  spirit  of 
God,  by  whom  actions  are  weighed  ? — Rev.  H. 
Hunter,  D.D. 

2  The    comparative    shortness   of   his    stay 
upon  earth. 

[16764]  He  was  here  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  years,  a  period  which,  although  com- 
prehending a  space  equal  to  ten  of  our  genera- 
tions, was  not  so  much  as  half  of  the  age  of 
many  of  his  contemporaries.  He  left  the  world 
in  the  zenith  of  his  manhood.  One  might  have 
thought  that  if  his  contemporaries,  who  had 
sunk  into  depths  of  wickedness,  lived  to  nine 
hundred  years,  that  he  who  was  serving  his 
generation  by  the  will  of  God  would  have  con- 
tinued as  long,  if  not  longer.  Nothing  in  the 
procedure  of  Heaven  is  more  inscrutable  to  us 
than  the  removal  of  the  best  men  from  society 
in  the  fulness  of  their  energy  and  the  midst  of 
their  usefulness. — A?ion. 

3  The   manifest    singularity    of    the    life    he 
lived. 

[16765]  It  would  seem  that  his  contempora- 
ries, with  the  exception  of  Koah,  had  descended 
to  the  lowest  stage  of  moral  corruption.  "And 
God  saw  that  the  wickedness  of  man  was 
great  in  the  earth,  and  that  every  imagination 
of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only  evil  con- 


i8 


16765— 16773] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    RRA. 


[ENOCH. 


tinually."  The  imagination  of  every  man  was 
evil  ;  the  imagination  of  every  man's  thought 
was  evil  ;  the  imagination  of  every  man's 
thought  was  evil  continually.  Such  were  his 
contemporaries.  But  he  "walked  with  (iod."  He 
held  principles  practically  repudiated  by  all  ; 
pursued  a  course  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
whole  current  of  social  sentiment,  feeling,  and 
practice. — Idul. 

II.  The  Lessons  of  his  Life. 

I  The  life  of  Enoch  is  a  grand  example  to 
all  ages  of  the  possibility  of  being  in  the 
world,  yet  not  of  it. 

(i)  "  He  walked  with  God." 

a.  There  was  a  perpetual  consciousness  of  the 
Divine  presence. 

[16766]  Noah  walked  with  God.  The  word  is 
strong  and  peculiar,  denoting  the  repetition  and 
energy  of  the  act.  He  walked  and  walked  ;  yea, 
walked  with  fervent  and  untiring  energy. 
Through  centuries  he  lived  on,  walking  with 
(iod,  as  Enoch  had  done  before  him  ;  nay, 
during  part  of  the  time,  with  Enoch  at  his  side  ; 
for  only  of  these  two  is  the  expression  used.  It 
is  as  if  God  had  come  down  to  earth  and  walked 
through  it,  with  Enoch  on  one  side,  and  Noah 
on  the  other.  Of  Abraham  it  is  said,  "  Walk 
before  me,  and  be  thou  perfect  ;"  but  it  would 
almost  seem  as  if  this  walk  of  Enoch  and  Noah 
were  something  nearer  and  more  blessed  than 
this. — //.  Bonar. 

b.  There  was  constant  and  cordial  fellowship 
with  God. 

[16767]  "  How  can  two  walk  together  except 
they  be  agreed  ?  "  The  question  coming  down 
from  most  ancient  times  shows  how  such  lan- 
guage as  is  used  of  Enoch  was  then  understood. 
Enoch  was  at  one  with  God,  in  profound  and 
intense  sympathy  of  heart.  He  loved  God,  and 
God  him.  They  were  in  every  sense  friends  to 
each  other.  Enoch  labouring  in  his  sphere  to 
promote  the  interests  and  work  of  God  on  earth, 
and  God  on  His  part  ever  wakeful  over  the  in- 
terests of  His  friend.  What  a  friendship  was 
this  !  Very  few  at  that  time  may  have  had  the 
least  hint  of  its  existence.  Probably  most  of 
Enoch's  neighbours  thought  him  an  unsocial 
recluse  who  had  no  friends.  Oh  !  they  did  not 
know  his  heart.  They  did  not  see  those  out- 
goings of  trust,  affection,  and  prayer,  which  were 
the  very  life  of  his  soul.  They  could  not  see 
how  he  lived  on  God. — Christiati  Treasury. 

c.  Theie  was  manifest  spiritual  progress. 
[16768]   He    walks — every    step   bearing  him 

onward  into  higher  truths  and  richer  experiences. 
A  more  truthful  and  elevating  description  of 
godliness  know  I  not  than  this.  What  is  true 
religion  .^  It  is  not  a  mere  belief  in  dogmas, 
observance  of  ceremonies,  and  membership  with 
cluirches.  It  is  the  spirit  walking  with  God, 
holding  fellowship  with  Him  who  is  the  Creator 
of  the  universe  and  the  fountain  of  love. — 
Anon. 


[16769]  The  example  of  a  man  like  Enoch  is 
like  the  mystic  pillar  of  the  Hebrews,  whose 
movements  indicate  the  will  of  Heaven  and 
guide  men  to  a  better  land. 

(2)  "  He  had  this  testimony,  that  he  pleased 
God:' 

[16770]  How  this  testimony  came  to  him  we 
are  not  told.  It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that 
it  came  in  any  miraculous  way,  that  he  heard 
God's  approving  voice  sounding  in  the  atmo- 
sphere, or  that  an  accredited  messenger  came 
from  heaven  to  tell  him  that  the  Almighty  was 
pleased  with  his  conduct.  He  had,  as  we  all 
have,  a  conscience,  and  that  conscience,  God's 
own  minister,  gave  the  testimony.  How  blessed 
such  consciousness  !  He  who  feels  that  God  is 
pleased  with  him  may  well  be  magnanimous  in 
trial,  brave  in  danger,  calm  and  sunny  through 
all  the  storms  of  life,  and  exultant  in  the  prospect 
of  dissolution. — Anon. 

2  The  history  of  Enoch  also  teaches  that  it 
is  not  the  religion  of  God  which  withdraws 
or  excludes  men  from  society,  and  infers 
disrespect  to  the  secular  destinations  of 
Providence,  or  the  relative  obligations  and 
connections  of  life. 

[1677 1]  Enoch,  however  illusti'ious  and  dis- 
tinguished in  his  latter  end,  as  well  as  by  the 
superior  sanctity  of  his  life,  came  into  the  world 
in  the  usual  manner,  and  fulfilled  the  duties  of 
the  ordinary  relations  of  human  life,  while  he 
continued  in  it.  One  great  branch  of  holy  walk- 
ing with  God  is  useful  walking  among  men. 
Having,  to  the  proper  period,  lived  in  the  obedi- 
ence and  subjection  of  a  son,  he  in  due  tim.e 
becomes  the  master  of  a  family  and  a  father  ; 
for  Methuselah  was  born  to  him  in  the  sixty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age,  a  period  earlier  than  that 
at  which  any  of  the  patriarchs,  according  to  the 
record,  became  a  parent,  except  his  grandfather 
MahalaleeL— 7?^z/.  H.  Hunter.  D.D. 


III.    Import  of  his  Prophetic  Utter- 
ances AS  Recorded  by  St.  Jude. 

1  The  remarkable  significance  of  the  subject 
matter  of  this  prophecy. 

[16772]  It  is  strange  that,  though  the  first 
of  the  prophets,  he  yet  prophesied  of  the  last 
event  in  the  history  of  the  world — the  coming  of 
the  Lord.  It  is  as  if  no  event  betwixt  were 
majestic  enough  for  him  to  touch — as  if  this 
coming  of  Christ  from  heaven  best  suited  the 
tongue  of  him  who,  even  on  earth,  was  breathing 
the  air  of  the  upper  paradise,  and  was,  in  a  little 
while,  to  be  caught  up  among  the  visions  of  God. 
— Giljillan. 

2  The    three    great    features   of  the    Second 
Coming  of  Christ,  foretold  by  Enoch. 

(i)  The  advent  of  the  Judge. 
"The  Lord  cometh." 

[16773]  It  is  a  solemn  truth,  that  the  Great 
Judge  is  always  coming  to  the  sinner,     "  Be  ye 


16773— 16777] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[ENOCH. 


19 


ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the 
Son  of  man  cometh."  But  there  is  a  grand 
final  coining  still  awaiting  this  old  earth. 
Whether  Jude  referred  to  this  or  not,  it  is 
clearly  and  frequently  held  out  in  the  Book  of 
God.  John  saw  it  in  vision.  "  I  saw  a  great 
white  throne,  and  him  that  sat  on  it,  whose 
face  the  earth  and  the  heaven  fled  away  ;  and 
there  was  found  no  place  for  them.  And  I  saw 
the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God  ; 
and  the  books  were  opened  :  and  another  book 
was  opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life  :  and 
the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those  things 
which  were  written  in  the  books,  according  to 
their  works.  And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead 
which  were  in  it,  and  death  and  hell  delivered 
up  the  dead  which  were  in  them  :  and  they 
were  judged  every  man  according  to  their 
works.  And  death  and  hell  were  cast  into  the 
lake  of  fire.  This  is  the  second  death.  And 
whosoever  was  not  found  written  in  the  book 
of  life,  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire."  The 
scene  overawes  us  with  silence.  Our  poor 
descriptive  words  would  be  impertinence,  if  not 
impiety. — Anon. 

(2)  The  (^atherinf^  of  the  saints. 
"With  ten  thousands  of  His  saints." 
[16774]  This   is   a   definite   number    for    an 

indefinite  multitude.  He  will  not  come  alone. 
The  Great  Sun  will  draw  the  planets  after  Him. 
When  the  Lord  appeared  to  the  Jews  in  the 
wilderness.  He  came  "  from  Sinai,  and  rose 
up  from  Seir  unto  them  ;  He  shined  forth 
from  Mount  Paran,  and  He  came  with  ten 
thousands  of  saints."  And  Christ  Himself  tells 
us  "  He  will  come  with  all  His  holy  angels." 
—Ibid. 

(3)  The  conviction  of  sinners. 

"  To  execute  judgment  upon  all,  and  to 
convince  all  that  are  ungodly  among  them 
of  all  their  ungodly  deeds  which  they  have 
ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their  hard 
speeches  which  ungodly  sinners  have  spoken 
against  Him." 

[16775]  The  wickedness  of  men  consists  in 
"deeds"  and  "speeches."  On  the  day  of 
judgment  every  sinner  will  be  convinced, 
Enoch  teaches,  of  every  ungodly  deed  and 
every  ungodly  speech.  This  moral  convic- 
tion is  the  most  terrible  feature  of  that 
final  day.  It  is  not  the  manifestation  of  the 
Judge  outside  the  sinner,  grand  and  awful  as 
that  will  be,  that  will  be  the  most  distressing. 
It  is  His  coming  i7ito  the  soul,  carrying  His 
court  into  the  conscience, that  will  be  the  terror 
of  that  terrible  event.  Conviction  will  be  carried 
into  every  sinner's  inmost  nature  ;  the  wrong 
of  every  ungodly  deed  and  speech  will  be 
poignantly  felt.  This  conviction  implies  two 
things.  (i)  A  wonderful  action  of  the 
human  memory.  For  a  sinner  to  be  convinced 
of  all  the  wrong  things  he  has  done,  those 
wrong  things  must  be  recalled.     Memory  must 


open  their  graves  and  bring  the  ghastly  mon- 
sters up  to  life.  The  circumstances  of  that 
period  will  be  such  as  to  act  so  mightily  on  the 
laws  of  association,  that  the  whole  of  a  man's 
past  history  shall  give  up  its  dead.  This  con- 
viction implies  (2)  A  consciousness  of  free- 
dom through  the  whole  of  the  past  life.  If  the 
sinner  felt  that  he  had  not  been  free  in  his 
conduct,  that  he  was  necessitated  to  act  as  he 
did  by  the  internal  tendencies  of  his  organiza- 
tion, or  the  external  circumstances  which  sur- 
rounded him,  he  would  not  experience  the 
conviction.  It  is  the  consciousness  of  his 
freedom  now  that  will  give  the  scorpion  sting 
to  the  memory  of  forgotten  crimes. — Ibid.  ■ 


IV.  Enoch  and  Elijah  contrasted  with 
Christ. 

[16776]  Enoch,  Elijah,  and  Christ,  in  certain 
views,  can  be  compared  only  with  each  other  ; 
but  in  all  things  He  must  have  the  pre- 
eminence. They  prophesied  through  the 
power  and  virtue  of  the  spirit  given  unto  them  ; 
He  is  the  giver  of  that  spirit  to  them  and  to  all 
the  prophets.  As  mere  men,  they  must  have 
had  their  infirmities,  and  the  infirmities  of  one 
of  them  are  upon  record  ;  but  He  knew  in- 
firmity only  by  a  fellow  feeling  with  the 
miserable,  and  He  is  the  atonement  for  their 
sins.  By  the  power  and  mercy  of  God  they 
were  taken  up  into  heaven  ;  by  His  own  power 
He  ascended  on  high  ;  they  as  servants,  He  as 
the  eternal  Son  of  God.  In  them  we  have  a 
repeated  instance  of  bodies  glorified  without 
suffering  death  ;  He  "  was  dead,  and  is  alive 
again,"  and  carried  to  heaven  a  body  which 
had  been  laid  in  the  tomb.  In  them  we  have 
an  object  of  admiration  and  astonishment  ;  in 
Him  a  pattern  for  imitation,  a  Saviour  in  whom 
we  trust,  a  ground  of  hope  whereon  to  rest. 
Faith  exempted  them  from  death  ;  and  faith 
shall  at  length  redeem  all  the  followers  of  the 
Lamb  from  the  power  of  the  grave.  Enoch 
and  Elijah  ascended  as  solitary  individuals, 
Christ  as  the  first-fruits  of  them  that  sleep  ; 
and,  '•  lifted  up,"  is  drawing  an  elect  world  unto 
Him.  They  were  admitted  to  regions  unknown, 
and  among  society  untried  ;  He  only  returned 
to  the  place  from  whence  he  came. — Rev.  H. 
Hunter,  D.D. 

V.  The  Translations  of  Enoch,  Elijah, 
AND  Christ  viewed  as  Belonging 
Severally  to  Three  Great  Epochs 
IN  the  Church's  History. 

[16777]  In  each  of  the  three  great  periods 
of  the  Church  was  exhibited  an  instance  of  a 
man  taken  up  into  heaven,  body  and  spirit,  as 
a  support  and  encouragement  to  the  hope  of 
believers,  of  attaining  the  same  felicity.  Enoch, 
before  the  law  was  given  ;  Elijah,  under  the 
legal  economy  ;  and  Jesus  Christ,  the  Saviour 
of  men,  under  the  evangelical  dispensation. — 
Ibid. 


20 


16778—16783] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRrPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[noah. 


NO  A II. 

I.    TlIF,     UXPARALLELEU    WICKEDNESS     OF 

THE  Antediluvian  World. 

Never  did  there  exist  such  a  combination 
of  deeply  imbedded,  various,  and  vigorous 
iniquity. 

[16778]  Different  ages  of  the  world  have 
been  distinguished  for  different  degrees  of 
wickedness.  .  .  .  But  of  no  age  of  the  world's 
history  do  we  read  of  such  aggravated  wicked- 
ness as  that  which  pervaded  the  earth  im- 
mediately before  the  Deluge.  We  have  no 
record  of  it  except  in  the  Book  of  Genesis,  and 
in  some  incidental  allusions  to  it  in  a  few  other 
parts  of  the  sacred  volume.  .  .  .  The  language 
by  which  it  is  described  is  plain  and  simple ; 
it  has  none  of  the  figures  of  rhetoric  ;  but  it  is 
exceedingly  emphatic  and  strong.  The  wicked- 
ness of  man  was  great — it  was  unmingled 
wickedness,  uninterrupted  wickedness.  It  was 
a  community  conspicuous  in  crime,  and  that 
stopped  not  short  of  every  sort  of  crime  ;  a 
community  where  there  was  no  religion,  and 
therefore  no  morality;  a  community  where  there 
was  no  moral  restraint,  and  therefore  where 
wickedness  was  rank  and  exuberant. — C. 
Sprino;,  LL.D. 

[16779]  Charles  Simeon  onGen.vi.  5,  remarks 
that  the  dispositions  of  the  hearts  of  the  Ante- 
diluvians were — i.  Evil  without  exception — 
every  imagination  was  evil.  2.  Without  mix- 
ture—(?/;/}'  evil.  3.  Without  intermission — 
continually. 

[16780]  It  is  a  revealed  fact  concerning  this 
generation  of  men  that  there  was  but  one  indi- 
vidual who  did  not  partake  of  this  intense  de- 
generacy. This  earth  had  been  in  existence 
almost  sixteen  hundred  years,  and  contained 
millions  of  inhabitants  ;  yet  of  all  this  multitude, 
one  man  only  was  found  who  was  righteous 
before  God.  Pious  men  there  had  been  ;  but 
the  last  generation  of  the  worshippers  of  God 
had  died  out ;  their  names  and  example,  if  re- 
membered at  all,  were  remembered  only  to 
reproach  their  descendants.  This  perfectly  uni- 
versal degeneracy  of  this  dark  age  is  a  fact  not 
to  be  lost  siglit  of  in  its  subsequent  and  melan- 
choly history.  Sodom  was  corrupt  ;  yet,  if  there 
had  ])een  "ten  righteous"  found  in  her,  she 
would  have  escaped  her  terrible  overthrow.  Yet 
the  "cities  of  the  plain"  formed  but  a  small 
portion  of  the  entire  earth,  and  Lot  himself  but 
a  small  fraction  of  its  pious  men.  The  city  of 
Paris,  during  the  French  Revolution,  was  almost 
as  destitute  of  pious  men  as  of  Bibles  ;  yet  were 
there  godly  men  and  women  within  its  walls  not 
a  few  ;  while  in  other  lands  they  could  be  num- 
bered by  millions.  At  no  period  since  the 
creation  of  the  world  to  the  present  hour,  except 
that  of  which  we  arc  speaking,  has  it  ever  been 

known  that  there  was  but  one  righteous  man. 

G.  Spring,  LL.D. 


II.  The  Grand  Contrast  presented  in 
THE  Character  of  Noah  to  this 
Universal  Corruption. 

"  Noah  found  grace  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord.  .  .  .  Noah  was  a  just  man  and 
perfect  in  his  generations  "  (Gen.  vi.  8,  9). 

[1678 1]  Public  opinion  and  example  control 
the  world,  both  for  good  and  for  evil.  Interest, 
pride,  and  social  bonds  allure  men  to  moral  vir- 
tue ;  none  dispute  their  power  to  harden  them  in 
sin.  There  is  little  apparent  evil  in  wickedness, 
and  no  reproach  where  wickedness  is  fashion- 
able and  universal.  Noah  was  a  righteous  man 
in  opposition  to  the  strong  and  overwhelming 
current  of  the  whole  antediluvian  world.  His 
incipient  purposes  of  godliness  were  protected 
by  no  sacred  alliances  and  influences  ;  he  had 
no  retreat  from  the  snares  and  scoffs  of  the  un- 
godly, even  in  the  more  retired  circles  of  do- 
mestic love.  He  stood  alone,  the  only  example 
of  piety  in  the  earth.  "  Thee  have  I  found 
righteous  before  me  in  this  gene?-afion."  He 
was  God's  witness,  chosen,  called,  faithful.  He 
was  a  consistent  witness,  wondered  at  for  his 
boldness  amid  powerful  and  inveterate  foes,  for 
his  perseverance  in  the  midst  of  hardships  and 
perils,  and  for  his  all-conquering  faith  and  zeal 
amid  stupid  carelessness,  sottish  ignorance,  and 
degrading  profligacy. — Idid. 

[16782]  It  was  a  noble  example  of  Christian 
heroism  when  the  youthful  Stephen,  assailed  by 
the  flower  of  five  Jewish  synagogues  and  an  ex- 
asperated mob,  stood  firm,  at  every  hazard,  for 
God  and  righteousness,  and  remained  undis- 
mayed amid  the  terrors  of  martyrdom.  It  was 
a  noble  spirit  in  Luther,  when  Rome  gnashed 
upon  him  with  her  teeth,  and,  like  Hercules,  he 
boldly  attacked  this  Nemean  lion  in  his  lair. 
It  was  a  splendid  testimony  when  Patrick 
Hamilton,  a  youth  of  royal  lineage,  renounced 
his  hereditary  honours  for  the  sake  of  rekindling 
in  Scotland  the  smouldering  beacon  of  God's 
truth,  though  he  himself  was  the  first  victim  to 
the  flames.  But  it  was  a  still  nobler  spectacle 
to  see  that  venerable  patriarch  standing  for  cen- 
turies, unpatronized  and  unprotected  where  "all 
flesh  had  corrupted  its  way  on  the  earth."  These 
wondrous  men,  and  others  like  them,  were 
bright  stars  in  the  moral  firmament  ;  but  they 
were  not,  like  him,  the  only  light  amid  the  per- 
vading darkness.  It  was  a  proof  of  piety  that 
was  never,  before  or  since,  put  to  so  severe  a 
test.  All  men  and  all  visible  things  were  against 
him  ;  yet  had  he  hope  against  hope,  and  tranquil 
enduranceamid  "great  swelling  words  of  vanity." 
—Ibid. 

[16783]  Solitary  piety— what  is  it?  where  is 
it  ?  We  learn  what  it  was,  when  we  think  of 
Noah  ;  we  know  where  it  was,  when  we  think 
of  that  giant  race  of  wicked  men.  Beautiful 
was  it,  inexpressibly  beautiful  ;  a  single  flower 
blooming  in  the  scathed  forest,  and  breathing 
its  fragrance  amid  desert  sands  ;  a  single  temple 
rescued  from  the  ravages  of  time,  where  the 
Shekinah  dwelt  ;  a  solitary  heart  filled  with  his 


16783—16788] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE  ERA. 


21 


[noah. 


love,  where  "every  imagination  of  the  thoughts 
of  man's  heart  vi^as  only  evil  continually." — 
Ibid. 


III.  The    General    Righteousness    of 
Noah  before  God. 

His  piety  was  of  no  doubtful  kind,  but 
was  distinguished  for  its  genuineness  and 
sincerity. 

[16784]  In  speaking  of  the  character  of  Noah, 
we  are  left  in  darkness  so  far  as  it  regards  his 
early  history.  We  read  nothing  of  his  conver- 
sio7t;  nor,  indeed,  of  the  conversion  of  any  of 
the  saints  of  the  patriarchal  period.  He  was 
the  great  adornment  of  the  most  degenerate 
age  ;  yet  human  example  and  influences  accom- 
plished little  in  the  attainment  of  that  spirit,  and 
in  the  cultivation  of  those  virtues  for  which  he 
was  distinguished.  How  early  he  became  a 
pious  man  we  are  not  informed,  although  it  is 
quite  obvious  that  it  was  long  before  the  ante- 
diluvian world  had  attained  its  excess  of  wicked- 
ness. It  was  under  the  most  unfavourable 
auspices,  and  probably  in  early  life,  that  strong 
religious  impressions  were  made  upon  his  mind 
that  proved  permanent,  and  that  evinced  his  in- 
debtedness to  renewing  and  sanctifying  grace. 
It  is  recorded  of  him  that  he  was  righteous 
before  God.  He  who  draws  aside  the  curtains 
of  the  heart,  and  "weigheth  the  actions  of  men," 
bears  witness  to  his  religious  integrity.  There 
was  no  more  doubt  of  it  than  there  was  of  the 
impiety  of  those  whose  "  wickedness  was  great 
on  the  earth,"  and  whose  character  was  distin- 
guished by  their  enmity  to  God,  and  their  scan- 
dalous vices. — Ibid. 

[16785]  Not  a  few  are  righteous  before  men 
who  before  God  are  not  righteous.  They 
are  righteous  in  their  own  eyes  ;  righteous  by 
profession  and  in  all  the  form  of  godliness  ;  but 
there  their  righteousness  stops.  Their  piety 
consists,  on  the  one  hand,  in  the  variations  of 
animal  excitement,  and,  on  the  other,  in  the 
monotony  of  a  prescribed  ritual.  With  some 
it  is  emotion  without  thought  ;  with  others  it  is 
a  mere  religious  mechanism  without  emotion. 
.  .  ,  Right  conduct  is  the  fruit  of  right  prin- 
ciples and  affections.  The  external  rectitude 
which  God  requires  and  approves,  flows  from  a 
rectitude  that  is  internal  ;  a  godly  heart  and  a 
godly  life  constitute  a  godly  man.  The  external 
is  nothing  except  as  it  is  the  expression  of  the 
internal  ;  while  the  internal  is  nothing  if  it  have 
not  sufficient  impulse  to  produce  the  external. 
"  Either  make  the  tree  good  and  its  fruit  good, 
or  else  make  the  tree  corrupt  and  its  fruit  cor- 
rupt ;  the  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit."  It  is  a 
beautiful  character  where  the  internal  and  the 
external  are  thus  combined,  and  present  a  true 
and  visible  conformity  to  the  law  of  God.  Such 
was  the  character  of  Noah.  He  was  righteous, 
not  in  form  merely  ;  not  in  his  own  eyes  ;  not 
merely  in  the  eyes  of  men  ;  he  was  "  righteous 
before  God." — Ibid. 


IV.  His  Habitual  and  Intimate  Inter- 
course WITH  HIS  Maker. 

"Noah  walked  with  God"  (Gen.  vi.  g). 

[16786]  Wickedness  hates  God,  and  shuns 
His  presence.  Such  was  the  wickedness  of  the 
antediluvian  world  ;  it  was  practical  atheism. 
Piety  loves  God,  and  seeks  His  presence  and 
love  ;  such  was  the  piety  of  Noah.  Centuries 
after  he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  his  bio- 
grapher was  divinely  directed  to  write  his  epitaph 
in  those  few  and  emphatic  words,  "  And  Noah 
walked  with  God."  To  render  the  contrast  be- 
tween himself  and  the  world  around  him  the 
more  striking  and  impressive,  his  piety  was  of 
the  sweetest  kind;  it  was  the  steady  and  delight- 
ful habit  of  his  soul.  He  was  acquainted  with 
God,  familiar  with  God.  He  realized  the  Divine 
presence.  God  was  his  companion,  his  friend, 
his  guide,  his  refuge,  his  portion.  There  was  no 
being  in  the  universe  with  whom  he  had  so 
much  to  do  as  with  God ;  none  whom  he  thought 
of  so  much  ;  on  whom  he  so  constantly  felt  his 
dependence  ;  with  whom  he  had  such  unembar- 
rassed intercourse  ;  to  whom  he  looked  with 
such  expectations,  and  on  whom  he  so  implicitly 
relied  ;  from  whom  he  received  all  that  relieved 
the  burden  and  gladdened  the  sadness  of  his 
pilgrimage  ;  and  whose  favour  and  love  were 
his  "  shelter  and  shade,"  his  "  glory  and  the 
lifter  up  of  his  head." — Ibid. 

[16787]  His  piety  must  have  been  pre-eminent 
to  have  existed  at  all.  In  that  world  of  wicked- 
ness he  must  have  lived  near  to  heaven,  or  near 
to  hell.  He  did  live  near  to  heaven  ;  and  this 
was  his  security.  There  was  wondrous  conde- 
scension in  God  in  His  personal  interviews  with 
this  holy  man.  He  who  held  that  shoreless 
deluge  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand,  laid  aside  His 
glorious.  His  awful  majesty,  and  held  intercourse 
with  a  worm.  Noah  was  admitted  to  "  the  secret 
of  His  tabernacle."  Worm  as  he  was,  he  was 
God's  consecrated  servant  and  much-loved 
child.  "  He  walked  with  God  ; "  and  they  were 
paths  of  righteousness  ;  pleasant  and  peaceful 
paths,  where  truth  flourishes  and  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises  grow  ;  joyous 
paths,  where  are  smiles,  and  blessings,  and  ful- 
ness of  joy  ;  bright  paths,  cheered  Vv'ith  heavenly 
light  and  love,  overhung  with  unearthly  glories, 
and  ever  opening  new  vistas  of  increased  beauty 
and  loveliness. — Ibid. 


V.  His  Marvellous  Faith  under  Most 
Singular  Circumstances,  and  the 
Mighty  Infuence  it  Exercised  upon 
his  Life. 

I       Noah's  implicit    faith    in  God  formed  the 
most  prominent  feature  of  his  character. 

[16788]  The  building  of  the  ark  commenced 
when  Noah  was  four  hundred  and  eighty  years 
old  ;  that  is,  before  any  of  his  three  sons,  Shem, 
Ham,  and  Japheth,  had  been  born — in  fact,  just 
twenty  years  before  the  birth  of  Shem.     Thus 


3—16797] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA, 


[XOAH. 


the  great  faith  of  Noah  appeared  not  only  in 
building  an  ark  in  the  midst  of  a  scoffing  and 
unbelieving  generation,  and  that  against  all 
human  probability  of  its  ever  being  needed,  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  years  before  it  was 
actually  required,  but  in  providing  room  for 
"  his  sons  "  and  his  "  sons'  wives,"  while  as  yet 
he  himself  was  childless  !  Indeed,  the  more 
we  try  to  realize  the  circumstances,  the  more 
grand  appears  the  unshaken  confidence  of  the 
patriarch. — Edersheini. 

[16789]  It  is  faith  in  the  unseen  that  makes 
men  strong  "to  labour  and  to  wait."  "This  is 
the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our 
faith."  The  heroic  achievements  emblazoned  in 
Noah's  history  are  all  attributable  to  this  faith. 
Let  me  believe  in  those  things  "  not  seen  as 
yet,"  which  God  has  revealed,  and  I  shall  be 
magnanimous  in  suffering,  invincible  in  duty, 
brave  in  danger,  discharging  evermore  my  mis- 
sion heroically,  regardless  alike  of  the  smiles  or 
frowns  of  men. — Anon. 

2       Noah's  sublime  faith  influenced  his  life  in 
various  ways. 

{l)  It  inipelled  him  to  the  most  trying  work. 

a.  Trying  to  his  patience. 

[16790]  "Being  moved  with  fear,"  which 
Ebrard  renders,  "  w////  ivise  foresight,'''  he  set 
himself  to  the  construction  of  an  ark  according 
to  the  directions  which  the  Almighty  had  given 
him.  And  his  work  was  truly  trying.  There  is 
a  tendency  in  most  men  to  get  tired  of  the  same 
work  ;  change  of  labour  we  feel  to  be  rest.  But 
here  is  a  man  who  labours  on  day  after  day, 
month  after  month,  year  after  year,  for  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years. — Ibid. 

b.  Trying  to  his  social  nature. 

[16791]  All  men  in  labour  desire  the  sympathy 
and  co-operation  of  their  fellow-men.  To  work 
alone,  single-handedly,  without  sympathy,  is 
never  pleasant.  But  Noah  had  to  detach  him- 
self from  the  men  of  his  age,  and  not  only 
sacrifice  their  sympathy,  but  incur  their  scorn 
and  opposition.  He  exposed  himself  to  their 
bitter  insults,  their  withering  lampoons,  and 
malignant  contempt. — Jbid. 

[16792]  Scoffing  unbelief  and  cutting  irony 
did  not  move  him.  Such  was  the  loneliness 
amid  which  he  lived,  that  it  seems  to  us  a 
visionary  and  unearthly  existence.  There  was 
no  kindred  spirit  on  earth  to  cheer  him  ;  his 
consolation  and  his  courage  were  all  from  worlds 
unseen.  Wonderful  man  !  Not  naval  or  military 
hero,  amid  tlie  stormy  scenes  of  battle,  ever  gave 
proof  of  greater  heroism  than  the  ardent  and 
steady  mind  of  this  man  of  God. — G.  Si^rino- 
LL.D.  ^      "' 

c.  Trying  to  his  reason. 

[16793]  His  own  experience,  and  that  of  his 
ancestors,  assured  him  of  the  stability  of  nature. 
Year  after  year,  up  to  the  last  of  the  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty,  as  nature  proceeded  in  her 
wonted  course,  moving  on  in  the  majesty  of  un- 


broken order,  she  would  seem  to  him  at  times 
to  denounce  him  as  one  of  the  most  deluded  of 
visionaries.  The  sceptics  of  his  age  would  no 
doubt  avail  themselves  of  the  indisputable 
regularity  of  nature,  and  point  him  out  to  society 
as  one  of  the  most  brainless  of  fanatics. — A?ton. 

[16794]  Coming  events  were  told  to  him,  not 
at  first  told  to  others — events  which,  to  the  eye  of 
sense,  were  the  most  improbable  in  the  world, 
which  indeed  seemed  impossible.  It  did  not  seem 
likely  that  God  would  destroy  the  earth  He  had 
so  recently  made  ;  nor  were  there  any  outward 
and  visible  indications  of  this  overwhelming 
calamity.  ...  It  was  a  fearful,  unheard-of  thing 
which  God  had  threatened,  and  the  world  around 
him  did  not  believe  it.  But  it  drew  his  attention 
more  and  more,  till  it  became  the  absorbing 
theme,  and  his  faith  anticipated  it  with  an  as- 
surance which  the  reality  itself  could  not  make 
more  sure. — G.  Spring,  LL.D. 

(2)  //  impelled  him  to  the  most  serviceable 
work. 

[16795]  The  ark  he  made  proved  the  "  saving 
of  his  house  "  as  well  as  the  saving  of  the  germs 
of  a  new  world.  Had  he  not  done  his  work 
would  not  the  human  race  have  become  extinct  ? 
A  truly  serviceable  work  was  this  work  of  Noah. 
He  became  the  second  father  of  mankind  ;  and, 
under  God,  we  owe  him  our  existence  and  our 
earthly  all.  What  made  him  such  a  benefactor  ? 
Faith  in  "  the  things  not  seen  as  yet "  which 
God  revealed.  In  making  that  ark  he  worked 
out  God's  idea:  "  Accordmg  to  all  that  God 
commanded  him,  so  did  he."  And  in  thus 
working  out  God's  idea  he  saved  the  world. 
Thus  it  ever  is.  No  man  can  truly  help  his 
race  unless  he  believes  in  God's  Word,  and 
works  his  faith  out  on  the  little  and,  it  may  be, 
very  humble  and  dusty  platform  of  his  earthly 
life.  Wouldst  thou  be  a  true  benefactor  1  Then, 
like  Noah,  take  into  thy  being  ideas  from  God 
about  "  things  not  seen  as  yet  ;"  let  these  fill 
and  fire  thee,  work  thy  faculties,  and  shape  thy 
character.  IVlan's  mission  is  to  get  ideas  from 
heaven  into  him,  and  plant  them  as  living  seeds 
in  the  earth. — Anon. 

[16796]  Believing,  simply  believing,  is  the 
basis  of  vital  faith  ;  but  if  this  be  all,  it  comes 
to  nothing.  It  avails  and  suffices  no  more  than 
if  Noah  had  contented  himself  with  drawing  a 
plan,  or  shaping  a  model  of  the  prescribed  ark, 
and  perhaps  marking  the  trees  that  would  serve 
for  the  timber.  To  each  belief,  relative  to  im- 
portant concerns,  there  is  some  appropriate 
affection  or  passion  ;  and  the  belief  must  bring 
that  into  exercise.  Noah's  belief  excited  his 
"  fear."  And,  in  concerns  involving  practice, 
there  is  an  action  appropriate  to  each  belief  and 
corresponding  emotion,  he  "prepared  an  ark." 
— Rev.  J.  Foster,  D.D. 

(3)  //  i7npelled  him  to  self-rectifying  work. 
[16797]  "Hebecame  heirof  therig'hteousness 

which  IS  by  faith."  The  meaning  is,  he  became 
a  possessor  of  righteousness.     His  faith  in  the 


16797 — 16803] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   RKA. 


[noah. 


23 


"things  not  seen  as  yet,"  which  inckided  the 
intervention  of  Christ,  made  him  right  with  God, 
ri,<,^ht  in  the  very  spirit  of  his  Hfe.  Men  are  ever 
"justified" — made  right  by  faith. — Anon. 

(4)  //  impelled  him  to  sin-condemning  work. 

[16798]  "  He  condemned  the  world  "  by  prac- 
tically trusting  the  Divine  word,  obeying  the 
Divine  command,  working  out  in  every-day  life 
the  ideas  of  God.  He  condemned  the  unbelief, 
corruption,  and  impieties  of  the  wicked  millions 
about  him  that  revelled  in  these  crimes.  Thus 
he  was,  as  Peter  calls  him,  a  "  preacher  of 
righteousness."  He  preached  righteousness 
not  merely  with  the  lip,  but  with  the  whole  life. 
Every  stroke  of  the  hammer  that  echoed  in  the 
valley  was  a  homily  against  sin.  He  was  a 
light  "shining  in  a  dark  place."  "This  is  the 
condemnation,  that  light  has  come  into  the 
world."  The  excellence  of  one  individual  ex- 
poses the  faults  of  another,  as  I  have  sometimes 
seen  a  light  beaming  out  from  one  region  of  the 
sky  giving  a  blacker  and  more  threatening 
aspect  to  a  dark  thunder-cloud  hanging  in  the 
opposite  heavens. — Ibid. 

[16799]  Noah  was  not  contented  to  keep  him- 
self from  sin.  He  was  a  preacher  as  well  as  an 
example  of  righteousness.  By  how  much  the 
more  fixed  and  undoubting  his  own  faith  was, 
by  how  much  the  more  certainly  he  knew  that 
God  loveth  righteousness  and  hateth  iniquity, 
by  so  much  the  more  did  his  heart  sink  within 
him,  when  he  looked  on  his  right  hand  and  on 
his  left,  and  saw  all  his  brethren  walking  in  the 
ways  of  death.  He  did  his  best  to  turn  them 
from  their  sin  and  danger  ;  he  set  them  a  good 
example,  gave  them  good  advice,  and  prayed, 
we  maybe  sure,  to  Almighty  God  that  He  would 
yet  show  forth  His  mercy  in  renewing  a  right 
spirit  within  them.  Behold  here  a  true  mirror 
of  the  duty  of  every  good  man  toward  his  bad 
neighbours. — Rev.  J.  Keble. 

VI.  The  Strength  of  his  Prompt  and 
Unquestioning  Obedience. 

[16800]  He  might  have  reasoned  as  ancient 
and  modern  infidels  have  reasoned  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  deluge  ;  but  instead  of  doing  this,  or 
employing  his  time  in  refuting  the  cavils  of 
unbelief,  no  sooner  did  God  command  him  to 
build  the  ark  than  he  set  himself  in  earnest  to 
obey  His  will.  He  justified  and  vindicated  the 
reality  and  strength  of  his  faith  by  his  obedience. 
It  was  an  arduous  enterprise  ;  but  God  had 
commanded  it  ;  He  had  indeed  originated  and 
minutely  dictated  the  plan  of  it.  Noah  was  but 
the  under-builder,  the  humble  workman,  and 
felt  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  implicitly  obey 
the  Divine  directions.  He  needed  no  other 
prompting,  no  other  rule  of  conduct.  Nothing 
was  omitted  or  overlooked,  and  nothing  was  de- 
layed. "  Thus  did  Noah  :  according  to  all  that 
God  covunanded  him^  so  did  he."  His  religion 
was  a  practical  religion,  and  his  obedience  the 
crown  of  his  piety.     Mighty  interests  were  de- 


pendent on  this  watchful  and  diligent  observance  ; 
it  would  have  cost  him  shame,  agony,  and  death 
if  he  had  not  been  true  to  his  trust,  and  if  he 
had  been  governed  by  any  other  rule  of  action 
than  God's  will. — G.  Springy  LL.D. 

VII.  His  Unshaken  Firmness  of  Soul 

[16S01]  Behold  the  venerable  sage,  at  the 
admonition  of  heaven,  undertaking  his  great 
work.  The  foundation  is  laid  ;  the  fabric  ad- 
vances ;  and  every  stroke  of  the  axe  or  hammer 
summons  a  thoughtless  and  a  guilty  world  to 
repentance  ;  but  "  they  will  not  hear,  they  will 
not  lay  it  to  heart."  I  see  the  good  man  maligned, 
derided,  insulted.  In  their  gaiety  of  heart,  they 
scornfully  style  the  ark  NoaJCs  folly.  The  work 
is  finished,  but  they  continue  to  sing,  dance,  and 
play  ;  and  many,  it  is  probable,  have  an  active 
hand  in  the  construction  of  that  machine  to 
which  they  scorn  to  resort  for  shelter  from  the 
impending  danger.  Noah  is  not  to  be  diverted 
from  his  purpose.  Neither  the  immensity  of 
the  undertaking,  nor  the  length  of  time  which 
it  required,  nor  the  opposition  which  he  meets 
with  from  an  unbelieving  generation,  discourage 
him  in  the  prosecution  of  a  design,  planned  by 
infinite  wisdom,  and  recommended  by  Divine 
mercy. — Rev.  H.  Hunter.,  D.D. 

[16802]  We  may  suppose  Noah's  ungodly 
neighbours  gazing  and  scoffing  at  his  persevering 
labour,  pointing  to  the  cloudless  sky  and  the 
solid  earth,  and  asking,  "Where  are  the  indica- 
tions of  approaching  calamity  ?  Whence  shall 
come  this  flood  of  water  you  speak  oil  From 
the  heavens  above,  or  from  the  earth  beneath  ?"' 
Without  hazarding  a  reply  to  their  captious  and 
cavilling  questions,  the  holy  man  proceeded  with 
his  work. — E.  Copley. 

VIII.  The  Way  in  which  God  Ex- 
pressed His  Approbation  of 
Human  Worth  in  the  Case  of 
Noah. 

I       Generally  considered. 

[16803]  Noah's  character  was  honoured  oj 
God.  Such  a  character  is  praiseworthy.  It  is 
God's  image  reflected  upon  the  soul  of  His 
creature  and  child.  "The  righteous  Lord  loveth 
righteousness."  He  could  not  do  otherwise  than 
approve  of  such  a  character.  The  mediatorial 
interposition  of  the  Son  of  God  was  known 
before  the  time  of  Noah,  and  justice  and  mercy 
had  already  harmonized  their  claims  in  the 
promised  seed  of  the  woman  who  was  to  bruise 
the  serpent's  head.  Noah  had  availed  himself 
of  this  great  sacrifice,  and  his  person  was  ac- 
cepted of  the  Most  High.  His  high-born  cha- 
racter was  not  veiled  from  the  all-seeing  eye  ; 
nor  were  its  glories  obscured  by  any  law  of 
justice,  or  any  acts  of  all-controlling  sovereignty. 
Men  scoffed  at  it,  but  God  smiled.  Humble  as 
this  godly  man  was,  and  disdaining,  as  he  did, 
everything  in  the  form  of  meritorious  righteous- 
ness, he  had  not  only  an  approving  conscience, 
but  an  approving  God. — G.  Sprifig,  LL.D. 


24 


i63o4 — 16810] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[noah. 


2       Specially  considered. 

(i)  God  lionourt'd  Noah  in  the  fact  that  He 
preserved  hi/n/roin  the  universal  overthrow. 

[16804]  "God  shut  him  in!"  His  faithful 
love  shut  him  in.  He  was  housed  from  the 
tempest.  The  billows  might  surge,  and  the 
earth  reel  to  and  fro,  and  stagger  like  a  drunken 
man  ;  but  there  was  that  within  the  aik  which 
Almighty  Love  protected  as  the  apple  of  His  eye. 
The  church  was  safe.  All  was  turbulence  with- 
out ;  within  all  was  perfect  and  sweet  repose. 
There  was  no  solicitude,  and  there  were  no 
bewildered  thoughts  ;  never  was  man  more 
composed,  and  never  were  hopes  in  brighter 
bloom.  There  were  no  lights  in  the  heaven  to 
shine  upon  the  mingling  elements.  Nothing 
could  be  seen  upon  that  dark  and  solitary  waste 
but  the  single  light  glimmering  from  the  window 
of  the  ark  as  it  tloated  upon  the  universal  flood. 
There  this  honoured  man  of  God  dwelt  for  three 
hundred  and  seventy  days,  fearing  no  evil. 
There  he  rose  morning  after  morning  ;  there 
he  slept,  lulled  by  the  murmurs  and  awakened 
by  the  rushing  of  the  troubled  deep,  realizing 
the  promise,  "  Because  he  hath  set  his  love  upon 
Me,  therefore  will  1  deliver  him  :  I  will  set  him 
on  high,  because  he  hath  known  My  name." — 
Ibid. 

(2)  God  7iot  only  extended  His  preserving 
care  toiuard  Noah  himself,  but  also  preserved 
others  for  his  sake. 

[16805]  Even  when  Godyfrj/  gave  the  com- 
mand to  Noah  to  build  the  ark,  He  did  not  leave 
him  in  suspense  and  agitation  in  relation  to 
those  he  loved  ;  the  threatening  to  destroy  the 
earth  was  scarcely  uttered,  when  God  said  to 
him,  "  But  with  thee  will  I  establish  My  cove- 
nant.''' His  children  were  not  infants;  they  had 
reached  maturity  ;  and  though  they  were  not 
then  righteous  before  God,  there  were  blessings 
in  prospect  for  them,  because  it  is  the  method  of 
His  grace  thus  to  sanctify  and  reward  the  natural 
affections,  and  because  He  would  not  wither  the 
heart  of  the  parent  by  blasting  the  hopes  of  his 
children.  And  when  the  hour  of  trial  came,  and 
the  ark  was  finished,  it  was  made  the  depository 
of  the  righteous  and  his  seed.  This  was  the 
reward  of  the  patriarchs  faithfulness  ;  but  for 
their  father's  piety  they  would  have  perished  in 
the  flood  ;  for  his  sake  they  were  safe  from  the 
desolations  where  the  dove  could  not  find  a 
green  leaf,  nor  a  rest  for  the  soles  of  her  feet. — 
Ibid. 


IX.  The  Spirit  of  Thankfulness  and 
Gra'iitudf.  Evinced  by  Noah  upon 
Quitting  the  Ark. 

f  1 6806]  After  somewhat  more  than  a  year's 
residence  in  this  divinely  appointed  sanctuary, 
the  rescued  family  came  forth  in  safety  and  in 
health — the  proprietors  of  the  world— the  pro- 
genitors of  a  new  race.  Their  first  act  was  to 
build  an  altar,  and  offer  thereon  a  sacrifice  of 
adoration  and  gratitude  for  their  preservation, 


as  well  as  an  expression  of  their  faith  in  the 
great  atoning  Saviour  promised,  through  whom 
this  mercy  had  been  extended. — E.  Copley. 

[16807]  No  sooner  is  Noah  come  outof  the  ark, 
but  he  builds  an  altar  :  not  an  house  for  himself, 
but  an  altar  to  the  Lord.  Our  faith  will  ever  teach 
us  to  prefer  God  to  ourselves  :  delayed  thankful- 
ness is  not  worthy  of  acceptation.  Of  those  few 
creatures  that  are  left,  God  must  have  some  ;  they 
areall  His:  yet  His  goodness  will  have  man  know 
that  it  was  he,for  whosesake  they  were  preserved. 
It  was  a  privilege  to  those  very  brute  creatures, 
that  they  were  saved  from  the  waters,  to  be 
offered  up  in  fire  unto  God.  What  a  favour  is 
it  to  men  to  be  reserved  from  common  destruc- 
tions, to  be  sacrificed  to  their  Maker  and 
Redeemer  ! — Bp.  Hall. 

[16808]  "  And  Noah  builded  an  altar  unto  the 
Lord,  and  took  of  every  clean  beast,  and  of  every 
clean  fowl,  and  offered  burnt-offerings  on  the 
altar."  We  know  of  no  extravagant  delight  with 
which  he  contemplated  the  new  world  before 
him,  rising  in  beauty  from  the  waters,  and  offer- 
ing himself  a  kingdom  of  boundless  magnificence. 
We  know  of  no  exulting  that  he  had  escaped 
the  malice  of  his  enemies,  henceforth  to  be  the 
father  of  a  countless  race.  But  like  the  Chris- 
tian, for  Christian  he  was  by  anticipation,  the 
first  act  was  to  build  an  altar  to  the  Lord  ;  and 
upon  that  he  laid,  according  to  the  custom  of 
his  fathers,  the  sacrifice  of  every  clean  beast, 
and  every  clean  fowl,  and  offered  burnt- 
offerings  upon  the  altar.  —  Rev.  G.  Croly, 
LL.D. 


X.  The  One  Degrading  Sin  Recorded 
OF  this  Patriarch,  and  the  Warning 
IT  Conveys. 

"...  Noah  .  .  .  planted  a  vineyard :  and  he 
drank  of  the  wine  and  was  drunken " 
(Gen.   ix.   20,  21). 

[16809]  When  Noah— with  his  three  sons, 
Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth — left  the  ark  to  be- 
come an  husbandman,  he  planted  a  vineyard,  as 
Jewish  legend  has  it,  from  a  slip  of  the  vine  that 
had  strayed  out  of  Paradise.  But  it  may  boldly 
be  asserted  that,  except  the  forbidden  fruit  itself, 
none  has  brought  more  sin,  ruin,  and  desolation 
upon  our  earth.  Whether  Noah  was  unac- 
cjuainted  with  the  intoxicating  property  of  the 
vine,  or  neglected  proper  moderation,  the  sad 
spectacle  is  presented  of  the  aged  patriarch,  so 
lately  rescued  from  the  flood,  not  only  falling  a 
victim  to  drunkenness,  but  exposing  himself  in 
that  state  to  the  impious  and  vile  conduct  of  his 
son  Ham. — Edershcini. 

[16810]  Who  would  look  to  have  found  right- 
eous Noah,  the  father  of  the  new  world,  lying 
drunken  in  his  tent  !  Who  could  think  tha^t 
wine  should  overthrow  him  that  was  preserved 
from  the  waters  !  that  he,  who  could  not  be 
tainted  with  the  sinful  e.xamples  of  the  former 


i68io— i68i6] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[noah. 


25 


world,  should  begin  the  example  of  a  new  sin  of 
his  own  !  What  are  we  men  if  we  be  but  our- 
selves !  While  God  upholds  us,  no  temptation 
can  move  us  :  when  He  leaves  us,  no  temptation 
is  too  weak  to  overthrow  us.  What  living  man 
had  ever  so  noble  proofs  of  the  mercy,  of  the 
justice  of  God  :  mercy  upon  himself,  justice  upon 
others  ?  What  man  had  so  gracious  approba- 
tion from  his  Maker?  Behold,  he  of  whom  in 
an  unclean  world,  God  said,  Thee  only  have  I 
found  righteous,  proves  now  unclean  when  the 
world  was  purged.  The  preacher  of  righteous- 
ness unto  the  former  age,  the  king,  priest,  and 
prophet  of  the  world  renewed,  is  the  first  that 
renews  the  sins  of  that  world  which  he  had 
reproved,  and  which  he  saw  condemned  for  sin. 
God's  best  children  have  no  lence  for  sins  of 
infirmity.— i?^.  Hall. 

[16811]  Which  of  the  saints  have  not  once 
done  that  whereof  they  are  ashamed  ?  God, 
that  lets  us  fall,  knows  how  to  make  as  good  use 
of  thesins  of  His  holy  ones  as  of  their  obedi- 
ence. If  we  had  not  such  patterns,  who  could 
choose  but  despair  at  the  sight  of  his  sins .''  Yet 
we  find  Noah  drunken  but  once.  One  act  can 
no  more  make  a  good  heart  unrighteous,  than  a 
trade  of  sin  can  stand  with  regeneration.  But 
when  I  look  to  the  effect  of  this  sin,  I  cannot 
but  blush  and  wonder.  Lo  !  this  sin  is  worse 
than  sin  ;  other  sins  move  shame,  but  hide  it  ; 
this  displays  it  to  the  world. — Ibid. 


XI.  Noah    Considered    as    a    Type    of 
Christ. 

1  As  regards  his  name. 

[168 1 2]  Noah  signifies  comfort  or  rest,  and  of 
him  it  was  prophetically  said,  "  This  same  shall 
comfort  us  concerning  our  work  and  toil  of  our 
hands,"  &c.  (Gen.  v.  29).  Now  Jesus  is  em- 
phatically the  "  consolation  of  Israel,"  and  the 
rest  of  a  heavy  laden  and  guilty  world.  He 
imparts  spiritual  rest  to  the  weary  soul.  The 
believer  rests  on  Him  as  the  only  foundation  of 
hope  ;  and  He  has  provided,  and  it  is  His  pre- 
rogative to  admit  to,  that  heavenly  rest  which 
remains  for  the  people  of  God. — Rev.  J.  Burns, 
D.D. 

2  As  regards  his  holy  life. 

[16813]  "  Noah  was  a  just  man  and  perfect  in 
his  generation,  and  Noah  walked  with  God" 
(Gen.  vi.  9).  What  a  testimony  does  God  give 
in  this  verse  of  the  excellency  of  Noah — ''just, 
perfect,  and  walking  with  God."  Yet  how  much 
more  fully  were  these  features  observable  in 
Jesus.  He  was  the  "Just  One."  His  nature 
was  immaculate — without  spot,  or  sinful  in- 
firmity. He  lived  in  closest  fellowship  with  God, 
and  ever  walked  before  Him  in  all  well-pleasing. 
His  whole  life  reflected  the  purity  of  the  Father, 
and,  in  all  things  and  every  moment,  God  ap- 
proved, and  loved,  and  delighted  in  Him. — 
Ibid. 


3      As  regards  his  public   ministrations. 

[16814]  Noah  was  a  "preacher  of  righteous- 
ness." No  doubt  it  was  by  the  truth  which 
Noah  delivered  that  the  Spirit  strove  with  the 
wicked  and  infatuated  antediluvian  world.  We 
have  every  reason  to  believe  that,  in  discharging 
this  office,  he  was  faithful,  self-denying,  earnest, 
and  persevering.  How  fully  did  this  office  point 
out  the  ministrations  of  the  Son  of  God  !  Jesus 
was  appointed  to  preach  the  gospel  of  righteous- 
ness to  the  poor.  To  this  He  devotedly  attended, 
and  faithfully  did  He  persevere  in  publishing  the 
righteous  doctrines  and  precepts  of  His  heavenly 
kingdom.  His  preaching  was  eminently  spiritual, 
yet  clear,  plain,  and  often  clothed  in  the  lan- 
guage of  figure  and  parable,  so  that  the  common 
people  heard  Him  gladly.  It  is  remarkable, 
too,  that,  as  preachers,  both  prophesied  of  the 
just  vengeance  of  God.  Noah  with  respect  to 
the  old  world,  Jesus  with  respect  to  Jerusalem 
and  Judcea. — Ibid. 


4       As  regards  his  deliverance  of  his  family. 

[16815]  God  directed  him  to  prepare  an  ark 
for  the  saving  of  himself  and  house  ;  and  he 
obeyed  God,  built  the  ark,  and  thus  saved  him- 
self and  family  from  the  destructive  flood. 
Jesus  expressly  came  to  save  His  people  from 
their  sins,  and  thus  to  deliver  them  fjom  the 
wrath  to  come.  The  ark,  in  this  sense,  seems 
strikingly  to  represent  the  Church  of  Christ. 
1.  Thus,  as  in  the  ark  the  family  of  Noah  were 
together,  and  separated  from  an  ungodly  world, 
so  believers  are  redeemed  out  of  the  world,  and 
are  united  together  under  their  one  head,  Jesus 
Christ.  2.  As  the  ark  was  of  Divine  construc- 
tion, so  the  church  is  the  workmanship  of  Christ, 
fashioned  in  all  things  after  His  own  infinite 
wisdom  and  skill.  3.  As  the  ark  was  the  instru- 
ment of  safety,  so  we  are  brought  into  the 
church,  out  of  the  condemnation  under  which 
the  whole  world  lieth.  4.  As  those  in  the  ark 
escaped  the  vengeance  of  God,  and  became  the 
inhabitants  of  the  new  world  ;  so  all  believers, 
united  together  in  the  church  of  Christ,  are 
heirs  of  God  and  of  the  kingdom  of  eternal 
life. — Ibid. 


5      As  regards  his  priesthood   of  the  world. 

[16816]  Noah  evidently  acted  as  priest,  and 
his  ofterings  were  clearly  typical  of  that  which 
Christ  has  presented  for  the  guilt  of  the  world. 
(See  Gen.  viii.  20,  21.)  The  sacrifice  which  Noah 
presented  consisted  of  clean  beasts,  and  also  of 
every  clean  fowl,  a  sacrifice  which  was  peculiarly 
acceptable  to  God,  and  through  which  He  ex- 
pressed His  gracious  regards  to  the  future  genera- 
tions of  mankind.  Jesus  offered  the  perfect 
sacrifice  of  Himself  for  all  the  nations  and 
families  of  the  earth,  a  sacrifice  which  made 
atonement  for  the  transgressions  of  man,  and 
through  which  God  has  expressed  His  favour 
and  mercy  to  all  who  sincerely  repent  and  be- 
lieve the  gospel  of  His  Son. — Ibid. 


26 


i68i7— 16823] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[gain. 


CAIiV. 

I.  The  Two  Sacrifices  (Gen.  iv.  3,  4). 

The    intellectual    pride    and    deistic    self-suf- 
ficiency characterizing  the  offering  of  Cain. 

Human  reason  der-rcacliing  Divine  revela- 
tion. 

[16817]  As  it  was  evidently  a  feeling  of 
wounded  pride  which  at  last  precipitated  in  Cain 
the  commission  of  the  fatal  act,  we  can  scarcely 
doubt  that  the  growth,  however  it  may  have 
come  about,  of  a  proud  rebellious  spirit  of 
opposition  to  the  will  of  heaven  in  the  matter  of 
religious  worship,  was  the  form  which  the  evil 
in  him  more  especially  assumed,  and  the  direct 
cause  of  the  direful  consequences  that  followed. 
— Rev.  D.  Macdonald. 

[168 1 8]  Cain,  disregarding  the  gracious  assur- 
ances that  had  been  vouchsafed,  or  at  least 
disdaining  to  adopt  the  prescribed  mode  of 
manifesting  his  belief,  possibly  as  not  appearing 
to  his  reason  to  possess  any  efficacy  or  natural 
fitness,  thought  he  had  sufficiently  acquitted 
himself  of  his  duty  in  acknowledging  the  general 
superintendence  of  God,  and  expressing  his 
gi-atitude  to  the  Supreme  iJenefactor,  by  pre- 
senting some  of  those  good  things  which  he 
thereby  confessed  to  have  been  derived  from 
His  bounty.  In  short,  Cain,  the  first-born  of  the 
Fall,  exhibits  the  first  prints  of  his  parents'  dis- 
obedience, in  the  arrogance  and  self  sufficiency 
of  reason  rejecting  the  aids  of  revelation,  be- 
cause they  fell  not  within  its  apprehension  of 
right.  He  takes  the  first  place  in  the  annals  of 
Deism,  and  displays,  in  his  proud  rejection  of 
the  ordinance  of  sacrifice,  the  same  spirit 
which,  in  later  days,  has  actuated  his  enlightened 
followers  in  rejecting  the  sacrifice  of  Christ. — 
Bp.  Magee. 

[See  Art.  "  Reason  and  Faith,"  Vol.  I.,  Sec.  I., 
pp.  254-263.] 

II.  The  Jealous  Wrath  and  Malignant 
Envy  of  the  Rejected  Offerer. 

•«  Cain  was   very  wroth,  and  his  countenance 
fell  "  (Gen.  iv.  5). 

[16819]  Abel's  sacrifice  is  accepted  :  what  was 
this  to  Cain  ?  Cain's  is  rejected  :  how  could 
Abel  remedy  this .?  O  envy  !  the  corrosive  of 
all  ill  minds,  and  the  root  of  all  desperate  actions. 
The  same  cause  that  moved  Satan  to  tempt  the 
first  man  to  destroy  himself  and  his  posterity, 
the  same  moves  the  second  man  to  destroy  the 
third.  It  should  have  been  Cains  joy  to  see 
his  brother  accepted :  it  should  have  been  his 
sorrow  to  see  that  himself  had  deserved  a  re- 
jection ;  his  brother's  example  should  have 
excited  and  directed  him.  Could  Abel  have 
stayed  God's  fire  frnm  descending?  or  should 
he  (if  he  could)  reject  God's  acceptation,  and 
displease  his  Maker  to  content  a  brother  ?  Was 
Cain  ever  the  farther  from  a  blessing,  because  his 


brother  obtained  mercy  ?  How  proud  and  foolish 
is  malice,  which  grows  thus  mad  for  no  other 
cause  but  because  God  or  Abel  is  not  less  good  ! 
It  hath  been  an  old  and  happy  danger  to  be 
holy  ;  indifterent  actions  must  be  careful  to 
avoid  offence  ;  but  I  care  not  what  devil  or  what 
Cain  be  angry  that  I  do  good,  or  receive  good. 
—Bp.  Hall. 

[16S20]  Cain  brought  the  first-fruits  of  the 
ground,  and  his  offering  was  rejected  ;  while  at 
the  same  time  the  victim  from  his  brother's 
flock,  offered  in  humble  faith,  evidently  met  the 
Divine  acceptance  and  regard.  This  so  enraged 
Cain,  that  his  countenance  assumed  a  sullen  and 
a  gloomy  aspect,  too  correct  an  index  of  his  un- 
humbled,  self-righteous,  and  malignant  spirit. — 
E.  Copley . 

III.  The  Condescending  Remonstrance 
from  on  High. 

"  Why  art    thou  wroth,  and  why  is  thy  coun- 
tenance fallen  1  "  &c.  (Gen.  iv.  6,  7). 

[16821]  Sin  is  personified  ;  he  crouches  like 
a  wild  beast  at  the  door  of  his  heart.  Jehovah 
is  remonstrating  with  angry,  jealous  Cain.  "Why 
art  thou  wroth,  and  why  is  thy  countenance 
fallen  .'"'  Then  Cain  is  warned  that  while  he  is 
giving  way  to  his  jealous  thoughts,  sin  is  waiting 
outside  the  door  of  his  heart,  ready  to  spring  in, 
when  once  passion  has  assumed  its  sovereignty. 
He  has  not  long  to  wait  :  the  warning  is  now 
to  be  proved  too  necessary.  The  evil  eye  has 
set  its  mark. — Be-v.  H.  Ciist  Numt. 

IV.  The  Deliberate  Murder. 
Premeditated  revenge  sated  in  ruthless  cruelty. 

[16S22]  By  God's  expostulation  Cain  was 
silenced,  but  not  humbled.  His  envy  and  hatred 
against  his  unoffending  brother  became  more 
and  more  inflamed,  and  his  dark  soul  meditated 
deeds  of  revenge.  Surely  evil  passions  must 
long  have  been  fostered  in  his  bosom  ;  for  vice 
never  reaches  such  a  frightful  maturity  at  once. 
Shortly  afterwards,  as  Cain  talked  with  his 
brother  Abel  in  the  field,  probably  in  a  familiar 
manner,  as  though  all  unpleasant  impressions 
had  worn  off  from  his  mmd,  he  rose  up  and 
slew  him  ! — the  first-born  of  human  race  be- 
came a  murderer  1  the  murderer  of  his  innocent, 
his  only  brother  ! — and  wherclore  ?  because  his 
own  works  were  evil,  and  his  brother's  were 
righteous.  When  a  person  has  made  such  pro- 
gress in  wickedness,  as  to  hate  another  for  the 
sake  of  his  goodness,  there  is  no  calculating  to 
what  consummation  of  guilt  and  horror  he  may 
rise. — E.  Copley. 

V.  The  Accusing  Inquiry. 
"Where  is  Abel  thy  brother.?"  (Gen.  iv.  g.) 

[16S23]  No  sooner  doth  Abel's  blood  speak 
unto  God,  than  God  speaks  to  Cain.  There  is 
no  wicked  man  to  whom  God  speaks  not,  if  not 


16823— I683I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[CAIN. 


27 


to  his  ear,  yet  to  his  heart.  What  speech  was 
this  ?  Not  an  accusation,  but  an  inquiry  ;  yet 
such  an  inquiry  as  would  infer  an  accusation, 
(iod  loves  to  have  a  sinner  accuse  himself;  and 
therefore  hath  He  set  His  deputy  in  the  breast 
of  man  ;  neither  doth  God  love  this  more  than 
nature  abhors  it.— Bp.  Hall. 

Vi.  The  Daring  Retort, 

"I  know  not:    Am   I   my  brother's   keeper?" 
(Gen.  iv.  9.) 

[16S24]  Cain  professed  ignorance  ;  but  he 
could  not  deceive  that  eye  which  is  a  flame  of 
fire,  and  which  had  witnessed  the  whole  trans- 
action :  beside,  a  voice  was  heard  proclaiming 
his  guilt — a  voice  from  the  ground — the  voice  of 
his  brother's  blood,  calling  for  Divine  ven- 
geance— 

Blood  has  a  voice  to  pierce  the  skies  ; 
Revenge,  the  blood  of  Abel  cries — 

and  the  plea  was  not  disallowed. — E.  Copley, 

[16825]  Cain  answers  stubbornly  :  the  very 
name  of  Abel  wounds  him  no  less  than  his  hand 
had  wounded  Abel :  consciences  that  are  with- 
out remorse  are  not  without  horror  :  wickedness 
makes  men  desperate.  The  murderer  is  angry 
with  God,  as  of  late,  for  accepting  his  brother's 
oblation  ;  so  now,  for  listening  to  his  blood. — 
Bp.  Hall. 

Vn.   The  Retributive  Curse   (Gen.   iv 
10-12). 

Its  aspect  as  regards  the  mental  suffering  in- 
fiicted. 

"  Cain  went  out  from  the  p7-esence  of  the 
Lord." 

[16826]  He  that  cares  not  for  the  act  of  his 
sin  shall  care  for  the  smart  of  his  punishment. 
The  damned  are  weary  of  their  torments,  but  in 
vain.  How  great  a  madness  is  it  to  complain 
too  late  !  He  that  would  not  keep  his  brother, 
is  cast  out  from  the  protection  of  God  ;  he  that 
feared  not  to  kill  his  brother,  fears  now  that 
whosoever  meets  him  will  kill  him.  The  troubled 
conscience  projecteth  fearful  things,  and  sin 
makes  even  cruel  men  cowardly.  God  saw  it 
was  too  much  favour  for  him  to  die  ;  He  there- 
fore wills  that  which  Cain  wills.  Cain  would 
live  ;  it  is  yielded  him,  but  for  a  curse.  How 
often  doth  God  hear  sinners  in  anger  !  He  shall 
live,  banished  from  God,  carrying  his  hell  in  his 
bosom,  and  the  brand  of  God's  vengeance  in 
his  forehead.  God  rejects  him,  the  earth  repines 
at  him,  men  abhor  him  ;  himself  now  wishes 
that  death  which  he  feared,  and  no  man  dare 
pleasure  him  with  a  murder.  How  bitter  is  the 
end  of  sin,  yea.  without  end  !  Still  Cain  finds 
that  he  killed  himself  more  than  his  brother.  We 
should  never  sin  if  our  foresight  were  but  as  good 
as  our  sense  ;  the  issue  of  sin  would  appear  a 
thousand  times  more  horrible  than  the  act  is 
pleasant. — Ibid. 


[16S27]  The  pride  of  Cain,  still  unsubdued, 
writhed  under  the  stroke  ;  and  he  exclaimed, 
"  My  punishment  is  greater  than  I  can  bear." 
What  led  him  to  speak  thus  appears  to  have 
been  not  so  much  the  physical  as  the  social 
evils  of  his  position — the  alienation  alike  from 
God  and  man  into  which  he  was  now  thrown, 
and  the  savage  horrors  of  the  state  of  isolation 
and  outlawry  to  which  he  was  consigned. — Rev. 
D.  Macdo7iald. 

[16828]  Not  an  expression  of  regret  escapes 
from  Cain  ;  the  sense  of  injury  inflicted,  or 
likely  to  be  inflicted  upon  himself,  is  all  that 
he  is  concerned  about  ;  and  he  seems  utterly 
unconscious  of  any  moral  necessity  for  his  ap- 
pointment to  such  a  lot,  as  the  consequence  of 
the  unbrotherly  and  inhuman  spirit  he  had  dis- 
played. There  was  just  one  indication  of  a 
sottened  mood  in  what  he  said — in  his  feeling  it 
to  be  an  intolerable  burden  to  be  treated  as  an 
exile  from  human  society,  and  exposed  to  the 
calamities  of  an  outlaw  from  heaven.  And  as  a 
token  of  mercy  still  mingling  with  judgment,  the 
Lord  was  graciously  pleased  to  set  bounds  to 
the  evil  by  assuring  him  of  protection  to  his  life. 
—Ibid. 

[16829]  The  story  of  Cain  is  the  story  of  all 
ages.  Sin,  suffering  ;  the  one  following  the 
other  by  a  law  fixed  and  imperative  like  that  by 
which  pain  agonizes  a  burning  hand.  A  living 
poet  speaks  of — 

"  The  coils 

Of  those  twin  serpetits — Sin  and  Suftering." 

So  far  as  the  narrative  informs  us,  the  suffering 
of  the  first  murderer  was  mental  suffering. 
Disease  did  not  blast  him  ;  chains  did  not  bind 
him  ;  the  mysterious  mark  on  his  forehead  was 
not  a  burning  brand.  He  went  his  way  like 
other  men.  He  had  sons  and  daughters  :  he 
built  the  first  city  known  in  history.  Tradition 
says  that  he  founded  many  cities,  and  became 
the  head  of  a  great  empire.  Yet  Cain  "  went 
out  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord."  He  lived  a 
life  of  conscious  curse.  The  serpents  coiled 
within.  Cursed  in  thought,  cursed  in  feeling, 
cursed  in  fears,  cursed  in  blasted  hopes,  cursed 
in  one  long  despair  :  such  was  life  to  the  first 
man  who  bore  the  fruit  of  the  first  matured  and 
ripened  sin.  And  such  will  be  the  life  of  the 
last  man  who  shall  go  out  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  bearing  the  burden  of  a  finished  crime 
unrepented  of  and  unforgiven. — Rev.  A.Phelps, 
D.D. 


VHL  Reasons    why    Cain's 
Preserved. 


Life    was 


[16S30]  Why  is  God  so  anxious  to  preserve 
Cain  from  death,  and  to  give  him  the  assurance 
of  this  security  .''  Some  reasons  are  obvious, 
besides  those  which  run  us  up  directly  to  the 
sovereignty  of  God. — Horatio  Bonar. 

[ 1 6831]  God's  desire  is  to  manifest  the  riches 
of  His  grace,  and  the  extent  of  His  forbearance, 


28 


16831— 16840] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[CAIN. 


and  that  He  has  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the 
wicked,  but  wishes  by  His  long-suffering  to  lead 
him  to  repentance. — Ibid. 

[16832]  Death  would  not  have  answered  God's 
end  at  all.  It  was  needful  that  Cain  should  be 
preserved  alive  as  an  awful  monument  of  sin,  a 
warning  against  the  shedding  of  man's  blood. 
We  find  that  this  proved  ineffectual  ;  fur  in  after 
ages  we  read  that  the  earth  was  filled  with  vio- 
lence, which  compelled  God  to  interfere  with  the 
deluge  ;  and  we  find  also  that,  after  the  deluge, 
God  enacted  the  definite  statute  for  the  repres- 
sion of  murder,  putting  into  man's  hands  the 
very  power  before  that  He  had  kept  wholly  in 
His  own. — Ibid. 

[16833]  Cain  was  spared  too,  because  of  this 
partial  repentance,  God  accepted  Ahab's  repent- 
ance (i  Kings  xxi.  29),  poor  and  hollow  as  it 
was;  so  does  He  Cain's  ;  for  He  is  gracious  and 
merciful,  looking  for  the  first  and  faintest  signs 
of  a  sinner's  turning  to  Himself,  willing  to  meet 
at  once  without  upbraiding,  and  putting  the  best 
possible  construction  on  all  he  says  and  does. 
To  what  length  is  not  the  grace  of  our  God  able 
to  go  !  Sin  abounds,  but  grace  superabounds. 
Howdesirousisjehovahnot  to  curse,  but  to  bless  ; 
not  to  smite,  but  to  heal ;  not  to  destroy,  but  to 
save. — Ibid. 

IX,  The  Causes  of  Cain's  Despair. 

[16834]  Cain  enumerates  the  causes  of  his 
despair.  These  are  three — the  three  articles  of 
the  sentence  pronounced  ;  and  when  he  sums 
up  with  a  conclusion  of  his  own  :  "  It  shall  come 
to  pass  that  every  one  that  findeth  me  shall  slay 
m&:'—Ibid. 

1  Behold    Thou   hast   cast  me  out  this  day 
from  (or  upon)  the  face  of  the  ground. 

[16835]  He  sees  it  to  be  Jehovah's  own  doing; 
He  who  drove  Adam  out  of  Paradise,  now  drives 
Cain  out  of  Eden.  Adam's  sin  brought  expul- 
sion from  the  inner  circle,  Cain's  from  the  outer. 
He  is  to  cast  out  from  the  land  where  he  had 
been  born,  where  was  his  home  ;  from  the 
ground  which  he  had  tilled.  He  was  now  doubly 
banished  ;  compelled  to  go  forth  into  an  un- 
known region,  without  a  guide,  or  a  promise,  or 
a  hope. — Ibid. 

2  From  Thy  face    I  shall  be  hid. 

[16836]  God's  face  means,  doubtless,  the  She- 
kinah  or  manifested  glory  of  Jehovah  at  the 
gate  of  p:dcn,  where  Adam  and  Eve,  and  their 
children,  had  worshipped  ;  where  God  was  seen 
by  them,  where  He  met  them  and  spake  to  them 
as  from  His  mercy-seat.  From  this  place  of 
Jehovah's  presence  Cain  was  to  go  out,  and  this 
depresses  him.  Not  that  he  really  cared  for  the 
favour  of  God,  as  one  in  whose  favour  was  life  ; 
but  still,  he  could  not  afford  to  lose  it,  especially 
when  others  were  left  behind  to  enjoy  it.  And 
all  his  religious  feelings,  such  as  they  were,  were 
associated  with  that  spot. — Ibid. 


3      "I  shall   be  a  fugitive  and  a  vagabond  in 
the  earth." 

[16S37]  Unchained  from  his  primeval  home, 
he  was  now  to  drift  to  and  fro,  he  knew  not 
whither.  He  was  to  be  a  leaf  driven  to  and  fro, 
a  man  without  a  settlement,  and  without  a 
home.  Poor  desolate  sinner !  And  all  this  is 
thine  own  doing  !  Thy  sin  has  found  thee  out. 
Thine  own  iniquities  have  taken  thee,  and  thou 
art  holden  with  the  cords  of  thy  sins  (Prov.  v. 
22).  Cain  now  sums  up  all  by  drawing  his  own 
sad  inference.  He  is  liable  to  be  slain  by  the 
first  who  meets  him.  There  was  nothing  of  this 
in  the  sentence  ;  but  a  guilty  conscience  sug- 
gested it.  He  sees  himself  a  marked  man. 
Death  surrounds  him.  What  else  can  a  mur- 
derer's conscience  forbode  ? — Ibid. 


X.  "The  Way  of  Cain." 

[16838]  The  way  of  Cain — what  is  it?  (Jude  ir.) 
The  apostle  speaks  of  it  as  something  terrible, 
and  something  which  will  be  specially  exhibited 
in  the  last  days.  "  Woe  unto  them,  for  they 
have  gone  in  the  way  of  Cain."  That  way 
began  in  unbelief,  in  the  rejection  of  God's  ways 
of  ''salvation  through  the  shedding  of  the  blood." 
It  ended  in  utter  worldliness  and  infidelity  ;  in 
the  unrestrained  indulgence  of  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life.  It  was  a 
way  very  much  marked  by  the  Apostle  Paul's 
characteristics  of  the  perilous  times  of  the  last 
days  (2  Tim.  iii.  i). — Ibid. 

[16839]  I"  it  we  find  selfishness,  envy,  hatred, 
murder,  hypocrisy,  lying,  pride,  independence, 
rebelliousness,  ambition,  all  coupled  or  covered 
over  with  the  "  form  of  godliness."  Rejection 
of  the  woman's  seed,  and  of  God's  way  of  accept- 
ance through  that  seed— this  is  the  main  feature, 
that  which  influences  all  the  rest.  No  Christ 
for  him  !  No  bruised  heel  for  him  I  No 
shedding  of  blood  for  the  remission  of  sins  ! 
No  righteousness  of  a  substitute  in  which  he 
may  stand  before  God  !  "  The  way  of  Cain  "  ! 
It  still  exists.  It  has  not  been  ploughed  up 
so  as  to  become  imperceptible.  It  is  still  visible, 
and  it  is  coming  more  and  more  into  admira- 
tion as  man's  conscience  gets  blunted,  and  as 
his  proud  self-sufficiency  exhibits  itself.  No 
sacrifice,  no  substitute,  no  imputed  righteous- 
ness, no  blood-shedding,  no  "  religion  of  the 
shambles  "  for  us  !  And  is  such  a  way  the  way 
of  holiness?  Will  such  a  religion  lead  men  to 
love  and  gentleness  and  brotherly  kindness? 
Will  such  a  faith  make  a  happy  kingdom  and  a 
blessed  earth,  introducing  the  reign  of  peace 
and  gladness  ?  So  say  its  exulting  votaries, 
emancipated,  as  they  suppose,  from  the  tram- 
mels of  old  creeds,  and  from  the  brutalizing 
influence  of  altars  besmeared  with  blood.  So 
says  the  philosophic  theology  of  the  day.  So 
says  the  poetry  of  the  'Age.— Ibid. 

[16840]  Look  at  Cain.  That  was  his  way. 
He  rejected  the  expiatory  blood,  turning  away 
from  "religion  of  the  shambles"  to  the  mild 


16840— 168441 


OLD    TESTA3IENr  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[ABEL. 


29 


gentleness  of  a  worship  in  which  no  life  was 
talcen,  and  no  blond  was  spilt,  and  no  suffering 
inflicted.  Did  this  mild  and  genial  religion  of 
his  lead  to  a  loving,  gentle  life  }  No.  He  who 
had  so  many  scruples  about  shedding  the  blood 
of  an  innocent  lamb,  has  none  about  taking  the 
life  of  a  holy  and  unoffending  brother.  He  who 
is  too  pure  and  refined  in  his  ideas  of  religion  to 
profane  his  altar  by  turning  it  into  "shambles," 
is  all  the  while  busied  in  preparing  "  shambles  " 
of  his  own,  where,  for  the  gratification  of  malice, 
hatred,  envy,  and  revenge,  and  every  hellish 
passion,  he  may.  with  his  own  hand,  butcher  a 
brother  for  being  more  righteous  than  he. — 
Ji>id. 


ABEL, 

I.  Significance  of  the  Name  Bestowed 
UPON  THE  Second  Child  of  Man. 

[16841]  Abel  (signifying  emptiness,  vanity) 
was  the  second  son  of  Adam  and  Eve.  Wiiy 
such  a  name  should  have  been  conferred  upon 
him  we  are  not  told.  Possibly  something  in 
his  personal  appearance  might  have  suggested 
the  derogatory  appellation  ;  or,  what  is  fully 
more  probable,  this  name,  by  which  he  is  known 
to  history,  was  occasioned  by  his  unhappy  fate, 
and  expressed  the  feelings  of  vexation  and 
disappointment  which  that  affecting  tragedy 
awakened  in  the  bosoms  of  his  parents.  The 
rather  may  this  explanation  be  entertained,  as 
the  name  in  Abel's  case  is  not,  as  it  was  in 
Cain's,  connected  with  the  birth.  It  is  not  said, 
Eve  brought  forth  a  son  and  called  him  Abel ; 
but  after  recording  the  birth  of  Cain,  and  the 
reason  of  his  being  so  designated,  the  sacred 
narrative  simply  relates  of  Eve,  "  And  she  again 
bare  his  brother  Abel "  (Gen.  iv.  2).  It  was 
quite  natural  that  the  vanity  which  was  so  im- 
pressively stamped  upon  his  earthly  history 
should  have  been  converted  into  his  personal 
designation. — Rev.  P.  Cosse,  D.U. 

[16842]  The  word  Abel  denotes  vanity,  or  a 
breath  of  air.  Was  this  name  given  him  through 
the  unreasonable  prejudice  and  unjust  preference 
of  a  partial  mother  ?  Or  was  it  an  unintentional 
prediction  of  the  brevity  of  his  life,  and  of  the 
lamentable  manner  of  his  death .''  But  the 
materials  of  which  life  is  composed  are  not  so 
much  its  days  and  months  and  years,  as  works 
of  piety,  and  mercy,  and  justice,  or  their 
opposites. — Rev.  H.  Hunler,  D.D. 

II.  The  Differing  Characteristics  of 
the   Two   Brothers    Observable  in 

their    REL.A.TIVE   CALLINGS. 

I        Abel  chose  the  pilgrim  life,   Cain  that  of 

settled     possession     and     enjoyment     of 

earth. 

[16843]  The  promise  which  God  freely  gave 

to  man  was  that  of  a  deliverer,  who  would  bruise 

the  bead  of  the  serpent,  and  destroy  his  works. 


Now,  it  was  possible  either  to  embrace  this  pro- 
mise by  faith,  and  in  that  case  to  cling  to  it  and 
set  his  heart  thereon,  or  else  to  refuse  this  hope 
and  turn  away  from  it.  Here,  then,  at  the  very 
opening  of  the  history  of  the  kingdom,  we  have 
the  two  different  ways  which,  as  the  world  and 
the  kingdom  of  God,  have  ever  since  divided 
men.  If  we  further  ask  ourselves  what  those 
would  do  who  rejected  the  hope  of  faith,  how 
they  would  show  it  in  their  outward  conduct,  we 
answer,  that  they  would  naturally  choose  the 
world  as  it  then  was  ;  and,  satisfied  therewith, 
try  to  establish  themselves  in  the  earth,  claim  it 
as  their  own,  enjoy  its  pleasures  and  lusts,  and 
cultivate  its  arts.  On  the  other  hand,  one  who 
embraced  the  promises  would  consider  himself 
a  pilgrim  and  a  stranger  in  this  earth,  and  both 
in  heart  and  outward  conduct  show  that  he  be- 
lieved in,  and  waited  for,  the  fulfilment  of  the 
promise.  We  need  scarcely  say  that  the  one 
describes  the  history  of  Cain  and  of  his  race  ; 
the  other  that  of  Abel,  and  afterwards  of  Seth 
and  of  his  descendants.  For  around  these  two 
— Cain  and  Seth — as  their  representatives,  all 
the  children  of  Adam  would  group  themselves 
according  to  their  spiritual  tendencies.  Viewed 
in  this  light  the  indications  of  Scripture,  how- 
ever brief,  are  quite  clear.  When  we  read  that 
"  Cain  was  a  tiller  of  the  ground,"  and  "  Abel 
was  a  keeper  of  sheep,"  we  can  understand  that 
the  choice  of  their  occupations  depended  not  on 
accidental  circumstances,  but  quite  accorded 
with  their  views  and  character.  The  nearer 
their  history  lay  to  the  terrible  event  which  had 
led  to  the  loss  of  Paradise,  and  to  the  first  giving 
of  the  promise,  the  more  significant  would  this 
their  choice  of  life  appear.  Quite  in  accordance 
with  this,  we  afterwards  find  Cain  not  only  build- 
ing a  city,  but  calling  it  after  the  name  of  his 
own  son,  to  indicate  settled  proprietorship  and 
enjoyment  of  the  world  as  it  was. — Eders/ieim. 

[16844]  Behold  this  pair  of  brothers  growing 
in  wisdom  and  in  stature,  gladdening  their 
parents'  hearts.  They  arrive  at  the  age  of 
reason,  of  vigour,  of  activity  ;  they  feel  the  law 
of  God  and  nature  upon  them.  Though  the  heirs 
of  empire,  they  must  labour  for  their  subsistence  : 
"  Abel  was  a  keeper  of  sheep,  but  Cain  was  a 
tiller  of  the  ground."  The  earth  will  no  longer 
spontaneously  yield  her  increase.  The  clods 
must  be  turned  up,  and  the  seed  must  be  cast 
into  the  furrow,  through  the  care,  foresight,  and 
industry  of  man,  else  in  vain  will  the  heavens 
shed  their  influence  ;  and  in  vain  will  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Most  High  be  expected.  That  cattle 
may  furnish  either  the  fleece  for  clothing,  or  milk 
for  food,  they  must  be  protected  from  inclement 
seasons  and  ravenous  beasts  ;  they  must  be  con- 
ducted to  proper  pasture,  and  provided  with 
water  from  the  brook.  And  this  is  the  humble 
origin  of  the  first  employments  which  occupied 
our  elder  brethren  in  a  state  of  nature.  And 
here  it  is  observable  that  the  different  disposi- 
tions of  the  brothers  may  be  traced  in  the  occu- 
pations which  they  followed.  Pious  and  con- 
templative, Abel  tends  his  flock  :  his  profession 


3° 


16844— 16850I 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE  ERA. 


[ABEL. 


affords  more  retirement  and  more  leisure  for 
meditation  ;  and  the  very  nature  of  his  charge 
forms  him  to  vigilance,  to  providence,  and  to 
sympathy.  His  prosperity  and  success  seem  to 
flow  immediately,  and  only,  from  the  hands  of 
God.  Cain,  more  worldly  and  selfish,  betakes 
himself  to  husbandry — a  work  of  greater  indus- 
try and  art,  the  necessary  implements  of  which 
suppose  the  prior  invention  of  sundry  branches 
of  manufacture  ;  and  in  whose  operations,  and 
their  effects,  art  blending  with  nature,  would 
claim  at  least  her  full  proportion  of  merit  and 
importance.— 7?t'7/.  H.  Hunter,  D.D. 

[16845]  Abel  appears  to  have  early  discovered 
a  mild,  contemplative,  and  pious  disposition. 
This  discovered  itself  in  the  choice  of  his 
worldly  pursuits.  ''  He  was  a  keeper  of  sheep." 
Not  that  goodness  is  necessarily  connected 
with,  or  excluded  from  any  lawful  occupation  ; 
but  it  is  well  to  choose  those  most  favourable  to 
devout  contemplation,  and  to  the  cultivation 
and  exercise  of  the  best  dispositions.  The 
keeping  of  sheep  has  always  been  regarded  one 
of  the  most  innocent  and  delightful  employ- 
ments ;  and  no  small  honour  was  put  upon 
agriculture  and  husbandry,  that,  when  the  first 
parents  of  the  human  race  had  but  two  sons, 
one  of  them  became  a  tiller  of  the  ground,  and 
the  other  a  keeper  of  sheep. — E.  Copley, 

III.  The    Faith    Displayed    in    Adel's 
Sacrifice,  and  its  Import. 

His  sacrifice  was  a  visible  embodiment  of 
the  doctrinal  principles  which  his  faith 
respected. 

[16846]  It  is  impossible  to  allow  the  sacrifice 
of  Abel  in  this  instance  to  have  been  an  act  of 
faith,  without  supposing  that  it  had  respect  to 
a  previous  revelation  which  agreed  with  all  the 
parts  of  that  sacrificial  action  by  which  he  ex- 
pressed his  faith  in  it.  Had  Abel's  sacrifice 
been  eucharistic  merely,  it  would  have  expressed 
gratitude  but  not  faith  :  or  if  faith  in  the  general 
sense  of  confidence  in  God  that  he  would  re- 
ceive an  act  of  grateful  worship  and  reward  the 
worshippers,  it  did  not  more  express  faith  than 
the  offering  of  Cain,  who  surely  believed  these 
two  points,  or  he  would  not  have  brought  an 
offering  of  any  kind.  The  offering  of  Abel  was 
not  an  eucharistic  sacrifice,  it  was  an  expiatory 
one  ;  and  in  fact  it  is  only  in  a  sacrifice  of  this 
kind  that  it  is  possible  to  see  that  faith  ex- 
hibited which  Abel  had  and  Cain  had  not. — 
Kncyclopccdia  {Edwards) . 

[16847]  If  we  refer  to  the  subsequent  sacri- 
fices of  expiation  appointed  by  Divine  authority, 
and  their  explanation  m  the  New  Testament, 
it  will  be  obvious  to  what  doctrines  and  prin- 
ciples of  an  antecedent  revelation  the  faith  of 
Abel  had  respect,  and  which  his  sacrifice,  the 
exhibition  of  his  faith,  proclaimed  :  confession 
of  the  fact  of  being  a  sinner,  acknowledgment 
that  the  demerit  and  penalty  of  sin  is  death, 
submission  to  an  appointed  mode  of  expiation, 


animal  sacrifice  offered  vicarioicsly,  but,  in  itself, 
a  mere  type  of  a  better  sacrifice,  "  the  seed  of 
the  woman,"  appointed  to  be  offered  at  some 
future  period,  and  the  efficacy  of  this  appointed 
method  of  expiation  to  obtain  forgiveness,  and 
to  admit  the  guilty  into  the  Divine  favour. — 
Ibid. 

[16848]  In  the  tenth  chapter  of  Romans  we 
are  informed  that  faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and 
hearing  by  the  word  of  God  ;  and  in  the  twelfth 
chapter  of  Hebrews  we  are   presented   with  a 
considerable   list  of  Old   Testament    worthies, 
such  as  Abel  and  Noah  and  Abraham,  whose 
faith  is  there  held  up  for  example  and  for  imi- 
tation.    Now,  it   is  worthy  of  remark,  that  in 
reference  to  the  several  individuals  alluded  to 
in   that  chapter,  their  faith  is  uniformly  illus- 
trated by  their  trust  in  the  Divine  promise,  and 
by  their  obedience  to  the  Divine  command.     If, 
then,  the  faith  of  Noah  and  of  Abraham  was 
commended,  on  account  of  their  having  acted 
according  to  the  Divine  command,  and  trusted 
in  the  Divine  promise,  how  is  it  possible  but  to 
conclude  that  the  faith  of  Abel  also,  which  is 
commended  in   the  same    chapter  as  well   as 
theirs,  was  exemplified  in  precisely  the  same 
way,  and  approved  of,  too,  upon  the  very  same 
principle  ;  and  since  it  is  said  that  "he  obtained 
witness  that  he  was  righteous"  by  virtue  of  his 
having  offered  a  more  excellent  sacrifice  than 
Cain,  what  can  we  infer  from  this,  but  that  his 
offering,  like  the  conduct  of  Noah  and  Abraham, 
was  approved  of,  because  it  was  presented  in  a 
believing  spirit  of  obediefice  to  a  Divine  com- 
mand ?    And   what  other  conclusion   can   we 
come  to  than  that  God  at  that  time  had  already 
prescribed  the  sacrifice  of  animals  in  religious 
worship  ;  that  in  compliance  with  His  revealed 
will  upon  the  subject,  Abel  presented  to  Him 
the  firstlings  and  the  choice  of  his  flock  ;  and 
that,  as  the  living  creatures  which  he  sacrificed 
were  accepted  as  a  proof  of  his  faith,  so,  on  the 
other  hand,   Cain's  vegetable  offering  was  re- 
jected, just  because  it  was  an  evidence  alike  of 
his  unbelief,  his  presumption,  and  his  impiety.? — 
Dr.  y.  Br 02071. 

[16849]  Abel  looked  with  faith's  keen  eye  to 
the  world  beyond  the  clouds.  Perhaps  he  little 
thought  of  the  great  necessity  of  a  Saviour  for 
mankind,  when,  as  yet,  the  world  was  in  its 
infancy ;  although  he  may  have  heard  his 
mother  talk  of  the  curse  and  its  cause.  Of 
this  we  are  quite  certain,  that  Jehovah  discerned 
in  Abel's  heart  much  love,  much  zeal,  and  faith. 
— Rev.  H.  Ctist  Niinn, 

[16850]  "  By  faith  Abel  offered  unto  God  a 
more  excellent  sacrifice  than  Cain."  Cain  came 
before  God  as  a  righteous  man  ;  Abel  as  a 
sinner.  Cain  brought  an  offering  of  acknow- 
ledgment ;  Abel  a  propitiatory  sacrifice.  Cain's 
gift  bespeaks  a  grateful  heart  ;  Abel's  a  contrite 
spirit.  Cain  eyes  the  goodness  of  God  ;  Abel 
acknowledges  His  mercy  and  long-suffering. 
Cain  says,   "Lord,  I  thank  Thee  for  all  Thy 


16850— 16856] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[ABEL. 


31 


benefits  towards  me  ;  "  Abel  confesses,  "  Lord, 
I  am  unworthy  the  least  of  Thy  favours."  Cain 
rejoices  in  the  world  as  a  goodly  portion  ;  Abel, 
by  faitb,  discerns  and  expects  a  better  inheri- 
tance. Cain  approaches,  trusting  in  an  imper- 
fect righteousness  of  his  own,  and  departs  un- 
justified ;  Abel  draws  nigh,  depending  on  the 
perfect  righteousness  of  a  Mediator,  and  goes 
away  righteous  in  the  sight  of  God. — Rev.  H. 
Hunter,  D.D. 


IV.  The  Example  and  Lessons  of  his 
Martyrdom. 

Abel  presents  the  first    example    of  enduring 
persecution  for  righteousness'  sake. 

[1685 1]  It  was  a  fact  pregnant  with  awful 
meaning  for  the  future,  that  the  first  righteous 
man  in  Adam's  family  should  also  have  become 
the  first  martyr  to  righteousness  ;  yet  it  was  not 
without  hope,  since  heaven  distinctly  identified 
itself  with  his  testimony,  and  espoused  the  cause 
of  injured  rectitude  and  worth.  In  such  a  case 
the  ascendency  of  evil  could  not  be  more  than 
temporary. — Rev.  P.  Gosse,  D.D. 

[16852]  How  early  did  martyrdom  come  into 
the  world  !  The  first  man  that  died,  died  for 
religion  :  who  dare  measure  God's  love  by  out- 
ward events,  when  he  sees  wicked  Cain  stand- 
ing over  bleeding  Abel,  whose  sacrifice  was  first 
accepted,  and  now  himself  is  sacrificed  .''  Death 
was  denounced  to  man  as  a  curse  ;  yet,  behold  ! 
it  first  lights  upon  a  saint  :  how  soon  was  it 
altered  by  the  mercy  of  that  just  hand  which 
inflicted  it !  If  death  had  been  evil,  and  life 
good,  Cain  had  been  slain,  and  Abel  had  sur- 
vived. Now  that  it  begins  with  him  that  God 
loves,  "O  death,  where  is  thy  sting?" — Bp. 
Hall. 

[16853]  The  spirit  returns  to  God  to  see  His 
unclouded  face,  formerly  seen  through  the 
medium  of  natural  objects,  and  of  religious  ser- 
vices ;  to  understand  and  to  enjoy  the  great 
mystery  of  the  atonement,  hitherto  known  only 
in  a  figure.  Happy  Abel  !  thus  early  delivered 
from  the  sins  and  sorrows  of  a  vain  world.  And 
thus  death,  at  whatever  season,  in  whatever 
form,  and  from  whatever  quarter  it  comes,  is 
always  unspeakably  great  gain  to  a  good  man. 
— Rev.  H.  Hunter,  D.D. 

V.    Abel    Considered    as    a    Type    of 
Christ. 

[16854]  Was  Abel  a  type  of  Christ,  as  well  as 
a  believer  in  Him?  The  Scripture  indeed  saith 
it  not  expressly  ;  but  surely,  without  straining, 
we  may  discern  some  striking  marks  of  resem- 
blance. What  saith  Moses  ?  "  Abel  was  a 
keeper  of  sheep."  What  saith  Christ?  "I  am 
the  good  shepherd :  the  good  shepherd  giveth 
his  life  for  the  sheep."  What  did  Abel?  "  He 
through  faith  brought  of  the  firstlings  of  his 
flock,  and  of  the  fat   thereof,  an  offering  unto 


the  Lord."  What  did  Christ?  "Through  the 
eternal  Spirit  He  offered  Himself  without  spot 
to  God."  Were  Abel's  days  cut  short  by  the 
hand  of  violence?  So  "Messiah,  the  Prince, 
was  cut  off,  but  not  for  Himself."  Was  Abel 
hated  of,  and  slain  by  his  brother?  Christ  "was 
despised  and  rejected"  of  His  own,  and  died 
by  the  treachery  of  a  familiar  friend  in  whom 
He  trusted,  and  by  the  cruelty  of  those  who 
were  His  brethren  according  to  the  flesh.  Did 
the  blood  of  Abel  cry  to  God  from  the  ground 
for  vengeance  on  the  head  of  him  who  shed  it? 
Ah  !  with  what  oppressive  weight  has  the  blood 
of  Jesus  fallen,  and  how  heavily  does  it  still  lie 
on  the  heads  of  them,  and  of  their  children,  who 
with  wicked  hands  crucified  and  slew  Him  ! 
Could  the  blood  of  Abel  atone  for  his  sin  ?  No  : 
but  the  blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  him,  and  every 
believer,  from  all  sin.  Yet  Abel  died  as  a  right- 
eous man,  Christ  as  a  sinner.  Abel,  a  guilty 
creature,  was  justified  and  accepted  through  an 
imputed  righteousness  ;  Christ,  who  was  "  holy, 
harmless,  undefiled,  and  separated  from  sin- 
ners," was  condemned  and  suffered  because 
"the  Lord  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of  us  all." — 
Ibid. 

VI.  Traditional  Views. 

[16855]  Ancient  writers  abound  in  observa- 
tions on  the  mystical  character  of  Abel  ;  and  he 
is  spoken  of  as  the  representative  of  the  pastoral 
tribes,  while  Cain  is  regarded  as  the  author  of 
the  nomadic  life  and  character.     St.  Chrysostoni 
calls  him  the  Lamb  of  Christ,  since  he  sufl'ered 
the  most  grievous  injuries  solely  on  account  of 
his  innocency  ;  and  he  directs  particular  atten- 
tion to  tlie  mode  in  which  Scripture  speaks  of 
his  ofterings,  consisting  of  the  best  of  his  flock, 
"and  of  the  fat  thereof,"  while  it  seems  to  inti- 
mate that  Cain  presented  the  fruit  which  might 
be  most  easily  procured.  St.  Augustine, speaking 
of  regeneration,  alludes  to  Abel  as  represent- 
ing the  new  or  spiritual  man  in  contradistinction 
to  the  natural  or  corrupt  man,  and  says,  "  Cain 
founded  a  city  on  earth  ;  but  Abel,  as  a  stranger 
and  pilgrim,  looked  forward  to  the  city  of  the 
saints  which  is  in  heaven."     Abel,  he  says  in 
another  place,  was  the  first-fruits  of  the  Church, 
and  was   sacrificed  in  testimony  of   the  future 
Mediator.     And  in  Psa.  cxviii.  (Serm.  xxx.),  he 
says,  "  This  city  (that  is,  "  the  city  of  God  ")  has 
its  beginning  from  Abel,  as  the  wicked  city  from 
Cain.     Irenasus  says  that  God,  in  the  case  of 
Abel,  subjected  the  just  to  the  unjust,  that  the 
righteousness  of  the  former  might  be  manifested 
by  what  he  suffered. — Encyelopadia  {McClin- 
tock  and  Stro/io). 

[16856]  Heretics  existed  in  ancient  times  who 
represented  Cain  and  Abel  as  embodying  two 
spiritual  powers,  of  which  the  mightier  was  that 
of  Cain,  and  to  which  they  accordingly  ren- 
dered Divine  homage.  In  the  early  Church 
Abel  was  considered  the  first  of  the  martyrs,  and 
many  persons  were  accustomed  to  pronounce 
his  name  with  a  particular  reverence.    An  ob- 


32 


16856— i686i] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[lamech. 


scure  sect  arose  under  the  title  of  Abelites,  the 
professed  object  of  which  was  to  inculcate  cer- 
tain fanatical  notions  respecting  marriage  ;  l>ut 
it  was  speedily  lost  amidst  a  host  of  more  popu- 
lar parties. — Ibid. 


VII.  HOMILETICAL   REMARKS. 

I       Abel's  character   presents  both  an  object 
of  esteem  and  a  pattern  for  imitation. 

[16S57]  Faith  in  God  and  in  a  Saviour  to 
come,  and  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God 
by  faith,  are  the  leading  and  striking  features 
of  this  portrait  ;  and  by  these,  "  being  dead,  he 
yet  speaketh,"  or  if  you  choose  to  adopt  the 
marginal  reading,  "is  yet  spoken  of"  It  is  a 
desirable  thing  to  enjoy  a  good  name  while  we 
live,  and  to  be  remembered  with  kindness  after 
we  are  dead.  But  reputation  is  the  gift  of 
others  ;  it  is  often  gained  without  merit,  and 
lost  without  a  crime.  Whereas  true  goodness 
is  a  real,  unalienable  possession  ;  it.  cleaves  to 
us  in  death  ;  it  accompanies  us  into  the  world 
of  spirits  ;  it  instructs  the  world  while  we  live  ; 
it  speaks  from  the  grave;  it  shines  in  the  pre- 
sence of  God  in  heaven.  Here  it  is  lawful  and 
honourable  to  aspire.  Permit  others  to  get 
before  you  in  wealth  or  in  fame  ;  grudge  not  to 
your  neighbour  the  superiority  in  wit,  or  strength, 
or  beauty  :  but  yield  to  none  in  piety,  in  purity, 
in  faith,  in  charity  ;  aim  at  the  highest  honours 
of  the  Christian  name  ;  be  humble,  and  be 
ever> thing.  Salvation  has,  from  the  beginning, 
flowed  in  one  and  the  same  channel.  There 
was  not  one  gospel  to  the  antediluvian,  and 
another  to  the  postdiluvian  world  ;  one  method 
of  redemption  to  the  Jews,  and  another  to  the 
Gentiles  ;  but  "  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yester- 
day, and  to-day,  and  for  ever." — Rev.  H. 
HtC7iier,  D.D. 

[16858]  "He  being  dead,  yet  speaketh." 
Thus  writes  the  sacred  penman,  and  true  indeed 
it  is.  Abel  speaks  to  you  and  me.  He  seems 
to  say  :  "  Don't  fear  the  world,  never  hesitate  to 
do  your  duty,  worship  your  Father,  exhort  your 
brother.  Never  weary  in  well-doing  :  act  the 
part  of  a  true  Christian.  Let  not  trouble  daunt 
you._  Let  not  fear  thwart  you  ;  only  trust  in 
Christ:  never  lack  confidence  in  His  glorious 
promises,  His  almighty  and  never-failing  word. 
For  He,  most  blessed,  spake  of  me  in  His 
earthly  temple  at  Jerusalem,  when  leaving  it  for 
the  last  time,  as  'righteous  Abel.'  He  knew, 
centuries  back,  my  trusting  faith,  my  daily 
struggles  to  become  a  child  of  His,  and  He 
urged  the  world  then,  in  the  days  of  His 
humanity,  to  follow  in  the  steps  of  the  'right- 
eous.' Yet  now  does  He  speak,  by  the  voice  of 
His  ministers,  of  the  'righteous'  Abel.  He 
asks  you  to  follow  me."— AVz/.  H.  Cust  Ntotn. 

[16859]  "When  He  cometh  shall  He  find 
faith  on  the  earth.?"  The  very  particle  used 
expects  the  answer:  No.  Cyril  makes  longer 
answer    "No  :  the  love  of  many  will  wax  cold 


in  the  latter  days,  and  many  will  depart  from 
the  faith."  "The  faith"  of  God's  Church  is 
even  now  shaken  :  nay,  in  some  cases  it  seems 
almost  riven  with  the  tempest.  We  see  how  it 
was  in  the  earliest  days.  There  was  a  father 
easily  led  into  temptation,  and  most  clearly 
weak  concerning  the  faith.  The  mother  had 
proved  herself  to  be  the  pliant  instrument  of  an 
artful  schemer.  The  first-born  was  a  mixture  of 
malice  and  worldliness.  The  "faithful"  Abel 
was  soon  despatched;  for  of  him  "the  world 
most  truly  was  not  worthy."  And  is  this  but  a 
picture  of  the  world's  end?  Is  this  to  be  the 
proportion  of  the  "just  made  perfect  ".''  Let  us 
strive  one  and  all  to  prove  ourselves  as  true 
"  sons  of  heaven."  Let  us  endeavour  to  throw 
off  the  world's  vain  costume.  Let  us  hasten  to 
equip  ourselves  with  the  robes  of  Christ's  right- 
eousness. Let  us  imitate,  as  best  we  may,  the 
"faithful"  Abel.— /^/^/. 

2       No  life  which  has  been  fully  consecrated 
to  God  is  ever  really  shortened  by  death. 

[16860]  He  dies  in  full  maturity  who  has 
lived  to  God  and  eternity,  at  whatever  period, 
and  in  whatever  manner  he  may  be  cut  off. 
That  life  is  short,  though  extended  to  a  thou- 
sand years,  which  is  disfigured  with  vice,  which 
is  devoted  to  the  pursuits  of  time  merely,  and 
at  the  close  of  which  the  unhappy  man  is  found 
unreconciled  to  God, — Rev.  H.  Hunter^  D.D. 


LAMECH. 

I.  Aspects  of  his  Character. 

I       As    the   first    violator   of  God's   primeval 
law  of  marriage. 

[16861]  That  law  most  strictly  enjoined  one 
wife,  and  doubtless  had  been  observed  till 
Lamech's  time.  He  sets  it  at  defiance.  That 
law  was  the  very  foundation  of  society.  It  was 
the  foundation  of  family  peace,  of  true  religion, 
of  social  order,  of  right  government  in  the  state. 
Take  away  this  foundation,  or  place  two  instead 
of  one,  and  the  whole  fabric  shakes,  the  nation 
crumbles  to  pieces.  It  is  not  merely  the  family 
hearth  that  is  destroyed,  but  the  throne  of  the 
King  is  undermined.  Bonds  the  most  sacred 
and  needful  Lamech  breaks.  The  most  ancient 
and  venerable  law  of  earth  he  tramples  on. 
Lust  has  got  the  mastery  in  him.  He  is  the 
true  type  of  those  "  filthy  dreamers  "  who  "  de- 
file the  flesh  "  (Jude  8)  ;  of  those  who  in  the 
last  days  are  to  "  walk  after  the  flesh  in  the  lust 
of  uncleanness,  having  eyes  full  of  adultery  " 
(2  Peter  ii.).  And  as  Lamech's  sin  threw  open 
the  flood-gates  of  lasciviousness,  so  may  the 
sins  of  those  who  in  our  day  are  walking  in  his 
steps  be  throwing  open  these  same  flood-gates, 
and  ripening  the  world  for  the  judgment  of  the 
great  day. 


i6862— 16868] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE  ERA. 


[lamech. 


33 


2  As  a  murderer. 

[16862]  Lust  had  led  to  adultery,  and  adultery 
had  led  to  violence  and  murder.  We  are  not 
told  the  name  of  him  whom  he  slew.  It  matters 
not.  He  is  a  murderer — true  follower  of  Cain 
— true  ofTspring  of  the  serpent,  of  him  who  was 
"a  murderer  from  the  beginning"  (John  viii. 
44).  Abhor  Lamech's  spirit  as  we  would  that 
of  Satan.  The  anger,  passion,  revenge — of  all 
that  would  lead,  however  remotely,  to  blood- 
shedding.  In  Cain,  it  was  envy  ;  in  Lamech, 
lust.     Flee  both. 

3  As  a  boaster  of  his  evil  deeds. 

[16863]  He  does  the  deed  of  blood,  and  he 
is  not  ashamed  of  it  ;  nay,  he  glories  in  it — nay, 
glories  in  it  to  his  own  wives.  There  is  no 
confession  of  sin  here,  no  repentance,  not  even 
Cain's  partial  humbling.  This  iniquity  lifts  up 
its  head,  and  waxes  bold  in  countenance,  de- 
fying God  and  vaunting  before  men  as  if 
the  deed  had  been  one  of  honour  and  not  of 
shame.  Boasters  are  to  rise  up  in  the  last  days 
(2  Tim.  iii.  2),  specially  boasters  of  evil,  like 
Lamech.  Men  are  to  "boast  themselves  in 
mischief"  (Psa.  Iii.  7).  The  wicked  is  to 
"boast  of  his  heart's  desire"  (Psa.  x,  3). 

4  As    one    taking   refuge   in    the    crimes   of 
others. 

[16864]  He  makes  Cain  not  a  warning,  but 
an  example.  He  perverts  God's  purpose  in 
sparing  Cain,  and  takes  courage  in  evil  from 
Cain's  example.  He  "goes  in  the  way  of  Cain  " 
(Jude  11),  and  makes  no  account  of  God's  awful 
monuments  of  indignation  against  sin.  He  sins 
because  Cain  sinned  !  He  thinks  he  has  a 
right  to  sin,  because  Cain  sinned  !  Oh,  des- 
perate perversity  of  man's  heart  !  What  will 
it  not  make  an  excuse  for  sinning?  And  yet  it 
always  tries  to  find  an  excuse  or  an  example, 
and  ashamed  to  sin  unless  for  some  reason,  or 
with  some  example  before  it  ! 

5  As  one  perverting  God's  forbearance, 

[16865]  He  trifles  with  sin,  because  God 
showed  mercy  to  another.  He  tramples  on 
righteousness,  because  it  is  tempered  with 
grace.  He  sets  vengeance  at  nought,  because 
God  is  long-suffering.  Instead  of  saying,  "  God 
is  so  loving  that  I  dare  not  sin,"  he  says,  "  God 
is  so  loving  that  I  will  go  on  in  sin  without 
limit."  Divine  compassion  has  no  effect  in 
softening  his  obstinacy  ;  but  "  after  his  hard- 
ness and  impenitent  heart,  he  treasures  up  to 
himself  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath  and 
revelation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God  " 
(Rom.  ii.  5).  Thus  men  still  turn  God's  grace 
into  lasciviousness,  and  make  Christ  the  minis- 
ter of  sin  ! 

6  As  a  scoffer. 

[16866]  He  believes  in  no  judgment,  and 
makes  light  of  sin's  recompense.  His  words 
are  evidently  the  words  of  a  scoffer,  and  of  one 

VOL.  VI. 


who  believed  in  no  wrath  of  God  against  the 
workers  of  iniquity.  He  speaks  like  the  scoffers 
of  the  last  days,  "  Where  is  the  promise  of  His 
coming  1  for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep,  all 
things  continue  as  they  were  from  the  beginning 
of  creation"  (2  Peter  iii.  1-3).  Is  not  this  the 
mocking  that  we  hear  on  every  side  .''  No  day 
of  judgment,  no  righteous  vengeance  against  sin, 
no  condemnation  of  the  transgressor.  God 
has  borne  long  with  the  world,  He  will  bear 
longer  with  it  still.  He  may  do  something  to 
dry  up  the  running  sore  of  its  miseries  ;  but  as 
for  its  guilt,  He  will  make  no  account  of  that,  for 
"God  is  love."  But  what  then  becomes  of  law,  or 
of  righteousness,  or  of  the  difference  between 
good  and  evil  1  And  what  becomes  of  God's 
past  proclamation  of  law,  His  manifestations 
of  righteousness.  His  declarations  of  abhorrence 
of  all  sin  1  Was  Adam's  ejection  from  Paradise 
the  mere  attempt  to  cure  a  disease,  and  not  the 
condemnation  of  his  guilt  ?  Was  the  deluge 
the  mere  drying  up  of  the  world's  running  sore 
of  wretchedness,  that  it  might  start  healthy  and 
vigorous  on  a  new  course,  instead  of  being  the 
expression  of  God's  estimate  of  human  guilt, 
and  His  determination  to  prevent  men  from 
imagining  that  He  was  indifferent  to  the  evil  of 
sin,  and,  as  the  God  of  love,  that  He  could  only 
treat  it  as  a  sad  misfortune,  but  not  as  an  in- 
finite and  unalterable  crime  against  love  and 
majesty,  and  truth  and  government  and  holi- 
ness? 


II.  Comparison  of  the  Characters  of 
Cain  and  Lamech. 

[16867]  The  brief  story  told  of  Lamech 
the  polygamist  is  one  of  lust,  bloodshed,  and 
defiant  hardihood.  He  is  the  first  to  violate 
God's  primeval  law  of  marriage  ;  and  the 
violation  of  this  leads  to  other  sins.  In  Cain 
we  have  seen  the  man  of  violence.  In  Lamech 
we  see  the  man  of  hcst.  From  those  two 
fountain-heads  of  evil,  what  wickedness  has 
flowed  out  upon  the  earth  ! 


III.  The  Predicted  Reproduction  of 
THE  Characters  of  Cain  and 
Lamech  in  the  Latter  Day. 

[16868]  As  in  the  last  days  we  find  men  re- 
turning to  the  way  of  Cain,  so  do  we  find  them 
returning  to  the  way  of  Lamech — walking  after 
the  flesh,  in  the  lust  of  uncleanness,  and  de- 
spising government,  presumptuous,  self-willed 
(2  Pet.  ii.  10).  All  the  old  world's  sins  re- 
peated and  intensified  in  the  last  generation, 
just  before  the  arrival  of  Him  of  whom  Enoch 
prophesied  (Jude  14). — H.  Bonar. 


34 


16869—16875] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[job. 


JOB, 
I.  Introductory. 

I       Historic     truth,     era,    and    authorship    of 
the  Book  of  Job. 

[16869]  On  the  historic  character  of  the  Book 
of  Job,  various  opinions  have  been  entertained. 
.Some,  such  as  Spanheim,  have  held  that  the 
whole  poem,  both  poetry  and  prose,  is  strictly 
historical,  the  events  detailed  occurred  precisely 
as  they  are  described,  the  speeches  attributed 
to  the  different  speakers  were  delivered  pre- 
cisely as  they  now  appear.  That  this  is  pos- 
sible, perhaps  not  many  will  deny  ;  that  it  is 
credible,  few  indeed  will  admit.  The  book 
bears  the  impress  of  a  single  intellect  upon  it  ; 
and  skilful  as  the  Oriental  extemporisers  are, 
we  shall  hardly  attribute  the  sublimest  poetry 
the  world  possesses  to  the  efforts  of  a  few  Idu- 
mean  improvisatori. — Rev.  A .  Davidson. 

[16870]  Several  Jewish  doctors,  and  among 
modern  critics  Hengstenberg,  deny  the  Book 
of  Job  to  have  any  historic  basis.  It  is  purely 
allegorical,  all  its  elements  and  characters  being 
due  to  the  imagination  of  its  author.  It  would 
thus  stand  on  a  parallel  with  the  parables  of 
our  Lord.  .  .  .  But  such  elaborate  allegories,  so 
unlike  the  Divine  simplicity  of  the  Master's 
parables,  seem  not  only  something  foreign  to 
the  character  of  Scripture,  but  something  quite 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  Semitic  genius.  And 
the  allusions  to  Job  by  Ezekiel  and  James 
(Ezek.  xiv.  14  ;  James  v.  11)  as  a  historic  per- 
sonage equally  with  other  well-known  historic 
personages,  such  as  Noah  and  Daniel,  seem  to 
imply  that  the  reality  of  the  circumstances  of 
his  history  was  never  questioned  by  the  national 
mind. — /did.  . 

[16871]  The  opinion  held  by  all  moderate 
critics  now  is  no  doubt  correct,  that  there  is 
both  a  historic  and  an  ideal  element  in  the  Book 
of  Job,  and  that  both  elements  are  fused  to- 
gether as  well  in  the  prose  as  in  the  poetic 
portions.  The  history  is  not  all  fact,  much  of 
it  is  poetry  ;  the  poetry  is  not  all  allegory, 
much  of  it  is  fact. — Ibid. 

[16872]  As  to  the  authorship  of  the  book 
nothing  is  known  with  certainty.  Some  have 
attributed  it  to  Job  himself;  some  to  Elihu  ; 
others  to  some  unknown  Arabic  author,  under 
the  impression  that  the  book  has  been  translated 
into  Hebrew.  But  no  competent  Hebrew 
scholar  can  doubt  that  the  poem  is  an  original 
Hebrew  work.  Others,  following  the  Jewish 
tradition,  have  attributed  the  book  to  Moses, 
while  some  have  discovered  in  the  philosophic 
cast  of  the  poem  the  hand  of  Solomon.  Both 
the  authorship  and  the  era  must  ever  remain 
involved  in  doubt.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
the  book  very  ancient,  except  that  its  scene  is 
laid  in  patriarchal  times.  And  there  is  no 
reason  to  consider  it  very  modern,  except  the 


occurrence  of  many  dark  pictures  of  misery, 
which  it  is  supposed  must  have  been  drawn 
from  the  dissolving  scenes  of  the  Jewish 
commonwealth.  .  .  .  We  cannot  greatly  err  if 
we  place  the  composition  of  the  Book  of  Job  at 
a  period  not  long  after  the  death  of  David. — 
Jbid. 

2       Its  general  character. 

[16873]  This  book  is  one  of  the  grandest 
portions  of  inspired  Scripture,  and  a  heaven- 
replenished  storehouse  of  comfort  and  instruc- 
tion. It  is  the  patriarchal  Bible,  a  precious 
monument  of  primitive  theology,  and  is  to  the 
Old  Testament  what  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans 
is  to  the  New.  Job's  history  was  well  known 
to  early  Christians  as  an  example  of  patience 
(James  v.  11),  and  understood  by  them  typically 
and  allegorically  of  Christ.  From  the  second 
century  the  book  has  been  read  in  the  churches 
in  Passion  Week.  It  stands  unique  and  in- 
dependent among  the  books  of  the  Bible.  In 
its  prose  parts  it  is  so  simple  and  easy  that  a 
child  may  understand  it  ;  in  its  poetic  portion, 
the  deepest  and  obscurest  book  in  the  Old 
Testament.  It  contains  milk  for  babes  and 
strong  meat  for  those  of  full  age.  It  is  studded 
with  passages  of  grandeur  and  beauty,  tender- 
ness and  pathos,  sublimity  and  terror,  and 
acknowledged  to  surpass  in  sublimity  and 
majesty  every  other  book  in  the  world.  In 
recent  times  it  has  been  studied  as  a  master- 
piece of  poetry,  and  is  the  fountain  from  which 
some  of  the  greatest  poets  have  drawn  their 
inspirations.  To  suffering  believers  it  is  the 
sound  of  Faithful's  voice  to  Christian  in '  the 
Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death. — Rev.  T. 
Robinson,  D.D. 

[16874]  The  Book  of  Job  is  an  Arab  poem, 
antecedent  to  the  Mosaic  dispensation.  It  re- 
presents the  mind  of  a  good  man  not  en- 
lightened by  an  actual  revelation,  but  seeking 
about  for  one.  In  no  other  book  is  the  desire 
and  necessity  for  a  Mediator  so  intensely  ex- 
pressed. The  personality  of  God,  the  I  AM 
of  the  Hebrews,  is  most  vividly  impressed  on 
the  book,  in  opposition  to  pantheism. — S.  T. 
Colefidi^c. 

3       Its  special  design  and  purposed  lessons. 

[16875]  There  is  a  peculiar  interest  attach- 
ing to  the  Book  of  Job,  even  among  Divine 
poems,  because  it  alone,  of  all  the  books  of 
the  Bible,  grapples  vv^ith  those  mysteries  of 
God's  providential  government  which  have 
more  or  less  perplexed  every  intelligent  in- 
habitant of  the  universe.  It  gives  the  answer 
to  life's  great  enigma.  It  teaches  that  life  is 
not,  as  most  young  people  seem  to  regard  it,  a 
fete  or  carnival  ;  much  less,  as  some  old  people 
seem  to  think  it,  a  temporary  lodging  in  the 
dungeon  of  the  castle  of  Giant  Despair — that 
it  is  something  between  the  two — a  struggle,  a 
strife,  a  mortal  conflict  between  good  and  evil  ; 
that  it  is  not  thcrclore  to  be  entered  upon  with 
unthinking  levity,    much    less    with  unhoping 


i687S— 16883] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[job. 


35 


gloom — but  bravely,  strongly,  manfully,  ex- 
pecting the  calmness,  the  inevitable  shocks  of 
the  combat,  and  looking  up  hopefully,  and 
always,  to  Him  in  whose  strength  we  are  more 
than  conquerors.  The  object  of  the  book  is 
precisely  that  which  Milton  announced  in  the 
"  Paradise  Lost :  " 

"  That  to  the  height  of  this  great  argument 
I  may  assert  eternal  providence 
And  justify  the  ways  of  God  to  men." 

— Rev.  F.  Greevcs. 

4  Its  inculcated  truths. 

[16876]  (i)  The  creation  of  the  world  by  one 
Supreme  Being.  This  is  the  first  great  principle 
of  natural  religion  ;  it  is  laid  down  throughout 
the  whole  book  as  an  incontestable  truth,  but  is 
particularly  illustrated  in  the  speech  of  Jehovah 
Himself  (Job  xxxviii.,  xli.).  (2)  The  government 
of  the  world  by  the  providence  of  God  (i.  21,  ii.  10, 
V.  8-27,  ix.  4-13).  (3)  The  corruption  of  man 
by  nature  (xiv.  4,  xv.  14-16,  xxv.  4).  (4)  The 
necessity  of  an  atonement,  prefigured  in  sacri- 
fices, to  turn  away  the  Divine  anger,  and  to 
render  the  Almighty  favourable  ;  also,  the  in- 
tercession and  mediation  of  a  righteous  person 
on  behalf  of  the  guilty  (i.  5,  ix.  33,  xxxiii.23,  24, 
xlii.  8,  9).  (5)  The  certainty  of  a  future  resur- 
rection and  retribution  (xiv.  7-15,  xix.  25-27, 
xxvii.  8,  xxxi.  13,  14). — E.  Copley. 

5  Its  remarkable  references  and  implications 
confirmatory  of  other  Scriptures. 

[16877]  I.  To  the  former  destruction  of  the 
world  by  water,  and  its  final  dissolution  by  fire, 
xxii.  15-20  ;  compare  with  Gen.  vi.,  vii.,  and 
Jude  14,  15.  2.  To  the  existence  and  agency  of 
angels,  both  good  and  evil,  i.  6-12,  ii.  1-6, 
iv.  18,  19,  v.  I  ;  compare  with  Psa.  civ.  4,  ciii. 
20,  xxxiv.  7,  xci.  II  ;  Heb.  i.  14;  Zech.  iii. 
I,  2  ;  I  Pet.  v.  8,  9. — Ibid. 

II.  The  Personality  of  Job. 
1      His  actual  existence. 

[16878]  Kennicott,  in  a  table  of  descent  given 
by  him,  represents  Job  to  have  been  contempo- 
rary with  Amram,  the  father-in-law  of  Moses ; 
Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  who  was  the  fourth  from 
Abraham,  being  contemporary  with  both.  Cal- 
met  asserts  that  he  was  Jobab  the  son  of  Zerah, 
who  reigned  in  Edom  (Gen.  xxxvi.  33) ;  and  both 
the  Septuagint  and  Syriac  Version  represent 
Job  as  fifth  descendant  from  Abraham,  by  the 
line  of  Esau. — J.  Ellice. 

[16879]  Job  's  ^  historic,  not  a  fictitious  cha- 
racter, and  is  mentioned  with  Noah  and  Daniel 
(Ezek.  xiv.  14).  He  lived  in  the  time  of  the 
patriarchs,  and  died  about  200  years  old.  There 
is  no  apparent  allusion  in  the  book  to  the 
exodus  or  the  giving  of  the  law.  Worship, 
manners,  and  customs  were  those  of  patriarchal 
times.  His  existence  is  a  proof  God  never  left 
Himself  without  a  witness. — Rev.  T.  Robinson, 
D.D. 


[16880]  It  is  highly  probable  that  Job  lived 
about  the  same  period  as  Abraham.  There  is 
no  allusion  to  be  found  in  the  book  which  bears 
his  name  to  any  of  those  remarkable  events 
which  distinguished  the  exodus  of  Israel  ;  and 
we  may  therefore  conclude  that  his  era  was  not 
coeval  with  that  of  Moses,  but  preceded  it.  BuV 
there  are  plain  allusions  in  that  book  to  the 
.Sabian  worship,  to  the  adoration  of  the  heavenly 
bodies  ;  and  this  makes  it  highly  probable  that 
Job  lived  about  Abraham's  time,  and  among 
those  whose  religion  corresponded  with  that  of 
his  compatriots.— /?^7/.   T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

2  His  residence. 

[16881]  Uz,  east  or  south-east  of  Palestine, 
was  adjacent  to  the  Edomites,  who  appear  at 
one  time  to  have  occupied  it  (Lam.  iv.  21). 
Probably  in  Arabia  Deserta,  between  Palestine 
and  the  Euphrates.  Uz  was  also  the  name  of 
a  son  of  Aram  the  son  of  Shem  (Gen.  x.  23)  ; 
of  the  firstborn  of  Nahor,  Abraham's  brother 
(Gen.  xxii.  21)  ;  and  of  the  grandson  of  Seir  the 
Horite  (Gen.  xxxvi.  28).  The  country  was 
named  from  one  of  these.  Job's  country,  like 
Abraham's,  at  that  time  was  tending  to  idolatry 
(chap.  xxxi.  26-28).  Grace  is  found  flourishing 
in  the  most  unfavourable  situations.  Job,  like 
Abraham  and  Daniel,  is  found  "  faithful  among 
the  faithless."  To  be  godly  among  the  ungodly 
is  a  high  excellence  and  honour.  Compare  the 
cases  of  Obadiah  in  Ahab's  court  and  the  saints 
in  Cassar's  palace  (i  Kings  xviii.  12  ;  Phil.  iv. 
22). — Rev.  T.  Robinson,  D.D. 

3  His  name. 

[16882]  The  derivation  of  the  word  "Job" 
is  still  undetermined.  Some,  deriving  it  from 
an  Arabic  root,  contend  that  it  means  "  the 
penitent  one"- — a  conjecture  confirmed,  if  not 
suggested,  by  the  fact  that,  in  the  Coran,  Job  is 
designated,  "  he  that  turns  or  repents/'  But, 
with  more  reason,  commentators  assume  it  to 
be  derived  from  a  Hebrew  verb  which  signifies 
to  fight  against,  to  persecute  :  in  which  case  the 
word  being  here  (chap.  i.  ver.  i)  used  in  its 
passive  sense,  it  would  mean  "  the  persecuted 
one,"  the  man  who  has  known  afflictions  ;  in 
short,  "  the  man  of  sorrows,"  of  the  antique 
world.  All  we  certainly  know  of  it  is,  that  the 
name  was  borne  by  a  son  of  Issachar  (Gen. 
xlvi.  13),  and  by  the  hero  of  this  great  poem. — • 
.S".  Cox. 

III.  His  Worldly  Prosperity. 

[16883]  It  pleased  God  to  bless  Job  with 
eminent  prosperity.  His  wealth  was  abundant, 
his  station  in  life  exalted,  his  influence  exten- 
sive ;  and  he  used  them  all  as  not  abusing,  but 
as  the  steward  of  God,  and  the  guardian  of  his 
fellow-creatures.  The  abundance  by  which  he 
was  surrounded,  the  family  connections  with 
which  he  was  blessed,  the  respect  and  gratitude 
with  which  he  was  honoured,  the  security  of  his 
possessions,  the  success  of  his  enterprises — all 
crowned  by  the  enjoyment  of  a  good  conscience, 


36 


16883— 16891] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[JOB. 


and  the  favour  of  God — left  him,  as  it  were, 
nothing  to  desire. — E.  Copley. 

[16884]  All  the  stores  of  earthly  happiness 
were  poured  at  his  feet.  He  was  a  king  and 
father  to  his  countrj'men.  The  hills  were  co- 
vered with  his  countless  flocks,  and  the  valleys 
were  white  with  his  waving  harvests.  Gold  and 
silver  were  his  in  abundance  ;  and  he  was  the 
greatest  of  all  the  men  of  the  East.  His  do- 
mestic felicity  was  perfect.  His  wife  and 
children  were  about  him.  His  mind  and  his 
body  were  in  the  prime  of  manly  vigour  and 
dignity. — Rev.  F.  Creeves. 

IV.  His  Upright  Character. 
"  That  man  was  perfect." 

Qualities  iviplied  in  this  description. 

a.  Completeness. 

[16885]  Job  was  complete  in  all  the  parts  of 
his  moral  character  (James  i.  4).  He  was  like  a 
human  body  with  no  member  or  organ  wanting 
or  imperfect.  A  man's  morality  and  religion 
should  be  characterized  by  symmetry  and 
thoroughness.  Attention  is  not  to  be  given  to 
one  class  of  duties  to  the  neglect  of  another. 
Job  was  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  all 
the  duties  of  life  (Psa.  cxix.  6).  He  kept,  like 
Paul,  a  conscience  void  of  offence  both  towards 
God  and  man  (Acts  xxiv.  16).  Believers  should 
be  sanctified  wholly,  throughout  body,  soul,  and 
spirit  (l  Thess.  v.  23).  They  are  actually  sanc- 
tified in  every  part,  though  every  part  is  not 
wholly  sanctified.  Job  was  a  perfect  man,  in 
the  New  Testament  sense,  an  advanced,  mature, 
and  fully  instructed  Christian  (Phil.  iii.  15  ; 
I  Cor.  ii.  6;  Eph.  iv.  13;  James  iii.  2). — Rev.  T. 
Robinson,  D.D. 

Ik  Sincerity. 

[16S86]  Job's  perfection  was  rather  that  of 
purpose  than  performance.  He  aimed  con- 
stantly at  perfection.  He  was  not  sinless 
but  sincere,  without  guile  (John  i.  47),  without 
hypocrisy  towards  God  or  double-dealing  to- 
wards man.  vSincerity  is  the  foundation  of  a 
gracious  character.  It  gives  religion  all  its  worth 
and  beauty.  Godly  sincerity  is  gospel  per- 
fection. Sincere  and  sound-hcartcd  believers 
in  God's  sight  are  "  perfect." — ibid. 

c.  Blamelessness. 

[168S7]  This  was  the  character  of  Zechariah 
and  Elisabeth  (Luke  i.  6).  No  fault  was  found 
in  Daniel,  even  by  his  enemies  (Dan.  vi.  4). 
Moral  integrity  is  Bible  perfection.  Paul  lived 
in  all  good  conscience  (Acts  xxiii.  i).  Job  was 
blameless  though  not  sinless. — Ibid. 

V.  His  First  Trial,  and  his  Steadfast- 
ness THEREIN  Manifested. 

I       Its  cause  and  occasion. 

[ 1 6888]  The  cause  of  Job's  trial  was  his  cha- 
racter ;  the  occasion  of  it   was   Satan.      If  a 


dispute  arises  between  the  masters  of  two  men, 
as  to  the  relative  physical  strength  of  their 
servants,  the  only  way  to  end  the  dispute  is  to 
test  each  man  by  ordering  him  to  Uft  a  certain 
load.  God  declared  of  His  servant  Job,  that 
there  was  none  like  him  in  all  the  earth.  Satan 
disputed  this.  Said  God,  "  Put  him  to  the  test ;" 
and  all  have  declared  for  3,000  years  that  God 
was  right. —  W.  Harris. 

2      Its  incidents. 

(i)  The  challenge  of  Jehovah. 

"  Hast  thou  considered  my  servant  Job,  that 
there  is  none  like  him  in  the  earth  ?" 

[16889]  What  high  commendation  is  here  ex- 
pressed, and  how  pronounced  the  audacity  of 
Satan  to  call  in  question  the  sincerity  of  a 
character  thus  grandly  attested  by  God  Him- 
self !  Observe  the  terms  in  which  Jehovah 
speaks  of  this  object  of  the  devil's  malice. 

( 1 )  "  My  servant :  "—one  who  obeys  My  word, 
and  walks  in  all  My  ways— the  willing  slave  of 
his  Master — the  loyal  subject  of  his  King. 

(2)  "  Job  :" — I  call  My  oivn  sheep  by  name. 

(3)  "A  perfect  afid  an  upright  man,  07ie  that 
feareth  God r'^ — one  that  will  not  do  that  thing 

which  I  abhor — one  that  will  not  sin  in  My 
sight — one  that  writes  upon  his  heart,  "holiness 
to  the  Lord." 

(4)  '''And  eschezveth  evil:'' — one  that  not 
only  denies  sin,  but  assails  it— not  only  loathes 
it  from  within,  but  openly  defies  it  from  without. 
~A.  M.  A.  W. 

(2)   The  coioiter-challenge  of  Satan. 

"  Doth  Job  fear  God  for  nought  ?  .  .  .  touch 
all  that  he  hath,  and  he  will  curse  thee  to  thy 
face." 

[16890]  Satan  professes  to  have  no  confidence 
in  human  virtue  ;  he  believes  that  every  man 
has  his  price  ;  he  suggests  that  Job  serves  God 
from  motives  of  self-interest,  and  that  if  the 
wages,  so  to  speak,  of  his  service  are  withdrawn 
he  will  renounce  his  allegiance.  "  Hast  Thou 
not  made  an  hedge  about  him,  and  about  his 
house,  and  about  all  that  he  hath  on  every  side  ? 
Thou  hast  blessed  the  work  of  his  hands,  and 
his  substance  is  increased  in  the  land  ;  but  put 
forth  Thy  hand  and  touch  all  that  he  hath,  and 
he  will  curse  Thee."  Such  is  the  problem  pro- 
posed. The  solution  is  sought  by  inflicting  upon 
one  in  whom  Satanic  malice  can  detect  no  evil 
calamities  whicli  were  believed  to  be  due,  and 
due  only,  to  a  life  of  wickedness.  Job,  the  up- 
right servant  of  God,  is  subjected  to  a  series  of 
the  most  severe  trials,  which  Satan  maintains 
will  destroy  his  belief,  and  prove  him  to  be  at 
heart  a  hypocrite. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[16S91]  Satan,  the  adversary,  the  accuser  of 
the  brethren,  hating  the  holiness  and  envying 
the  happiness  of  Job,  stood  before  the  Lord,  and 
endeavoured  to  impugn  his  motives.  "Doth 
Job  fear  God  for  nought .?  Is  he  not  mercenary 
and  self-interested  ?  Does  he  not  find  it  answer 
his  purpose,  and  promote  his  worldly  interests  .^ 
Has  not  God  set  a  hedge  of  defence  round  about 


16891—16898] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


37 


[job. 


him,  and  his  house,  and  all  that  he  has  ?  Surely, 
then,  Job  may  be  religious  without  any  good 
principle.  But  let  him  be  stripped  of  his  worldly 
enjoyments,  and  he  will  no  longer  retain  his 
integrity  ;  he  will  curse  God  to  His  face."  Not 
to  gratify  this  false  and  malignant  accuser,  but 
to  confound  and  defeat  him,  Jehovah  permitted 
the  trial  of  His  servant's  integrity  ;  and  Satan 
went  forth  with  a  license  to  touch  him  in  every 
enjoyment,  restricted  only  as  to  laying  his  hand 
on  his  person. — E.  Copley. 

(3)  The  work  of  malice. 

[16892]  The  first  trial  deals  with  the  outward 
circumstances  of  the  patriarch's  life.  Four 
messengers  of  woe  successively  arrive,  and  an- 
nounce to  him  the  loss  of  all  his  substance,  the 
destruction  of  his  flocks,  the  slaughter  of  his 
servants,  the  sudden  death  of  his  children — 
calamities  without  parallel  in  the  history  of 
human  sorrow,  for  no  book  of  Job  had  yet 
been  written  ;  calamities  which,  as  befalling  a 
righteous  man,  were,  with  the  lights  men  then 
possessed,  incapable  of  explanation. — Rev.  Sir 
E.  Bayley. 

(4)  The  triumph  of  faith. 
a.  Job's  submissive  grief. 

[16893]  He  is  aroused  from  his  wonted  calm- 
ness, and  his  nature  is  now  stirred  to  its  depths. 
Deeply  moved,  but  not  prostrated  by  his  calami- 
ties, he  "  rent  his  mantle  "  in  token  of  sorrow 
and  humiliation.  .  .  .  Job  was  neither  too  in- 
sensible to  feel  grief,  nor  too  proud  to  acknow- 
ledge it.  Not  to  feel  is  either  to  be  more  or  less 
than  a  man.  .  .  .  Grace  teaches  us  not  to  be 
without  sorrow,  but  to  7itoderate  it,  and  to  con- 
nect with  it  penitence  and  submission,  faith 
and  hope.  Job  fell  "  down  upon  the  ground  " 
in  (i)  grief,  (2)  humiliation,  (3)  adoration  ;  .  .  . 
while  Satan  expected  to  see  him  standing  on 
his  feet  and  cursing  the  author  of  his  troubles. 
— Rev.  T.  Robins 071,  D.D. 

[16S94]  How  does  Job  bear  the  shock  ?  Does 
his  faith  in  God  and  in  goodness  stand  firm,  or 
does  he,  as  Satan  had  predicted,  renounce  God 
to  His  face  1  Nothing  can  be  more  beautiful 
than  the  behaviour  of  the  patriarch.  There  are 
indeed  all  the  signs  of  deep  sorrow,  but  there  is 
at  the  same  time  a  perfect  resignation,  an  un- 
questioning submission,  to  the  Divine  will. 
Under  the  overwhelming  pressure  of  his  grief 
he  betakes  himself  to  God.  "  He  fell  down 
upon  the  ground,  and  worshipped."  Review- 
ing his  losses,  he  acknowledges  that  all  is  of 
God  ;  what  has  been  freely  given  may  be  with- 
drawn at  will  ;  and  God  had  only  exercised  His 
sovereign  rights  in  stripping  him  of  all. — Rev. 
Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[16895]  Job  bowed  submissively  to  God's  will 
and  dispensations.  Instead  of  cursing  Him,  he 
adores  His  justice,  goodness,  and  holiness. 
Afflictions  draw  a  godly  man  nearer  to  God, 
instead  of  driving  him  away.  It  is  a  sign  of  a 
gracious  state  to  be  worshipping  when  God  is 
chastisine,  and  that  trouble  cannot  but  be  blest 


which  brings  us  to  our  knees.  .  .  .  Job  opens 
his  mouth,  but  not  as  Satan  expected.  "  Naked 
came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and  naked 
shall  I  return  thither  :  the  Lord  gave,  and  the 
Lord  hath  taken  away." — Rev.  T.  Robinson, 
D.D. 

[16896]  The  joyful  parent  is  bereft  of  his  off- 
spring, and  his  children  are  buried  in  death. 
The  man  of  affluence  is  stripped  of  his  abundance, 
and  he  who  was  clothed  in  scarlet  embraces  the 
dunghill.  But  in  the  midst  of  all  these  vicissi- 
tudes, what  was  the  conduct  of  Job  ?  What  the 
spirit  and  temper  he  displayed  ?  What  the 
language  which  he  uttered .''  Listen  to  him, 
and,  while  you  admire,  imitate  his  conduct — 
"  When  I  am  tried,  I  shall  come  forth  like  gold. 
The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away." 
This  was  the  perfection  of  patience. — R.  Bond. 

b.  Job's  victory  over  sin  and  Satan  in  its 
positive  aspect. 

[16897]  fob  blesses  God  instead  of  cursing; 
Him.  "  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 
The  word  is  chosen  with  reference  to  Satan's 
charge.  The  same  word  is  used,  but  in  its 
opposite  and  proper  sense,  and  Satan  is  thus 
entirely  defeated.  Every  word  of  Job  gives  the 
lie  to  his  slander.  .  .  .  There  is  no  ground  even 
in  the  worst  times  to  murmur  against  God,  mucli 
ground  to  bless  Him,  and  our  greatest  trials  and 
losses  are  often  our  richest  mercies.  True 
Christian  piety  is  the  purest  heroism,  and 
widely  different  from  stoical  insensibility  and 
pride.  Believers  weep,  but  bless  God  through 
their  tears.  Job's  blessing  God  must  have  sent 
an  echo  through  the  heaven  of  heavens.  Un- 
precedented trials,  heightened  by  the  contrast 
of  unprecedented  prosperity,  meet  not  merely 
with  submission,  but  with  blessing  on  the  Author 
of  both.  To  bless  God  in  prosperity  is  only 
natural  ;  to  bless  Him  in  adversity  and  trouble 
is  music  that  fills  heaven  and  earth  with  glad- 
ness. Job's  calamities  appeared  to  argue  that 
God  against  him.  Mighty  is  the  faith  that 
blesses  God  while  smiting  our  comforts  to  the 
ground.  The  grace  enjoined  on  New  Testament 
believers  is  exemplified  in  this  Old  Testament 
saint  (i  Thess.  v.  18).  To  bless  God  in  our 
comforts  is  the  way  to  have  them  increased  ; 
to  bless  Him  in  our  afflictions  the  way  to  have 
them  removed  \^Augustine\.  A  thankful  and 
pious  spirit  the  true  philosopher's  stone — turns 
all  things  into  gold.  Faith  gilds  our  crossed 
and  sees  a  silver  lining  in  the  darkest  cloud. — 
Rev.  T.  Robinson,  D.D. 

c.  Job's  victory  over  sin  and  Satan  in  its 
negative  aspect. 

[16S98]  /«  all  these  trials  Job  kept  from 
sinninc^.  "  Sinned  not,"  as  Satan  desired 
and  declared  he  would.  Glorious  triumph  of 
grace  to  keep  from  sinning  in  such  circum- 
stances. Sinned  not,  either  by  impatience  or 
passion.  Grace  is  given  to  keep  us  from  sin, 
not  absolutely,  but  relatively  and  comparatively. 
There  is  sin.  more  or  less,  in  all  a  believer's 


38 


16898 — 16904] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[JOB. 


actions,  though  all  his  actions  are  not  sinful. 
"  Nor  charged  God  foolishly."  (i)  Imputed  no 
folly,  injustice,  or  impropriety  to  God.  (2)  Ven- 
ted no  foolish  and  impious  murmurs  against 
Him.  Ascribed  nothing  to  God  unworthy  of 
His  justice,  goodness,  and  wisdom.  Entertained 
no  dishonourable  thought,  uttered  no  murmur- 
ing word  against  Him.  Impiety  is  the  greatest 
folly.  To  murmur  against  God's  dealings  is  as 
foolish  as  it  is  wicked.  To  misconstrue  God's 
character  and  conduct  is  the  great  sin  to  be 
guarded  against  under  heavy  trials. — Ibid. 

[16S99]  It  is  impossible  too  much  to  admire 
this  beautiful  model.  Might  it  not  be  admirable 
if  one  had  thus  sustained  a  ruinous  loss  if  he 
could  thus  cheerfully  resign  luxuries  or  com- 
forts to  which  he  had  been  all  his  life  accustomed.-' 
But  these  are  the  words  of  one  who  has  lost  all. 
Would  it  not  have  been  a  wonderful  proof  of 
resignation  in  a  parent  thus  meekly  to  have  re- 
signed to  his  Maker  ^/i;^  beloved  child  1  But  he 
who  so  speaks  had  in  one  moment  been  bereft 
of  all.  "Joseph  was  not,  and  Simeon  was  not," 
and  Benjamin  also  was  taken  away  !  With  every 
circumstance  that  could  stagger  faith,  quench 
love,  and  destroy  hope  ;  under  every  aggrava- 
tion of  malice  ;  in  face  of  a  destruction  so  de- 
tailed in  its  parts,  so  detailed  in  its  effects,  calcu- 
lated and  executed  with  such  a  power  and 
piecision  as  almost  to  suggest  the  idea  of  a 
providence  of  overruling  evil — "in  all  this  Job 
sinned  not,  nor  charged  God  foolishly." — Rev. 
F.  Creeves. 

VI.  His  Second  Trial,  Evidencing 
HIS  Continued  Piety  towards 
God. 

1       The  trial  permitted. 

[16900]  "  All  that  he  has  is  in  thy  power;  only 
upon  himself  put  not  forth  thy  hand,"  said  God, 
in  His  first  permission  to  Satan.  But  when  Job 
had  proved  himself  equal  to  this  test,  a  higher 
trial  was  permitted.  "Behold  he  is  in  thine 
hand  ;  but  save  his  life."  God's  children  are 
sometimes  treated  like  a  lad  who  is  being  trained 
for  a  seaman's  life.  When  he  is  taking  his  first 
lessons  in  climbing  out  upon  the  bowsprit  or 
jib-boom  a  large  net  is  placed  beneath  him. 
This  gives  him  courage  to  venture  out  ;  but  after 
a  few  days  a  greater  proof  of  his  fearlessness  is 
demanded,  he  must  go  out  now  without  the  net. 
—  W.  Harris. 

[16901]  Thus  far  Satan  had  failed  in  his  con- 
tention. But  he  refuses  to  acknowledge  his 
defeat,  and,  when  opportunity  offers,  renews  the 
accusation.  The  trial,  he  argues,  had  not  been 
sufficiently  severe,  it  had  reached  but  the  out- 
skirts of  the  man's  life  ;  but  let  it  touch  the 
centre  of  his  being,  let  it  affect  his  very  self,  and 
tlie  result  will  be  different.  "Skin  for  skin,  yea, 
all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life." 
Let  a  man's  own  person  be  exempt  from  suffer- 
ing, and  he  will  bear  all  else  with  composure  ;  he 
will  give  up  "skin"  or  life  of  others,  yea,  "all 


that  he  hath,"  if  only  his  own  remain  intact ; 
man  is  essentially  selfish  ;  he  cares  little  for 
others  if  his  own  life  be  safe.  Let  another,  a 
personal  test  be  applied,  "  Put  forth  thine  hand 
now,  and  touch  his  bone  and  his  flesh,  and  he 
will  curse  thee  to  thy  face."  Permission  is 
granted. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

2  The  trial  inflicted. 

Its  terrible  physical  siifferifig. 

[16902]  Job's  disease  was  the  worst  kind  of 
leprosy,  .  .  .  prevalent  both  in  Arabia  and 
Egypt,  making  the  sulferer  loathsome  to  himself 
and  his  nearest  relations  (chap.  xix.  13,  19).  It 
appeared  to  mark  him  out  as  an  object  of  the 
Divine  displeasure,  as  Miriam,  Gehazi,  and 
King  Uzziah.  In  an  advanced  stage,  fingers, 
toes,  and  hands  gradually  fall  off  (chap.  xxx.  1 7, 
30).  It  was  attended  with  great  attenuation 
and  debility  of  body  (xvi.  8,  xix;  20,  xxx.  18), 
restless  nights,  and  terrifying  dreams  (xxx.  17, 
vii.  13,  14),  anxiety  of  mind,  and  loathing  of  life 
(vii.  15),  foul  breath,  and  difficult  respiration 
(vii.  4,  xiii.  15,  xxx.  17),  the  skin  itchy,  of  great 
tenseness,  full  of  cracks  and  rents,  and  covered 
with  hard  or  festering  ulcers,  and  black  scales 
(ii.  8,  xix.  20,  xxx.  18,  vii.  5,  xxx.  30),  the  feet  and 
legs  swollen  to  an  enormous  extent ;  hence  the 
disease  was  also  called  Elephantiasis.  Thii 
mouth  was  swollen,  and  the  countenance  dis- 
torted, giving  the  patient  a  lion-like  appearance; 
hence  another  name  to  the  disease,  Leoitiasis. 
Contagious  through  the  mere  breath,  often  here- 
ditary, it  was  as  a  rule  incurable.  In  any  case 
it  was  one  of  the  most  protracted  as  well  as 
dreadful  diseases. — Rev.  T.  Robinson,  D.D. 

[16903]  "From  the  crown,"  &c.  So  in  Deut. 
xxviii.  35.  The  body  was  one  continued  sore. 
Job  escaped  with  the  skin  of  his  teeth — sores 
everywhere  else  (xix.  20).  The  tongue  was  left 
free  for  an  obvious  reason.  Satan's  mercies  are 
cruel.  Rare  spectacle  for  angels  ;  the  holiest 
man  on  earth  the  most  afiflicted.  Astounding 
sight  for  men  ;  the  richest  and  greatest  man  in 
the  land  made  at  once  the  most  loathsome  and 
miserable. — Ibid. 

3  The  trial  intensified. 

In  the  imnatural  desertion  and  blasphemous 
despair  of  his  wife. 

[16904]  "All  my  inward  friends  abhorred  me  ; 
and  they  whom  I  loved  are  turned  against  me." 
To  form  the  climax  of  this  cruel  desertion  : 
"  My  breath  is  strange  to  my  own  wife  ;  though 
I  entreated  for  the  children's  sake  of  my  own 
body."  Not  content  with  denying  him  sympathy 
and  solace,  this  woman  even  took  part  with  the 
adversary,  and  persuaded  him  to  abjure  his  re- 
ligion, and  deny  his  God  ;  insinuating  that 
religion  was  a  thing  of  nought,  since  it  availed 
not  to  preserve  him  from  these  calamities.  In 
this  deep  extremity,  the  reply  of  Job  was  most 
magnanimous,  and  served  only  to  evince  the 
firmness  of  those  religious  principles  which 
Satan  had  belied,  and  his  own  ungodly  wife  had 


16904—16911] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    EKA. 


[job. 


39 


derided  :  "  Thou  speakest  as  one  of  the  foolish 
women  speaketh  :  what  !  shall  we  receive  good 
at  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  we  not  receive 
evil  ?  "— £.  Cophy. 

[16905]  His  wife,  broken  down,  it  may  be,  by 
the  loss  of  her  children,  gives  way  at  the  sight 
of  her  husband's  misery,  and  urges  upon  him 
the  very  counsel  which  Satan  would  have  given, 
"Dost  thou  still  retain  thine  integrity?  curse  God, 
and  die."  But  to  no  purpose.  Job  recognizes 
the  affliction  as  coming  from  God.  He  cannot 
understand  it,  he  cannot  explain  it ;  but  he  will 
not  rebel  against  it. — Kev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[16906]  Far  above  all  others  in  duty  and  affec- 
tion was  his  wife  ;  to  her  he  turned  confidently 
for  consolation,  and  lo  !  she  bids  him  curse  ! 
"  Curse  God,  and  die."  The  words  might  indeed 
be  translated,  "  Bless  God,  and  die,"  but  even 
that  miserable  consolation  from  the  wife  of  his 
bosom  we  do  not  believe  the  unhappy  sufferer 
received.  .  .  .  She  basely  deserted  woman's 
holy  ministry  of  love  and  comfort  ;  nay,  we  fear 
she  forsook  him,  and  her  God  also  ! — Rev.  F. 
Greeves. 

[16907]  The  mildest  reading  that  we  could 
adopt,  without  destroying  the  full  force  of  the 
controversy  between  Job  and  his  wife,  would  be 
"  Ignore  God,  and  die."  But  the  rendering  in 
the  English  version  is  perhaps  to  be  preferred 
to  any  other.  Clearly  she  had  come  to  look 
upon  the  Almighty  as  unworthy  of  her  husband's 
confidence,  and  quiet  submission  to  such  a  Being 
as  unreasonable,  and  she  desired,  therefore,  that 
the  patriarch  should  throw  off  all  allegiance, 
express  his  resentment  in  maledictions  of  a  fear- 
ful character,  and  send  forth  his  soul  in  a  des- 
perate and  blasphemous  curse  against  his 
Maker.  Nothing  was  left  for  him  on  earth  ;  let 
him,  therefore,  banish  trust,  hope,  and  love 
together,  hurl  his  petty  vengeance  against  the 
tyrant  by  whose  will  he  had  to  suffer,  and 
cursing,  die.  The  language  of  this  woman  is 
that  of  utter  despair,  and  she  endeavours  to 
bring  her  husband  into  the  same  unhappy  frame 
of  mind  as  that  in  which  she  finds  herself  She 
does  not  deny  God,  but  hates  Him.  All  trust 
and  confidence  has  fled — if  she  ever  had  any — 
and  she  has  taken  one  desperate  plunge,  into 
what  Shakespeare  calls — 

"  The  swallowing  gulf 
Of  dark  oblivion  and  deep  despair." 

— G.  Sezion,  LL.D. 
4      The  tempter  foiled. 

"  In  all  this  did  7wt  Job  sin  with  his  lips." 
[16908]  A  second  victory  has  thus  been  gained 
over  Satan.  He  has  dealt  his  last  direct  blow 
against  God's  servant,  and  an  answer  has  been 
found  to  his  question,  "Doth  Job  fear  God  for 
nought  ?  "  It  has  been  proved  that  Job's  religion 
has  some  deeper  foundation  than  seif-interest ; 
that  he  serves  God,  not  from  mercenary  motives, 
but  because  he  acknowledges  God's  right  to  his 
allegiance.     Amidst  the  wreck  of  his  fortunes 


his  integrity  survives,  and,  bereft  of  all  earthly 
good,  his  faith  in  God  and  in  goodness  stands 
firm. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[16909]  Job  here  is  greater  than  his  miseries, 
more  than  a  conqueror.  One  of  heaven's  as 
well  as  earth's  heroes,  "  in  all  this,"  his  in- 
creased calamities  as  well  as  his  wife's  taunts 
and  temptations.  Job  is  now  seen  lying  under 
a  quaternion  of  troubles — adversity,  bereave- 
ment, disease,  and  reproach.  "He  sinned  not 
with  his  lips."  The  thing  Satan  desired,  endea- 
voured after,  and  waited  for.  The  temptation 
to  murmur  ws.?,  pfcsent,  but  was  resisted a/id  re- 
pressed. Job  is  still  by  grace  a  conqueror  over 
corrupt  nature. — Rev.  T.  Robitison,  D.D. 

VII.    Satan's  Third  and  Indirect  At- 
tack. 

Through     the     accusations     of     Job  s     three 
friends. 

[169 10]  When  a  general  fails  in  direct  attack, 
he  often  has  recourse  to  an  indirect  one  ;  when 
he  cannot yi^rt^  an  enemy's  position,  he  will  en- 
deavour to  turn  it ;  and  an  army  which  has  bravely 
stood  its  ground  against  repeated  attacks  in 
front,  will  often  be  seized  with  panic,  when  the 
enemy's  troops  appear  iipon  its  flank  or  rear. 
Still  more  fatal  is  the  result  when  its  own  allies 
turn  suddenly  against  it,  and  become  the  attack- 
ing column  ;  as  did  the  Saxon  troops,  when  in 
181 3  they  turned  against  Napoleon  at  Leipsic, 
or  the  Bavarians,  when  immediately  afterwards 
they  barred  the  French  retreat  to  the  Rhine. 
Satan  had  failed  in  direct  attack  ;  the  most 
overwhelming  afflictions  had  proved  insufficient 
to  shake  the  constancy  of  Job  ;  but  the  battle 
was  not  yet  won.  It  is  the  peculiarity  of  Job's 
last  trial  that  it  came  to  him  from  an  altogether 
unexpected  quarter.  It  was  indirect,  not  a  direct, 
attack — an  assault  not  in  front,  but  in  flank  ;  an 
assault  not  from  his 'avowed  enemies,  but  from 
those  who  professed — and  professed  truly — to 
be  his  friends.  Just  as  Balaam,  when  unable  to 
inflict  injury  upon  Israel  by  the  utterance  of  a 
direct  curse,  sought  by  guile  and  evil  counsel  to 
lure  them  into  sin  ;  so  Satan,  finding  it  impos- 
sible by  direct  means  to  shake  the  faith  of  God's 
servant,  approached  him  under  the  guise  of 
friendship,  and  sought  thus  to  gain  the  advan- 
tage over  him. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[16911]  The  third  and  last  trial  of  Job  was 
brought  about  by  the  harsh  suspicions,  the  cruel 
reproaches,  and  the  unjust  charges  of  his  friends. 
Their  contention  was,  that  under  the  righteous 
government  of  God  there  is  always  in  this  life 
an  exact  agreement  between  sin  and  punish- 
ment, and  that  the  calamities  of  Job  could  only 
be  accounted  for  on  the  assumption  of  great 
criminality  on  his  part.  A  parallel  has  been 
drawn  between  the  sufferings  of  Job  and  those 
of  our  blessed  Lord.  Both  were  righteous, 
witnesses  for  truth  and  holiness  ;  both  were 
assaulted  by  Satan  ;  both  were  upheld  by  God  ; 
both  in  the  end  triumphed  over  their  accusers. 


40 


16911 — 16916] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE  ERA. 


[JOB. 


But  there  is  another  point  of  as^reement  between 
them  :  they  were  attacked  by  their  enemies,  they 
were  betrayed  by  their  friends  ;  and  of  both, 
therefore,  might  it  be  said,  in  the  words  of  the 
Psahnist,  "  Mine  own  familiar  friend,  in  whom 
I  trusted,  which  did  eat  of  my  bread,  hath  lifted 
up  his  heel  against  me"  (Psa.  xli.  9).  In  this,  I 
conceive,  lay  the  peculiar  bitterness  of  Job's  last 
trial.  Deprived  of  all  earthly  good,  he  might 
have  hoped  for  sympathy  from  his  friends  ;  but 
this  even  was  denied  him.  Not  only  did  his 
friends  fail  him,  they  became  in  turn  his  ac- 
cusers, and  strove  to  shake  his  faith  in  his  own 
integrity,  by  again  and  again  affirming  that  they 
had  lost  all  faith  in  it  themselves. — Ibid. 

VIII.  The  Peculiar  Poignancy  of  Job's 
Mental  Sufferings  and  Con- 
flicts. 

1  The  moral  pain  to  his  conscious  integrity 
in  the  apparent  desertion  of  him  by  God. 

[16912]  During  the  discussion  with  his  friends, 
there  is  exhibited  to  us  the  conflict  in  Job's 
mind  ;  how  it  sometimes  veered  in  the  direction 
of  infidelity,  but  ever  again  recovered  itself  and 
came  back  to  steadfastness  and  trust.  What 
raises  such  tides  of  agony  in  Job's  soul  is  not 
that  he  has  been  stripped  barer  than  the  tree  in 
winter;  not  that  his  friends  misunderstood  him; 
not  even  that  his  life  and  hopes  were  extin- 
guished ;  it  is  that  God  has  forsaken  him  ;  that 
he  is  cast  out  from  His  presence  :  and  that  he 
is  so,  all  these  calamities  are  proofs  too  surely 
conclusive. — Rev.  A.  Davidson. 

[16913]  If  I  am  to  lie  down  in  misery  that 
rnakes  me  cry  for  death  ;  if  I  am  to  go  in  unre- 
lieved misery  downward  to  the  land  of  darkness, 
it  is  for  no  act  of  injustice  that  soils  my  hands. 
"My  prayer,"  he  cries,  "is  pure."  —  Dean 
Bradley. 

2  His  torturing  doubts  and  perplexities 
concerning  the  awful  mysteries  of  eternal 
Providence. 

[16914]  The  rebukes  of  his  unwise  friends 
had  given  birth  to  something  not  from  without, 
but  from  within,  that  made  the  head  reel,  reel 
beneath  his  weary  frame.  Their  hard  and 
ready  dogmatism  had  forced  upon  him  a  ques- 
tion for  which  his  soul  travailed  in  vain  for  an 
answer.  This  mighty,  this  Almighty  Being,  on 
whose  greatness,  and  whose  justice,  and  whose 
omniscience  they  discourse  so  fully,  was  He, 
after  all,  a  righteous  Being  ?  Was  the  Ruler  of 
the  world  a  just  Ruler.?  Did  the  Judge  of  all 
mankind  judge  rightly.?  Powerful  He  is,  no 
doubt  ;  Nature,  he  feels,  tells  His  power.  "  In 
His  hand,"  he  says  himself,  "is  the  life  of  every 
living  being,  the  health  of  all  mankind."  His- 
tory, such  as  he  knows  it,  tells  His  power. 
Nations,  he  says,  rise  and  fall,  and  kings  ex- 
change the  royal  girdle  for  the  cord  that  en- 
circles the  loins  of  the  captive  horde,  but  what 
if  all  this  power  is  wielded  by  one  who  looks 
with   indifference  on   right   and  wrong;    who 


smiles  alike  on  the  good  cause  and  the  bad  ; 
who  leaves  the  world  to  be  misgoverned,  pain 
and  pleasure  to  fly  through  creation  at  random, 
or  worse  still,  to  be  distributed  in  the  interests 
of  wrong-doing  ?  And  all  the  wise  saws  of  his 
friends  intensify  the  agony  of  this  doubt.  They 
tell  him  that  from  of  old,  from  the  day  when 
man  was  first  placed  upon  the  earth,  the 
triumphing  of  the  wicked  hath  been  short ;  that 
God  had  been  invariably  and  at  all  hours  the 
good  man's  friend  ;  that  he  himself  is  pay- 
ing the  penalty  due  to  his  hypocrisy  and  ill- 
living,  and  he  knows  that  this  is  false,  and  dark 
thoughts  stir  within  him,  and  bitter  doubts — 
doubts  that  have  tried  many  a  heart  that  has 
never  tasted  of  his  exceptional  and  tragic  cup 
of  misery — cloud  his  brain,  and  shake  the  faith 
that  Satan's  malice  had  vainly  assailed.  "  Mark 
me,"  he  says,  in  the  twenty-first  chapter,  "and 
be  astonished,  and  lay  your  hands  upon  your 
mouth."  The  thought  that  stirs  within  that  pious 
patriarch  he  hardly  dares  to  utter.  "  Even  when 
I  remember,"  he  says,  "  I  am  afraid,  and  a 
trembling  takes  hold  of  my  flesh."  Yet  speak 
he  must.  He  looks  out  with  changed  eyes  on 
the  spectacle  of  life. — Ibid. 

[16915]  It  is  deeply  interesting  to  observe, 
not  merely  that  the  difficulties  concerning  Pro- 
vidence felt  by  Job  refer  to  the  very  subjects 
which  painfully  perplex  the  modern  mind,  but 
also  that  the  friends  of  Job  exhibit  the  instinc- 
tive tendency  which  is  observed  in  modern 
times  to  denounce  his  doubt  as  sin,  not  less  than 
to  attribute  his  trials  to  evil  as  their  direct 
cause. — Archdeacon  Farrar. 

[16916]  Beneath  the  dress  of  the  patriarch  of 
the  Old  Testament,  honoured  in  all  the  churches, 
the  friend  of  God,  we  see  the  form  of  the  ques- 
tioner of  the  most  fundamental  of  all  religious, 
of  all  moral  truth.  "  Wherefore,"  he  says,  "do 
the  wicked  live,  become  old,  yea,  are  mighty  in 
power  ?  Their  seed  is  established "  —  their 
"families,"  as  we  should  say,  are  founded  under 
their  eyes  ;  all  goes  well  with  them,  their  wealth 
increases,  and  all  prospers  ;  they  send  forth 
their  little  ones  like  a  flock,  and  their  children 
dance  to  the  timbrel  and  the  harp.  We  see 
beneath  the  Eastern  irfiagery  the  prosperous 
family  in  all  ages  founded  on  violence  or  wrong- 
doing. "  They  spend  their  days,"  he  adds,  "  in 
wealth,  and  in  a  moment,  in  due  time,  they  go 
down  impoverished  to  their  graves.  Where  is 
the  God  that  rules  the  world  in  righteousness .?" 
and  he  tries  to  find  satisfaction  for  his  doubts  in 
retribution  falling  one  day  on  their  posterity. 
But  no,  he  comes  back  uncomforted  to  the  same 
question,  the  inequalities,  the  injustices  of  life. 
One  dieth  in  his  full  strength,  being  wholly  at 
ease  and  quiet ;  another  dieth  in  the  bitterness 
of  his  soul,  and  never  toucheth  bread  with 
pleasure  ;  they  lie  down  alike  in  the  dust,  and 
the  worms  cover  them.  It  is  the  opening  scene 
of  Dives  and  Lazarus,  without  its  sequels — the 
rich  man  died,  the  beggar  died  also  ;  and  we 
need  not  go  through  Job's  preliminary  tortures 


16916 — I692I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


41 

[job. 


to  feel  the  problem  that  vexed  him.  An  hour's 
walk  may  stir  the  same  question.  —  Deajt 
Bradley. 

[16917]  How  much  darker  and  more  cruel 
the  world  must  have  seemed,  when  thus  re- 
garded, to  one  who  lived  in  the  religious  atmo- 
sphere which  Job  breathed  !  Not  one  word  his 
friends  whispered  to  him  of  a  world  beyond  the 
grave.  Amidst  all  the  voices  that  surrounded 
him,  there  is  none  of  One  who  tasted  the  shame 
and  desolation  of  death,  and  was  in  all  points 
tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  was  infinitely  dear  to 
God  His  Father,  and  lives  at  God's  right  hand. 
—Ibid. 

[1691S]  "What  is  man  that  Thou  shouldest 
magnify  him  ?  and  that  Thou  shouldest  set  thine 
heart  upon  him  ?  and  that  Thou  shouldest  visit 
him  every  morning,  and  try  him  every  moment?" 
That  question  must  have  been  asked  by  Job  in 
the  profoundest  earnestness.  Deprived  in  one 
day  of  all  the  hopes  of  life,  and  believing  as  he 
did  that  every  loss  came,  not  by  chance,  but 
from  the  hand  of  God,  the  sudden  shocks  of 
sorrow  had  been  bringing  him  face  to  face  with 
the  mysteries  of  God,  and  making  him  feel  their 
power  as  he  had  never  felt  it  before.  And  the 
question  expresses  one  of  the  first  of  those 
great  mysteries  which  the  stern  reality  of 
trouble  had  forced  on  his  thoughts.  It  was  no 
curious  inquiry  on  his  part  ;  it  was  not  a  ques- 
tion which  he  could  be  content  to  leave  un- 
answered ;  it  was  one  which  the  agony  of  his 
life  had  compelled  him  to  meet.  He  had  reached 
that  desire  for  death  which  sometimes  rises 
from  the  strong  pressure  of  deep  and  sorrowful 
thought.  Every  earthly  hope  had  been  wrecked, 
all  the  charm  of  life  had  faded,  his  very  friends 
had  proved  unkind  in  the  hours  when  he  most 
needed  their  sympathy.  And,  still  more,  he  had 
no  peace  in  his  own  soul,  for  by  day  dark 
doubts  respecting  God  perplexed  him,  and  at 
night  those  doubts  haunted  him  in  dreams.  It 
was  not  strange  that  he  should  choose  death 
rather  than  life,  and  pray  for  the  time  when  he 
should  enter  that  region  where  the  "  wicked 
cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at 
rest."  And  then  arose  the  mysterious  question. 
Why  did  God  prolong  his  life  ?  To  live  amid 
the  desolation  of  his  great  sorrow,  and  strug- 
gling with  awful  doubts,  was  a  constant  trial, 
and  why  did  God  thus  "  try  him  every  moment" 
by  keeping  him  alive  ? — Re^K  E.  Hull. 

[16919]  We  must  remember,  too,  that  Job 
had  remained  for  days  and  nights  in  silence 
under  the  open  sky.  We  know  that  this  book 
abounds  in  references  to  God's  action  in  the 
natural  world,  and  hence  I  cannot  but  imagine 
that,  as  Job  remained  looking  at  nature  in  his 
sorrow,  the  mighty  march  of  the  stars  in  the 
far-off  wilderness  of  space,  and  the  solemn 
glory  of  the  day  as  it  rose  and  faded,  and  the 
voices  of  the  winds  as  they  came  and  went 
through  the  land,  would  all  make  him  feci  the 
majesty  of  God  and  the  insignificance  of  man. 


There  was  the  great  world,  so  still,  and  calm, 
and  wonderful,  so  joyous  and  so  strong,  and  yet 
the  God  who  was  behind  all  its  forces  was  "try- 
ing him  every  moment."  He  rolled  the  splen- 
dours of  the  morning  up  the  sky  ;  He  had 
"  woven  the  bands  of  Orion,"  and  bound  the 
Pleiades  by  His  law  ;  and  yet  He  was  sending 
the  feeble  child  of  earth  sorrow  upon  sorrow  ; 
and  preserving  his  life  only  to  add  the  bitter- 
ness of  memory  to  his  past  misery  !  Can  you 
not  imagine  when  a  man  had  come  thus  to  long 
for  death,  and  yet  day  after  day  had  watched  in 
silent  sorrow  the  mighty  movements  of  nature 
— until  he  felt  himself  nothing  in  the  midst  of 
the  awful  universe  —  that  from  his  perplexed 
soul  the  question  would  rise  with  overwhelming 
force  ? — Ibid. 

[16920]  This  Book  of  Job  is  the  most  ancient 
statement  we  have  of  the  perplexities  and  mis- 
eries of  life,  so  graphic,  so  true  to  nature,  that 
it  proclaims  at  once  that  what  we  are  reading  is 
drawn  not  from  romance,  but  life.  It  has  been 
said,  that  religious  experience  is  but  the  fic- 
titious creation  of  a  polished  age,  when  fanciful 
feelings  are  called  into  existence  by  hearts  bent 
back  in  rellex  and  morbid  action  on  themselves. 
We  have  an  answer  to  that  in  this  book.  Re- 
ligion is  no  morbid  fancy.  In  the  rough,  rude 
ages  when  Job  lived,  when  men  did  not  dwell 
on  their  feelings,  as  in  later  centuries,  the  heart- 
work  of  religion  was  manifestly  the  same 
earnest,  passionate  thing  that  it  is  now.  The 
heart's  misgivings  were  the  same  beneath  the 
tent  of  an  Arabian  Emir  which  they  are  beneath 
the  roof  of  a  modern  Christian.  Blow  after 
blow  fell  on  the  Oriental  chieftain  :  one  day  he 
was  a  father — a  prince — the  lord  of  many  vas- 
sals and  many  flocks,  and  buoyant  in  one  of  the 
best  of  blessings,  health  ;  the  next,  he  was  a 
childless,  blighted,  ruined  man.  And  then 
it  was  that  there  came  from  Job's  lips  those 
yearnings  for  the  quiet  of  the  grave,  which  are 
so  touching,  so  real ;  and,  considering  that 
some  of  the  strongest  of  the  elect  of  God  have 
yielded  to  them  for  a  moment,  we  might  almost 
say  so  pardonable  :  "  I  should  have  been  at 
rest — where  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling 
and  the  weary  are  at  rest.  There  the  prisoners 
rest  together  :  they  hear  not  the  voice  of  the 
oppressor.  Wherefore  is  light  given  unto  him 
that  is  in  misery,  and  life  unto  the  bitter  of 
soul." — Rev.  F.  Robertso7i. 

3       His      yearning      struggles      after     Divine 
truth. 

[1692 1]  He  has  to  face  the  spectres  of  his 
mind.  His  foes  are,  indeed,  those  of  his  own 
household,  his  wife,  his  friends,  the  teaching  of 
his  age,  the  traditions  of  the  past,  his  own  sor- 
rows, his  own  experience,  his  own  tumultuous 
thoughts.  And  what  is  left  him  1  What  severs 
him  from  the  mere  cynical  denier  of  God's  pro- 
vidence, or  God's  goodness,  or  from  Him  who 
smiles  at  all  distinctions  between  right  and 
wrong?  What  is  it  that  gives  him  his  place  in 
the  roll  of  God's  servants  ?     Much  is  left  him 


42 


I692I — 16924] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[JOB. 


slill,  much  that,  in  all  times,  it  is  well  to  remem- 
ber, is  dear  to  God.     There  is  the  eager,  the 
passionate,  desire  for  truth  —  "Give  me  light, 
and  let  me  die."     And  there  is  the  firm  persist- 
ence in  calling  on  his  God  to  reveal  the  truth 
to  him.      Through  all  the  darkness   that  sur- 
rounds him,  he  is  on  the  search  for  God.     His 
soul,  in  the  Psalmist's  words,  is  "athirst  for  the 
living  God  " — for  God  and  for  His  truth.     "  Be- 
hold, I  go  forward,"  he  says,  "but  He  is  not 
there  ;    and  backward,  but  I   cannot  perceive 
Him  ;    on  the  left  hand,  but  I  cannot  behold 
Him  ;    He  hideth  Himself  on  the  right  hand 
that  I  cannot  see  Him."     And  so,  "Oh,  that  I 
knew  where  I  might  find  Him  :  that  I  might 
come,  even  to  His  throne  !"     He  tries  to  com- 
fort himself  by  drawing  pictures,  even  as  his 
friends  had  done,  magnificent  pictures,  of  the 
greatness  of  Him  at  whose  reproof  the  pillars 
of  heaven  tremble  and  are  astonished  ;  and  he 
lays  his  finger  for  a  moment  on  the  immortal 
truth   that   all    "  these   are    but    parts   of    His 
ways  ; "  that  we  hear  but  a  small  portion  ;  that 
we  see,  in  modern  language,  but  the  "  skirts  of 
creation,"  and  he  speaks  of  truth  and  wisdom 
as  sorely  hard  to  find,  as  hidden  from  the  sight, 
as  veins  of  metal  that  can  only  be  reached  by 
the  dark  miner's  path,  a  hidden  track  like  that 
beneath  the  earth  which  the  "  vultures,"  as  he 
says,  "  have  not  seen,  lions'  whelps  have  not 
touched  it,  nor  fierce  lions  passed  by  it."     Yet 
for  all  that,  a  human  wisdom,  as  consisting  in 
the  fear  of  God  and  in  the  avoidance  of  evil. 
And  he  cannot  believe  that  to  do  justice,  and  to 
love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  God,  can 
alienate  a  man  from  God  ;  and  just  before  his 
last  words  died  away,  he  breaks  forth  into  one 
last  piteous  appeal,  obscured  though   it  be  in 
the  rendering  of  his  imagery,  that  the  God  who 
seemed  his  adversary  would  reveal  to  him  His 
will,  would  only  hear  him  and  answer  him. — 
Dean  Bradley. 


IX.  The   Object   and    Design   of   his 
Repeated  Trials. 

I      Direct. 

To  mndicaie  the  exisloue   of  genuitie  re- 
ligio7t. 

[16922]  Satan  directs  an  attack  against  the 
honour  of  God  ;  and  he  knows  perfectly  that 
the  most  deadly  blow  he  can  aim  at  it  is  to 
deny  that  God  can  be  served  with  disinterested- 
ness, and  sincerely  loved  by  any  being  what- 
ever. The  trial  of  Job  is  precisely  destined  to 
demonstrate  the  contrary.  This  is  the  key 
of  the  enigma.  This  solution  is  clearly  given 
in  the  prologue,  and  no  other  need  be  sought 
for.  The  rest  of  the  book  can  neither  add  any- 
thing to,  nor  take  away  anything  from,  its 
clearness,  and  can  only  serve  one  use  —  to 
dispel  false  ideas,  dangerous  misunderstand- 
ings, rash  judgments  upon  the  Divine  govern- 
ment which  may  be  formed  in  the  minds  of 
men,  when  they  are  witnesses  of  facts  of  this 
nature,  without    having    penetrated  into  their  ' 


mystery.  The  author  of  the  Book  of  Job  does 
not  pretend  in  any  way  to  deny  the  portion  of 
truth  contained  in  the  thesis  of  Job's  friends. 
Assuredly  there  is  a  close  connection  between 
sin  and  suffering,  and  the  latter  is  very  often 
the  wages  of  the  former.  Much  less  does  he 
think  of  rejecting  the  explanation  advanced 
by  Elihu  in  the  first  part  of  his  discourse — 
namely,  that  suffering  is  a  salutary  trial,  even 
for  the  righteous — a  trial  which  serves  to  purify 
him  from  his  secret  faults,  known  to  God  alone, 
and,  above  all,  to  preserve  him  from  pride.  But 
he  establishes  that  there  are  cases  to  which  these 
two  solutions  do  not  apply.  .  .  .  There  are  cases 
where  God  inflicts  suffering  upon  man,  not  be- 
cause of  sins  committed  which  demand  expia- 
tion, nor  even  with  the  view  of  ameliorating  his 
moral  disposition,  and  preventing  faults  which 
he  might  commit,  but  in  view  of  Himself,  of 
God  and  His  own  honour.  It  is  then  given 
to  man  to  sustain  a  noble  part  in  the  universe — 
that  of  vindicating  the  outraged  honour  of  his 
Creator,  and  of  showing  forth  His  glory,  even 
into  spheres  higher  than  that  of  humanity. — 
Godet. 

2      Indirect. 

To  more  completely  establish  the  work  of 
Cod  in  his  soul. 

[16923]  The  indirect  result  of  Job's  trial  was 
to  bring  to  light  the  latent  evil  of  his  nature  : 
in  charging  him  with  open  transgressions,  which 
did  not  exist,  his  friends  called  into  action  the 
secret  sin,  which  did  exist  :  in  attacking  faults 
which  were  not  found  in  him,  they  laid  bare 
those  which  were  found,  and  thus  prepared  the 
way  for  the  growth  of  that  self-abasement  and 
humiliation  with  which  the  book  closes. — Rev. 
Sir  E.  Bay  ley. 


X.  The  Value  and  Blessedness  of  his 
Afflictions. 

I      As  a  test. 

[16924]  The  controversy  between  the  Al- 
mighty and  the  great  apostate  angel  was  nar- 
rowed to  a  single  point— did  genuine  faith  and 
love  exist  upon  the  earth  ?  If  found  anywhere, 
they  would  be  found  in  the  person  of  Job.  Upon 
this  question  issue  is  joined,  and  the  trial  takes 
place.  We  know  the  result.  But  let  us  well 
remember  wherein  lay  the  strength  of  Job's 
position.  Satan  was  right  in  his  contention, 
that  fallen  man  does  not  fear  God  for  nought. 
Self  is  the  spring  of  action  with  the  unregene- 
rate  ;  self  is  the  centre  around  which  the  life  of 
the  natural  man  turns.  Let  the  temptation, 
therefore,  be  sufficiently  strong,  and  man  will 
consult  his  own  interest  rather  than  the  will  of 
God.  Wherein,  then,  did  the  error  of  Satan 
consist?  It  consisted  in  his  applying  this  rule 
to  Job.  He  did  not  take  into  account  the  in- 
fluence of  Divine  grace  ;  he  either  did  not 
understand  this  principle,  or  he  refused  to  be- 
lieve in  it. — Ibid. 


16925—16929] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


43 


[job. 


2      As  a  discipline. 

[16925]  "  We  count  them  happy  which  en- 
dure," and  the  endurance  of  Job  is  held  up  by 
the  Apostle  Jaines  as  the  great  lesson  of  the 
patriarch's  life.  But  trial  is  essential  to  en- 
durance ;  it  is  "tribulation"  that  "woiketh 
patience"  (Rom.  v.  3)  ;  and  they  only  who  have 
passed  through  the  discipline  of  sorrow  have 
learned  its  blessedness  as  a  channel  of  grace. 
Job  sorrowed,  we  might  almost  say,  without 
hope,  for  he  lived  in  the  twilight  of  the  world's 
infancy,  a  stranger  to  the  full-orbed  revelation 
which  we  possess.  No  Divine  Teacher  had  yet 
appeared  to  "  comfort  all  that  mourn  ; "  no 
suffering  Saviour  had  humbled  Himself  even  to 
the  death  of  the  cross  ;  no  Christ  had  burst  the 
bonds  of  death,  and  "  brought  life  and  immor- 
tality to  light  through  the  gospel." — Jbid. 


XI.    His    Grand    Realization    of   the 
Second  Advent. 

"  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that 
He  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the 
earth  "  (Job  xix.  25). 

[16926]  Job  knew  that  God  was  the  vindicator 
of  wrongs — that  he  said.  But  why  did  he  go 
on  repeating  in  every  possible  form  the  same 
thing  : — "  I  shall  see  God — see  Him  for  myself 
— mine  eyes  shall  behold  Him — yes,  mine  and 
not  another's"?  It  would  seem  as  if  he  were 
doing  what  a  man  does  when  he  repeats  over 
and  over  to  himself  a  thing  which  he  cannot 
picture  out  in  its  reality.  It  was  true  :  but  it 
was  strange,  and  shadowy,  and  unfamiliar.  It 
is  no  matter  of  uncertainty  to  any  one  of  us 
whether  he  himself  shall  die.  He  knows  it. 
Every  time  the  funeral  bell  tolls,  the  thought 
in  some  shape  suggests  itself — I  am  a  mortal, 
dying  man.  That  is  knowing  it.  Which  of  us 
has  realized  it?  Who  can  shut  his  eyes,  and 
bring  it  before  him  as  a  reality,  that  the  day 
will  come  when  the  hearse  will  stand  at  the 
door  for  him,  and  that  all  this  bright  world  will 
be  going  on  without  him  ;  and  that  the  very 
flesh  which  now  walks  about  so  complacently, 
will  have  the  coffin-lid  shut  down  upon  it,  and 
be  left  to  darkness,  and  loneliness,  and  siJence, 
and  the  worm  ?  Or  take  a  case  still  more 
closely  suggested — out  of  the  grave  we  must 
rise  again — long  after  all  that  is  young,  and 
strong,  and  beautiful  before  me,  shall  have 
mouldered  into  forgetfulness.  Earth  shall  hear 
her  Master's  voice  breaking  the  long  silence 
of  the  centuries,  and  our  dust  shall  hear  it,  and 
stand  up  among  the  myriads  that  are  moving 
on  to  judgment.  Each  man  in  his  own  proper 
identity,  his  very  self,  must  see  God,  and  be  seen 
by  Him — looking  out  on  the  strange  new  scene, 
and  doomed  to  be  an  actor  in  it  for  all  eternity. 
We  all  ktiow  that — on  which  of  our  hearts  is  it 
stamped,  not  as  a  doctrine  to  be  proved  by 
texts,  but  as  one  of  those  things  which  must  be 
hereafter,  and  in  sight  of  which  we  are  to  live 
now .'' — Rev.  F.  Robertson. 


XII.  His  Vindication  of  his  Integritv 
against  the  False  Charges  of  his 
Accusers. 

Both  as  a  private  individual  and  a  magistrate. 
[16927]  Job's  reputation  was  not  without  just 
grounds — the  fruit  not  of  his  riches  and  powers 
but  of  his  benevolent  and  upright  character. 
He  asserted,  and  justly  asserted,  his  bene- 
volence and  compassion,  honesty,  uprightness, 
freedom  from  covetousness,  chastity,  justice, 
and  humanity  to  his  servants  or  slaves,  kindness 
to  the  poor,  freedom  from  idolatry  (both  in  its 
spiritual  and  external  form,  both  secret  and 
open,  in  heart  and  in  life),  as  also  from  vin- 
dictiveness  in  reference  to  enemies.  He  like- 
wise declared  his  humanity  as  a  householder, 
faithfulness  and  justice  as  a  magistrate,  and 
boldness  in  opposing  the  wicked  and  oppressive, 
while  he  maintained  himself  clear  as  regarded 
secret  and  concealed  transgressions,  and  un- 
conscious of  injustice  in  all  business  transac- 
tions with  his  fellow  men. — Rev.  T.  Robinson, 
D.D.  {adapted). 

XIII.  Points  of  Character  Noticeable 
During  his  Various  Sorrows  and 
Controversial  Trials. 

I       Inherent      or    normal     excellencies     and 
graces. 

(i)  Secret  tenderness. 

[16928]  How  wonderfully  does  the  character 
and  history  of  Job  lay  bare,  with  matchless 
power,  the  depths  of  strength  and  tenderness 
that  lie  hidden  in  the  human  heart  !  He  is 
introduced  to  us  at  first  with  nothing  remarkable 
about  him — rich  and  prosperous,  just  to  his 
neighbours,  benevolent  to  the  poor,  loving  to 
his  children,  faithful  to  his  God.  But  in  all  this 
there  is  nothing  remarkable  ;  it  was  the  case  of 
hundreds  in  his  day,  it  is  the  case  of  thousands 
in  our  own,  and  had  all  this  continued  he  would 
have  gone  down  to  a  nameless  grave,  and  a  few 
generations  after  his  very  memory  would  have 
been  erased.  Suddenly  sorrow  comes  and 
touches  him.  In  a  moment  he  is  transfigured. 
No  new  power  is  imparted  to  him,  but  those 
already  in  him  are  brought  into  activity.  Im- 
mediately he  rises  into  a  hero  ;  his  grandeur 
becomes  colossal  ;  he  projects  the  shadow  of 
his  trial  and  the  light  of  his  triumph  over  forty 
centuries.  He  acquires  a  name  that  will  endure 
as  long  as  earth  endures.  And  so  true  is  all 
this  to  the  most  secret  principles  of  our  nature 
that  even  now,  after  a  hundred  generations  have 
successively  trodden  on  his  dust  and  laid  down 
to  sleep  beside  him,  our  own  hearts,  and  the 
hearts  of  all  who  read  the  story,  beat  in  perfect 
sympathy  with  the  stricken,  but  most  human, 
heart  of  the  Patriarch  of  Uz  ! — Rev.  F.  Greeves. 

[16929]  Look  at  Job's  tenderness  !  We  see 
this  more  in  his  silence  than  in  all  his  speech. 
One  of  the  tenderest  and  most  touching  things 
in    all    literature   is    this    most   eloquent    and 


44 

16929- 16934] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[job. 


pathetic  silence  of  Job  about  his  children.  Ten 
of  them  are  gone,  and  through  the  whole  of  his 
complaints  he  never  mentions  them.  "What," 
you  say,  "  do  you  call  that  tenderness  not  to 
spoak  of  his  children  ?  One  would  have  expected 
him  to  name  them  first  of  all."  Glad  we  are 
to  hear  you  say  so  (though  it  is  a  great  mistake), 
because  it  shows  this  is  a  kind  of  sorrow  you 
have  never  known.  .  .  .  It  is  the  shallow  stream 
that  murmurs  ;  deep  waters  are  silent :  when 
real  sorrow  comes  it  falls  upon  the  heart  as 
heavy  as  an  avalanche,  and  as  cold  ;  no  tears 
then,  no  complainings  ;  the  heart  smitten  and 
withered  like  that  of  Job  is  as  the  stricken  deer, 
whose  only  remaining  wish  is  to  penetrate  the 
depths  of  the  tangled  forest,  hide  the  pang  from 
every  human  eye,  and  die  in  peace. — Ibid. 

[16930]  In  the  silence  of  Job,  no  less  than  in 
all  his  utterances,  we  see  the  tenderness  of  the 
man's  heart.  And  this  tenderness  is  a  part  of 
heroism.  Stoicism  is  not  heroism.  A  great 
heart  is  always  a  tender  one.  And  such  was 
the  heart  of  Job  \  —  lbid. 

(2)   Tenacious  stren_s;th. 

[16931]  Look  at  this  man's  strength.  .  .  .  His 
friends  try  to  shake  him  out  of  confidence  in 
his  own  integrity.  Everything  is  on  their  side 
— the  temptations  of  the  devil,  the  suggestions 
of  his  own  fears,  his  wish  to  be  rid  of  their  tor- 
menting insinuations.  Why  does  he  not  yield 
a  little  ?  Why  not  say,  "  It  may  be  so  !  Perhaps 
you  are  right  "  1  Thai  would  satisfy  them  ;  he 
might  reckon  at  once  on  their  sympathy  and 
prayers.  How  many  of  us  would  have  yielded 
all  rather  than  be  troubled  to  argue  with'them  ! 
Not  so  Job.  No  "reed  shaken  with  the  wind" 
is  he,  but  a  tree — a  strong,  grand  tree— scathed 
by  the  lightnings,  it  is  true,  and  quivering,  like 
the  aspen,  to  the  uttermost  leaf  of  the  furthest 
spray,  but  still  as  deeply  rooted  as  ever,  and  as 
determined  in  his  resistance  to  all  human,  all 
spiritual  attacks. — Ibid. 

[16932]  Job  tells  his  comforters  openly  that 
he  recognizes  in  them  the  malice  of  Satan,  by 
whom  he  is  "  wounded  in  the  house  of  his 
friends  ;  "  that  he  knows  his  infernal  adversary 
is  let  loose  upon  him,  and  that  all  they  say  is 
but  further  proof  of  it.  And  still,  amidst  the 
din  of  controversy,  in  which  he  contends  alone, 
as  he  believes,  against  earth  and  hell-amid  the 
onslaught  of  pain,  doubt,  and  frenzy,  fell  enemies 
urged  on  by  the  devil  himself— under  the  canopy 
of  a  darkened  heaven,  and  a  sky  that  is  as  brass 
to  his  complainings— forsaken,  confused,  and 
wounded  ;  still  he  stands  at  bay  —  like  the 
standard  bearer  of  a  defeated  host,  beset  alone 
by  his  enemies,  mangled  by  their  thrusts  and 
blows, 

"  Sore  toiled,  his  riven  arms  to  havoc  hewn" — 

but  unalale  as  ever  to  yield  —  and,  amid  the 
closing  darkness,  still  upholding  above  the  pol- 
luting breath  of  that  hostile  array  the  white 
ensign  of  his  innocence  upon  which,  dying,  he 


will  fall— that  he  may  be  buried  still  grasping 
it  on  the  lonely  field. — Ibid. 

(3)  Patiettt  endurance. 

Consideration  of  St.  James's  reference  to  the 
"  patience  "  of  Job  (James  vi.  11,  13). 

[16933]  Job  ...  is  held  forth  to  our  notice 
by  the  apostle  as  a  man  remarkable  for  his 
patience,  insomuch  that  the  patience  of  Job  has 
passed  into  a  common  proverb.  What,  then, 
are  we  to  understand  by  this  patience  "i  If  we 
take  the  word  in  its  ordinary  sense,  it  implies 
great  meekness  and  resignation,  while  suft'ering 
under  the  chastisement  of  God's  uplifted  hand. 
That  certainly  was  the  spirit  which  he  exhibited 
at  the  time  when  his  great  and  aggravated  trial 
was  first  announced  to  him.  Neither  the  loss 
of  his  property  nor  the  sudden  destruction  of  all 
his  family  could  unsettle  his  principles  or  drive 
him  from  his  steadfastness.  It  would  appear, 
however,  that  the  spirit  of  patience  and  of  un- 
murmuring resignation  was  not  of  long  continu- 
ance. Nor  was  it  the  ruling  and  predominating 
habit  of  his  life.  When  leisure  was  given  him 
for  reflection,  and  he  began  to  reason  on  the 
mystery  and  severity  of  the  Divine  dealings,  it 
is  scarce  possible  to  resist  the  conviction,  that 
he  spake  very  rashly  and  unadvisedly  with  his 
lips.  On  almost  every  occasion  when  he  spoke 
at  all  there  were  the  symptoms  of  fretfulness 
and  irritation  almost  bordering  on  rebellion, 
and  therefore  we  cannot  help  thinking  that  it 
was  not  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term  that 
he  is  here  held  forth  as  an  example  of  suffering 
patience.  But  there  is  another  meaning  ot 
which  the  word  is  susceptible.  It  does  not 
always  imply  great  resignation.  It  is  sometimes 
used  to  indicate  great  endurance  and  long-con- 
tinued waiting  for  some  ultimate  result — some 
appointed  end.  And  I  presume  that  is  the  sense 
in  which  it  is  used  in  this  passage.- — Rev.  J. 
Wallace. 

[16934]  The  apostle  is  exhorting  men  to  be 
patient  in  waiting  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 
And  this  lesson  he  well  enforces,  first,  by  the 
case  of  the  husbandman,  and  second,  by  the 
example  of  the  prophets.  By  the  case  of  the 
husbandman,  "  Behold  the  husbandman  waiteth 
for  the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  and  hath  long 
patience  for  it,  until  he  receives  the  early  and 
latter  rain."  But  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
husbandman  is  always  remarkable  for  his 
patience  ;  that  on  his  part  there  is  no  fretful- 
ness. no  irritation,  no  complaining.  On  the 
contrary,  the  complaints  of  the  husbandman  are 
often  as  bitter  and  as  openly  expressed  as  were 
Job's  in  the  time  of  his  trouble  and  distress. 
]5i!t  there  is  one  thing  which  the  most  impatient 
husbandman  never  abandons  altogether,  and 
that  is  the  hope  of  a  harvest.  He  may  often 
fear  that  it  may  be  a  scanty  one,  and  his  fears 
after  all  may  not  be  realized.  But  he  continues 
waiting  and  working  and  using  the  means  under 
the  deep  conviction  that  the  seed  will  bring 
forth  fruit,  and  that  the  days  of  the  harvest  will 
come.  .  .  .  And  so  I  believe  it  was  with  Job.    I 


16934— 16940] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[JOB. 


45 


do  not  think  that  he  was  pre-eminently  patient 
in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term.  On  the  con- 
trary, there  was  much  in  the  language  which  lie 
used,  and  in  the  spirit  which  he  displayed,  and 
in  the  attitude  he  assumed,  which  it  were  well  for 
us  not  to  imitate,  but  carefully  to  avoid.  But 
as  it  is  with  the  husbandman  in  tilling  the  earth, 
and  as  it  was  with  the  prophets  who  have  spoken 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  there  was  on  his  part 
great  patience  in  waiting  for  the  appointed  end. 
He  may  have  spoken  rashly  with  his  lips.  From 
such  a  charge  we  make  no  attempt  to  clear  him. 
And  that  eventually  was  the  conviction  of  his 
own  heart.  He  himself  did  not  hesitate  to 
acknowledge  his  guilt.  And  this  was  his  con- 
fession. "  I  uttered  what  I  understood  not, 
things  too  wonderful  for  me  which  I  knew  not." 
But  though  he  spoke  strongly,  and  argued 
keenly,  and  suffered  greatly,  he  never  let  go  his 
confidence,  but  kept  waiting  on. — Ibid. 

[16935]  What  do  we  discover  in  the  personal 
experience  of  Job  ?  Not  quiet  and  unmurmur- 
ing resignation  which  the  heaviest  strokes  of 
God's  hand  can  neither  ruffle  nor  disturb.  That 
may  be  a  high  and  rare  attainment,  but  even 
Job  did  not  come  to  it  all  at  once,  or  until  he 
was  emptied  of  all  self-righteous  thoughts,  and 
through  the  stern  siftings  of  God's  providence 
brought  into  the  depths  of  the  lowest  distress. 
When  the  golden  ore  is  cast  into  the  heated 
furnace,  and  the  scorching  fire  is  laying  fast 
hold  of  it  on  every  side,  it  is  not  wonderful  that 
it  cannot  be  altogether  motionless,  perfectly 
still.  It  is  not  wonderful  if  there  be  something 
like  tumult  and  rebellion  when  it  is  quivering 
in  the  hot  crucible,  and  its  inward  parts  are 
vomiting  out  the  dust  and  ashes  with  which 
hitherto  it  has  been  alloyed.  No  man  who 
knows  anything  of  what  human  nature  is  need 
wonder  at  the  outcries  of  Job  when  subjected  to 
the  stern  processes  of  so  fierce  an  ordeal.  The 
wonder  is,  not  that  there  was  commotion  when 
the  fire  of  the  furnace  was  doing  its  work  ;  the 
wonder  is  that  he  ever  came  out  of  it  uncon- 
sumed.  But  he  did  come  out  of  it.  Aye,  he 
came  out  of  it,  leaving  the  dross  of  his  corrup- 
tion behind  him,  purified  and  refined  for  the 
Master's  use. — Ibid. 

[16936]  There  may  be  a  higher  patience  even 
than  that  of  full  submissiveness,  a  holding  out 
a  corner  of  the  fortress  against  desperate  odds, 
the  resistance  or  the  charge  of  a  handful  that 
may  determine  the  issue  of  a  campaign.  "He 
that  endureth  to  the  end,"  said  a  greater  than 
the  Apostle  James,  "  the  same  shall  be  saved." 
If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard,  ye  shall 
remove  mountains  ;  remove  and  raise  and  ele- 
vate what  is  more  precious  than  the  mountain 
— the  human  soxxl.— Dean  Bradley. 

(4)   Trust  in  God. 

[16937]  Everything  is  against  his  trust  in 
God.  He  has  been  stricken,  terribly  stricken, 
when  he  had  no  consciousness  that  he  deserved 
it.     And  He  who    permitted  this — instead   of 


appearing  to  explain  the  mystery — has  hidden 
Himself  from  His  servant.  All  around  in  the 
darkness  does  the  patriarch  grope  after  Him, 
but  it  is  in  vain.  .  .  .  The  next  blow  may  cleave 
him  to  the  ground  ;  but  he  fears  it  not.  He  sits 
upon  a  dunghill  indeed  ;  but,  with  him  upon  it, 
that  dunghill  is  a  throne.  He  looks  calmly  to 
the  threatening  cloud.  His  bald,  bare  head  is 
ready.  Let  it  come.  It  will  make  no  difference 
in  his  confidence — "  Though  He  slay  me,  yet 
will  I  trust  in  Him  :  but  I  will  maintain  mine 
own  ways  before  Him." — Rev.F.  Greeves. 

[16938]  Job  exemplifies  in  real  life  just  what 
the  poet  Campbell  has  put  into  the  lips  of  an 
imaginary  character,  whom  he  calls  "  the  last 
man."  He  supposes  the  one  survivor  of  the 
human  race,  following  the  sun,  in  the  hour  of 
his  last  setting,  with  words  like  these  : — 

"Go,  Sun,  while  mercy  holds  me  up 

On  Nature's  av/ful  waste 
To  drink  this  last  and  bitter  cup 

Of  wrath  that  man  shall  taste. 
Go,  tell  the  night  that  hides  thy  face 
Thou  heardst  the  last  of  Adam's  race 

On  earth's  sepulchral  clod 
The  darkening  universe  defy, 
To  quench  his  immortality. 

Or  shake  his  trust  in  God  !  " 

Such  a  declaration,  under  such  circumstances, 
would  be  heroic  ;  but  not  one  whit  more  so  than 
the  conduct  of  Job.  For  him  the  universe  luas 
darkened.  Not  a  gleam  of  light  remained. 
But  his  trust  in  God  was  as  strong  as  ever.  Was 
he  not  a  hero  ?  Did  imagination  ever  picture  a 
character  so  tender,  yet  so  strong? — Ibid. 

[16939]  It  is  clear  that  the  trial  of  Job  was  a 
severe  one  ;  the  patriarch  breaks  out  into  lan- 
guage of  passionate  remonstrance  ;  he  even 
charges  God  with  wrong,  and  the  issue  of  the 
contest  is  at  times  in  doubt.  Still  in  the  centre 
of  his  being.  Job  remains  true  to  his  allegiance. 
"  Though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him  "_ ; 
and  whilst  shrinking  from  the  cup  which  he  is 
called  upon  to  drink,  he  could  yet  say,  "  Not 
my  will,  but  Thine  be  done."  A  final  answer  is 
thus  given  to  the  charge  of  Satan,  "  Doth  Job 
fear  God  for  nought  ?  "—i?^v.  SirE.  Bayley. 

2       Spiritual  errors. 

(i)  Limited  self-kjioTvledge. 

[16940]  Wherein  lay  Job's  error?  His  error 
lay  in  the  too  daring  assertion  of  his  innocence, 
and  in  his  giving  way  to  a  spirit  of  impatience 
and  angry  pride.  With  Job,  as  with  his  friends, 
there  was  an  absence  of'^any  deep  sense  of  sin. 
Had  he  known  himself  as  God  knew  him,  he 
would  have  denied,  indeed,  the  charge  of  open 
transgression,  but  he  would  have  been  less 
vehement  in  his  protestations  ;  he  would  have 
been  ready  to  acknowledge  that,  although  he 
knew  nothing  against  himself,  "  yet  he  was  not 
thereby  justified"  (i  Cor.  iv.  4).  In  self-know- 
ledge Job  was  deficient ;  there  was  nothing, 
therefore,  in  him  to  check  the  indignation  which 


46 


16940 — 16946] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[job. 


he  felt  against  his  accusers  ;  and,  stung  by  their 
reproaches,  he  assumed  an  attitude  of  defiance, 
of  which  he  afterwards  sincerely  repented. — 
Mil 

[16941]  Job  is  apparently  still  too  confident  in 
his  own  righteousness.  Though  upright  in  his 
external  dealings,  and  blameless  in  the  eyes  of 
men,  yet,  weighed  "  in  the  balances  of  righteous- 
ness," even  Job  is  found  wanting  (Rom.  iii.  9, 
10,  19,  23).  Much  self-knowledge  is  yet  to  be 
gained  by  him.  Job  has  yet  to  take  the  place 
of  the  publican,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sin- 
ner" (chap.  xl.  4;  xlii.  5,  6). — Rev.  T.  Robin- 
son^ D.D. 

(2)  Irreverent  presianption. 

[16942]  "God  is  greater  than  man"  in  wis- 
dom, power,  and  justice.  Greater  than  man  as 
his  Maker,  Ruler,  and  Judge.  The  natural  in- 
ference from  this  is,  man,  even  the  greatest  and 
best,  is  not  to  strive  with  God.  "  Why  dost  thou 
strive  against  Him?  " — quarrelling  with  and  dis- 
puting against  His  procedure  (Isa.  xlv.  9).  God's 
greatness  above  man  is  sufficient  to  exclude  all 
murrnurs  and  complaints,  as — (i)  God  is  not  to 
be  required  to  give  an  account  of  His  procedure 
to  any  0/ His  creatures.  "  For  (or  because)  He 
giveth  not  account  of  any  of  His  matters"  (or 
dealings).  This  is  the  reason  why  Job  should 
have  refrained  from  the  sentiments  he  had 
uttered  in  regard  to  God,  and  why  neither  he 
nor  any  one  ought  to  "strive  against  Him." 
God  is  a  sovereign  who  acts  according  to  His 
own  will,  though  never  but  in  infinite  wisdom, 
rectitude,  and  holiness.  It  is  monstrous  pre- 
sumption to  think  that  the  Creator  is  to  be  called 
to  His  creature's  bar  to  answer  for  what  He  does 
(Psa.  cxv.  3  ;  Dan.  iv.  35).  God  is  far  too  great 
to  stoop  to  defend  His  procedure  against  the 
cavils  of  rebellious  worms.  This  is  the  scope 
of  Jehovah's  own  answer  to  Job  afterwards. 
(2)  God  is  not  to  be  contpreJicnded  by  His  short- 
sighted creatures.  It  is  folly  and  presumption 
for  man  to  think  he  is  able  to  comprehend  God's 
dealings,  except  as  He  is  pleased  to  reveal  and 
explain  them.  Hence  the  weakness  and  wicked- 
ness of  censuring  them. — Ibid. 

[16943]  As  if  upon  a  full -proportioned  dome, 
On  swelling  columns  heaved,  the  pride  of  art  ! 
A  critic  fly,  whose  feeble  ray  scarce  spreads 
An  inch  around,  with  blind  presumption  bold 
Should  dare  to  tax  the  structure  of  the  whole. 

— Anon. 

(3)  Omitted  access  to  God  by  prayer  in  the 
spirit  of  Jiiiniility. 

[16944]  Job  was  not  remarkable  for  his  devo- 
tions. In  almost  every  chapter  we  have  long  and 
elaborate  arguments,  the  deep  reasoning  of  a 
subtle  and  intellectual  spirit,  seeking  to  vindicate 
his  own  cause  and  almost  asserting  his  own 
innocence  both  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man. 
And  these  trains  of  thought  are  interspersed 
■with  the  language  of  murmuring  and  rebellion. 
But  in  looking  over  the  whole  book  we  cannot 


fix  upon  a  single  instance  which  represents  him 
as  lying  prostrate  before  the  throne  of  the  Divine 
Majesty,  and  pouring  out  his  soul  in  supplication 
and  prayer.  There  may  be  distant  approaches 
to  this,  but  there  is  nothing  so  explicit  or  so 
clearly  revealed  as  to  warrant  us  to  say  of  him, 
"  Behold  he  prayeth." — Rev.  J.  Wallace. 

[16945]  On  one  occasion  there  was  a  noble 
confession  of  faith,  perhaps  the  noblest  which 
the  Bible  contains.  .  .  .  And  this  confession 
was  preceded  by  the  expression  of  an  earnest 
desire,  "  Oh  that  my  words  were  now  written  ! 
oh  that  they  were  printed  in  a  book  !  that  they 
were  graven  with  an  iron  pen  and  lead  in  the 
rock  for  ever  ! "  But  that  was  not  the  language 
of  prayer.  It  was  a  desire  merely  for  his  own 
vindication.  And  it  was  not  presented  unto 
God.  It  was  addressed  merely  to  his  fellow- 
men  :  "  Have  pity  upon  me,  iiave  pity  upon  me, 
oh  ye  my  friends,  for  the  hand  of  God  hath 
touched  me."  At  another  time  he  gave  utter- 
ance to  these  words  :  "  Oh  that  my  grief  were 
thoroughly  weighed,  and  my  calamity  laid  in 
the  balances  together."  Oh  that  I  might  have 
my  request,  and  that  God  would  grant  me 
the  thing  that  I  long  for,  even  that  it  would 
please  God  to  destroy  me."  But  that  can 
scarcely  be  regarded  as  the  language  of  prayer. 
For  he  was  asking  what  he  was  not  warranted 
to  expect — a  thing  which,  not  being  promised, 
could  not  be  agreeable  to  the  Divine  will.  On 
another  occasion,  when  he  was  almost  goaded 
to  madness  by  the  stern  reproaches  of  false- 
hearted friends,  he  gave  demonstration  of  the 
most  heroic  fortitude,  for  he  declared,  "Though 
He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him."  But  even 
then  there  was  no  trace  either  of  humbleness 
of  mind  or  of  earnest  supplication  ;  for  it  is 
added,  "  I  will  maintain  uiy  own  ways  before 
Him.  Behold  now  I  have  ordered  my  cause,  I 
know  that  I  shall  be  justified."  On  another 
occasion  still  he  uses  these  remarkable  words. 
He  does  not  say,  I  have  called  upon  Thee,  and 
Thou  didst  answer  me  ;  but,  "  If  I  had  called 
and  He  had  answered  me,  yet  would  I  not 
believe  that  He  had  hearkened  unto  my  voice. 
For  He  breaketh  me  with  a  tempest,  and  mul- 
tiplieth  my  wounds  without  cause.  He  will  not 
suffer  me  to  take  my  breath,  but  filleth  me  with 
bitterness."  "  Let  Him  take  His  rod  away  from 
me,  and  let  not  His  fear  terrify  me  ;  then  would 
I  speak  and  not  fear  Him  j  but  it  is  not  so  with 
me.'' — Ibid. 

[16946]  We  are  very  far  from  concluding  that 
Job  never  prayed  at  all.  But  prayer  was  not 
the  element  in  which  he  lived,  and  moved,  and 
breathed.  And  when  he  did  pray,  it  was  not  in 
the  spirit  in  which  a  favourable  answer  could 
be  expected  to  his  petitions,  nor  an  outlet  ob- 
tained from  the  sore  trouble  to  which  it  seemed 
meet  unto  God  to  subject  him.  There  were 
deep  processes  of  reasoning  and  elaborate 
arguments  on  the  mysteries  of  God's  provi- 
dence, but  there  was  nothing  through  the  whole 
course  of  his  experience  to  warrant  the  conclu- 


16946—16954] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   KRA. 


47 


[job. 


sion  that  he  was  acting  upon  the  principle,  "  Is 
any  among  you  afflicted,  let  him  pray."  And 
that,  perhaps,  was  the  reason  why  his  afflictions 
were  so  long  continued,  and  that  during  their 
continuance  there  was  so  little  to  calm  his  fret- 
fulness  and  to  minister  to  his  comfort. — Ibid. 

3       Circumstantial  defects. 

(i)  Pronounced  despondency  and  veJietnent 
con!f)lai?tt. 

[16947]  Though  we  may  by  no  means  justify 
the  murmurings  of  Job,  nor  yet  the  doubting 
despondency  which  he  occasionally  manifests, 
we  cannot  wonder  at  their  existence,  but  rather 
stand  amazed  before  the  massive  fortitude  which 
formed  the  chief  characteristic  of  his  conduct. 
Nevertheless,  he  did  murmur  against  God,  he 
did  miscalculate  Divine  providence.  Let  us 
take  warning  and  remember  that  he  who  com- 
plains of  his  lot  in  life,  questions  the  love  and 
wisdom  of  his  Maker,  and  he  who  dares  to  de- 
spair—even though  passing  through  the  fiercest 
fire  of  affliction — indirectly  blasphemes. — A.  M. 
A.  W. 

(2)  Passionate  resentment. 

[16948]  One  there  was  who  "in  the  house  of 
His  friends "  submitted  to  every  conceivable 
insult  and  indignity,  misconstruction  and  abuse 
— One  who  could  have  shattered  with  a  word 
His  unjust  accusers,  and  have  gloriously  "  main- 
tained His  ways"  and  asserted  His  "  integrity.'"' 
He,  nevertheless,  "held  His  peace,"  and,  with- 
out any  sign  of  intemperate  anger,  patiently 
"endured  the  contradiction  of  sinners."  Job 
passionately  flings  back  the  taunts  of  his  "miser- 
able comforters,"  and  though  fully  justified  in 
clearing  the  honour  of  his  name  from  false  im- 
putations, displays  not  the  Christ-like  spirit  in 
his  justification.  "  For  what  glory  is  it,  if  when 
ye  be  buffetted  for  your  faults,  ye  shall  take  it 
patiently  .''  but  if  v/hen  you  do  well,  and  suffer 
for  it,  ye  take  it  patiently,  this  is  acceptable 
with  God  "  (i  Peter  ii.  20). — Ibid. 

(3)  Contemptuous  sarcasm. 

[16949]  Job  is,  perhaps,  more  sarcastic  and 
ironical  than  any  other  Scripture  character,  but 
we  can  scarcely  read  his  magnificent  utterances 
without  perceiving  to  what  a  marked  extent 
severe  contempt  is  mingled  with  the  caustic  re- 
proaches of  his  sarcasms.  It  is  noticeable,  also, 
that  this  weapon  is  used  from  purely  personal 
considerations.  Elijah's  ironical  admonition  to 
the  worshippers  of  Baal,  "  Cry  aloud,  for  he  is 
a  god  "  ;  and  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  "  Ye  are 
rich  ;  ye  have  reigned  as  kings  without  us," 
were  not  uttered  on  their  own  behalf,  or  for 
purposes  of  self-vindication,  but  in  the  interests 
of  religion.  Job's  use  of  this  means  is  princi- 
pally in  defending  his  own  character  against 
unjust  charges  of  ignorance,  &c.  Witness  his 
contemptuous  reply  to  Zophar,  "  No  doubt  but 
ye  are  the  people,  and  wisdom  shall  die  with 
you.  But  I  have  understanding  as  well  as  you, 
....  yea  !  who  knoweth  not  such  things  as 
these?"     (Job  xii.  2,  3.) — Ibid. 


XIV.  The  Person.\lities  and  Ch.\rac- 

TERISTICS    OF    JOB'S    FRIENDS    ANA- 
LYZED AND  Discriminated. 

1  Collectively. 

[16950]  The  characters  introduced,  though 
not  numerous,  are  nicely  discriminated  and  well 
supported.  It  has  been  justly  observed,  that 
the  milder  and  more  modest  temper  of  Eliphaz 
is  well  contrasted  with  the  froward  and  un- 
restrained violence  of  Bildad  (compare  iv.  2-4 
with  viii.)  ;  and  the  terseness  and  brevity  of 
Zophar  (xi.)  with  the  pent-up  and  overflowing 
fulness  of  Elihu  (xxxii.). — E.  Copley. 

[1695 1 ]  Eliptiaz  represents  the  true  patriar- 
chal chieftain,  grave  and  dignified,  and  erring 
only  from  an  exclusive  adherence  to  tenets 
hitherto  unquestioned,  and  influenced  in  the 
first  place  by  genuine  regard  for  Job  and  sym- 
pathy with  his  affliction.  Bildad,  without  much 
originality  or  independence  of  character,  reposes 
partly  on  the  wise  saws  of  antiquity,  partly  on 
the  authority  of  his  older  friend.  Zophar  difl'ers 
from  both  ;  he  seems  to  be  a  young  man  ;  his 
language  is  violent,  and  at  times  even  coarse 
and  offensive  (see  especially  his  second  speech, 
chap.  XX.).  He  represents  the  prejudiced  and 
narrow-minded  bigots  of  his  age. — E7icyclo- 
peedia  {McClintock  and  Strong). 

[16952]  The  great  want  in  Job's  friends  is  a 
genuine  sympathy.  After  the  first  oriental  out- 
burst of  grief  at  their  friend's  calamity,  all  was 
cold,  heartless,  and  even  cruel.  Selfishness  is 
the  common  sin  of  our  fallen  nature — 

"  The  proud,    the  cold,   untroubled  heart  of 
stone, 
That  never  mused  on  sorrow  but  its  own." 

In  Job's  friends  this  coldness  is  aggravated,  if 
not  generated,  by  false  religious  views  and  mis- 
interpretations of  Divine  Providence.  True 
religion  softens  the  heart,  and  inclines  it  to  kind- 
ness and  compassion.  A  false  religion  is  gener- 
ally the  parent  of  cruelty. — Rev.  T.  Robinson^ 
D.D. 

2  Individually. 

(i)  Elipha::. 

[16953]  "  Eliphaz"  was  an  o!d  Edomite  name. 
A  district  was  also  so  called  (Gen.  xxxvi.  11,  15). 
It  denotes  "  My  God  is  strength."  This  indi- 
cates his  parent's  piety.  "  Temanite."  From 
the  stock  he  sprung  from,  or  the  place  (Teman) 
where  he  lived.  Temanites  were  celebrated  for 
their  wisdom  (Jer.  xlix.  7  ;  Obad.  8,  9). — Ibid. 

[16954]  The  aim  of  Eliphaz  is  Job's  repent- 
ance and  consequent  restoration  to  Di\ine 
favour.  His  motive  was  good,  but  was  founded 
on  a  mistaken  and  uncharitable  view  of  Job's 
character  and  the  cause  of  his  suflerings.  Eliphaz 
may  be  viewed  as  an  example  to  preachers  in 
that  he  (i)  Is  sincere,  (2)  Is  earnest,  (3)  Is  cour- 
teous, (4)  Employs  variety  of  arguments  and 
illustrations,  (5)  Adduces  authorities,  (6)  Appeals 
to  Divine  revelation.     Fails — (i)  In  sympathy 


48 


16954—16961] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[JOB. 


and  warmth  of  feeling,  (2)  In  comprehensiveness 
of  view,  (3)  In  adaptation  of  his  authorities  to 
the  case  in  hand,  (4)  In  charitable  judgment, 
(s)  In  appreciation  of  the  case  of  his  hearer. — 
Ibid. 

(2)  Bildad. 

[16955]  The  name  signifies  "  Old  Friend- 
ship." Bildad  the  Shuhite  was  one  of  Job's 
friends,  probably  descended  from  Shuah,  the  son 
of  Abraham  by  Keturah.  From  want  of  just 
views  of  the  dealings  of  Providence  in  correcting 
the  righteous  for  the  trial  and  improvement  of 
their  character,  Bildad,  like  the  other  friends  of 
Job,  was  led  to  very  rash  and  hasty  conclusions 
concerning  his  character.  He  addressed  him 
as  a  deliberately  wicked  man,  whose  hypo- 
crisy was  manifested  by  the  afflictions  with 
which  he  was  exercised  ;  but  Bildad  was  after- 
wards convinced  of  his  mistake,  and  glad  to 
solicit  the  intercessions  of  the  man  he  had  so 
disparaged.  It  becomes  us  to  be  very  candid 
and  charitable  in  judging  of  others,  and  especi- 
ally to  avoid  anything  like  unkind  reflections  on 
the  afflicted  (Job  ii.  1 1,  viii.,  xviii.,  xxv.,  xlii.  7,  8  ; 
Gen.  xxv.  2). — E.  Copley. 

(3)  Zophar. 

[16956]  It  is  better  to  be  silent  in  the  presence 
of  the  afflicted  than  (like  Zophar)  to  dispute  and 
censure.  Consolation  is  due  to  sufferers  from 
their  friends.  A  brother  is  born  for  adversity. 
Professed  comforters  may  become  real  tormen- 
tors.— Rev.  T.  Robi}tso7i,  D.D. 

[16957]  The  exhortation  of  Zophar  as  ad- 
dressed to  Job  in  chap,  xi.,  especially  with  re- 
ference to  ver.  12,  was  {\)  Inapplicable.  Job  was 
neither  a  fool  nor,  except  perhaps  in  his  trouble, 
especially  when  worried  by  his  friends,  a  wild 
ass's  colt.  (2)  Uncharitable,  because  inappro- 
priate. "Charity  thinketh  no  evil;  hopeth  all 
things."  (3)  Rude.  It  is  no  part  of  wisdom  in 
a  preacher  or  monitor  to  apply  harsh  terms  and 
ill  names,  even  indirectly.  "  Be  courteous." 
Hearers  are  neither  to  be  flattered  on  the  one 
hand  nor  libelled  on  the  other.  (4)  Unfeelijig. 
No  consideration  is  made  of  Job's  intense  suf- 
ferings and  accumulated  trials.  Zophar  pours 
vinegar  instead  of  oil  on  Job's  wounded  spirit. 
Sympathy  in  a  preacher  is  necessary  to  success. 
Want  of  sympathy  argues  want  of  sense. — Ibid. 

(4)  Elihu. 

[16958]  The  name  signifies  "Pie  is  my  God 
Himself."  Elihu,  a  native  of  Buz,  was  one  of 
Job's  friends,  who  came  to  condole  with  him  in 
his  distress.  The  other  three  friends  of  Job  took 
a  very  mistaken  view  of  his  calamities,  and  bit- 
terly reproached  their  unhappy  friend,  as  though 
he  must  be  conscious  of  some  heinous  and  con- 
cealed wickedness,  which  had  provoked  the 
immediate  judgments  of  God  against  him.  Elihu, 
being  a  much  younger  man  than  the  rest, 
patiently  listened  till  all  had  done  speaking,  then 
modestly  begged  to  be  heard.  In  summing  up 
the  argument,  he  discovered  far  more  wisdom 
and  proper  feeling  than  the  others,  whom  he 
severely  reprehended  for  their  rash  and  cruel 


insinuations  against  Job  ;  at  the  same  time, 
censuring  Job  for  some  rash  and  pertinacious 
expressions  he  had  uttered.  He  then  asserted 
the  sovereignty  of  God,  proved  that  He  often 
afflicts  men  for  the  best  of  purposes,  and  that, 
in  every  instance,  it  is  both  our  duty  and  our 
wisdom  to  exercise  submission,  and  to  wait  the 
Lord's  time  for  diliverance  from  our  trials.  He 
concluded  his  speech  with  a  grand  description 
of  the  omnipotence  of  the  Creator. — E.  Copley. 

[16959]  Elihu  is  a  fine  example  for  young  per- 
sons of  superior  abilities,  who  too  often  find 
great  difficulty  in  restraining  the  expression  ot 
their  opinions,  when  the  presence  of  their  su- 
periors, and  the  modesty  becoming  their  years, 
would  urge  upon  them  to  be  silent,  or  at  least 
to  hear  attentively,  and  wait  patiently  a  suitable 
opportunity  to  propose  their  difficulties,  or  to 
venture  their  suggestions.  Nothing  is  more 
disgusting  than  a  pert,  flippant  youth,  imperti- 
nently obtruding  his  crude  opinions,  positive 
assertions,  and  rude  contradictions.  On  the 
other  hand,  nothing  is  more  lovely  than  a  meek, 
intelligent  youth,  listening  with  respectful 
deference  to  the  sentiments  of  his  seniors,  and, 
with  equal  modesty  and  fidelity,  suggesting  and 
pointing  out  the  incorrectness  of  any  sentiment 
advanced  ;  then,  when  the  force  of  his  reasoning 
is  admitted,  quietly  retreating  again  to  the  shade, 
without  proclaiming  his  victory  or  seeking  ap- 
plause. It  is  observable,  that  when  Jehovah 
Himself  appeared  in  awful  majesty,  and  wound 
up  this  remarkable  controversy,  though  Plis 
anger  was  kindled  against  Job's  other  three 
friends,  and  they  were  pardoned  only  at  the  in- 
tercession of  him  they  had  injured  and  misre- 
presented, no  censure  whatever  is  expressed  of 
Elihu's  interference  or  arguments  :  hence  we 
are  left  to  conclude,  that  they  were  according  to 
truth  and  righteousness  (Job  xxxii.-xxxvii.). — 
Ibid. 

[16960]  The  place  of  Elihu  is  that  of  an  um- 
pire stepping  forward  of  his  own  accord,  under 
the  promptings  of  zeal  and  conscious  knowledge, 
to  decide  the  controversy  between  Job  and  his 
three  friends  on  the  one  hand,  and  between  Job 
and  the  Almighty  on  the  other.  His  speeches 
contribute  to  the  solution,  as  showing  reasons 
why  Job  might  be  afflicted  as  he  was,  without 
being  what  his  friends  suspected  him  to  be — a 
secretly  bad  man,  and  also  as  pointing  out 
wherein  he  erred — namely,  in  his  too  strongly 
justifying  himself,  and  almost  censuring  the 
Almighty.  His  speeches  are  preparatory  to  the 
appearance  and  address  of  Jehovah,  who  follows 
up  what  Elihu  had  begun.  Elihu  in  relation  to 
the  Almighty  was  like  John  the  Baptist  in  rela- 
tion to  Christ. — Rev.  T.  Robinson,  D.D. 

XV.  The  Combination  of  Truth  and 
Error  Observable  in  their  Ut- 
terances. 

[ 1 6961]  In  the  lengthened  controversy  which 
was  carried  on  between  Job  and  his  friends, 


16961— 16965] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[job. 


49 


there  was  certainly  an  element  of  truth  on  either 
side.  The  tlnee  friends  were  right  in  affirming 
that  there  is  a  close  connection  between  sin  and 
suffering.  Our  present  life  is  passed  under  the 
moral  government  of  God,  and  he  must  be  blind 
who  cannot  trace  in  it  the  judicial  dealing  of 
God  with  men.  Nay,  it  is  only  when  we  see  in 
the  course  of  history  a  continuous  judgment  of 
the  world,  that  our  faith  in  2i  final  jiidg})icnt  c^w 
be  rational  and  strong.  The  future  life  is  not 
the  beginning,  but  the  completion  of  our  exist- 
ence. There  is  no  break  in  the  continuity  of 
our  being.  If  sin  does  not  even  here  work  ruin, 
then  there  exists  no  hell  ;  if  salvation  and  hap- 
piness do  not  even  here  wait  upon  righteousness, 
then  there  exists  no  heaven.  Scripture  knows 
nothing  of  a  God  who  only  rises  to  power  when 
this  life  is  ended.  Its  God  is  from  beginning  to 
end  a  living  God  ;  and  both  in  His  retributive 
judgments  and  in  His  bestowing  of  present  bless- 
ing He  is  ever  enforcing  His  own  great  principle, 
that  "  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reap."  There  was  truth,  therefore,  in  the  con- 
tention of  the  friends  :  their  error  consisted  in 
applying  this  principle, without  any  qualification, 
to  Job.  Sin  in  their  view  was  an  outward  act  ; 
they  knew  little  of  its  inner  nature  ;  they  treated 
it  rather  as  a  crime,  and  could  only  account  for 
the  calamities  of  Job  by  assuming  the  existence 
of  undiscovered  wickedness.  It  never  occurred 
to  them  that  suffering  might  be  inflicted  as  a 
test  of  virtue  ;  or  that,  apart  from  any  actual 
transgression,  it  might  be  sent  in  order  to  lay 
bare  the  hidden  defects  of  a  godly  life. — Rev. 
Sir  E.  Bay  ley. 

[16962]  Many  of  the  remarks  of  Job's  friends, 
although  made  upon  mistaken  conceptions  re- 
specting him,  nevertheless  form  excellent  apho- 
risms on  general  principles.  At  the  same  time, 
care  should  be  taken  not  to  confound  the  senti- 
ments of  erring,  imperfect,  and  perhaps  unholy, 
persons,  with  the  divinely  inspired  principles, 
injunctions,  and  promises  of  the  word  of  God. 
This  error  is  not  unfrequently  fallen  into,  by 
taking  detached  sentiments  and  passages,  with- 
out due  regard  to  their  connection.— jE".  Copley. 


XVI.  Jehovah's  Answer  to  the   Patri- 
arch's Doubts. 

I  Its  apparent  insufficiency  as  regards  the 
solving  of  Job's  difficulties,  and  the  lesson 
thereby  conveyed. 

This  disappointing  fact  should  teach  its  that 
the  path  of  logic  is  not  the  path  to  faith. 

[16963]  When  we  read  that  "Jehovah  answered 
Job  out  of  the  tempest,"  we  forthwith  ask,  "And 
what  did  He  say  ?"  expecting  to  hear  some  con- 
clusive argument  that  will  pour  the  light  of 
eternal  wisdom  on  the  difficulties  and  perplexi- 
ties of  human  life  :  we  overlook  the  immense 
pathos  and  force  of  the  fact,  that  Jehovah  spake 
to  Job  at  all.  And  yet,  so  soon  as  we  think  of 
it,  it  is  easy  to  believe  that,  if  Job  had  not  un- 
derstood  a   single  word   Jehovah    uttered,  the 

VOL.   VI. 


mere  fact  that  Jehovah  spoke  to  him  would 
excite  a  rush  of  emotion  before  which  all 
memory  of  his  doubts  and  miseries  would  be 
carried  away  as  with  a  flood.  This,  indeed, 
was  that  which  Job  had  craved  throughout. 
In  how  many  forms  does  he  cry,  "  O  that  God 
would  meet  me  !  O  that  He  would  speak  to 
me  !  O  that  He  would  fix  a  day,  however  dis- 
tant, in  which  to  visit  me  and  hear  my  plea  ! 
O  that  He  would  even  come  to  question  and 
judge  me  ! "  The  pain  at  the  very  heart  of  his 
pain  was  not  that  he  had  to  sulfer,  but  that  in 
his  sufferings  God  had  forgotten  and  abandoned 
him.  He  could  bear  that  God  should  "take'' 
the  children  He  had  given.  He  could  bear  to 
receive  "  evil "  at  the  hand  from  which  he  had 
received  so  much  good.  He  could  even  bear 
that  his  "friends"  should  forsake  him  in  his 
calamity,  that  they  should  sit  in  judgment  on 
him  and  condemn  him  for  crimes  which  he 
knew  he  had  not  committed.  What  he  could 
not  bear  was  that  God  should  abandon  him, 
abandon  as  well  as  afflict  him,  that  when  he 
cried  for  pity  or  redress  Heaven  should  not 
respond. — 6".  Cox.,  D.D. 

[16964]  If,  now,  through  the  tempest  and  the 
darkness,  there  should  sound  a  voice  from 
heaven  ;  if,  however  it  came,  the  conviction 
should  come  to  Job  that  the  God  he  could  not 
find  had  found  him,  and  was  speaking  to  him, 
would  it  matter  very  much  what  God  said  ? 
Would  it  not  be  enough  that  it  was  God  who 
was  speaking,  that  the  Divine  Friend  had  come 
back  to  him,  that  He  had  never  forgotten  him, 
nor  forsaken  him  ;  that  He  was  in  the  tempest 
which  had  swept  over  him  ;  that  He  had  lis- 
tened to  him,  even  when  He  did  not  answer 
him,  and  had  loved  him  even  when  He  afflicted 
him?  It  was  this — oh,  it  was  this — which  dropped 
like  balm  into  the  torn  and  wounded  heart  of 
the  sufferer:  it  was  the  resurrection  of  faith  and 
hope  and  love  in  the  rekindled  sense  of  the 
Divine  Presence  and  favour  that  raised  him  to 
a  life  in  which  doubt  and  fear  had  no  place,  a 
joy  on  which  even  repentance  was  no  stain. 
iSlot  what  God  said,  but  that  God  spoke  to  him 
and  had  come  to  him — it  was  this  which  cast 
him  in  the  dust,  which  quickened  in  him  that 
humility  which  is  man's  true  exaltation. — Ibid. 

[16965]  There  have  been  numbers  of  books 
written  that  have  professed  to  give  the  history 
of  an  inquisitive  human  spirit  sounding  its  dim 
and  perilous  way  across  dark  seas  of  doubt  to 
the  clear  rest  and  haven  of  faith.  .  .  .  Written, 
as  such  books  commonly  are,  by  wise  and  good 
men,  men  of  the  most  genuine  sincerity  and 
earnestness  ;  written,  too,  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  leading  the  sceptical  inquirer  from  doubt 
to  faith,  there  is  no  one  of  them  which  does  not 
disappoint  us  just  as  the  Book  of  Job  disappoints 
us.  They  may  command  our  admiration  ;  they 
may  touch  our  hearts  ;  but  they  do  not  satisfy 
our  reason  nor  answer  our  doubts  :  they  fail  just 
at  the  one  only  point  at  which  we  are  concerned 
for  their  success.     What  should  the  fact  teach 


5° 


16965—16970] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCI^fPTC/RE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


(job. 


US?  It  should  lead  us  to  ask  whether  it  may 
not  be  impossible  to  solve,  in  human  words, 
and  to  the  human  intellect,  the  mystery  of  God's 
dealings  with  men,  whether,  if  possible,  it  would 
not  be  undesirable.  Logic  can  do  much,  but 
not  all.  It  may  convince  the  reason,  but  it 
cannot  bend  the  will  or  cleanse  the  heart.  Prove 
to  me,  if  proof  be  possible,  that  God  is  good  in 
permitting  pain  and  sorrow  and  loss  to  come 
upon  me  ;  but  if  I  do  not  feel^  or  want  to  feel, 
that  He  is  good,  and  do  not  love  Him  for  His 
goodness,  mere  proof  will  not  do  much  for  me. 
"  Wiih  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteous- 
ness ;"  and  logic  does  not  address  itself  to  the 
heart.  It  is  doubtful,  even,  whether  the  human 
intellect,  at  least  while  it  is  prisoned  in  the  flesh, 
could  so  comprehend  the  infinite  providence  of 
God  as  to  prove  its  equity  and  kindness,  or 
even  understand  the  proof,  if  proof  were  to  be 
had  ;  but  it  is  very  certain  that,  were  such  a 
proof  within  our  reach,  we  might  still  distrust 
His  goodness,  and  even  hate  it  when  it  thwarted 
and  pained  us. — Ibid. 

2      Its  suggested  argument. 

(i)  That  ivliile  the  mysteries  of  life  pain  atid 
perplex^  they  may  have  a  nobler  motive  and 
happier  end  than  we  conceive. 

[16966]  It  is  only  an  argument  of  hints  and 
suggestions,  it  does  not  touch  the  profounder 
questions  which  Job  had  raised,  nor  would  it 
be  difficult  to  pick  holes  in  it,  if  we  took  it 
simply  as  an  argument  addressed  to  the  inquisi- 
tive and  sceptical  intellect.  It  does  not  go  very 
deep.  It  is  addressed  to  the  heart  rather  than 
to  the  brain,  to  faith  rather  than  to  doubt.  It 
would  not  convince  a  sceptic,  however  reasonable 
and  sincere  he  might  be.  Nothing  would,  or 
can,  convince  him  save  the  sense  of  a  Divine 
Presence  and  Love,  and  that  no  argument  can 
give. — Ibid. 

[16967]  Let  us  mark  what  the  Divine  answer 
was,  viewed  simply  as  an  argument.  Viewed 
thus,  it  met  that  painful  sense  of  mystery  which 
oppressed  Job  as  he  sat  solitary  and  alone  among 
his  friends,  and  all  the  more  alone  because  they 
were  with  him.  One  element  in  his  pain  was 
that  he  could  not  tell  what  God  was  aiming  at, 
that  the  Divine  Providence  was  all  dark  to  him, 
that  he  could  see  no  reason  why  a  good  man 
should  be  vexed  with  loss  and  misery  and  a  bad 
man  live  out  all  his  days  in  mirth  and  affluence. 
And  this  is  a  pain  we  have  all  felt,  of  which  we 
should  all  be  gladly  rid.  The  injustice,  the  in- 
equalities, the  pains  and  degradations  which 
enter  into  the  human  lot  perplex  and  afflict  us  ; 
we  can  see  no  good  reason  for  them:  we  cannot 
approve  and  vindicate  them.  Does  Jehovah, 
then,  when  He  answers  Job  out  of  the  tempest, 
answer  the  questions  which  this  spectacle  of 
human  misery  suggests  ?  Does  He  assign  a 
good  reason,  a  sufficient  motive,  for  the  ine- 
qualities of  the  human  lot  ?  He  does  nothing 
of  the  kind.  He  does  not  lift  an  iota  of  that 
painful  mystery.  The  argument  of  the  poem 
is  Butler's  argument — the  argument  from  ana- 


logy. To  the  perplexed  patriarch,  who  sits 
brooding  painfully  over  the  dark  problems  of 
life,  Jehovah  points  out  that  equally  insoluble 
mysteries  are  over  his  head  and  under  his  feet  ; 
that  he  lives  and  moves  and  has  his  being  amid 
them  ;  that  look  where  he  will  he  cannot  escape 
them  ;  and  that  as  he  finds  them  everywhere 
else  he  should  expect  to  find  them  in  human 
m&.—Ibid. 

[16968]  Briefly  put,  taking  only  the  argument 
which  underlies  its  sublime  poetry,  the  Divine 
answer  runs  thus  :  "  You  fret  and  despair  over 
the  one  mystery  which  has  been  brought  home 
to  you  by  the  pangs  of  sorrow  and  loss,  .  .  . 
yet  you  live  content  amid  a  thousand  other 
problems  you  cannot  solve,  and  turn  them  to 
account.  Should  you  not  look,  then,  to  find 
mysteries  in  the  creature  whom  I  have  set  over 
all  other  works  of  my  hand— in  man,  and  in  his 
lot  ?  Will  it  not  be  wise  of  you  to  use  your  life 
rather  than  to  brood  over  it  ;  to  turn  your  lot, 
with  all  its  changes,  to  good  account,  rather 
than  to  fret  over  the  problems  it  suggests  ?  " — 
Ibid. 

(2)  That  all  tJmigs  work  together  in  Provi- 
dence for  maji's  good. 

[16969]  In  His  sublime  description  of  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  and  all  that  in  them  is, 
Jehovah  may  have  meant  to  suggest  to  Job  : 
"  Consider  these  mysteries  and  parables  of 
Nature,  and  what  they  reveal  of  the  end  and 
purpose  of  Him  by  whom  they  were  created. 
You  cannot  adequately  interpret  any  one  of 
them,  but  you  see  that  they  all  work  together 
for  good.  You  cannot  tell  how  the  world  was 
made,  how  the  firm  earth  and  flowing  seas  were 
formed;  but  the  earth  yields  you  her  fruits,  and 
the  sea  carries  your  ships  and  brings  you  the 
wealth  of  distant  lands.  You  cannot  command 
the  wind,  or  the  clouds  that  bring  rain  ;  but  you 
can  see  that  the  winds  carry  health  and  the 
rains  fertility  wherever  they  go.  You  cannot 
explain  the  migration  of  the  birds  that  travel 
all  the  year,  but  you  can  see  that  God  feeds  and 
fosters  them  by  the  instinct  which  drives  them 
from  shore  to  shore.  The  world  around  you  is 
full  of  mysteries  which  you  cannot  solve  ;  but, 
so  far  as  you  can  judge,  is  not  their  end  a  bene- 
ficent end  ?  And  if  the  world  within  you  also 
has  mysteries  which  you  cannot  fathom,  cannot 
you  trust  that,  somehow,  here  or  hereafter,  these 
too  will  reach  a  final  goal  of  good  ?  The  mys- 
tery of  life,  the  mystery  of  pain — may  not  these 
be  as  beneficent  as  you  admit  the  marvels  and 
mysteries  of  Nature  to  be.**  "• — Ibid. 

XVII.  Job's  Deep  Humility  and  Peni- 
tence, AND  HIS  Justification  by 
God. 

"  I  have  heard  of  Thee  by  the  hearing  of  the 
ear,  but  now  mine  eye  seeth  Thee. 
Wherefore  I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in 
dust  and  ashes"  (Job  xlii.  5,  6). 

[16970]  Hitherto   Job  had  lived  in  the  outer 


16970— 16977] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    KRA. 


[JOB. 


51 


court,  the  traditions  of  former  days  had  been 
handed  down  to  him,  he  had  taken  religion 
upon  trust  ;  but  now  his  inward  eye  is  opened, 
he  sees  God  as  he  had  never  seen  Him  before. 
Bathed  in  this  flood  of  hght,  a  new  revelation 
dawns  upon  him  ;  it  is  as  a  sinner  that  he  stands 
before  God  :  "  Wherefore  I  abhor  myself,  and 
••epent  in  dust  and  ashes "  (xhi,  6). — Rev.  Sir 
E.  Bayley. 

[16971]  In  Job's  repentance  all  the  marks  of 
evangelical  repentance  are  found — submission 
and  abasement  (ver.  2)  ;  confession  of  sin  (ver. 
3)  ;  humble  and  believing  prayer  (ver.  4)  ;  the 
revelation  of  God  to  the  soul  (ver.  5)  ;  and  then 
the  blessed  result — self-knowledge,  self-abhor- 
rence, true,  deep,  lasting  repentance  :  "  Where- 
fore I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and 
ashes  "  (ver.  6). — Ibid. 

[16972]  Job,  though  he  expressed  so  much 
courage  and  patience,  yet  (bewraying  some  in- 
firmities after  he  was  baited  long  by  so  many 
fresh  dogs,  men,  and  devils)  he  must  cry  pec- 
cavi,  and  abhor  himself  in  dust  and  ashes 
before  God  will  take  him  into  His  arms  (Job 
xlii.  6)  ;  and  the  same  way  God  takes  with  all 
His  children. — Anon. 

[16973]  Job's  vindication  is  complete,  as  is 
also  his  humiliation.  From  the  beginning  he 
has  been  God's  true  and  righteous  servant ;  but 
now  with  a  deeper  acquaintance  with  his  own 
heart,  and  a  deeper  knowledge  of  God,  he  walks 
more  surely  because  more  humbly  ;  and,  in  the 
chastened  holiness  of  his  life,  supplies  a  con- 
clusive answer  to  the  scoffing  question  of  Satan, 
"  Doth  Job  fear  God  for  nought?" — Rev.  Sir  E. 
Bayley. 

[16974]  It  is  not  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  world  that  the  majority  of  religious  pro- 
fessors have  been  wrong.  The  solitary  thinker, 
the  philosopher,  the  heretic,  the  forlorn  monk, 
the  rejected  of  his  day,  has  been  sometimes, 
even  in  spite  of  many  errors,  in  the  right.  That 
little  group  in  that  unknown  land  of  Uz,  who 
tried  to  silence  the  one  among  them  who  was 
in  his  wild  cries  and  low  wails  the  herald  and 
the  apostle  of  a  truth  that  was  one  day  to  be 
embodied  in  the  symbol  of  Christ's  religion — 
they  warn  us  against  thinking  that  truth  is 
always  to  be  found  on  the  side  of  numbers, 
that  the  God  of  truth  marches  always  with  the 
largest  battalions.  How  startling  to  those  who 
heard  them,  how  instructive  to  us  who  read 
them,  are  the  words  which  we  shall  find  when 
ne.\t  we  meet :  "  Ye  who  have  been  so  earnest, 
so  rigid  in  justifying  My  ways,  and  asserting 
My  righteousness  ;  ye  have  not  spoken  the 
thing  that  is  right,  as  My  servant  Job  hath." — 
Deaft  Bradley. 

XVIII.    The    Divine    Reward    of    Suf- 
fering Patience. 

[16975]  It  was  an  honour  put  on  Job,  and 
likewise  a  testimony  of  his  meek  and  loving 


spirit,  that  he  prayed  for  his  friends.  Nor  can 
we  have  stronger  proof  that  our  prayers  and  in- 
tercessions for  others,  especially  for  our  of- 
fending brethren,  are  acceptable  to  God,  than 
what  is  here  related.  For  i/ien  "  the  Lord 
turned  the  captivity  of  Job,"  when  his  resent- 
ment against  his  accusers  was  extinguished,  and 
he  put  up  to  heaven  charitable  petitions  for 
them.  The  poor  sufferer  was  restored  to  health, 
abundance,  and  prosperity.  He  received  twice 
as  much  property  as  he  had  before  possessed, 
so  that  his  latter  end  was  better  than  his  begin- 
ning. The  Lord  gave  him  favour  amongst  an 
extensive  acquaintance,  a  very  large  property, 
a  numerous  issue,  and  an  honourable  old  age. 
Thus  the  Lord  casteth  down,  and  raiseth  up  ; 
and,  "  Oh  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for 
His  goodness,  and  for  His  wonderful  works  to 
the  children  of  men  !  "  It  is  delightful  to  trace 
the  dealings  of  God  towards  His  people,  and 
their  faith  in  Him,  which  are  the  same  in  all 
ages.  The  very  truths  that  supported  Job 
under  his  sorrows  remain  to  the  present  day, 
firm  as  the  pillars  of  heaven,  an  unshaken 
basis  of  confidence  for  the  people  of  God. — 
E.  Copley. 


XIX.    HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 
I       Special  lessons. 

(i)  The  revelation  0/  man  to  himself  is  an 
essential  condition  of  religious  progress. 

[16976]  A  man  may  be  a  good  man,  a 
thoroughly  religious  man,  and  yet  may  know 
but  little  of  his  own  true  nature.  It  was  so 
with  Job.  It  was  well  that  Job  should  be  what 
he  was,  an  ypright.  God-fearing  man  ;  but  it 
was  not  well  that  he  should  remain  zuhere  he 
was  ;  and  if  we  read  the  Book  of  Job  as  a  true 
story  of  the  Divine  training  of  a  soul,  we  see  in 
it  how  wonderfully  God  overruled  the  malice 
of  Satan  and  the  false  judgments  of  men  to  the 
advancement  of  the  religious  life  of  His  servant. 
Job  began  as  a  "  perfect  man  "  ;  he  was  so  by 
common  repute  ;  he  was  so  in  a  true  sense,  as 
a  sincere,  whole-hearted  servant  of  God  ;  he 
was  so,  perhaps,  in  his  own  estimation.  His 
religion  was  genuine,  but  it  was  too  superficial ; 
his  faith  was  true,  but  he  had  not  dug  deep  to 
the  firm  rock  beneath.  Thus  when  trial  came 
it  shook  him  to  the  very  centre  of  his  being  ; 
but  it  taught  him  much  that  he  did  not  know 
before  ;  it  taught  him  that  unsuspected  evil  lay 
concealed  within  ;  it  taught  him  that  there  was 
a  "  law  of  sin  in  his  members,"  from  which  he 
needed  deliverance. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[16977]  It  is  an  essential  condition  of  religious 
progress  that  we  know  in  what  such  progress 
consists,  and  that  we  know  well  the  true  point 
of  departure.  A  deep  conviction  of  sin  lies  at 
the  foundation  of  all  real  spiritual  growth  ;  our 
first  great  lesson  is  the  lesson  of  humility  ;  self- 
knowledge  teaches  us  what  we  are  ;  and,  thus 
instructed,  we  know  what  we  ought  to  become- 
—Ibid. 


52 


16978— 16983] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE   ERA. 


[JOB. 


(2)  The  revelation  of  Cod  to  juan  is  the 
crown: ng^  Ij/cssedncss  of  the  religious  life. 

[16978]  Job  could  not  anticipate  the  revela- 
tion of  the  gospel,  "  This  is  life  eternal,  that 
they  might  know  Thee,  the  only  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ,  whom  Thou  hast  sent  ; "  he  could 
not  antedate  the  Saviour's  words,  "  I  thank 
Thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  be- 
cause Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise 
and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto 
babes;"  but  he  could  bring  to  his  Father  in 
heaven  the  teachableness  of  a  little  child,  and 
he  could  approach  Him  in  the  spirit  of  believing 
prayer.  He  did  this,  and  God  revealed  Him- 
self to  him,  as  he  was  able  to  bear  it. — Ibid. 

[16979]  We  must  not  expect  to  find  in  Job 
the  advanced  knowledge  of  a  later  age  ;  we  may 
have  to  give  up  the  famous  passage,  "  I  know 
that  my  Redeemer  liveth,"  as  a  prophecy  of  the 
incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  of  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead.  But  Job  evidently  knew 
God  as  the  bountiful  Giver,  the  wise  Adminis- 
trator, the  righteous  Judge  ;  and,  although  he 
felt  himself  unable  to  interpret  the  Divine 
action,  his  faith  assured  him  that  all  was  well  or- 
dered, and  that  God  would  assuredly  avenge  His 
own  elect.  All  this  Job  had  known  for  years  ; 
and  if  he  now  knew  it  as  he  had  not  known  it 
before,  it  was  not  so  much  that  God  had  taught 
him  new  truth,  as  that  He  had  given  him  in- 
creased powers  of  vision  with  which  to  appre- 
hend the  old.  I  know  not  that  we  need  hope 
for  more  than  this.  It  is  not  new  truths  that 
we  want,  but  rather  new  power  to  grasp  the  old 
ones.  The  revelation  of  God  in  Christ  is  made 
to  all,  and  what  we  require  is  that  God  should 
"  shine  in  our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of 
Jesus  Christ." — Ibid. 

(3)  The  discipline  of  trial  is  both  needful  and 
salutary  in  the  Divine  ediccation. 

[16980]  You  know  how  the  Christian  Scrip- 
tures abound  with  sayings  about  the  necessity 
of  disappointments,  the  uses  of  adversity,  and 
the  glory  of  suffering..  How  full  they  are  of 
exhortations  to  be  patient,  to  endure,  to  be 
steadfast — all  implying  our  need  of  discipline. 
How  sublimely,  too,  they  teach  us  the  true 
secret  of  endurance,  in  the  life  of  Him  "who, 
though  a  Son,  learned  obedience  in  the  things 
that  He  suffered.''  In  this  light  we  can  under- 
stand why  God  makes  life  a  trial.  Our  charac- 
ters must  be  tested.  There  are  evil  tendencies 
in  us  which  remain  concealed  and  unknown, 
until  we  are  tried — tendencies  to  a  low,  gro- 
velling selfishness,  which  almost  rejoices  in 
another's  pain — capacities  for  the  darkest  sins, 
which  may  burst  into  action  in  moments  of 
passion.  We  fancy  we  hold  the  reins  of  our 
natures.  We  think  we  are  strong,  and  rejoice 
in  our  fancied  strength.  And  then  God  sends 
us  trials,  disappointments,  bitter  lessons  of  sor- 
row, and  under  their  startling  light  we  discover 
our  weakness  and  evil.  V/e  grow  earth-bound, 
become  wrapped   in    life's   transient  interests ; 


God  sends  us  suffering,  and  in  the  long,  lonely 
watchings  of  pain,  we  catch  glimpses  of  eternal 
realities. — Rev.  E.  Hull. 

[16981]  Job  was  no  more  than  a  man  ;  a 
man  of  like  passions  with  us  ;  a  man  as  weak 
and  full  of  infirmity  as  we  ;  a  man  who,  before 
he  was  tried,  had  no  more  of  the  hero  apparent 
about  him  than  ourselves  ;  who,  when  tried, 
had  no  other  support  than  is  promised  to  us, 
and  promised  to  us  in  a  higher  degree  than 
to  him.  All  the  strength  and  tenderness  that 
fonned  the  original  character  of  Job  are  slum- 
bering in  the  calm  depths  of  your  own  un- 
troubled heart.  Whether  circumstances  will 
ever  occur  to  you  that  will  exhibit  these  sublime 
qualities,  we  cannot  tell.  But  heroism  consists 
not  in  showing  these  qualities,  but  in  having 
them  ;  not  in  seeming  great,  but  in  being  so. 
Act  well  your  part.  Do  each  day's  duties  well. 
Bear  each  day's  trials  patiently.  Encounter 
each  day's  conflicts  bravely.  And,  above  all, 
live  in  prayer  and  faith,  and  love  toward  God  ; 
that  will  strengthen  the  weakest  character,  and 
give  depth  to  the  shallowest  ;  and  then,  without 
ever  rising  above,  or  sinking  beneath,  your 
present  station,  you  may  be  "  a  hero  in  life's 
strife."  But  changes  may  come.  Joy  may 
pass  away  ;  for  her  hand  is  ever  on  her  lips, 
bidding  adieu  !  Friends  may  be  taken  ;  for 
God  hath  sold  the  forest  unto  death,  and  His 
axe  even  now  is  at  the  root  of  the  trees.  What 
is  sweet  may  become  bitter  ;  what  is  bright 
may  become  dark  ;  life  may  be  a  weariness, 
and,  like  Job,  you  may  "  long  for  death,  and  dig 
for  it  as  for  hid  treasure."  But,  even  then,  trust 
in  God  such  as  his  will  support  you. 

"  Oh,  fear  not,  in  a  world  like  this, 
And  thou  shalt  know  ere  long — 
Know  how  sublime  a  thing  it  is 
To  suffer,  and  be  strong  !  " 

— Rev.  F.  Greevcs. 

[16982]  "Troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not 
distressed  ;  perplexed,  but  not  in  despair  ;  per- 
secuted, but  not  forsaken  ;  cast  down,  but  not 
destroyed  ;  "  ours  may  be  a  life  of  tribulation, 
passed  in  the  deepest  depths  of  personal  afflic- 
tion ;  but  the  end  is  sure.  We  fight  upon  the 
winning  side.  Sorrow  sliall  soon  give  place  to 
joy,  darkness  to  light,  and  the  cry  of  distress  be 
exchanged  for  the  shout  of  victory. — Rev.  Sir 
E.  Bay  ley. 

(4)  Afjliction  should  bring  us  nearer  to  the 
nicrcy-seat  in  prayer  aiul  supplication. 

[16983]  "  Is  any  among  you  afflicted?  let  him 
pray."  Don't  argue  about  your  afflictions  ;  for 
in  that  case  it  is  likely  to  fasten  and  perpetuate 
the  impression  on  your  hearts  that  God  is  deal- 
ing hardly  with  you,  and  driving  you  beyond 
the  reach  of  all  consolation  and  all  hope. 
Don't  rise  up  like  Jonah,  nor  atteiYipt  to  fix 
your  undivided  attention  on  the  blasted  gourd 
lying  all  withered  around  you.  For  in  that  case 
you  may  be  ready  to  exclaim,  as  he  did,  "  I  do 
well  to  be  angry."     Take  your  heaviest  trials  to 


16983 — 16989] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
PRIMITIVE    ERA. 


[job. 


53 


the  mercy-seat.  Spread  them  out  before  God. 
Deal  with  Him,  not  as  with  a  task-master,  but 
a  loving  Father.  Ask  Him  to  solve  your  doubts, 
to  cast  light  upon  your  darkness,  to  aid  you 
amid  your  helplessness,  and  to  reveal  to  you 
why  it  is  that  He  has  been  afflicting  you,  what 
defective  grace  He  is  seeking  to  supply,  what 
wayward  tendency  He  is  seeking  to  correct, 
what  besetting  sin  He  is  seeking  to  subdue. 
Remember  that  there  is  a  need-be  for  every 
affliction  that  He  sends  ;  and  neither  speak 
unadvisedly  with  your  lips,  nor  charge  God 
foolishly.  It  may  be  a  bitter  medicine  that  He 
pours  into  your  cup  ;  but  He  does  not  do  it 
recklessly,  nor  without  some  good  reason,  or 
with  the  design  of  harming  you. — Rev.  E.  Hull. 

2       Important  inferences. 

[16984]  Innocence  and  piety  are  no  defence 
against  Satanic  influence,  personal  afflictions, 
and  the  misconceptions  and  reproaches  of  both 
enemies  and  friends.  To  do  well  and  suffer  re- 
proach is  characteristic  of  the  Christian. — E. 
Copley. 

[16985]  Outward  prosperity  or  adversity  af- 
fords no  criterion  of  character,  nor  of  the  Divine 
approbation  or  displeasure.  Job  was  equally 
the  servant,  the  friend,  the  child  of  God,  when 
he  sat  bemoaning  himself  on  the  dunghill,  de- 
spised and  persecuted,  as  when  he  was  exalted 
in  prosperity,  and  surrounded  by  affectionate 
relatives  and  obsequious  attendants. — Ibid. 

[16986]  Integrity  of  heart  and  purity  of  con- 
science form  the  best  basis  upon  which  the 
afflicted  mind  can  rest  in  adversity.  Under 
all  the  complicated  trials  of  human  life,  all  the 
unkindness  of  friends,  and  all  the  reproach  of 
enemies,  what  delightful  support  and  consola- 
tion are  derived  from  the  consciousness,  "  My 
witness  is  in  heaven,  and  my  record  is  on  high ! " 
(Job  xvi.  19.)  "  He  knoweth  the  way  that  I 
take  ;  when  He  hath  tried  me,  I  shall  come 
forth  as  gold  "  (Jobxxiii.  10). — Ibid. 


[16987]  We  have  no  right  to  arraign  the  sove- 
reignty of  the  Divine  Being.  When  the  wicked 
prosper,  and  unaccountable  calamities  attend 
the  righteous,  we  are  too  apt  to  reply  against 
our  Maker,  and  say,  "What  doest  thou?  Is 
this  equitable  and  right?"  But  humble  sub- 
mission ever  becomes  creatures  like  ourselves, 
so  blind,  so  ignorant,  so  guilty.  Jehovah  has 
reasons  for  His  conduct,  though  we  cannot  per- 
ceive them.  He  orders  all  things  according  to 
the  counsel  of  His  own  will.  Nothing  is  left  to 
the  decision  of  chance  ;  nor  anything  decreed 
but  what  equally  consists  with  rectitude,  wis- 
dom, and  love.  If  we  trust  in  God  with  an  un- 
shaken coutklence,  like  that  of  Job,  when  he 
said,  "  Though  He  slay  m^  yet  will  I  trust  in 
Him,"  in  the  furnace  of  adversity  we  shall  not 
only  be  preserved  from  destruction,  but  shall 
emerge  with  a  brighter  lustre  and  with  a  higher 
degree  of  purity. — Ibid. 

[16988]  In  the  conferences  of  Job  and  his 
friends  we  see  the  ill  effects  of  bitter  religious 
contention  ;  these  four  pious  men,  it  has  been 
well  observed,  argued  together  till,  becoming 
angry,  they  censured  and  condemned  each 
other,  and  uttered  many  irreverent  things  about 
the  Divine  character  and  government  ;  and, 
having  lost  their  temper,  would  have  lost  their 
labour,  and  been  more  than  ever  at  variance,  if 
another  method  had  not  been  taken  to  decide 
the  controversy. — Ibid. 

[16989]  However  upright  and  excellent  the 
character  and  actions  before  men,  and  though, 
under  certain  circumstances,  persons  may  justly 
and  properly  plead  their  innocence  and  recti- 
tude ;  yet,  before  God,  the  best  have  nothing, 
are  nothing,  but  meanness,  vileness,  and  guilt. 
Self-abasement  is  ever  attendant  on  a  percep- 
tion of  the  Divine  glory,  and  is  the  percursor 
of  advancement,  and  of  the  signal  favours  of 
heaven  (Job  xlii.). — Ibid. 


54 


PART   B. 


JEWISH    ERA. 

DIVISION   I. 
EARLY   PERIOD. 

(Abraham  to  Moses,  B.C.  1996-1571 ;  425  years.) 

SYLLABUS. 

PAGE 

The  Patriarchs, 

Abraham        ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  55 

Isaac  ...  ...  ...         ...  ...         ...         ...  64 

Jacob  72 

Joseph       83 

The  Twelve  Tribes. 

Twelve  Tribes,  Blessings  of  the 96 

The  Patriarch  Family  Ci?-cle,  not  in  the  Messianic  lifie. 

Lot  105 

Ishmael  no 

Esau  ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  in 

Eliezer  ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  ...         ...  114 

Persons  outside  the  Patriarchs'  Family. 

Melchizedek         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  115 


Abimelech 


119 


55 


PART    B. 


JEWISH   ERA 


ABRAHAM. 

I.  The  Special  Eminence  and  Renown 
OF  THIS  Patriarch. 

1  No  other  character  in  history,  sacred  or 
profane,  has  left  such  a  broad  mark  on 
the  world. 

[16990]  When  one  looks  closely  into  the 
course  of  revelation  in  Holy  Scripture  the  name 
of  Abraham  appears  to  tower  over  the  centuries. 
In  point  of  fact  it  meets  none  to  excel  or  rival 
it  till  the  Divine  name  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
is  reached.  The  words  of  Jesus,  "Your  father 
Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  My  day,  and  he  saw 
it,"  implied  this  much,  whatever  more  they 
might  import,  that  the  call  and  covenant  of 
Abraham  formed  the  first  step  in  a  long  series, 
of  which  the  last  was  the  advent  of  Messiah. 
Across  the  intervening  ages,  during  which  the 
promises  made  to  Abraham  were  slowly  ripen- 
ing, the  chosen  father  and  his  far  greater  seed  * 
look  at  one  another.  What  lay  between  them 
was  mainly  covered  by  the  temporary  episode 
of  the  Mosaic  Law.  That  interval  of  the  law  is 
explained  by  St.  Paul  to  have  been  an  interpo- 
lation. It  could  neither  annul  nor  invalidate 
the  covenant  made  with  Abraham. — Rev.  O. 
Dykes,  D.D. 

2  Abraham  opens  the  second  great  chapter 
of  the  Bible. 

[16991]  There  are  four  great  chapters  of  the 
Bible.  The  first,  Adamic,  having  to  do  with  men 
in  homes.  The  second,  Abrahamic,  having  to  do 
with  men  in  tribes,  nascent  nations.  The  third, 
Mosaic,  having  to  do  with  men  in  nations,  in 
all  the  exigencies  and  experiences  of  national 
life.  The  fourth,  Christian,  having  to  do  with 
men  as  members  of  a  universal  community, 
subjects  of  a  universal  kingdom,  through  which 
the  human  opens  out  into  a  wider  world.  Here 
then  is  order — a  grand  and  beautiful  order, 
which  has  an  evidence  of  its  own  which  no  special 
criticism  of  parts  will  find  it  easy  to  destroy. 
Abraham  opens  the  second  chapter,  the  tribal, 
and  is  perhaps  the  grandest  figure  in  the  Old 
Testament  history.  By  an  act  of  sublime 
obedience  and  trust  he  made  himself  the  father 
of  the  spiritual  servants  of  the  Most  High  God 
in  all  ages  of  the  world.     Moses  was,  no  doubt, 


a  larger  and  abler  man  ;  one  of  the  greatest  of 
the  rulers  of  mankind  But  there  was  a  depth 
of  loyal  obedience  and  trust  in  Abraham  which 
make  him  spiritually  the  head  even  of  Moses. 
Without  Abraham  the  mission  of  Moses  had 
been  impossible;  and  it  was  on  Abraham's  faith 
that  Moses  really  rested  his  own.  It  was  the 
God  of  Abraham  whom  Moses  knew  and  served, 
and  because  he  was  the  God  of  Abraham  (Exod. 
iii.  i-io).  Moses  went  on  full  and  rich  traditions. 
Abraham  had  but  dim  and  feeble  traditions  to 
go  upon.  He  had  to  establish,  by  making  his 
will  a  living  sacrifice  to  God,  that  vital  relation 
between  God  and  His  people  on  which  Moses 
built  up  his  legislation,  and  God  claimed  and 
won  their  trust.  Abraham  was  the  great  leader. 
Even  Moses  was  but  a  disciple.  —  Baldwin 
Brown. 

3       With  him  continuous  history  may  be  said 
to  begin. 

[16992]  When  one  looks  back  to  the  dim  be- 
ginning of  history,  the  very  first  figure  which 
stands  forth  in  full  outline  is  that  of  "Abram 
the  Hebrew."  It  is  true  that  in  those  chapters 
of  our  oldest  record — the  Book  of  Genesis — 
which  refer  to  a  still  earlier  period,  two  events 
at  least  are  related  with  some  minuteness — the 
fall  and  the  flood.  But  these  are  only  single 
events.  Before  Abram,  no  individual  life  has 
been  preserved  with  any  completeness.  No 
man  in  all  these  misty  millenniums,  before  or 
after  the  deluge,  stands  before  us  in  such  his- 
torical fulness  of  portraiture  that  we  can  be 
said  to  know  him  as  the  great  men  of  later 
story  are  known.  Adam  is  little  more  than  a 
name  for  a  common  progenitor,  who  fell.  Noah 
is  the  just  man  who  escaped  the  flood.  Names 
still  more  shadowy,  liice  Cain  or  Abel,  Enoch 
or  Nimrod,  are  scarcely  anything  else  than 
names.  A  far  larger  space  in  Scripture  has 
been  devoted  to  the  single  life  of  Abram  than 
to  all  previous  generations  put  together.  His 
personal  character,  the  details  of  his  domestic 
affairs,  his  migrations,  revelations,  and  trials, 
are  all  known  with  unusual  minuteness.  In 
the  long  series  not  only  of  Biblical  biographies, 
but  of  the  world's  great  lives,  his  is  really  the 
first.  With  him  may  almost  be  said  to  com- 
mence the  revelation  of  Divine  grace  to  man- 
kind.—A'^z/.  O.  Dykes,  D.D. 


56 


16993— 16998] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ABRAHAM. 


II.  His  Parentage  and  Early  History. 

[16993]  Descending  from  Shem,  Abraham 
stands  tenth  among  "  the  fathers "  after  the 
flood.  He  was  a  son — apparently  the  third  and 
youngest — of  Terah,  the  others  being  Haran 
and  Nahor.  The  family,  or  perhaps  more 
correctly  the  tribe  or  clan  of  Terah,  resided  in 
Chalda^a,  which  is  the  southern  part  of  Baby- 
lonia. "  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,"  as  recently  again 
discovered,  was  one  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the 
most  ancient,  among  the  cities  of  Chaldasa.  It 
lies  about  six  miles  away  from  the  river  Eu- 
phrates, and,  curious  to  relate,  is  at  present 
somewhere  near  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles  from  the  Persian  Gulf,  though  it  is  sup- 
posed that  at  one  time  it  was  actually  washed 
by  its  waters,  the  difference  being  accounted  for 
by  the  rapid  deposit  of  what  becomes  soil,  or  of 
alluvium,  as  it  is  called.  Thus  Abram  must  in 
his  youth  have  stood  by  the  seashore,  and  seen 
the  sand  innumerable,  to  which  his  posterity  in 
after  ages  was  likened.  Another  figure,  under 
which  his  posterity  is  described,  must  have  been 
equally  familiar  to  his  mind.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  brilliancy  of  a  starlit  sky  in  the  East, 
and  especially  where  Abram  dwelt,  far  exceeds 
anything  which  we  witness  in  our  latitudes. 
Possibly  this  may  have  first  led  in  those  regions 
to  the  worship  of  the  heavenly  bodies.  And 
Abram  must  have  been  the  more  attracted  to 
their  contemplation,  as  the  city  in  which  he 
dwelt  was  "  wholly  given"  to  that  idolatry  ;  for 
the  real  site  of  Ur  has  been  ascertained  from 
the  circumstance  that  the  bricks  still  found  there 
bear  the  very  name  of  Hiir  on  them.  Now 
this  word  points  to  Htirki,  the  ancient  moon- 
god,  and  Ur  of  the  Chaldees  was  the  great 
"  Moon-city,"  the  very  centre  of  the  Chaldean 
moon-worship  !  The  most  remarkable  ruins  of 
that  city  are  those  of  the  old  moon-temple  of 
Ur,  which  from  the  name  on  the  bricks  are 
computed  to  date  from  the  year  2000  before 
Christ.  Thus  bricks  that  are  thirty-eight  cen- 
turies old  have  now  been  brought  forward  to 
bear  witness  to  the  old  city  of  Abraham,  and 
to  the  tremendous  change  that  must  have  passed 
over  him  when,  in  faith  upon  the  Divine  Word, 
he  obeyed  its  command.— /^t'T/.  A.  Edersheuiu 
D.D.  ' 

III.  The  General  Spirituality,  Up- 
rightness, AND  Dignity  of  his 
Life. 

I       In  its  religious  aspects. 

[16994]  Such  daily,  intimate,  and  loving  com- 
munion did  this  grand  saint  maintain  with 
heaven,  that  God  calls  him  His  "friend  ;"  and 
honouring  his  faith  with  a  higher  than  any 
earthly  tHle,  the  Church  has  crowned  him 
"  Father  of  the  Faithful."  He  lived  on  terms 
of  fellowship  with  God  such  as  had  not  been 
seen  since  the  days  of  Eden.  Voices  addressed 
him  from  the  skies  ;  angels  paid  visits  to  his 
tent  ;  and  visions  of  celestial  glory  hallowed  his 
lowly   couch    and    mingled    with    his    nightly 


dreams.  He  was  a  man  of  prayer,  and  therefore 
he  was  a  man  of  power.  Setting  us  an  example 
that  we  should  follow  his  steps — thus,  to  revert 
to  language  borrowed  from  the  stateliest  of 
Lebanon's  cedar,  thus  was  he  "fair  in  his  great- 
ness and  in  the  length  of  his  branches,  for  his 
root  was  by  the  great  waters." — Rev.  T.  Gtithrie, 
D.D. 

[16995]  Each  important  transaction  of  life 
was  entered  on  by  Abraham  in  a  pious  spirit, 
and  hallowed  by  religious  exercises.  His  tent 
was  a  moving  temple.  His  household  was  a 
pilgrim  church.  Wherever  he  rested,  whether  by 
the  venerable  oak  of  Mamre,  or  on  the  olive 
slopes  of  Hebron,  or  on  the  lofty,  forest-crowned 
ridge  of  Bethel,  an  altar  rose  ;  and  his  prayers 
went  up  with  its  smoke  to  heaven. — Anon. 

[16996]  Abraham  was  in  one  sense  a  model 
man  of  the  world  ;  a  keen  and  able  chieftain  : 
rich,  prosperous  ;  with  flocks,  herds,  and  re- 
tainers ;  mixing  with  lofty  courtesy  with  the  men 
of  the  world  around  him,  and  able  to  make  the 
weight  of  his  arm  felt  when  he  was  called  to 
strike.  And  yet  he  was  not  of  the  world.  That 
is,  he  had  always  a  higher  end  in  view.  His 
prosperity  came  by  the  way  ;  his  supreme  con- 
cern, with  which  nothing  came  in  comparison, 
was  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  walk  in  His  way. 
He  cared  deeply  for  nothing  else.  God  was  in 
all  his  thoughts,  the  world  was  not.  Wherever 
he  had  a  tent  and  an  altar,  he  was  well.  What 
came  to  him  by  the  active  use  of  faculty  he 
accepted  thankfully  ;  but  his  life  was  to  com- 
mune with,  to  serve,  to  walk  with,  God,  his 
everlasting  Friend.— Ba/t/win  Brown. 

2      In  its  domestic  aspects. 

(i)  Conjitgal. 

[16997]  Like  other  patriarchs  he  was  a  poly- 
gamist  ;  nor  was  there  at  that  period  of  the 
world  any  revealed  law  either  against  polygamy 
or  against  marriage  within  the  nearer  degrees  of 
consanguinity.  Sarah,  the  wife  of  his  youth, 
was  distinguished  for  her  personal  beauty,  and 
well  deserved  to  be  the  mother  of  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  races.  And  who  does  not 
see  that  his  attachment  to  her  was  strong  and 
ardent,  and  that  nothing  quenched  the  flame  ? 
In  youth,  in  middle  age,  in  advanced  life  she 
was  never  separated  from  him  ;  w^herever  he 
wandered,  and  whatever  his  trials,  he  had  her 
affection,  her  respect,  and  even  reverence  ;  while 
his  love  for  her  was  exalted  by  his  piety. — Rev. 
G.  Spring,  D.D. 

[16998]  That  beautiful  scene  between  Abra- 
ham and  the  sons  of  Heth,  when,  on  the  death 
of  Sarah,  he  was  in  treaty  with  them  for  the 
field  of  Ephron,  the  Hittite,  for  a  burying  place 
for  her  and  her  family,  presents  one  of  the 
finest  pictures  recorded  in  history.  An  old 
man,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land  ;  yet  he  could 
not  forget  what  was  due  to  himself  and  to  the 
memory  of  her  he  loved.  Though  he  well  knew 
that  God  had  destined  his  posterity  to  be  the 


16998— 17003] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JKWISH    ERA. 


[ABRAHAM. 


57 


sovereigns  of  that  land,  he  had  not  as  yet  a  spot 
upon  it  large  enough  for  a  sepulchre.  The  sin- 
gular address  and  dignity  which  marked  his 
conduct,  when,  in  the  day  of  his  mourning, 
"  he  stood  up  before  his  dead,  and  bowed  him- 
self to  the  people  of  the  land,"  honouring,  yet 
declining  their  courtesy,  was  in  every  view 
characteristic  of  this  noble  man.  It  is  not  every 
incident  that  would  have  thus  brought  out  his 
character,  and  showed  the  dignity  of  his  grief. 
Nor  is  it  every  good  man  that  would  have  de- 
meaned himself  thus.  It  is  Abraha/n  through- 
out. The  striking  feature  throughout  the  whole 
is  the  delicacy  and  wisdom  of  a  great  mind, 
bowed  under  the  weight  of  sorrow.  The  marks 
are  strong  of  an  accomplished  and  venerable 
man.  Those  who  are  most  accjuainted  with  the 
workings  of  a  mind  like  his  will  best  perceive 
its  beauty.  Next  to  the  scene  where  he  offers 
up  the  child  of  promise,  it  is  perhaps  the  finest 
moral  lesson  of  the  patriarchal  age,  neither 
overacting,  nor,  at  an  hour  when  much  was 
likelv  to  be  forgotten,  leaving  anything  undone. 
—Ibid. 


(2)  Paternal. 

[16999]  Excellence  of  character  appears  in 
Abraham's  conduct  toward  his  children  and 
slaves.  His  family  was  large  ;  he  was  the  great 
Prince  of  the  Oriental  country.  In  addition  to 
his  children,  he  had  three  hundred  slaves  born 
in  his  house,  beside  others  that  were  bought 
with  his  money.  There  is  no  more  important 
duty  than  the  religious  education  and  govern- 
ment of  such  a  household,  nor  is  there  any  more 
difficult,  especially  if  it  be,  as  Abraham's  im- 
mediate family  \\a.s,  a.  family  of  sons.  Yet  we 
may  be  allowed  to  say,  that  no  parent,  and  no 
master,  ever  performed  this  duty  more  faithfully 
than  Abraham.  God  himself  declares,  "  For  / 
know  Abraham,  that  he  will  command  his 
children,  and  his  household  after  him,  that 
they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord  to  do 
justice  and  judgment."  That  large  household 
were  all  dedicated  to  God,  stamped  with  the 
seal  of  His  covenant,  and  carefully  instructed 
in  the  truths  and  duties  of  piety.  Nor  was  his 
care  in  consulting  the  temporal  prosperity  of 
his  children  less  remarkable.  For  the  children 
of  Hagar  and  Keturah  he  made  bountiful  pro- 
vision during  his  lifetime,  and  sent  them  away 
into  the  East  country  ;  while,  in  relation  to 
Isaac,  his  great  solicitude  was  to  see  him  com- 
mence the  world  as  a  godly  young  man,  and  in 
such  alliances  as  were  befitting  the  child  of 
promise.  Fearful  lest  he  should  be  ensnared 
by  some  of  the  wealthy  and  accomplished 
daughters  of  Chaldasa,  or  by  some  princely 
daughter  of  the  idolatrous  Canaanites,  he  does 
not  rest  until  he  sees  him  the  affianced  husband 
of  the  daughter  of  his  brother  Nahor,  still  in 
Mesopotamia,  and  the  companion  of  his  pilgri- 
mage when  they  left  Chaldiea.  It  is  not  easy  to 
find,  either  in  sacred  or  profane  history,  a  more 
instructive  and  beautiful  example  of  a  Christian 
father  than  in  the  character  of  Abraham. — Ibid. 


3       In  its  social  aspects. 

[17000]  Good  men  there  are  who  are  great 
only  in  great  actions  and  splendid  scenes  and 
enterprises.  Abraham's  character  was  formed 
upon  a  different  model.  He  knew  how  to  ad- 
just the  apparently  conllicting  claims  of  heaven 
and  earth,  without  doing  injustice  to  either. 
He  felt  his  obligation  to  his  fellow-creatures, 
and  was,  indeed,  the  greater  saint  for  being  so 
accomplished  and  dignified  a  man.  It  was  not 
the  coarseness  of  savage  life  to  which  he  was 
accustomed,  but  to  a  state  of  society  whose  re- 
fined intercourse  often  brought  out  the  gene- 
rosity and  delicacy  of  his  character. — Ibid. 

[17001]  With  the  single  exception  of  his  want 
of  ingenuousness  toward  the  king  of  Egypt  and 
Gerah,  we  do  not  find  in  Abraham  an  instance 
either  of  faulty  or  ne.i^ligent  deportment.  There 
was  nothing  ill-judged  or  ill-timed,  nothing 
offensive,  nothing  out  of  place,  and  nothing 
that  might  have  been  better  done.  There  was 
no  arrogance  or  ostentation  ;  no  unbecoming 
elation  of  mind,  and  no  air  of  haughtiness  ;  no 
embarrassment,  and  no  expression  of  gratified 
or  mortified  pride.  In  his  conduct  towards 
others  he  was  the  pattern  of  propriety  and  de- 
corum, and  to  an  extent  which  minds  of  less 
generous  and  delicate  texture  do  not  always 
appreciate.— /i!^/^. 

IV.  The  Three  Instances  in  Abraham's 
History  which  most  Prominently 
Display  the  Grandeur  of  his  Faith 
in  its  Successive  Gradations. 

I  His  faith  was  manifested  in  a  great  degree 
by  the  promptitude  with  which  he  obeyed 
the  Divine  call  to  emigrate. 

"  The  Lord  had  said  tinto  Abraham,  Get 
thee  out  of  the  coutitry  .  .  .  tiiito  a  lattd  that 
I  will  shew  thee.  .  .  .  So  Abraliam  departed" 
(Gen.  xii.  i,  4). 

[17002]  This  is  one  of  the  sublimest  acts  of 
faith  recorded  in  the  spiritual  history  of  man- 
kind. "  He  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  he 
went."  Our  acts  of  faith  rest  on  the  recorded 
experience  of  4000  years.  Age  by  age  the  evi- 
dence has  accumulated.  For  a  soul  in  these 
days  to  distrust  the  God  whose  leading  of 
humanity  is  here  recorded,  is  as  though  the  eye 
should  distrust  the  sun.  But  Abraham  began 
to  make  the  experience  for  us.  What  had  he 
to  rest  upon  but  pure  faith — the  clear  sense 
that  a  Divine  voice  was  speaking,  and  that 
there  was  one  thing  to  be  done,  at  all  hazards, 
at  all  costs— to  obey.  The  greatest  fact  in  the 
past  which  his  soul  could  rest  upon  was  an 
awful  one — the  deluge.  He  would  have  to 
stand  by  and  see  a  fiery  deluge  burst  upon 
and  overwhelm  his  world.  But  he  had  one 
thing  to  guide  him,  one  only— the  Divine 
hand  ;  and  by  faith  "  he  obeyed,  and  went 
out,  not  knowing  whither  he  went." — Ibid. 

[17003]  When  Abram  turned  his  face  to  the 
dreaded  desert,  which  stretched,  wide  and  in- 


58 


17003 — 17008] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ABRAHAM. 


hospitable,  between  him  and  the  nearest  seats 
of  men,  he  gave  his  first  evidence  of  that  trust 
in  the  unseen  Eternal  One,  leading  to  unques- 
tioning, heroic  obedience,  which  must  even 
then  have  formed  the  basis  of  his  character, 
and  of  which  his  later  life  was  to  furnish  so 
many  illustrious  examples.  It  was  thus  one  of  the 
great  moments  of  history  when  that  primitive 
caravan  of  shepherds  set  out  from  Haran.  A 
single  man  and  his  childless  wife  set  out  together 
upon  a  strange  quest.  They  sought  a  land,  they 
knew  not  where  ;  they  sought  a  seed,  they  knew 
not  how  ;  they  sought  a  blessing,  they  knew  not 
what.  One  only  of  their  kindred,  an  orphan 
nephew,  clave  to  their  fortunes.  With  them 
they  carried  all  they  had — household  gear  piled 
on  the  camels'  backs,  and  household  bondsmen 
tending  the  droves  of  cattle.  Who  does  not 
feel  that  the  grandeur  of  that  moment  centres 
in  the  loyalty  of  one  h  11  man  soul  to  one  ivord  of 
Cod  f— Rev.  O.  Dykes,  D.D. 

[17004]  With  his  religious  principles  and 
emotions,  and  beheving  as  he  believed,  he 
could  not  act  otherwise  than  as  he  acted.  The 
world  was  an  idolatrous  and  disobedient  world. 
God's  object  in  calling  him  out  from  it  was  to 
raise  up  a  different  and  an  obedient  community, 
"a  peculiar  people  above  all  people."  It  could 
have  been  for  no  useful  purpose  to  Himself  that 
God  had  thus  made  these  revelations,  unless  He 
designed  to  mould  his  character  and  control  his 
conduct.  They  were  not  lessons  in  moral 
science  which  his  Great  Teacher  was  reading 
to  him  ;  they  were  not  merely  abstract  and 
theological  truths  ;  they  were  commands  and 
promises,  words  to  be  verified  by  facts,  and 
directions  to  be  complied  with.  They  were 
self-denying  precepts,  and  such  as  brought  his 
own  heart  and  will  and  conduct  to  the  test. 
They  were  to  "  get  out  of  his  country  and  kin- 
dred," and  go  he  knew  not  where  ;  they  were 
to  subject  himself  to  an  outward  and  bloody 
rite,  the  import  of  which  he  could  not  under- 
stand ;  they  were  to  cast  out  of  his  house  those 
whom  he  was  bound  to  love  and  care  for.  Yet 
Abraham  did  not  hesitate  to  obey. — Rev.  G. 
Spring,  D.D. 

[17005]  The  command  was  quite  definite  in 
its  terms  :  "  Get  thee  out  of  thy  country,  and 
from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy  father's  house, 
unto  a  land  that  I  will  shew  thee  ; "  leaving  it, 
however,  as  yet  undecided  which  was  to  be  the 
place  of  his  final  settlement.  This  uncertainty 
must  have  been  an  additional  and,  in  the  cir- 
cumstances, a  very  serious  difficulty  in  the  way 
of  Abram's  obedience.  But  the  word  of  pro- 
mise reassured  him.  It  should  be  distinctly 
marked,  that  on  this,  as  on  every  other  occa- 
sion in  Abram's  life,  his  faith  determined  his 
obedience. — Rev.  A.  Edersheim. 

[17006]  He  is  called  to  leave  his  country  and 
his  kindred — called  to  go  he  knew  not  where  ; 
called  to  be  he  knew  not  what.  Nor  does 
he  hesitate.      He   instantly  responds  ;    repairs 


to  Canaan  ;  and  lives  and  dies  in  the  con- 
fident belief  that  it  shall  belong  to  him  and 
his.  Yet  he  found  no  place  there  to  rest  the 
sole  of  his  foot — his  weary  foot — but  was  tossed 
about  during  a  long  lifetime  here  and  there, 
like  a  seaweed  which  is  floated  hither  and 
thither  on  the  wandering  billows,  cast  on  the 
shore  by  this  tide  and  swept  away  by  that.  Of 
Abraham  and  his  whole  life  in  the  land  of 
Canaan,  of  every  journey  he  undertook,  every 
march  he  made,  and  every  footprint  he  left  on 
its  soil  or  on  its  sands,  it  might  be  literally  as 
well  as  figuratively  said,  it  was  true  of  him  in 
respect  of  this  world  as  well  as  of  the  next,  as 
it  never  was  of  any  other  man,  "  He  walked  by 
faith  and  not  by  sight." — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

2  His  faith  was  manifested  in  a  still  greater 
degree  by  his  acceptance  of  the  truth 
concerning  the  seed  of  promise. 

[17007]  The  son  of  promise  had  to  be  the 
gift  of  superhuman  grace.  Not  only  free-born 
and  a  lawful  heir,  he  must  be  also  a  child  of 
faith,  and  a  child  of  miracle.  Now,  when 
Abram  entered  Canaan  he  was  seventy-five 
years  of  age,  and  his  wife  was  sixty-five.  As 
we  reckon  human  age,  neither  was  any  longer 
young  ;  yet  they  retained  vitality  enough,  ac- 
cording to  the  slower  decay  of  that  long-lived 
period,  to  cherish  a  hope  of  offspring.  Such  a 
hope  must  have  expired  as  the  slow  years  went 
past.  Five-and-twenty  years  had  now  elapsed 
since  then.  During  the  last  thirteen  of  these, 
Sarai  had  so  far  surrendered  her  expectation 
of  becoming  a  mother,  that  she  had  been  con- 
tent to  see  her  husband  settle  his  affections  and 
his  hopes  on  the  son  of  the  Egyptian.  By  this 
time,  a  child  of  their  marriage  was  become, 
according  to  the  usual  laws  of  life,  a  physical 
impossibility.  Nothing  short  of  His  power,  who 
plants  in  human  bodies  their  vital  force  at  the 
beginning,  could  re-create  youthful  vigour  in 
the  exhausted  frames  of  this  pair.  It  is  when 
all  this  is  remembered  that  the  strength  of 
Abraham's  faith  appears  so  extraordinary. — Rev. 
O.  Dykes,  D.D. 

[17008]  It  is  easier  for  men  to  believe  in  the 
unlikely  when  they  have  a  strong  reason  for 
desiring  it.  Abraham  was  told  to  expect,  not 
the  unlikely,  but  the  unnatural,  and  that  when 
he  had  not  only  ceased  to  desire  it,  but  had 
long  settled  his  desires  elsewhere.  To  let 
Ishmael  go  in  order  to  look  for  another,  when 
it  seemed  flat  against  nature  and  reason  that 
any  other  should  be  born,  was  the  severest 
strain  to  which  even  this  athlete  of  the  religious 
life,  this  hero  of  faith,  had  yet  been  subjected. 
In  that  plaintive,  clinging  cry  of  fatherhood, 
"Oh  that  Ishmael  might  live  before  Thee!" 
one  hears  with  what  a  painful  rending  of  heart 
the  man  tore  himself  loose  from  the  knotted 
loves  and  anticipations  of  a  dozen  years,  to 
school  himself  into  the  expectation  of  a  gift,  new, 
strange,  and  unheard  of— the  gift  of  a  miraculous 
child.— /^/^. 


T7009— I70I4] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ABRAHAM. 


59 


3  His  faith  reached  its  culminating  point  of 
unequalled  trust  in  the  virtual  sacrifice 
of  Isaac. 

Abrahii>.<i  stands  before  us  in  this  stupen- 
dous trial  as  tlie  noblest  exatnple  on  record  of 
earliest  faith  tested  by  suffering  obedience. 

[17009]  We  here  contemplate  the  venerable 
patriarch  under  the  most  trying  circumstance 
of  his  life.  It  might  seem,  when  his  obedience, 
faith,  and  patience  had  been  so  long  tried,  and 
at  length  rewarded  in  the  fuKih-nent  of  the 
promise,  that  he  would  enjoy  a  quiet  old  age  : 
but  this  was  not  the  case  ;  neither  past  afiflic- 
tions  nor  present  enjoyments  are  any  security 
against  new  trials.  God  now  tried  Abraham, 
not  to  inform  Himself,  for  He  knew  what  was  in 
His  servant,  and  had  Himself  imparted  that 
exalted  faith,  by  which  Abraham  was  enabled 
to  stand  the  fiery  trial  ;  but  that  his  faith  and 
obedience  being  tried,  might  be  found  to  praise 
and  honour  and  glory,  and  handed  down  as  an 
illustrious  example  to  all  succeeding  genera- 
tions. The  nature  of  the  trial  was  most  peculiar, 
as  applied  to  thetenderest  feelings  of  the  parent, 
and  the  graces  of  the  saint. — E.  Copley. 

[17010]  In  what  manner  the  command  of 
heaven  was  communicated  to  Abraham,  we  are 
not  informed.  It  was  unquestionably  con- 
veyed with  so  much  clearness  and  certainty,  as 
left  him  no  possibility  of  doubting  from  whom 
it  came.  It  appears  to  have  been  in  the  night 
season — probably  when,  as  on  a  former  occa- 
sion, God  had  "  caused  a  deep  sleep,  and  a 
horror  of  great  darkness  to  fall  upon  him." 
What  a  stroke  to  the  fond  paternal  heart  ! 
Every  word  in  the  oracle  seems  calculated  to 
awaken  some  painful  feeling,  and  to  increase 
the  difficulty  of  compliance. — Rev.  H.  Hunter, 
D.D. 

[17011]  The  same  indefiniteness  which  had 
added  such  difficulty  to  Abraham's  first  call  to 
leave  his  father's  house  marked  this  last  trial 
of  the  obedience  of  his  faith.  He  was  only  told 
to  get  him  "  into  the  land  of  Moriah,"  where 
God  would  further  tell  him  upon  which  of  the 
mountains  around  he  was  to  bring  his  strange 
"burnt-offering."  Luther  has  pointed  out,  in 
his  own  terse  language,  how  to  human  reason 
it  must  have  seemed  as  if  either  God's  promise 
would  fail,  or  else  this  command  be  of  the  devil, 
and  not  of  God.  f^rom  this  perplexity  there 
was  only  one  issue— to  bring  "  every  thought 
into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of  Christ."  And 
Abraham  "  staggered  not  "  at  the  word  of  God  ; 
doubted  it  not  ;  but  was  "  strong  in  faith," 
"  accounting" — yet  not  knowing  it — "  that  God 
was  able  to  raise  up  Isaac  even  from  the  dead  ; 
fromwhencehe  also  received  him  in  afigure."  For 
we  must  not  detract  from  the  trial  by  importing 
into  the  circumstances  our  knowledge  of  the 
issue.  Abraham  had  absolutely  no  assurance 
and  no  knowledge  beyond  that  of  his  present 
duty.  All  he  had  to  lay  hold  upon  was  the 
previous  promise,  and  the  character  and  faith- 


fulness of  the  covenant  God,  who  now  bade  him 
offer  this  sacrifice. — Rev.  A.  Edersheim. 

[17012]  A  little  excursion  by  the  pious  chief 
and  his  son  for  purposes  of  devotion  may  have 
been  too  ordinary  an  incident  to  do  more  than 
gently  stir  the  monotony  of  their  pastoral  life. 
Yet  few  passages  in  literature  carry  a  deeper 
pathos  than  the  words  which  tell  how,  in  the 
fresh  dawn,  the  aged  lord  of  that  camp  crept 
away  on  foot  out  of  the  midst  of  his  retainers' 
tents,  while  the  cattle,  marshalled  with  merry 
call  and  tinkling  bell,  were  going  forth  in  long 
strings  to  their  several  grazing-grounds,  and  all 
the  landscape  grew  busy  with  cheerful  stir. 
How  willingly  would  he  have  purchased,  by  the 
lives  of  all  these  lowing  herds  and  bleating 
flocks,  that  one  dear  life  which  was  going  forth 
at  his  side  to  return  no  more  !  Not  to  a  single 
soul  that  we  know  of  did  the  old  man  dare  to 
confide  his  purpose.  The  entreaties  of  a 
mother  less  resolute  than  himself  might  have 
overborne  his  firmness.  The  quieter  anguish  of 
a  young  and  gentle  heart,  shrinking  from  too 
early  death,  might  have  proved  more  than  he 
could  endure.  Like  one  who  carries  within  him 
a  guilty  secret,  must  he  steal,  as  it  were,  from 
his  home — the  only  wretched  heart  in  all  that 
pleasant  camp  ;  more  wretched  for  this,  that 
he  must  dissemble  his  wretchedness.  .  .  .  Two 
slow  days  of  footsore  walking  along  rugged 
paths,  up  hill  and  down  dale  ;  two  still  slower 
nights  spent  in  sleepless  thought,  while  beside 
him  on  the  ground  slumbered  his  unsuspecting 
boy  ;  .  .  .  these  must  have  brought  such  tor- 
tures of  delay  as  principle  alone,  and  not  im- 
pulse, could  sustain. — Rev.  O.  Dykes,  D.D. 

V.  The  Comparatively  Minor  Excel- 
lencies OF  HIS  Character  Analyzed 
AND  Personally  Applied. 

1  Peaceableness  and   generosity  of  disposi- 
tion. 

As  displayed  in  his  conduct  towards  Lot. 

[17013]  As  the  older  man  and  leader  of  the 
expedition,  Abram  might  not  unfairly  have 
selected  for  his  own  use  the  richest  pasture- 
ground.  But  this  would  have  ill  become  his 
nobler  temper.  Still  less  would  it  have  served 
those  ends  for  which  he  had  come  to  Canaan, 
to  leave  the  free  air  of  these  lonely  hills  for  a 
stifling,  exuberant  valley,  or  to  exchange  his 
tent  and  altar  among  the  simple  highlanders  for 
the  lot  of  a  citizen  in  Sodom.  So  Lot  made  his 
choice  and  went  his  way.  One  more  effort  of 
self-denial  had  completed  the  rupture  which 
his  uncle  had  made  in  leaving  Haran.  One 
more  victory  over  temptation  had  purified  the 
confidence  of  Abram  in  his  God. — Ibid. 

2  Energy,  courage,  and  disinterestedness. 

As  displayed  in  his  expedition  against  the 
five  kings. 

[17014]  Abram  was  a  man  of  peace,  yet  he 
was  no  coward.  When  a  just  occasion  called 
it  forth,  it  was  found  that  Abram,  the  generous, 


6o 

17014 — 17020] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ABRAHAM. 


the  peaceful,  the  contemplative,  the  pious,  pos- 
sessed a  spirit  of  true  valour  and  promptitude. 
On  hearing^  of  Lot's  capture  by  the  five  kings 
Abram  immediately  armed  his  own  trained 
servants,  three  hundred  and  eighteen  men,  born 
in  his  house,  and  went  forth  to  assist  a  just 
cause  ;  not  only  to  rescue  his  relative,  but  to 
resist  the  power  of  a  cruel,  foreign  oppressor. 
Thus  in  Abram,  as  a  patriot  or  lover  of  his 
country,  the  promise  began  to  be  fulfilled,  that 
he  should  be  blessed  and  made  a  blessing. 
The  prosperity  with  which  Providence  had 
favoured  his  household  was  made  subservient 
to  the  general  good.  His  friends,  Mamre, 
Eshcol,  and  Aner  also  brought  together  all  the 
forces  they  could  muster,  and  joined  in  pursuit 
of  the  haughty  conquerors  and  attacked  them 
in  the  dead  of  the  night.  Thus  unexpectedly 
assailed,  the  enemy  fled  in  confusion,  and  was 
pursued  from  Dan  to  Hobah  in  Syria,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  eighty  miles.  Chedorlaomer, 
and  all  the  kings  that  were  with  him,  were  slain 
in  battle;  and  Lot  and  his  family  and  sub- 
stance, as  well  as  all  the  other  spoil  of  Sodom, 
rescued  and  brought  back  uninjured. — E. 
Copley. 

[17015]  Abram  was  fai  from  indulging  any 
ambitious  views,  or,  it  appears  he  might  easily 
have  followed  up  his  victory  over  the  five  kings, 
and  made  himself  master  of  the  whole  country  ; 
but  in  rescuing  his  kinsman,  and  serving  his 
country,  he  had  achieved  his  object,  and  with 
his  victorious  band  he  peaceably  returned  home- 
wards. As  he  went  he  was  met  and  congratu- 
lated by  the  king  of  Sodom,  who  pressed  on  his 
acceptance  the  whole  of  the  booty  he  had  re- 
covered ;  but  with  a  dignified  disinterestedness, 
worthy  of  the  servant  of  "  the  Most  High  God, 
possessor  of  heaven  and  earth,"  Abram  refused 
to  accept  of  the  smallest  share.  He  obeyed  the 
commands  of  his  heavenly  Master,  and  relied  on 
Him  for  protection  and  maintenance  ;  and  he 
would  give  to  no  man  occasion  to  say,  "  I  have 
made  Abram  rich." — Ibid. 

[17016]  Abraham  was  peaceful  because  of  his 
conscious  relation  to  God  ;  in  other  respects  he 
takes  fire,  like  an  Arab  sheikh,  at  the  injuries 
suffered  by  Lot,  and  goes  to  war  with  the  com- 
bined kinglings  accordingly. — S.  T.  Coleridge. 

3      Courteousness  and  hospitality. 

As  displayed  in  his  reception  of  the  angel 
visitafits. 

[17017]  Where  shall  we  find  such  a  pattern  of 
courteousness  as  Abraham  offers  for  our  imita- 
tion ?  He  descries  three  men  approaching, 
making  for  his  tent,  toiling  along  under  the 
broiling  heat.  Strangers,  neither  clansmen,  nor 
neighbours,  nor  friends,  they  have  no  claim  on 
him.  He  may  wait  their  approach,  leaving 
them  to  solicit  his  hospitality.  Not  he.  Abra- 
ham rises,  nay,  he  runs  to  meet  them  ;  and 
mingling  respect  with  kindness,  courtly  manners 
with  the  most  benevolent  intentions,  he  bows 
himself  to  the  ground.     Not  one  who  says,  The 


favour  which  is  worth  the  givi?ig  is  worth  the 
asking,  he  anticipates  their  request,  and  makes 
offer  of  his  hospitality.  But  they  may  fear 
being  burdensome  to  him.  So,  to  remove  any 
reluctance  on  their  part  to  accept  his  kindness, 
he  makes  light  of  it — speaking  of  what  he  was 
about  to  offer  as  no  tax  on  his  generosity,  as  but 
"a  morsel  of  bread."  Nor  is  this  all.  With 
that  delicate  regard  to  others'  feelings  which 
true  kindness  prompts,  he  would  make  it  appear 
that  they  will  oblige  him  more  by  accepting, 
than  he  does  them  by  offering,  his  hospitality. 
"  My  lord,"  he  says,  addressing  him  who 
appeared  the  chief  man  of  the  three, "  my  lord,  if 
now  I  have  found  favour  in  thy  sight,  pass  not 
away,  I  pray  thee,  from  thy  servant  ;  let  a  little 
water  be  fetched  and  wash  your  feet  ;  and  rest 
yourselves  under  the  tree  ;  and  I  will  fetch  a 
morsel  of  bread,  and  comfort  ye  your  hearts — 
after  that  ye  shall  pass  on."  And  in  a  short 
while  the  three  are  seated  at  an  ample  board, 
Abraham  giving  the  finishing  touch  to  his 
courtesy  by  respectfully  standing  beside  his 
guests  while  they  eat. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17018]  Courteousness  is  a  Christian  duty, 
and  nowhere  can  a  better  example  of  it  be  found 
than  in  Abraham's  reception  of  the  three  stran- 
gers— the  eight  verses  of  Genesis  which  relate 
the  story  containing  a  better  lesson  on  true 
politeness  than  the  whole  volume  of  "  Lord 
Chesterfield's  Letters  to  his  Son." — Ibid. 

[17019]  Abraham's  courteous  demeanour  to 
the  three  angels  who  appeared  to  him  on  the 
plains  of  Mamre  is  even  referred  to  in  the  New 
Testament  as  the  great  example  and  incentive 
to  Christian  hospitality. — Rev.  G.  Springy  D.D. 

4      Tenderness  of  heart. 

As  displayed  in  his  intercession  for  Sodo7n. 

The  holy  boldness  allied  to  profound  humility 
characterizing  this  appeal,  and  its  peculiarly 
touching  pathos. 

[17020]  The  tenderness  of  Abraham's  heart 
is  as  remarkable  as  the  loftiness,  purity,  and 
sternness  of  his  virtue.  Sodom  awakens  all  his 
pity.  Considerations  of  its  enormous  guilt  are 
swallowed  up  in  the  contemplation  of  its  impend- 
ing doom.  Truest,  tenderest  type  of  his  own  illus- 
trious son,  with  the  spirit  that  dropped  in  the 
tears  and  flowed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  he  casts 
himself  between  God's  anger  and  the  guilty  city. 
He  asks,  he  pleads,  he  prays  for  mercy — not 
that  the  righteous  only  be  saved,  but  that  the 
wicked  be  spared  for  the  sake  of  the  righteous. 
In  his  anxiety  to  save  their  lives  he  imperils  his 
own  ;  stands  in  the  way  ;  braves  and  encoun- 
ters the  danger  of  turning  the  Avenger's  sword 
on  himself.  Once,  and  again,  and  again,  he 
puts  God's  long-suffering  patience  to  the  trial. 
He  detains  Him  ;  keeps  Him  listening  to  new 
pleas  and  requests.  Like  the  gallant  crew  who, 
moved  by  the  sight  of  drowning  wretches  that 
hang  in  the  shrouds  and  stretch  out  their  hands 
for  help,  after  repeated  failures  to  reach    the 


I70C0— 17025J 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


61 


[apraham. 


wreck,  venture  lifeboat  and  lives  once  more 
amid  the  roaring  breakers,  Abraham  cries,  "Oh, 
let  not  my  Lord  be  angry,  and  I  will  speak  yet 
but  this  once  ;  peradventure  ten  shall  be  found 
there  ?  "—/vV?^.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17021]  Throughout  the  interview  the  humility 
of  Abraham  is  cjuite  as  remarkable  as  his  cour- 
age. He  is  but  "dust  and  ashes."  Once  and 
again,  as  he  presses  his  plea  a  step  farther  after 
each  concession  gained,  does  he  deprecate  the 
Divine  displeasure  against  such  p^erseverance. 
With  all  this  humility,  however,  there  is  no  hesi- 
tation whatever  about  the  terms  in  which  the 
argument  itself  is  stated.  It  may  be  presump- 
tuous in  a  man  to  remonstrate  with  his  Judge  at 
all  ;  but  there  can  be  no  presumption  in  counting 
upon  the  rectitude  of  the  Judge.  Without  mis- 
giving, therefore,  does  this  simple-hearted  man 
address  God  in  these  terms  :  "  That  be  far  from 
Thee  to  act  after  this  manner — to  slay  the  right- 
eous with  the  wicked  ;  and  that  the  righteous 
should  be  as  the  wicked — that  be  far  from  Thee. 
Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ?  " 
—Rev.  O.  Dykes,  D.D. 

[17022]  Such  shadows  from  the  inequalities 
of  earthly  providence,  as  at  a  later  age  fell  deep 
upon  the  speculative  intellect  of  Job,  had  not 
yet  fallen  on  the  childlike  soul  of  Abraham. 
Out  of  the  clear  depths  of  his  own  conscience  he 
looked  up,  and  in  the  clear  depth  of  heaven  saw  a 
moral  nature  enthroned  over  men,  at  least  as  up- 
right, fair,  and  true  as  his  own.  Nor  did  he  err  in 
this.  It  is  a  wonderful  confirmation  of  man's 
right  to  reason  from  the  most  certain  intuitions 
of  his  own  moral  being  to  the  character  and  ways 
of  Him  who  made  man,  that  Jehovah  neither 
resented  nor  disappointed  the  appeal  of  His 
servant.  To  each  successive  ciuestion  He  re- 
turned a  calm  assent :  "  I  will  not  do  it  for  the 
sake  of  so  many."  As  far  as  the  courage  or  the 
justice  of  the  man  made  bold  to  go,  God's  higher 
and  more  merciful  justice  went  along  with  him. 
—Ibid. 


VI.  His  Recorded    Inconsistencies   as 
Displayed  on  Two  Occasions. 

Dissimulation  and  falsehood. 

[17023]  Strong  as  the  faith  of  Abraham  al- 
ways proved  in  what  concerned  the  kingdom  of 
God,  it  failed  again  and  again  in  matters  per- 
sonal to  himself  A  famine  was  desolating  the 
land,  and,  as  is  still  the  case  with  the  Bedouin 
tribes  under  similar  circumstances,  Abram  and 
his  family  "  went  down  into  Egypt,"  which  has 
at  all  times  been  the  granary  of  other  nations. 
It  does  not  become  us  to  speculate  whether  this 
removal  was  lawful,  without  previous  special 
directions  from  God  ;  but  we  know  that  it  ex- 
posed him  to  the  greatest  danger.  As  we  must 
not  underrate  the  difficulties  of  the  patriarchs, 
so  neither  must  we  overrate  their  faith  and  their 
strength.  Abram  "was  a  man  of  like  passions 
with  us,"  and  of  like  weaknesses.  When  God 
spoke  to  him  he  believed,  and  when  he  believed 


then  he  obeyed.  But  God  had  said  nothing  as 
yet  to  him,  directly,  aljout  Sarai  ;  and,  in  the 
absence  of  any  special  direction,  he  seems  to 
have  taken  the  matter  into  his  own  hands,  after 
the  manner  of  those  times  and  countries.  From 
Gen.  XX.  13  we  learn  that  when  he  first  set  out 
from  his  father's  house,  an  agreement  had  been 
made  between  the  two,  that  Sarai  was  to  pass 
as  his  sister,  because,  as  he  said,  "  the  fear  of 
God  "  was  not  among  the  nations  with  whom 
they  would  be  brought  in  contact ;  and  they  might 
slay  Abram  for  his  wife's  sake.  The  deceit — 
for  such  it  really  was — seemed  scarcely  such  in 
their  eyes,  since  Sarai  was  so  closely  related 
to  her  husband  that  she  might  almost  be  called 
his  sister.  In  short,  as  we  all  too  oft-times  do,  it 
was  deception,  commencing  with  self-deception  ; 
and  though  what  he  said  might  be  true  in  the 
letter,  it  was  false  in  the  spirit  of  it.  But  we 
must  not  imagine  thit  Abram  was  so  heartless 
as  to  endanger  his  wife  for  the  sake  of  his  own 
safety.  On  the  contrary,  it  seemed  the  readiest 
means  of  guarding  her  honour  also  ;  since,  if 
she  were  looked  upon  as  the  sister  of  a  mighty 
chief,  her  hand  would  be  sought,  and  certain 
formalities  have  to  be  gone  through,  which 
would  give  Abram  time  to  escape  with  his  wife. 
This  is  not  said  in  apolo_g\',  but  in  explanation 
of  the  matter. — Rev.  A.  Edcrsheim,  D.D. 

[17024]  There  is  no  occasion  to  deny,  as  cer- 
tain apologists  have  unwisely  done,  the  guilt  of 
the  patriarch's  cowardice  and  falsehood.  To 
call  his  wife  his  sister  was  a  falsehood,  although 
in  the  letter  it  was  half  a  truth,  for  it  was  a 
suppression  of  the  essential  fact  with  a  design 
to  deceive.  .  .  .  Not  even  the  excuse  can  be 
offered  of  a  sudden  impulse,  for  the  scheme  was 
pre-arranged  between  husband  and  wife  before 
they  entered  Egypt.  Even  after  this  lesson  it 
was  repeated  under  analogous  circumstances 
some  twenty  years  afterwards.  It  was  too 
faithfully  imitated  by  his  feebler  son.  When  all 
this  is  considered,  it  will  perhaps  be  judged  that 
the  moral  strength  of  this  great  man  lay  in  his 
power  of  yielding  an  implicit  obedience  to  direct 
instructions  from  heaven  ;  whereas  when  these 
failed  him,  so  that  he  was  left  to  his  unguided 
impulses,  he  showed  himself  by  no  means 
uniformly  strong  or  true.  Such  occasions, 
indeed,  were  of  rare  occurrence  ;  but  on  these 
occasions  he  did  betray  a  certain  cowardly 
craftiness,  which  runs,  like  a  discreditable 
strain,  through  the  blood  of  his  posterity — Rev. 
O.  Dykes,  D.D. 


VII.    Summary      of      his      Character 
Viewed  as  a  Whole. 

I  The  unexampled  honour  attaching  to  the 
name  of  Abraham  is  due  to  the  lofty  order 
of  his  religious  life. 

[17025]  Perhaps  the  impression  which  lingers 
longest  on  the  mind  after  close  contact  with 
the  personality  of  this  saint,  is  that  no  man  ever 
won   for  himself  an   equally  honourable   place 


62 


17025 — 17028] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ABRAHAM. 


among  men  by  qualities  which  are  so  imitable 
and  within  the  reach  of  all.  Wherever  his  foot 
trod  or  his  fame  spread,  the  homage  of  number- 
less generations  has  elevated  the  Hebrew  exile 
of  Ur  almost  into  a  divinity.  In  the  bosom  of 
"  Father  Abraham"  it  was  the  aspiration  of  the 
pious  Jew  to  repose  after  his  decease  (Luke  xvi. 
23)  ;  and  the  mere  circumstance  of  inheriting 
his  blood  appeared  sufficient  in  the  eyes  of 
multitudes  to  secure  them  a  passport  into 
heaven  (Luke  iii.  8  ;  John  viii.  23).  Apostles  of 
such  opposite  type  as  St.  Paul  and  St.  James 
united  in  commending  his  example  to  the 
imitation  of  primitive  Christians,  even  in  an  age 
which  had  seen  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself. 
The  mediaeval  Church,  far  as  it  departed  from 
the  lessons  which  his  faith  taught  and  from  the 
simple  worship  which  he  practised,  yet  canonized 
Abraham  and  him  only  among  Old  Testament 
worthies,  by  no  decree,  but  by  popular  consent. 
To  devout  INIussulmans,  all  over  the  lands  of 
Islam,  the  name  of  Abraham  ranks  in  the  long 
calendar  of  accepted  prophets,  as  second  only  to 
tlie  name  of  Mohammed  himself.  Whence  has 
such  widespread  fame  been  gained .''  The  reply 
is  a  remarkable  one.  All  this  unexampled 
honour  has  been  won  in  a  way  equally  without 
example,  through  the  elevation  of  his  religious 
character.  Not  as  a  leader  of  emigration  ;  not 
as  a  prosperous  emir  ;  not  as  a  captain  of  fighting 
men  ;  not  even  as  an  ancestor  of  nations  ; 
neither  as  a  witness  to  new  truths  ;  nor  as  the 
confessor  of  an  ancient  faith.  All  these  capaci- 
ties he  sustained,  and  in  some  of  them  he  has 
scarcely  a  rival.  Yet  it  was  through  none  of 
these  that  he  achieved  his  far-spread  and  lasting 
reputation.  It  was  simply  the  purity  and  nobility 
of  his  personal  piety  which  made  him  what  he 
is.  He  was  chosen  to  become,  and  he  was  fit  to 
be,  the  friend  of  God.  In  spiritual  attainment 
as  well  as  in  order  of  priority  he  deserved  his 
title  of  the  Father  of  the  Faithful— /<J/^. 


a  Such  was  the  religious  discipline  of  his 
thoughts  that  God's  Word  exerted  more 
influence  over  him  than  all  his  previous 
conceptions,  all  the  habits  of  an  ungodly 
world,  all  sight  or  sense. 

[17026]  Abraham  "was  called  the  friend  of 
God,"  than  which  no  higher  distinction  can  be 
conferred  on  mortal  man.  Beyond  all  the  men 
of  his  age,  his  mind  was  linked  by  indissoluble 
bonds  to  the  Great  Author  of  his  being  ;  moved 
in  a  sphere  where  it  held  habitual  intercourse 
with  his  Maker,  and  received  its  strongest 
impressions  and  most  vivid  and  permanent 
impulses  from  this  hallowed  correspondence. 
If  "  he  that  walketh  with  wise  men  shall  be 
wise,"  does  not  that  man  become  wise  who  walks 
with  God.?  Abraham's  character  obviously  bore 
this  colouring  and  these  hues  of  heaven.  He 
had  acquainted  himself  with  God,  and  well  knew 
how  worthy  he  was  of  His  entire  confidence. 
Though  educated  in  an  idolatrous  land,  and 
where  the  sottish  and  infatuated  mind  of  man 


sought  its  decisions  from  the  oracles  of  the 
heathen,  he  sought  and  became  imbued  with 
the  teachings  of  unerring  wisdom.  It  is  recorded 
concerning  him,  Abraliam  believed  God.  This 
is  a  compendious  but  a  true  description  of  his 
character,  and  no  doubtful  index  of  the  man. 
Such,  indeed,  was  his  faith  in  God,  that  even 
under  the  Christian  dispensation,  the  Apostle 
Paul  awards  him  the  honour  of  being  "  the 
father  of  believers."  From  the  hour  when  God 
first  called  him  from  Chaldasa,  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  ...  no  opposing  testimony,  no  delusion, 
no  reasoning,  no  personal  inclinations  or  interest, 
and  no  persuasion  nor  influence  of  others,  could 
countervail  the  word  of  God. — Rev.  G.  Springs 
D.D. 

3      The   great   charm  of  this  noble   character 
lies  in  its  union  of  simplicity  with  grandeur. 

[17027]  The  patriarch  rises  like  one  of  those 
great  stones  which  are  found  standing  alone  in 
the  wilderness,  so  quiet  in  their  age,  so  unique  in 
their  structure,  and  yet  on  which,  if  tradition  be 
believed,  angels  have  rested,  where  sacrifices 
have  been  offered  up,  and  round  which,  in  other 
days,  throngs  of  worshippers  have  assembled. 
His  prayers  pierce  the  heavens  with  the  reverent 
daring  of  one  of  the  mountain  altars  of  nature. 
He  is  at  once  a  shepherd  and  a  soldier.  He  is 
true  to  the  living,  and  jealous  of  the  honour  of 
the  ashes  of  the  dead.  He  is  a  plain  man, 
dwelling  in  tents,  and  yet  a  prince  with  men  and 
God.  Peace  to  his  large  and  noble  dust,  as  it 
reclines  near  that  of  his  beloved  Sarah,  in  the 
still  cave  of  Machpelah.  He  was  one  of  the 
simple,  harmless,  elephantine  products  of  an  age 
when  man  was  a  giant,  and  when  all  the  "giants 
in  those  days"  were  not  robbers  and  oppressors. 
— Giljillan. 

VIII.  Abraham   considered  as  a  Type 
OF  God  the  Father. 

[17028]  In  reaching  the  summit  of  service 
possible  to  a  creature,  Abraham  grew  of  necessity 
into  the  nearest  likeness  to  the  Divine  character 
which  creatures  can  attain.  The  path  of  obedi- 
ence was  a  difficult  one  to  tread  ;  but  it  con- 
ducted him,  as  it  must  conduct  every  one  who 
follows  it,  into  close  fellowship  and  similarity 
with  God.  The  will  of  God  demands  nothing 
from  His  servant  but  a  parallel  service  to  that 
which  His  own  love  is  prepared  to  render,  nor 
can  God's  love  seek  for  His  friend  anything 
higher  than  moral  likeness  to  Himself  and  the 
power  to  walk  in  Divine  footsteps.  The  surren- 
der which  Abraham  had  made  at  the  bidding  of 
Divine  love  was  not  only  the  highest  possible 
for  love  to  make,  it  was  such  a  surrender  as  no 
one  but  a  father  has  it  in  his  power  to  ofter. 
Through  this  particular  form  of  sacrifice,  there- 
fore, Abraham  rose  into  the  honour  of  fore- 
shadowing upon  earth  the  sacrifice  of  the 
Eternal  Father  Himself,  who  is  in  heaven. 
What  man  was  ever  so  like  the  Father  of  Jesus 
as  the  father  of  Isaac  'i—Rev.  O.  Dykes,  D.D. 


17029-17034] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[ABRAHAM. 


63 


IX.  Abraham  considered  as  a  Type  of 
God  the  Son. 

1  Points  of  resemblance. 

[17029]  Abraham,  at  God's  command,  leaving 
hi.s  country  and  his  father's  house,  points  to  us 
obviously  Jesus,  at  the  fulness  of  time,  leaving 
heaven's  glory,  and  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
and  coming  into  our  world,  and  living  a  pilgrim 
and  a  stranger  in  it.  Abraham,  in  a  land  which 
was  his  own  by  the  gift  and  promise  of  God, 
nevertheless  obtained  no  tixed  residence  in  it, 
but  wandered  about  from  place  to  place  ;  Jesus, 
in  a  world  which  He  made  and  upholds,  which 
is  His  by  the  most  undeniable  title,  was  without 
a  place  where  to  lay  His  head.  Abraham  was 
called  the  friend  of  God,  and  to  him  God 
communicated  His  purposes  of  mercy  and  of 
judgment  :  Jesus  the  only  begotten  Son,  who  is 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  and  knows  intimately 
the  mind  of  the  Lord,  he  hath  declared  Him. 
With  Abraham,  God  established  the  political 
covenants  which  secured  to  him  and  his  family 
the  possession  of  Canaan,  and  all  the  temporal 
and  spiritual  blessings  of  a  transitory  and 
preparatory  economy.  Jesus  is  the  Mediator  of 
a  better  covenant,  established  upon  better  pro- 
mises ;  even  the  covenant  of  redemption, 
whereby  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  eternal 
life,  are  made  sure  to  all  His  spiritual  seed. — 
Rev.  H.  Hioiter,  D.D. 

2  Points  of  contrast. 

[17030]  "Who  shall  declare  ///V  generation," 
who  saith  of  Himself,  "  Before  Abraham  was,  I 
am?"  Abraham  was  a  man  of  like  passions 
with  us,  and  even  the  Father  of  the  Faithful 
stumbled  and  fell  ;  Jesus  was  "  holy,  harmless, 
undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners,"  and  the 
prince  of  this  world  himself,  when  he  came, 
found  nothing  in  Him.  Abraham  was  ready  to 
offer  up  Isaac,  Christ  actually  offered  Himself, 
a  sacrifice  of  "a  sweet  smelling  savour  unto 
God."  The  faith  of  Abraham  could  not  redeem 
him  from  death  ;  the  power  of  Christ  triumphed 
over  the  grave.  The  first  covenants,  being  of  a 
temporary  nature,  having  fulfilled  their  design, 
are  passed  away.  The  New  Testament  in  the 
blood  of  Christ,  being  for  everlasting,  continues 
in  full  force,  and  shall  last  while  sun  and  moon 
endure,  nay,  when  "  all  these  things  shall  be 
dissolved." — Ibid. 


X.   HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

I       The    holy    life    of    Abraham    presents    a 
grand  example  to  modern  Christians. 

[17031]  It  is  certainly  remarkable,  and  it 
shows  how  wonderfully  independent  God's  ways 
with  us  are  all  of  our  "  progress  "  and  "  civili- 
zation," of  which  we  boast  so  much,  that  over 
the  vast  tract  of  four  thousand  years,  through 
periods  so  immense  and  so  obscure  that  history 
hardly  finds  here  and  there  a  thread  of  light 
running  through  them,  we  yet  travel  back  all 
that  way  to  find  this  e-xample  of  simple-hearted, 


practical,  and  courageous  trust  in  God,  over- 
topping and  outshining  most  of  the  specimens 
of  Christian  faithfulness  that  we  meet  in  the 
best  modern  society.  The  plain  patriarch's 
experience  illustrates,  sixty  generations  before- 
hand, the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Beatitudes 
better  than  thousands  among  our  self-confident, 
calculating,  and  over-anxious  nominal  Chris- 
tians. We  can  see  how  even  an  apostle  of 
Christ,  preaching  nothing  but  justification  by 
the  faith  of  the  cross,  should  point  back  to 
Chaldsea,  before  the  law  was  given  by  Moses, 
and  say  to  Christendom,  "Why  can  you  not 
learn  the  secret  of  holy  living  and  its  blessed- 
ness at  least  from  that  venerable  saint  standing 
there  with  the  light  and  freshness  of  the  world's 
morning  on  his  forehead  1"  Abraham  believed 
God,  and  it  was  counted  to  him  for  righteousness. 
— Rev.  F.  Hu7itingto7i,  D.D. 

2  It  inculcates  the  importance  and  neces- 
sity of  absolute,  unconditional,  voluntary 
self-surrender,  and  consecration  to  the 
will  of  God. 

[17032]  True  piety,  in  its  more  masculine  and 
self-conscious  stages,  always  involves  renuncia- 
tion of  natural  supports.  It  does  not  always 
require  a  literal  separation  from  home  or  friends, 
but  it  does  require  the  withdrawal  of  the  heart's 
deepest  dependence  from  earthly  props  or 
ministers,  in  order  to  rest  in  a  self-contained 
and  unaided  trust  upon  the  Unseen  Arm. 
Abram's  emigration  teaches  by  example  pre- 
cisely the  same  profound  and  universal  lesson 
of  spiritual  life  which  Jesus  taught  in  words  : 
"  Whosoever  he  be  of  you  that  forsaketh  not  all 
that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be  My  disciple."  St. 
Francis  of  Assisi,  and  many  like  him,  have  read 
this  evangelical  call  to  renounce  the  world  too 
literally.  Nevertheless,  if  we  would  choose  and 
pursue  the  heavenly  country  to  which  God  is 
calling  us,  there  must  be  in  the  heart  of  each  of 
us  a  virtual  leaving  of  father  and  mother,  a  for- 
saking of  all  that  we  have,  in  order  to  be  Christ's 
followers.  Of  this  we  have  the  first  great  type 
in  the  emigration  of  Abram. — Rev.  O.  Dykes, 
D.D. 

[17033]  The  only  way  to  find  comfort  in  an 
earthly  thing  is  to  surrender  it  (in  a  faithful 
carelessness)  into  the  hands  of  God.  Even  in 
small  things  there  is  a  great  providence.  What 
mysteries  there  are  in  every  act  of  God  !  .  .  . 
Abraham,  while  he  exercises  his  faith,  confirms 
it,  and  rejoices  more  to  foresee  the  true  Isaac 
in  that  place  offered  to  death  for  his  sins,  than 
to  see  the  carnal  ^saac  preserved  from  death  for 
the  reward  of  his  faith.  Whatsoever  is  dearest 
to  us  upon  earth  is  our  Isaac  ;  happy  are  we  if 
we  can  sacrifice  it  to  God.  Those  shall  never 
rest  with  Abraham  that  cannot  sacrifice  with 
Abraham.— Z?/.  Hull, 

[17034]  To  such  an  absolute  sacrifice  of 
everything  to  the  Supreme  must  sound  both 
unreasonable  and  unnatural.  Even  religious 
men  are  apt  to  find  the  air  upon  this  height  of 


64 


17034— 17039] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    EPA. 


[ISAAC. 


sacrifice  too  rare  for  them  to  breathe  with  com- 
fort. It  is  only  at  moments  of  somewhat  similar 
trial,  when  the  Christian  is  lifted  above  his 
usual  self-indulgent  level,  that  he  can  taste  a 
similar  blessedness,  or  feel  his  heart  at  one  with 
that  ancient  saint  upon  Moriah.  None  the  less 
does  this  act  of  Abraham  express  the  kind  of 
self-surrender  which  must  be  natural  to  any  one 
who  perfectly  knows  God,  and  is  in  close  friend- 
ship with  Him,  and  therefore  can  repose  in  Him 
an  unfaltering  trust  that  He  will  act  like  God. 
To  souls  made  perfect  r,nd  set  free  from  the 
shadows  of  earth  into  that  vision  of  the  Eternal 
Face  for  which  it  is  our  present  blessedness  to 
long,  such  a  temper  of  sacrifice  as  Abraham 
attained  may  prove  to  be  not  natural  only,  but 
easy,  and  even  rapturous.  To  live  for  ever  on 
an  equal  altitude  of  self-consecration  may  pos- 
sibly make  part  of  the  felicity  as  well  as  of  the 
worship  of  the  saints  in  God's  celestial  city. — 
Rev.  O.  Dykes,  D.D. 

3  The  spirit  of  submissive,  cheerful  obedi- 
ence displayed  by  Abraham  in  the  yield- 
ing up  of  his  best  beloved,  conveys  a 
sublime  lesson  to  bereaved  parents. 

[17035]  When  thou  hast  lost  a  beloved  and 
only  son,  whom  thou  wert  bringing  up  in  much 
wealth,  displaying  good  hopes,  himself  being 
the  only  one  to  succeed  to  thine  inheritance, 
do  not  complain,  but  give  thanks  to  God,  and 
glorify  Him  who  has  taken  him  ;  and  in  this 
respect  thou  wilt  not  be  worse  than  Abraham. 
For  as  he  gave  him  to  God,  when  He  com- 
manded it,  so  thou  hast  not  complained  when 
He  has  taken  him. — Chrysustom. 

4  The  unswerving  character  of  his  faith 
under  the  severest  tests  strikingly  en- 
forces the  comforting  truth  that  God  is 
able  to  succour  them  that  are  tempted, 
and  to  provide  "a  way  of  escape." 

[17036]  With  safety  may  it  always  be  pre- 
sumed, not  only  that  the  wise  Lord  who  guides 
earthly  discipline  tries  men's  virtue  for  their 
own  profit,  but  also  that  He  graduates  such 
trials  to  the  strength  of  virtue  which  is  to  be 
found  in  each.  It  concerns  His  faithfulness  to 
"  tempt,"  indeed,  in  this  beneficent  sense  of  the 
word,  yet  at  the  same  time  to  provide  that  no 
servant  of  His  be  tempted  "above  that  he  is 
able."  With  a  task  so  delicate,  who  could  trust 
any  hand  less  firm  or  skilful  or  tender  than  His 
own  t—Rcv.  O.  Dykes,  D.D. 


ISAAC. 

I.  Introductory. 
1       The  value  of  Isaac's  history. 

[17037]  Those  scenes  in  human  life  which 
make  the  greatest  figure  in  history  are  far  from 
being  the  most  beneficial  to  mankind  ;  neither 
were  the  persons,  whose  names  have  been 
transmitted  to  us  with  the  most   renown,  and 


whose  actions  have  dazzled  posterity  with  their 
lustre,  either  the  happiest  in  themselves,  or  the 
greatest  blessings  to  the  age  in  which  they 
lived.  To  constitute  one  man  a  hero,  how 
many  garments  must  have  been  dyed  in  blood  ? 
And  what  are  the  acclamations  of  a  triumph 
but  the  miserable  echo  of  the  cries  of  the 
wounded,  and  the  groans  of  the  dying.?  We 
trace  here  the  history  of  a  man  of  peace;  of  one 
who  was  not  indeed  exempted  from  his  share  of 
the  ills  which  flesh  is  heir  to,  but  whose  afflic- 
tions, being  private  and  domestic,  were  patiently 
borne  by  himself,  and  disturbed  not  the  repose 
of  others  ;  of  one  who,  by  the  example  of  his 
piety  and  virtues,  did  more  to  instruct  and  to 
bless  mankind  than  all  the  conquerors  that 
ever  existed,  from  Nimrod  of  Assyria  down  to 
Frederick  of  Prussia. — Rev.  H.  Hiinler,  D.D. 

2      His  connection  with  the  covenants. 

(i)  He  forms  the  second  link  in  the  Abrahamic 
covenant. 

[17038]  "  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God 
of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,"  is  the  Lord's 
own  declaration  of  that  threefold  cord  of  the 
patriarchal  dispensation  which  assigns  to  each 
of  those  holy  men  an  equality  of  rank  and  posi- 
tion in  the  Lord's  purposes  of  mercy  to  a  fallen 
world.  In  point  of  time,  there  was  priority  ; 
Abraham  was  antecedent  to  Isaac,  and  Isaac  to 
Jacob  ;  and  so,  too,  as  regarded  the  moral  fit- 
ness of  things,  there  were  both  distinction  and 
precedency  ;  the  father  was  before  the  son,  and 
the  son  below  the  lather.  Yet  still,  in  God's 
spiritual  and  eternal  covenant,  there  was  neither 
priority  nor  precedence.  If  Abraham  be  called 
the  father  of  the  faithful,  so  is  Isaac,  and  so  is 
Jacob  ;  and  in  this  respect  "  none  is  afore  or 
after  other,  none  is  greater  or  less  than  another." 
— Rev.  B.  Boiicliicr. 

(2)  He  for7ns  the  second  link  in  the  universal 
covenant. 

[17039]  In  what  does  the  superiority  of  this- 
patriarch  consist.?  Evidently,  that  his  predicted 
birth  related  to  no  local,  no  partial,  no  solitary 
purpose — that  in  that  birth  was  involved  the 
everlasting  purpose  of  Jehovah,  the  counsel  of 
the  Blessed  Trinity,  before  the  foundations  of 
the  earth  were  laid,  that  generations  antecedent 
to  Isaac,  from  the  first  father  of  the  human  race, 
and  every  generation  that  has  been  born  since, 
or  shall  be  born  hereafter,  are  alike  interested 
in  the  event.  "  In  thy  seed  shall  ail  the  nations 
of  the  earth  be  blessed,"  was  the  Lord's  promise ; 
and  what  is  the  apostle's  comment  on  the  words, 
"  Now  to  Abraham  and  his  seed  were  the 
promises  made.  He  saith  not,  '  And  to  seeds  as 
of  many,  but  as  of  one,  and  to  thy  seed,'  which 
is  Christ."  It  is  because  Isaac  is  the  second 
link  in  that  chain  of  mercy  which  has  been  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting,  which  reaches  from 
the  throne  of  the  Almighty  in  heaven  to  the 
humblest  chamber  of  the  poorest  penitent,  or 
the  deepest  dungeon  of  a  martyr  on  earth,  and 
which  will  never  be  lost  throughout  the  countless 
ages  of  eternity. — Ibid. 


17040— 17047] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[ISAAC. 


65 


II.  Points  of  Character  Traced  in  the 
Sequence  of  his  History. 

I       Excellences  and  graces. 

(1)  Gentleness  and  placidity. 

[17040]  He  was  naturally  of  a  gentle,  placid 
disposition,  which  was  increased  by  his  mother's 
influence  and  society,  who  no  doubt  had  him 
much  in  her  company,  and  to  whom  he  fondly 
clung  till  her  death.  .  .  .  From  his  youth  he  was 
imbued  with  heavenly  wisdom,  and  saved  from 
many  of  the  dangers  and  miseries  of  self-will. — 
Rev.  A.  Gregory. 

(2)  Self-surrender  afid  submission. 

"And  Abraham  bound  Isaac  his  son,  and 
laid  him  on  the  altar  upon  the  wood "  (Gen. 
xxii.  9). 

[17041]  As  the  obedience  of  the  father  was 
prompt  and  cheerful,  so  was  that  of  the  son. 
If  the  resignation  of  Abraham  merits  praise,  the 
submission  of  Isaac  claims  no  less,  for  his  con- 
sent must  have  undoubtedly  been  attained.  In 
both,  it  was  "  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable 
unto  God  ;  and  a  reasonable  service  ; "  and  the 
blessing  which  was  pronounced  from  heaven 
on  that  occasion  applied  to  both  equally,  and 
in  the  same  manner.— AVz'.  H.  Hunter,  D.D. 

[17042]  There  could  be  no  doubt  that  Abra- 
ham had  found  a  true  heir  when  Isaac  laid 
himself  on  the  altar  and  steadied  his  heart  to 
receive  the  knife.  Dearer  to  God,  and  of  im- 
measurably greater  value  than  any  service, 
was  this  surrender  of  himself  into  the  hand  of 
his  Father  and  his  God.  In  this  was  promise 
of  all  service  and  all  loving  fellowship. — Rev. 
M.  Dads,  D.D. 

[17043]  So  incomparable  with  the  most  dis- 
tinguished service  did  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac's 
self  appear,  that  the  record  of  his  active  life 
seems  to  have  had  no  interest  to  his  contempo- 
raries or  successors.  There  was  but  this  one 
thing  to  say  of  him.  No  more  seemed  needful. 
The  sacrifice  was  indeed  great,  and  worthy  of 
commemoration.  No  act  could  so  conclusively 
have  shown  that  Isaac  was  thoroughly  at  one 
with  God.  He  had  much  to  live  for  ;  from  his 
birth  there  hovered  around  him  interests  and 
hopes  of  the  most  exciting  and  flattering  nature  ; 
a  new  kind  of  glory  such  as  had  not  yet  been 
attained  on  earth  was  to  be  attained,  or,  at  any 
rate,  approached  in  him.  This  glory  was  cer- 
tain to  be  realized,  being  guaranteed  by  God's 
promise,  so  that  his  hopes  might  launch  out  in 
the  boldest  confidence  and  give  him  the  aspect 
and  bearing  of  a  king  ;  while  it  was  uncertain 
in  the  time  and  manner  of  its  realization,  so 
that  the  most  attractive  mystery  hung  around 
his  future. — Jdid. 

[17044]  Plainly  Isaac's  was  a  life  worth  enter- 
ing on  and  living  through  ;  a  life  fit  to  engage 
and  absorb  a  man's  whole  desire,  interest,  and 
effort  ;  a  life  such  as  might  well  make  a  man 
gird  himself  and  resolve  to  play  the  man 
throughout,  that  so  each  part  of  it  might  reVeal 

VOL.   VI. 


its  secret  to  him,  and  that  none  of  its  wonder 
might  be  lost.  It  was  a  life  which,  above  all 
others,  seemed  worth  protecting  from  all  injury 
and  risk,  and  for  which,  no  doubt,  not  a  few  of 
the  home-born  servants  in  the  patriarchal  en- 
campment would  have  gladly  ventured  their 
own.  There  have,  indeed,  been  few,  if  any, 
lives  of  which  it  could  so  truly  be  said.  The 
world  cannot  do  without  this — at  all  hazards 
and  costs  this  must  be  cherished.  And  all  this 
must  have  been  even  more  obvious  to  its  owner 
than  to  any  one  else,  and  must  have  begotten 
in  him  an  unquestioning  assurance,  that  he  at 
least  had  a  charmed  life,  and  would  live  and 
see  good  days.  Yet  with  whatever  shock  the 
command  of  God  came  upon  him,  there  is  no 
word  of  doubt  or  remonstrance  or  rebellion. 
He  gave  his  life  to  Him  who  had  first  given  it 
to  him.  And  thus  yielding  himself  to  God,  he 
entered  into  the  inheritance,  and  became  worthy 
to  stand  to  all  time  the  representative  heir  of 
God,  as  Abraham,  by  his  faith,  had  become  the 
father  of  the  faithful.— /^/V/. 

(3)  Self-repression  and  patience. 

[17045]  He  leaves  all  concern  about  his  future 
fortunes  and  his  establishment  in  the  world  to 
the  care  and  wisdom  of  his  father,  and  thereby 
reproves  the  forwardness  and  self-sufficiency  of 
many  of  our  young  men  who  presume  to  act  for 
themselves  in  everything  before  they  have 
learned  to  think  at  all  ;  who  attempt  the  works 
of  men  with  the  understanding  and  the  strength 
of  children. — Rev.  H.  Hii7iier,  D.D, 

[17046]  The  patience  of  Isaac  was  quite  as 
remarkable  as  the  faith  of  Abraham.  At  forty 
years  old  he  was  still  unmarried,  and  if,  as  he 
had  been  told,  the  great  aim  of  his  life,  the 
great  service  he  was  to  render  to  the  world,  was 
bound  up  with  the  rearing  of  a  family,  he  might 
with  some  reason  be  wondering  why  circum- 
stances were  so  adverse  to  the  fulfilment  of  this 
vocation.  Must  he  not  have  been  tempted,  as 
his  father  had  been,  to  take  matters  into  his 
own  hand  .''  Fathers  are  perhaps  too  scrupulous 
about  telling  their  sons  instructive  passages 
from  their  own  experience;  but  when  Abraham 
saw  Isaac  exercised  and  discomposed  about  this 
matter,  he  can  scarcely  have  failed  to  strengthen 
his  spirit  by  telling  him  something  of  his  own 
mistakes  in  life. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

(4)  Spirituality  of  mind. 

"And  Isaac  went  out  to  meditate  in  the  field 
at  the  eventide"  (Gen.  xxiv.  63). 

[17047]  His  figure,  going  forth  into  the  fields 
to  meditate,  is  painted  for  ever  on  the  eye  of  the 
world.  An  action  common  now  becomes  glori- 
fied in  the  light  of  the  past.  It  is  the  same  with 
David's  going  to  his  chamber  to  weep,  and  with 
Christ's  walking  out  "  mid  ripe  corn  on  the 
Sabbath  day."  And  it  seems  no  wonder  that 
the  same  person  who  had  meditated  in  his  early 
days  should,  in  his  old  age,  "tremble  very  ex- 
ceedingly" at  the  discovery  of  the  fraud  prac- 
tised on  him  by  his  son  Jacob.    It  is  the  genuine 


66 

17047—17053] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  EKA. 


history  of  his  peculiar  temperament. — Rev.  C. 
CiIJilla7i. 

[17048]  Twilight,  "nature's  vesper-bell,"  or 
the  light  shaded  at  evening  by  the  hills  of 
Palestine,  seems  to  have  called  Isaac  to  a 
familiar  occupation.  The  long-continued  mourn- 
ing for  his  mother,  and  his  lonely  meditation  in 
the  fields,  are  both  in  harmony  with  what  we 
know  of  his  character,  and  of  his  experience  on 
j\Iount  Moriah.  Retiring  and  contemplative, 
willing  to  conciliate  by  concession  rather  than 
to  assert  and  maintain  his  rights  against  op- 
position, glad  to  yield  his  own  affairs  to  the 
strong  guidance  of  some  other  hand,  tender  and 
deep  in  his  affections,  to  him  this  lonely  medita- 
tion seems  singularly  appropriate.  His  dwelling, 
too,  was  remote,  on  the  edge  of  the  wilderness, 
by  the  well  which  Hagar  had  named  Lahai-roi. 
Here  he  dwelt  as  one  consecrated  to  God,  feel- 
ing little  desire  to  enter  deeper  into  the  world, 
and  preferring  the  place  where  the  presence  of 
Cod  was  least  disturbed  by  the  society  of  men. — 
Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17049]  No  doubt  Isaac's  meditations,  however 
they  might  deviate  here  and  there,  on  this  hope 
and  on  that,  would  ever  recur  to  that  blessed  pro- 
mise, which  was  handed  down  to  him  as  the 
precious  heirloom  of  his  inheritance,  that  in 
him — in  Isaac — "  should  all  the  families  of  the 
earth  be  blessed,"  and  in  the  sweet  certainty  of 
the  fulfilment  of  that  covenant  promise  of  the 
Almighty,  would  he  no  doubt  recall  that  fore- 
shadowing of  the  Redeemer's  death,  in  his  own 
sacrifice  on  the  mount  of  Moriah. — Rev.  B. 
Bouchier. 

(5)  Filial  love. 

"And  Isaac  was  comforted  after  his  mother's 
death  "  (Gen.  xxiv.  67). 

[17050]  Some  years  had  elapsed  since  Isaac's 
last  scene  on  the  mount  of  Moriah,  probably 
five  or  six.  During  that  interval  he  had  lost 
his  mother,  no  doubt  with  Abraham  closing  her 
eyes,  and  like  him,  too,  mourning  and  weeping 
for  her.  It  is  a  touching  expression  which  is 
used  at  the  close  of  this  chapter,  that  in  his 
marriage  with  Rebekah  "  Isaac  was  comforted 
after  his  mother's  death,"  as  if  up  to  that  period 
he  had  felt  the  void  in  his  heart  unfilled  ;  and 
the  unoccupied  tent  in  which  his  mother  dwelt 
had  kept  up  the  remembrance  of  her  he  loved 
so  well.  That  she  was  affectionate  and  endeared 
to  Isaac  by  the  closest  ties  that  ever  linked  the 
hearts  of  mother  and  son  together,  we  may  well 
infer  from  the  lengthened  period  during  which 
Isaac  held  that  mother  in  such  loving  remem- 
brance, and  suffered  not  her  place  in  that  heart 
to  be  filled,  till  one  came  of  whom  God's  word 
had  said,  in  the  beginning,  that  "therefore  shall 
a  man  leave  his  father  and  his  mother,  and  shall 
cleave  unto  his  wife,  and  they  twain  shall  be 
one  flesh." — Ibid. 

[17051]  At  the  partiality  of  Sarah  to  such  a 
son  as  Isaac  we  need  not  be  at  all  surprised. 
It  is  pleasant  to  observe,  however,  that  it  cor- 


rupted neither  his  understanding  nor  his  heart. 
Neither  the  indulgence  with  which  he  was 
treated,  nor  the  prospects  to  which  he  was  born 
and  brought  up,  seem  to  have  rendered  him, 
upon  any  occasion,  insolent  or  assuming  :  and 
maternal  fondness  met  with  its  dearest,  best 
reward  in  filial  duty  and  tenderness.  Sarah 
lived  respected,  and  died  lamented,  by  her  only 
and  beloved  son. — Rev.  H.  Hunter,  D.D. 

(6)  Peacenblcncss. 

"  And  the  Philistines  envied  him.  .  .  .  And 
Abimelech  said  unto  Isaac,  Go  from  us,  for  thou 
art  much  mightier  than  we.  And  Isaac  de- 
parted thence"  (Gen.  xxvi.  14,  16,  17). 

[17052]  Isaac  was  essentially  a  man  of  peace. 
The  beginning  of  his  life  was,  indeed,  marked 
by  a  scene  of  bitterness  and  wrong  ;  but  Isaac 
was  an  unconscious  agent,  and  had  neither  part 
nor  lot  in  the  matter ;  and,  indeed,  his  whole 
life  seems  to  have  been  a  life  of  quietude  and 
avoidance  of  turmoil.  It  is  very  possible  that 
his  being  an  only  child,  and  the  child,  too,  of 
his  parents'  old  age,  may  have  unconsciously 
tended  to  nurture  this  disposition  and  love  of 
ease.  And  even  in  after  years,  when  the  herd- 
men  of  Isaac  and  the  herdmen  of  Gerar  strove 
together  about  that  which  was  the  usual  source 
of  disputation  in  those  early  days,  when  pas- 
turage and  wells  of  water  were  the  chief  in- 
gredients of  wealth,  Isaac,  with  his  characteristic 
love  of  peace,  gave  way  to  the  encroachments 
and  wrong  of  his  opponents,  till  he  had  at  length 
reached  a  neutral  spot,  where  he  could  live 
without  disturbance. — Rev.  B.  Bouchier. 

[17053]  The  Philistines  were  anxious  to  get 
rid  of  their  too-powerful  neighbour,  and  no 
more  effectual  means  of  annoyance  could  be 
devised,  than  stopping  and  filling  up  with  earth 
the  wells,  on  which  Isaac  must  have  depended 
for  the  watering  of  his  numerous  flocks  and 
herds.  Such  a  step  was  no  doubt  most  galling 
to  Isaac's  herdsmen,  and  had  their  master,  as 
his  father  had  once  done,  under  great  aggres- 
sion, armed  his  trained  servants,  born  in  his 
own  house,  and  taken  the  matter  into  his  own 
hands,  there  could  have  been  little  doubt  as  to 
the  result,  for  as  Abimelech  acknowledges  to 
Isaac,  "Thou  art  much  mightier  than  we." 
And  Isaac  had  right  as  well  as  might  on  his 
side,  for  the  wells  were  his  own  ;  wells  which 
his  father's  servants  had  digged,  and  which 
Abimelech  had  covenanted  he  should  possess, 
when  he  said  to  him,  "Behold  my  land  is  before 
thee,  dwell  where  it  plcascth  thee  ;"  and  special 
mention  was  afterwards  made  of  the  very  wells 
which  were  now  the  subject  of  dispute.  It  is, 
however,  a  noble  testimony  to  the  peaccableness 
of  the  patriarch's  disposition,  as  well  as  his 
loving  and  self-denying  spirit,  that  without  re- 
taliation, or  even  remonstrance,  he  immediately 
departed  and  took  up  his  abode  in  a  district 
beyond,  though  adjoining,  the  territories  of 
Abimelech.  "  If  they  persecute  you  in  one 
city,"  said  our  Lord,  "  flee  ye  to  another."  And 
one  rejoices  to  think,  how  in  those  earlier  days 


17053—17060] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[ISAAC. 


67 


of  the  patriarchs,  Isaac,  as  well  as  Abraham, 
had  drunk  of  that  spirit  which  was  in  Christ. 
"  Go  from  us,"  was  the  uncourteous  demand  of 
Abimelech — "  he  departed,"  the  answer  which 
Isaac  made. — Ibid. 

[17054]  His  meek  and  placid  deportment, 
together  with  his  increasing  power  and  wealth, 
and  the  favour  of  heaven  so  unequivocally  de- 
clared, rendered  the  patriarch  so  dignified  and 
respectable  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  that  the 
prince,  who  from  an  unworthy  motive  had  been 
induced  to  treat  him  with  unkindness,  and  to 
dismiss  him  from  his  capital,  felt  himself  im- 
pelled to  court  his  friendship,  and  to  secure  it 
by  a  solemn  compact.  Abimelech  considers  it 
as  no  diminution  of  his  dignity  to  leave  home, 
attended  with  the  most  honourable  of  his  coun- 
cil, and  the  supreme  in  command  over  his 
armies,  in  order  to  visit  the  shepherd  in  his 
tent. — Rev.  H.  Hunter,  D.D. 

(7)  Resignation. 

"  I  have  blessed  him,  yea,  and  he  shall  be 
blessed"  (Gen.  xxvii.   '})'i)- 

[17055]  The  shock  which  Isaac  felt  when 
Esau  came  in  and  the  fraud  of  Jacob  was  dis- 
covered is  easily  understood.  The  mortification 
of  the  old  man  must  have  been  extreme  when 
he  found  that  he  had  so  completely  taken  him- 
self in.  He  was  reclining  in  the  satisfied  reflec- 
tion that  for  once  he  had  overreached  his  astute 
Rebekah  and  her  astute  son,  and  in  the  com- 
fortable feeling  that,  at  last,  he  had  accom- 
plished his  one  remaining  desire,  when  he  learns 
from  the  exceeding  bitter  cry  of  Esau  that  he 
has  himself  been  duped.  It  was  enough  to 
rouse  the  anger  of  the  mildest  and  godliest  of 
men,  but  Isaac  does  not  storm  and  protest — 
"  he  trembles  exceedingly."  He  recognizes,  by 
a  spiritual  insight  quite  unknown  to  Esau,  that 
this  is  God's  hand,  and  deliberately  confirms, 
with  his  eyes  open,  what  he  had  done  in  blind- 
ness :  "  I  have  blessed  him  ;  yea,  and  he  shall 
be  blessed."  Had  he  wished  to  deny  the 
validity  of  the  blessing,  he  had  ground  enough 
for  doing  so.  He  had  not  really  given  it  :  it 
had  been  stolen  from  him.  An  act  must  be 
judged  by  its  intention,  and  he  had  been  far 
from  intending  to  bless  Jacob.  Was  he  to  con- 
sider himself  bound  by  what  he  had  done  under 
a  misapprehension  ?  He  had  given  a  blessing 
to  one  person  under  the  impression  that  he  was 
a  difterent  person  ;  must  not  the  blessing  go  to 
him  for  whom  it  was  designed  ?  But  Isaac 
unhesitatingly  yielded. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D, 

(8)  Faith. 

"  By  faith  Isaac  blessed  Jacob  and  Esau  con- 
cerning things  to  come  "  (Heb.  xi.  20). 

[17056]  In  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  Isaac 
is  commended  for  his  faith  in  blessing  his  sons. 
It  was  commendable  in  him  that,  in  great  bodily 
weakness,  he  still  believed  himself  to  be  the 
guardian  of  God's  blessing,  and  recognized  that 
he  had  a  great  inheritance  to  bequeath  to  his 
sons. — lOid. 


(9)  Hope  in  death. 

"  Behold  now,  I  am  old,  I  know  not  the  day 
of  my  death"  ((ien.  xxvii.  2). 

[17057]  Though  he  knows  not  the  day  of  his 
death,  yet  he  feels  that  it  may  be  nigh.  There 
is  something  very  affecting  in  an  old  man's  un- 
quailing  glance  at  his  dying  day  ;  his  course 
is  run  ;  he  has  fought  the  fight  ;  the  day  of  his 
departure  is  at  hand,  and  the  aged  warrior  looks 
hopefully  upwards  to  that  crown  which  the 
Saviour's  arm  has  won  for  him.  And  though 
Isaac's  words  are  immeasurably  inferior  in  in- 
terest or  expression  to  those  of  the  dying  Paul, 
few,  I  think,  even  of  the  young,  and  far  fewer 
of  any  of  the  old,  have  ever  read  them  without 
feeling  their  hearts  touched  by  the  simple  but 
solemn  truth  they  utter. — Rev.  B.  Bouchier. 

2       Defects,  more  or  less  constitutional. 

(i)  Excessive  timidity  a7id pliability. 

[17058]  Isaac,  although  son  of  one  of  the 
bravest  and  greatest  of  men,  was  himself  of  a 
quiet,  meditative,  and  even  timid  temperament. 
For  the  first  forty  years  of  his  life  he  seems  to 
have  remained  in  his  mother's  tent,  ruled  by 
the  proud  and  resolute  will  of  Sarah,  "  the 
Princess,"  if  also  cherished  and  protected  by 
her  love.  And  when  in  after  years  he  had  to 
choose  his  own  course,  and  was  free  to  follow 
his  own  will,  he  seems  to  have  had  little  will 
left.  He  drifts  with  circumstances.  He  is  timid 
and  yielding,  so  timid  that  again  and  again  he 
gives  up  his  most  precious  possessions — the 
deep,  costly  wells  which  he  had  dug  and  built 
by  the  labour  of  years — rather  than  strive  for 
them  with  any  neighbouring  herdmaster  who 
coveted  them.  Pensive  and  timorous,  he  had 
a  keen  eye  for  the  dark  and  haunted  shadows 
of  life  ;  and  while  Abraham  walked  with  God 
as  with  a  friend,  Isaac  prostrated  himself  before 
"  the  Fear  "  that  sat  on  the  throne  of  the  uni- 
verse with  an  awe,  if  not  with  a  terror,  too  deep 
for  yNOxds.—AlinoJii  Peloni, 

(2)  Inertness. 

[17059]  The  character  and  career  of  Isaac 
would  seem  to  tell  us  that  it  is  possible  to  have 
too  great  a  father.  Isaac  was  dwarfed  and 
weakened  by  growing  up  under  the  shadow  of 
Abraham.  Of  his  life  there  was  little  to  record, 
and  what  was  recorded  was  very  much  a  repro- 
duction of  some  of  the  least  glorious  passages 
of  his  father's  career.  The  digging  of  wells  for 
his  flocks  was  among  the  most  notable  events 
in  his  commonplace  life,  and  even  in  this  he 
only  re-opened  the  wells  his  father  had  dug. — 
Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

(3)  Apathy. 

[17060]  Isaac  has  been  called  "the  Words- 
worth of  the  Old  Testament,"  but  his  meditative 
disposition  seems  to  have  degenerated  into  mere 
dreamy  apathy,  which,  at  last,  made  him  the 
tool  of  the  more  active-minded  members  of  his 
family,  and  was  also  attended  by  its  common 
accompaniment  of  sensuality.  It  seems  also  to 
have  brought  him  to  a  condition  of  almost  entire 


68 


17060 — 17066] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS, 
JF.VVISH    ERA. 


[ISAAC. 


bodily  prostration,  for  a  comparison  of  dates 
shows  that  he  must  have  spent  forty  or  fifty 
years  in  blindness  and  incapacity  for  all  active 
duty.  Neither  can  this  greatly  surprise  us,  for 
it  is  abundantly  open  to  our  own  observation 
that  men  of  the  finest  spiritual  discernment,  and 
of  whose  godliness  in  the  main  one  cannot 
doubt,  are  also  freciuently  the  prey  of  the  most 
childish  tastes,  and  most  useless  even  to  the 
extent  of  doing  harm  in  practical  matters.  They 
do  not  see  the  evil  that  is  growing  in  their  own 
family ;  or,  if  they  see  it,  they  cannot  rouse 
themselves  to  check  it. — Jbid. 

3      Defects,  moral  and  spiritual. 

(i)  A  tendency  to  falsehood. 

"And  the  men  of  the  place  asked  him  of  his 
wife:  and  he  said,  She  is  my  sister"  (Gen. 
xxvi.  7). 

[17061]  It  is  curious  to  observe  his  timid  and 
almost  childish  imitation  of  Abraham's  strata- 
gem about  his  wife.  Isaac  does  it  beforehand, 
and  without  any  apparent  necessity. — 6".  T. 
Coleridge. 

[17062]  Isaac  knew  nothing  personally  of  his 
father's  guilty  fears  and  falsehoods.  But  one 
can  hardly  doubt  that  he  was  acquainted  with 
them,  and  the  very  readiness  with  which  he  too 
adopts  the  same  falsehood,  under  exactly  similar 
circumstances,  implies  at  least  his  knowledge. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  good  that  men  do  is 
too  often  buried  with  them,  but  that  the  evil 
lives  after  them,  both  in  the  remembrance  of  it 
and  in  its  results.  And  if  the  name  of  the  place 
and  its  inhabitants,  and  the  very  title  and  name 
of  the  king  as  well,  recalled  Abraham's  sojourn 
there  and  his  sin,  it  recalled,  also,  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  means  by  which  he  escaped  a  sup- 
posed peril.  And  yet,  in  some  respects,  Isaac's 
sin  was  greater  than  Abraham's.  In  the  first 
place,  he  had  that  father's  conduct,  and  the  re- 
buke that  God  had  given  him,  as  a  landmark  to 
guidehis  own  steps  from  a  similar  snare.  Besides, 
Isaac  had  the  direct  promise  of  God's  protection 
over  him  in  that  Philistine  land.  And  more 
than  that,  the  Lord  minutely,  and  with  most  con- 
descending tenderness,  recapitulated  word  for 
word  the  various  assurances  of  the  promised 
blessing  which  He  had  vouchsafed  to  Abraham, 
and  had  bade  him  continue  where  he  was  till 
he  should  receive  intimation  to  depart.  I  do  not 
add  that  Isaac's  assertion,  that  Rebekah  was  his 
sister,  was  a  more  direct  falsehood  than  his 
father's,  who  had  some  plea  of  such  rela- 
tionship to  urge  ;  for  in  reality  it  was  no  pal- 
liation of  the  sin  of  Abraham.  He  meant  the 
assertion  to  deceive,  and  it  did  deceive  ;  and  all 
we  can  say  of  Abraham's  excuse  is,  that  though 
it  apparently  suggested  the  falsehood,  it  in  no 
degree  diminished  the  guilt ;  and  in  that  respect 
the  father  and  the  son  are  both  alike  guilty  before 
God. — Rev.  B.  Boiichier. 

[17063]  Virtue  is  not  hereditary  in  families,  it 
descends  but  in  rarer  instances  ;  whereas  frailty, 
alas  !  descends  from  every  father  to  every  son. 


Virtue  is  the  water  in  the  particular  pool ;  vice 
the  torrent  in  the  river,  which  sweeps  everything 
before  it.  The  moderation,  honour,  and  good 
sense  of  Abimelech,  are  the  severest  imaginable 
reproof  of  the  disingenuousness  of  the  prophet, 
and  happily  prevented  the  mischief,  which  Isaac, 
seeking  by  improper  means  to  shun,  had  well- 
nigh  occasioned.— AVz'.  //.  Hunter,  D.D. 

(2)  Injudicious  laxity  as  regards  domestic 
rule. 

[17064]  Isaac's  conduct  in  the  rule  of  his 
household  was  far  from  that  standard  of  high 
attainment  which  was  so  conspicuous  in  his  own 
father,  when  God  gave  that  memorable  testi- 
mony to  his  holy  and  consistent  management  of 
his  household.  A  little  judicious  counsel,  a  word 
here  and  there  spoken  in  season,  some  holy 
lesson  of  brotherly  love  from  a  father's  lips, 
some  gentle  admonition,  such  as  a  mother's 
heart  alone  can  give,  would  have  fostered  and 
nourished  all  that  was  lovely  and  loving  in  the 
spirits  of  his  sons,  one  towards  the  other,  and 
have  repressed  and  crushed  all  that  was  unami- 
able  and  selfish.  But,  unhappily,  we  read  that 
it  was  not  so. — Rev.  B.  Bouchier. 

[17065]  Most  of  the  evils  of  a  man's  lot  may 
be  easily  traced  up  to  some  weakness  in  which 
he  has  indulged  himself,  some  error  into  which  he 
has  fallen,  some  opportunity  which  he  has  let 
slip,  or  some  crime  which  he  has  committed.  Of 
all  the  infirmities  to  which  our  nature  is  subject, 
no  one  is  more  common  ;  no  one  is  more  unrea- 
sonable, unwise,  an-d  unjust  ;  no  one  more  easily 
guarded  against  ;  no  one  more  fatal  in  its  con- 
sequences to  ourselves  and  others,  than  that  of 
making  a  distinction  between  one  child  and 
another.  It  destroys  the  favourite,  and  dis- 
courages those  who  are  postponed  and  slighted  ; 
it  sows  the  seeds  of  jealousy  and  malice,  which 
frequently  produce  strife,  and  violence,  and 
blood.  It  sets  the  father  against  the  mother, 
and  the  mother  against  the  father  ;  and  the  sister 
against  the  brother,  and  the  brother  against  the 
sister.  It  disturbed  the  repose  of  Isaac's  family, 
and  had  well-nigh  brought  down  Jacob's  hoary 
head  with  sorrow  to  the  grave. — Rev.  H.  Hunter^ 
D.D. 

(3)  Culpable  shortsightedness,  if  not  self-will. 

[17066]  In  unaccountable  and  inconsistent 
contempt  of  God's  expressed  purpose,  he  pro- 
poses to  hand  over  the  blessing  to  Esau.  Many 
things  had  occurred  to  fix  his  attention  upon  the 
fact  that  Esau  was  not  to  be  his  heir.  Esau  had 
sold  his  birthright,  and  had  married  Hittite 
women,  and  his  whole  conduct  was,  no  doubt,  of 
a  piece  with  this,  and  showed  that,  in  his  hands, 
any  spiritual  inheritance  would  be  both  unsafe 
and  unappreciated.  That  Isaac  had  some  notion 
he  was  doing  wrong  in  giving  to  Esau  what 
belonged  to  God,  and  what  God  meant  to  give 
to  Jacob,  is  shown  from  his  precipitation  in 
bestowing  the  blessing.  He  has  no  feeling  that 
he  is  authorized  by  God,  and  therefore  he  can- 
not wait  calmly  till  God  should  intimate,  by  un- 


17066—17073] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


69 


[ISAAC. 


mistakable  signs,  that  he  is  near  his  end  ;  but, 
seized  with  a  panic,  lest  his  favourite  should 
somehow  be  left  unblessed,  he  feels,  in  his 
nervous  alarm,  as  if  he  were  at  the  point  of  death, 
and,  though  destined  to  live  for  forty-three  years 
longer,  he  calls  Esau  that  he  may  hand  over  to 
him  his  dying  testament.  How  different  is  the 
nerve  of  a  man  when  he  knows  he  is  doing  God's 
will,  and  when  he  is  but  fulfilling  his  own  device  ! 
For  the  same  reason,  he  has  to  stimulate  his 
spirit  by  artificial  means.  The  prophetic  ecstasy 
is  not  felt  by  him  ;  he  must  be  exliilarated  by 
venison  and  wine,  that,  strengthened  and  revived 
in  body,  and  having  his  gratitude  aroused  afresh 
towards  Esau,  he  may  bless  him  with  all  the 
greater  vigour. — Rev.  Af.  Dods^  D.D. 

(4)  Love  of  ease  and  self-indulgence. 

"  Isaac  loved  Esau  because  he  did  eat  of  his 
son's  venison"  (Gen.  xxv.  28). 

[17067]  It  was  no  sin  that  Isaac  loved  Esau  ; 
it  would  have  been  sin  had  he  not ;  but  oh,  what 
a  reason  is  here  assigned  for  that  love  !  What 
a  poor,  wretched,  degraded  estimate  of  a  father's 
love,  of  a  father's  affection  for  his  firstborn  ! 
"  Isaac  loved  Esau  because  he  did  eat  of  his 
son's  venison."  The  expression  seems  purposely 
and  significantly  used,  to  throw  light  on  much 
that  is  perplexing  and  painful  in  this  patriarch's 
character.  I  think  we  have  been  accustomed 
to  look  on  Isaac's  life,  not  merely  as  devoid  of 
incident,  and  as  peculiarly  peaceful  and  undis- 
turbed, gliding  on  in  its  calm  and  equable  cur- 
rent, unruffled  by  those  winds  and  waves  which 
so  often  mar  the  tranquillity  of  other  men's 
existence,  but  as  free  also  from  all  those  ble- 
mishes and  sins  which  mark  the  infirmity  and 
pollution  of  our  common  nature,  and  from  which 
no  child  of  Adam  is  exempt. — Rev.  B.  Bouchier. 

[17068]  One  isashamed  to  think  of  the  reason 
which  is  assigned  for  Isaac's  preference  of  his 
elder  to  his  younger  son.  "  Isaac  loved  Esau 
because  he  did  eat  of  his  venison."  The  original 
language  expi-esses  it  more  forcibly,  "  because 
his  venison  was  in  his  mouth."  By  what  gro- 
velling and  unworthy  motives  are  wise  and  good 
men  frequently  actuated  ?  And  what  a  morti- 
fying view  of  human  nature  is  it  to  see  the  laws 
of  prudence,  and  justice,  and  piety,  vilely  con- 
trolled and  counteracted  by  the  lowest,  the 
grossest  of  our  appetites? — Rev.  H.  Hunter, 
D.D. 

[17069]  One  wishes  that  Isaac  had  simply  in- 
timated his  purpose  to  make  that  arrangement 
of  his  affairs  which  his  conviction  of  approach- 
ing death  warned  him  to  make.  One  mourns  to 
find  the  infirmity  of  former  years  still  lingering 
even  in  old  age  ;  and  if,  in  comparative  early 
days,  his  son's  venison  was  recorded  as  the  cause 
of  the  father's  love,  it  is  not  without  significant 
meaning,  that  now,  in  his  old  age,  we  find  Isaac 
still  dwelling  on  and  mentioning  with  eager 
complacency  "  the  savoury  meat  such  as  he 
loved,"  which  Esau's  hands  had  so  often  made. 
It  seems,  indeed,  an  odd  prelude  to  a  father's 


blessing  on  his  son,  that  he  should  send  forth 
that  son  to  bring  in  venison  that  he  might  eat  of 
it  before  he  blessed  him,  but  there  most  probably 
was  some  religious  solemnity  or  offering  in- 
tended to  accompany  it,  and  Isaac  might  not 
altogether  mean  a  mere  common  meal. — Rev. 
B.  Bouchier. 

[17070]  Esau's  intermarriage  and  double  con- 
nection with  an  idolatrous  race  had  caused  great 
grief  to  his  parents,  but  the  father  seems  soon  to 
have  forgotten  the  sorrow,  and  to  have  suffered 
things  to  go  on  in  their  usual  quiet  course,  un- 
willing to  be  disturbed  in  the  enjoyment  of  his 
ease,  and  not  sorry,  it  would  seem,  to  make  his 
wonted  use  of  Esau's  skill  and  success  in  the 
chase.  Esau's  sale  of  his  birthright,  if  indeed 
ever  known  to  him,  must  have  passed  away  from 
his  memory  ;  and  what  was  far  more  sad,  the 
Lord's  appointment,  with  reference  to  the 
younger  and  the  elder,  had  been  forgotten  also. 
—Ibid. 

[17071]  Whatever  allowance  may  justly  be 
made  for  infirmity  of  nature,  it  is  impossible  to 
disguise  from  our  view  the  fundamental  element 
of  a  simply  natural  or  predominating  carnal 
tendency  in  Isaac's  procedure  on  the  occasion 
such  as  no  child  of  faith  could  have  fallen  into 
of  a  sudden.  Not  only  does  he  hold,  in  oppo- 
sition to  all  signs  and  intimations  to  the  contrary, 
that  Esau  is  by  reason  of  his  slight  priority  oif 
birth  to  be  the  heir  of  covenant  blessings  ;  but 
the  moment  he  selects  for  pouring  out  his  soul 
in  the  formal  bestowal  of  this  blessing,  is  one  of 
fleshly  gratification — when  refreshed  with  the 
enjoyment  of  his  son's  savoury  meat — as  if  it 
were  flesh  rather  than  spirit  that  was  to  bear 
sway  in  the  transaction  ;  and  a  genial  recipro- 
cation of  human  sympathies  that  was  intended, 
rather  than  the  solemn  utterance  of  an  oracle  of 
God. — Rev.  D.  MacDonald. 

[17072]  Scripture  records  no  such  other 
scene  in  connection  with  the  announcement  of 
heaven's  more  peculiar  purposes — none  in  which 
the  spirit  of  the  man  of  God  sought,  as  the  con- 
dition of  its  speaking,  the  stimulus  of  fleshly 
appetite.  The  dying  utterances  of  Jacob  over 
his  offspring  were  otherwise  pronounced;  other- 
wise too,  at  a  later  period,  the  last  words  of 
David  ;  and  generally  the  soul  of  spiritually 
gifted  men  strove  to  work  itself  free  from  the 
disturbing  influence  of  earthly  passion,  and 
from  the  very  consciousness  of  fleshly  environ- 
ments, when  addressing  itself  to  the  work  of 
learning  or  communicating  the  mind  of  God. — 
Ibid. 

[17073]  We  claim  for  Isaac  no  exemption 
from  the  infirmities  and  errors  and  sins  that 
have  beset  every  child  of  Adam  ;  there  were  no 
doubt  many  spots  in  Isaac's  character  "which 
were  not  the  spots  of  God's  children  ;  "  and 
while  one  admires  and  reveres  the  fidelity  of  the 
narrative  that  records  them,  one  can  only  mourn 
over  that  corruption  of  our  fallen  nature  which, 
amid  so  much  that  was   bright  and  holy,  and 


7° 


17073 — 17080] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ISAAC. 


pure  and  lovely,  and  of  good  report,  still  needed 
to  be  washed  and  made  clean  in  that  fountain 
of  precious  blood  which  flowed  on  Calvary,  and 
by  that  sacrifice  there  offered,  of  which  His  own 
was  the  glorious  type. — Rev.  B.  Boucliicr. 

III.  The  Simplicity  and  Beauty  of  his 
Character  Viewed  as  a  Whole. 

[17074]  "  Isaac  was  in  truth  what  his  name 
— 'the  Laughing,'  that  is,  the  kind  and  gentle — 
implies.  .  .  .  He,  among  the  three  patriarchs, 
passed  pre-eminently  for  the  type  of  that  kindly 
and  quiet  nature  which  guards  the  possession 
of  its  allotted  share  of  worldly  goods  through 
unpretending  goodness  and  unwavering  fidelity. 
...  As  rightful  son  and  heir,  he  had  no 
need  by  great  deeds  or  great  qualities  to  win  for 
himself  what  was  already  his.  His  greatness 
and  his  duty  consisted  only  in  the  faithful 
maintenance  of  these  spiritual  and  material 
possessions,  and  to  this  a  firm,  unruffled,  and 
virtuous  nature,  even  if  unaccompanied  by  extra- 
ordinary powers  of  mind,  was  quite  equal.  Isaac 
thus  typifies  the  true  child  of  the  community, 
who  by  faithful  obedience  and  self-sacrifice  even 
unto  death,  rewards  his  parents'  hopes  and 
longings  ;  and  thus  earns  by  merit  a  new  title  to 
what  is  already  his  by  birth.  In  like  manner, 
his  union  with  Rebekah  is  the  prototype  of  every 
happy  marriage,  approved  by  parents,  and  blessed 
by  God,  as  appears  in  the  beautiful  story  in 
Gen.  xxiv.  .  .  .  He  appears  to  us  always 
under  the  same  simple  character  —  a  good, 
true-hearted  father  ;  a  contented,  inoffensive, 
pious  man. — H.  Ewald. 

[17075]  Isaac  was  a  gentle  and  dutiful  son,  a 
faithful  and  constant  husband.  If  there  were 
any  very  prominent  points  in  his  character  they 
were  not  brought  out  by  the  circumstances  in 
which  he  was  placed.  He  appears  less  as  a 
man  of  action  than  as  a  man  of  suffering,  from 
which  he  is  generally  delivered  without  any 
direct  effort  of  his  own.  Thus  he  suffers  as  the 
object  of  Ishmael's  mocking,  of  the  intended 
sacrifice  on  Moriah,  of  the  rapacity  of  the 
Philistines,  and  of  Jacob's  stratagem.  But  the 
thought  of  his  sufferings  is  effaced  by  the  ever- 
present  tokens  of  God's  favour,  and  he  suffers 
with  the  calmness  and  dignity  of  a  conscious 
heir  of  heavenly  promises,  without  uttering  any 
complaint,  and  generally  without  committing  any 
action  by  which  he  would  forfeit  respect.  Free 
from  violent  passions,  he  was  a  man  of  constant, 
deep,  and  tender  affections.  Thus  he  mourned 
for  his  mother,  until  her  place  was  filled  by  his 
wife.  His  sons  were  nurtured  at  home  till  a 
late  period  of  their  lives  ;  and  neither  his  grief 
for  Esau's  marriage,  nor  the  anxiety  in  which  he 
was  involved  in  consequence  of  Jacob's  deceit, 
estranged  either  of  them  from  his  affectionate 
care. — Rev.  W.  Bullock. 

[17076]  Isaac's  life  of  solitary  blamelessness 
must  have  been  sustained  by  strong  habitual 
piety   such   as   showed    itself  at   the   time    of 


Rebekah's  barrenness  (Gen.  xxv.  21),  in  his 
special  intercourse  with  God  at  Gerar  and  Beer- 
sheba  (xxvi.  2,  23),  in  the  solemnity  with  which 
he  bestows  his  blessing,  and  refuses  to  change 
it.  His  life,  judged  by  a  worldly  standard, 
might  seem  inactive,  ignoble,  and  unfruitful,  but 
the  "  guileless  years,  prayers,  gracious  acts,  and 
daily  thank-offerings  of  pastoral  life  "  are  not  to 
be  so  esteemed,  although  they  make  no  show  in 
history. — Ibid. 

[17077]  Isaac's  character  may  not  have  exer- 
cised any  commanding  influence  upon  either 
his  own  or  succeeding  generations,  iDUt  it  was 
sufficiently  marked  and  consistent  to  win  respect 
and  envy  from  his  contemporaries.  By  his 
posterity,  his  name  is  always  joined  in  equal 
honour  with  those  of  Abraham  and  Jacob,  and 
so  it  was  even  used  as  part  of  the  formula  which 
Egyptian  magicians  in  the  time  of  Origen 
("  Contra  Celsum,"  i.  22)  employed  as  efficacious 
to  bind  the  demons  whom  they  adjured  (compare 
Gen.  xxxi.  42,  53). — Ibid. 

IV.  Abraham  and  Isaac  contrasted. 

[17078]  The  life  of  Isaac  has  nothing  about  it 
of  the  marked  individuality  of  his  father.  As 
the  record  of  it  is  more  brief,  so  the  life  itself  is 
much  more  quiet,  even,  and  uniform,  having 
little  of  action  or  movement,  of  exposure  to 
danger  or  trial,  little  of  vicissitude  or  adventure. 
One  reason  of  this  may  be  that  God  did  not 
intend  him  for  a  great  pattern  of  faith,  for  a 
living  picture  of  the  life  of  faith,  with  its 
trials  and  its  triumphs.  Isaac  is  a  father  of  the 
Church  andanancestor  of  Messiah,  but  Abraham 
alone  is  the  "  father  of  the  faithful."  God  is  no 
respecter  of  persons  ;  but  there  are  distinctions 
in  His  house,  orders  and  ranks,  degrees  of 
dignity,  among  His  children  and  servants  ;  in 
the  spiritual  firmament  one  star  differeth  from 
another  star  in  brilliancy  of  gifts,  of  graces,  and 
of  service. — Rev.  A.  Gregory. 

[17079]  In  strong  contrast  to  the  first  patriarch, 
who  is  familiar  to  our  minds  as  an  exiled 
wanderer,  leading  a  life  of  stirring  adventure, 
now  leaving  his  father's  house  for  a  strange 
country,  now  attacking  kings  for  the  rescue  of  a 
kinsman,  and  now  going  on  a  painful  journey  to 
Mount  Moriah,  Isaac  presents  us  with  the  sweet 
picture  of  a  retired  and  tranquil  life  ;  we  think 
of  his  calm  and  peaceful  form  walking  in  the 
fields  and  meditating. — Ibid. 

[17080]  Abraham,  in  leaving  Isaac  behind 
him,  left  rather  a  shadow  than  a  son.  He  has 
less  body  and  bulk,  less  grandeur,  less  boldness, 
but  shadow-like,  he  kneels,  and  looks  up  to 
God  in  imitation  of  his  original.  He  has  all 
Abraham's  piety  and  more  than  his  peace.  His 
cast  of  mind  is  given  in  one  sentence — "And 
Isaac  digged  again  the  wells  which  they  had 
digged  in  tiie  days  of  Abraham  his  father." 
And  when  these  wells  become  the  subject  of 
contest,  he  meekly  retires  in  search  of  others. 


lyoSo — 17084] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


71 


[ISAAC. 


He  is  one  among  other  proofs,  that  the  children 
of  very  great  men  are  sometimes  inferior  to  their 
parents.  The  rationale  of  this  may  either  be, 
that  the  mothers  are  inferior  to  their  mates,  or 
that  the  education  of  the  children  of  men,  much 
engrossed  in  public  affairs,  is  often  neglected  ; 
or  that  there  is  what  we  may  call  either  an 
exhaustion  or  an  economy  in  nature,  which 
makes  the  sight  of  two  men  of  eminence  in  the 
same  family,  or  of  two  men  of  eminence  in  the 
relation  of  father  and  son  to  each  other,  much 
rarer  than  the  reverse. — Rev.  G.  Giljillan. 

V.     IS.^AC    VIEWED     AS     THE    MOST     ILLUS- 
TRIOUS Type  of  Christ. 

I       As  regards  his   prophetic  and  miraculous 
birth. 

[17081]  Even  before  he  was  born  Isaac's 
birth  was  the  theme  of  prophecy  and  expecta- 
tion, as  well  as  the  result  of  miracle  ;  and,  as 
such,  a  fitting  type  of  Him  to  whom  all  the  pro- 
phets gave  witness,  and  in  whose  birth  "  the 
Lord  created  a  new  thing  in  the  earth,"  unpre- 
cedented and  unheard  of  before  or  after,  that  as 
from  "one  as  good  as  dead,  there  sprang  as 
many  as  the  stars  of  the  sky  in  multitude,  and 
as  the  sand  which  is  by  the  sea-shore  innume- 
i"able,"  so,  "behold  a  virgin  should  conceive  and 
bear  a  son,  and  should  call  his  name  Immanuel." 
— Rev.  B.  Boucliier. 

[17082]  I  do  not  say  that  God  never  foretold 
the  birth  of  any  save  of  Isaac  and  of  Jesus. 
Even  in  the  case  of  Isaac's  own  sons  it  was 
said  to  their  mother  :  "  Two  nations  are  in  thy 
womb,  and  the  elder  shall  serve  the  younger  ;" 
and  to  the  wife  of  Manoah  was  a  promise  given 
of  a  Deliverer  for  Israel:  "  Thou  shalt  conceive 
and  bear  a  son,  and  he  shall  begin  to  deliver 
Israel  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Philistines."  Still 
more  remarkable  was  the  declaration  of  the 
Lord,  by  the  mouth  of  His  prophet  Isaiah,  of 
the  raising  up  of  Cyrus,  whose  very  name,  as 
well  as  the  purpose  for  which  he  was  raised  up, 
were  distinctly  declared  more  than  a  century 
before  his  birth,  and  nearly  two  centuries  before 
the  accomplishment  of  the  work  given  him  to 
do.  It  was  the  same,  too,  with  "that"  child 
born  unto  the  house  of  David,  Josiah  by  name, 
only  that  the  far  longer  interval  of  340  years 
elapsed  between  the  prediction  and  its  fulfil- 
ment. And  still  more  remarkable  than  all,  was 
the  birth  of  the  forerunner  of  the  Saviour,  an- 
nounced 700  years  before  by  Isaiah,  and  about 
400  by  the  prophet  Malachi,  as  well  as  by  an 
angel  sent  from  God  to  announce  the  approach- 
ing birth  to  the  aged  parents.  So  that  I  do  not 
mean  that,  in  the  single  fact  of  Isaac's  birth 
being  beforehand  declared  of  God,  nor  even 
that  his  own  conception  in  the  womb  of  one  as 
good  as  dead,  was  a  solitary  instance  of  the 
Lord's  dealings  and  dispensations  among  the 
children  of  men  ;  but  I  think  that  in  the  de- 
clarations and  promises  of  God  Himself  to 
Abraham,  we  find  abundant  evidence  that  in 


his  birth,  as  well  as  in  his  prefigured  death, 
Isaac  was  indeed  an  illustrious  type  of  Him 
whose  progenitor,  according  to  the  flesh,  he 
was.  — Ibid. 

2       As  regards  his  "obedience  unto  death." 

[170S3]  When  he  resisted  not  his  father,  and 
allowed  himself  to  be  bound  and  laid  on  the 
altar,  he  entered  into  the  spirit  of  Abraham,  he 
took  upon  himself  his  faith,  and  thus  showed 
himself  truly  the  heir  to  the  promises.  Nor  can 
we  forget  how  this  surrender  of  the  first- born 
was  the  first  of  that  dedication  of  all  the  first- 
born unto  God,  which  afterwards  the  law  de- 
manded, and  which  meant  that  in  the  first-born 
we  should  consecrate  all  and  everything  unto 
the  Lord.  Perhaps  the  lesson  which  the  Ca- 
naanites  might  learn  from  the  event  will  seem 
to  some  quite  secondary,  as  compared  with 
these  great  truths.  Yet  we  must  bear  in  mind, 
that  all  around  cruel  human  sacrifices  were 
offered  on  every  hill,  when  God  gave  His  sanc- 
tion to  a  far  different  offering,  by  for  ever  sub- 
stituting animal  sacrifices  for  that  surrender  of 
the  best  beloved  which  human  despair  had 
prompted  for  an  atonement  for  sin.  And  yet 
God  Himself  gave  up  His  beloved.  His  own 
only  begotten  Son  for  us — and  of  this  the  sacri- 
fice of  Isaac  was  intended  to  be  a  glorious  type  ; 
and  as  Abraham  received  this  typical  sacrifice 
again  from  the  dead  "  in  a  figure,"  so  we  in 
reality,  when  God  raised  up  His  own  Son,  Jesus 
Christ,  from  the  dead,  and  has  made  us  sit 
together  with  Him  in  heavenly  places. — Rev. 
A.  Edersheiin,  D.D. 

[17084]  He  was  to  be  in  all  things  a  type  of 
Him  who  in  the  fulness  of  time  was  to  come. 
He,  too,  was  to  be  the  willing,  unresisting  sac- 
rifice and  victim.  He,  too,  was  to  go  as  a  lamb 
to  the  slaughter  ;  and,  as  a  sheep  before  her 
shearer  is  dumb,  so  was  he  not  to  open  his 
mouth  in  murmuring  or  complaint.  Nay,  the 
language  of  his  heart  was  to  be — "  I  delight  to 
do  Thy  will,  O  my  God  ;  yea.  Thy  law  is  within 
mine  heart.  My  heart  is  ready,  my  heart  is 
ready."  We  know  that,  in  the  ancient  sacri- 
fices of  heathen  rites,  if  the  victim  struggled,  or 
seemed  even  to  shrink  with  instinctive  appre- 
hension of  its  doom,  it  was  looked  upon  as  an 
ill  omen.  But  our  victim  never  struggled, 
never  drew  back  ;  nay.  He  declared  ot  that 
baptism  of  blood  wherewith  He  was  to  be 
baptized,  "  How  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  ac- 
complished !  "  And  surely  in  this  type  which 
so  strikingly  foreshadowed,  not  so  much  the 
Saviour's  sufferings  as  the  Saviour's  willing- 
ness, we  might  truly  expect  to  find,  not  simply 
the  obedience  of  a  child  to  a  father's  will — how- 
ever nature  and  instinct  might  shrink — but  the 
perfect,  entire,  and  ready  acquiescence  to  the 
will  of  God,  however  mysterious  and  inscrutable 
its  purpose,  however  painful  and  abhorrent  to 
every  feeling  He  Himself  had  implanted  in  the 
human  heart.  "  I  am  content  to  do  it,"  was  as 
true  of  Isaac,  as  it  was  undoubtedly  true  of 
Jesus. — Rev.  B.  Boucliier. 


72 


17085—17091] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS, 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JACOB. 


VI.  Traditions    respecting    this    Pa- 
triarch. 

[17085]  Jewish  legends  represent  Isaac  as  an 
angel  made  before  the  world,  and  descending  to 
earth  in  human  form  ;  as  one  of  the  three  men 
in  whom  human  sinfulness  has  no  place,  as  one 
of  the  six  over  whom  the  angel  of  death  has  no 
power.  He  is  said  to  have  been  instructed  in 
Divine  knowledge  by  Shem.  The  ordinance  of 
evening  prayer  is  ascribed  to  him  (Gen.  xxiv. 
63),  as  that  of  morning  prayer  to  Abraham  (xix. 
27),  and  night  prayer  to  Jacob  (xxviii.  11). — 
Rev.  W.  Bullock.      ^ 

[17086]  The  Arabian  traditions  included  in 
the  Koran  represent  Isaac  as  a  model  of  re- 
ligion, a  righteous  person  inspired  with  grace 
to  do  good  works,  observe  prayer,  and  give 
alms,  endowed  with  the  Divine  gifts  of  prophecy, 
children,  and  wealth.  The  promise  of  Isaac 
and  the  offering  of  Isaac  are  also  mentioned. 
Faith  in  a  future  resurrection  is  ascribed  to 
Abraham,  but  it  is  connected,  not,  as  in  Heb. 
xi.  19,  with  the  offering  of  Isaac,  but  with  a 
fictitious  miracle.  Stanley  mentions  a  curious 
tradition  of  the  reputed  jealousy  of  Isaac's 
character  that  prevails  among  the  inhabitants 
of  Hebron  respecting  the  grave  of  Rebekah. — 
Jdid. 

VII.  HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

X  The  meek  and  gentle  nature,  though  it 
will  have  its  own  trials,  escapes  many  of 
those  pertaining  to  stronger  and  froward 
wills. 

[17087]  The  low  head  is  saved  many  of  the 
knocks  which  are  encountered  by  lofty  carriage, 
as  they  are  often  provoked  by  it.  Much  is  owing 
to  natural  temper  ;  but  where  this  is  defective, 
what  powerful  helps  we  have,  for  the  culture  of 
humility,  in  the  lessons  of  other  men's  expe- 
rience, above  all  in  the  teachings  of  the  Divine 
Word — a  priceless  wisdom,  which  most  men 
choose  to  buy  dear,  though  all  may  have  it 
cheap.  But  the  sovereign  remedy  is  the  grace 
of  God,  which  alone,  and  not  nature,  can  pro- 
duce genuine  meekness  and  humility,  not  what 
is  a  mere  variety  of  natural  disposition,  but  the 
Christ-like  grace,  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit,  which 
is  quite  consistent  with  the  most  heroic  charac- 
ter ;  and  this  it  does  by  taking  us  to  Mount 
Moriah  and  to  Calvary,  if  indeed  they  are  not 
the  same,  and  laying  us  on  the  altar,  yea,  nailing 
self  to  the  cross.  "  If  any  man  will  come  after 
Me,"  says  Jesus,  "let  him  deny  (renounce)  him- 
self, and  take  up  his  cross  (as  a  death-devoted 
man)  and  follow  Me."  How  much  is  anticipated, 
done  once  for  all  in  that  first  thorough  learning 
of  Christ,  that  one  decisive  act  of  self-surrender 
for  life,  which  makes  His  yoke  easy  and  His 
burden  light  \—Rcv.  A.  Gregory. 

2  "Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit:  for 
theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven"  (Matt. 
V.  3). 

[17088]  It  is  no  unfitting  close  of  this  patri- 


arch's history  that  the  last  time  the  word  of 
God  names  him  is  in  that  enumeration  of  guests 
who  are  seated  at  the  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lamb. — Rev.  B.  Bouchier. 


JACOB, 

I.  Introductory. 

I  The  life  of  Jacob  is  an  interesting  study  as 
illustrating  the  faults  and  failings  of  a  very 
composite  character. 

Ht  presents  an  average  type  of  frail  humatiity. 

[17089]  In  the  case  of  such  "  Great  Hearts  of 
the  olden  time  "  as  Abraham  and  Moses,  we 
have  lofty  ideals  of  "  patriarchal  saintliness," — 
lives  which  contain  passages  of  rare  and  ex- 
ceptional excellence.  They  resemble  Alpine 
peaks  with  their  virgin  snow,  towering  far  above 
their  compeers,  inaccessible  and  discouraging 
from  their  very  loftiness.  In  Jacob,  on  the 
other  hand,  we  have  one  of  the  lowHer  emi- 
nences of  a  commonplace  world — one,  also, 
with  its  scars  and  fissures  only  too  faithfully 
revealed  to  the  eye  of  the  spectator — one  of 
Nature's  least  lovable  products — a  man  who 
originally  had  comparatively  few  elements  of 
worth  to  recommend  or  redeem  him  ;  who,  had 
he  been  left  to  himself,  uncontrolled  by  any 
higher  impulses,  might  have  become  a  con- 
firmed dissembler,  if  not  a  wrecked  and  aban- 
doned castaway. — Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

[17090]  He  entraps  his  brother,  he  deceives 
his  father,  he  makes  a  bargain  even  in  his 
prayer  ;  in  his  dealings  with  Laban,  in  his 
meeting  with  Esau,  he  still  calculates  and  con- 
trives ;  he  distrusts  his  neighbours  ;  he  regards 
with  prudential  indifference  the  insult  to  his 
daughter,  and  the  cruelty  of  his  sons  ;  he  hesi- 
tates to  receive  the  assurance  of  Joseph's  good- 
will ;  he  repels,  even  in  his  lesser  traits,  the  free 
confidence  that  we  cannot  withhold  from  the 
patriarchs  of  the  elder  generation.  —  Dean 
Stanley. 

[17091]  If  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  be  one  stand- 
ing difficulty  of  the  Book  of  Genesis,  surely  the 
character  of  Jacob  is  another,  and  more 
especially,  I  think,  to  the  young.  All  the 
generous  sympathies  of  young  hearts  are  drawn 
forth  by  the  frank,  bold,  athletic,  impetuous, 
generous  Esau,  while  all  their  instinctive  an- 
tipathies are  roused  by  the  cool,  crafty,  far- 
reaching  schemer,  whose  early  life  seems  to  be 
one  long  web  of  subtlety  and  treachery,  and  who 
carried  some  strong  threads  of  it  through  to  the 
close.  There  are  few  darker  sayings  in  the  Old 
Testament  Scripture  than  "  Jacob  have  I  loved, 
Esau  have  I  hated,"  which,  in  this  instance,  is 
repeated  and  confirmed  in  the  New.  We  have 
seen  how  Esau  despised  his  birthright,  became 
base  and  sensual,  and  cut  himself  off  from  the 
vocation  and  the  hope  of  God.  But  what  about 
Jacob's  life.?     Was  that  lovely  in  the  sight  of 


I709I — 17096] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


73 


[JACOB. 


heaven  ?  Was  that  cruel,  lying,  and  treacherous 
trick,  by  which  he  cheated  his  brother  of  his 
blessing,  the  thing  which  God  selected  to  seal 
with  His  benediction?  Or  is  the  true  account 
of  it  that  God,  while  hating  and  punishing  that 
particular  act  of  treachery,  yet  found  something 
which  was  worthy  of  a  high  culture  in  the  man  s 
whole  heart  and  life  ? — Rev.  J.  Brown. 

2  The  life  of  Jacob  is  an  interesting  study  as 
foreshadowing  the  character  and  fortunes 
of  his  descendants. 

[17092]  We  cannot  mistake  the  type  of  the 
Israelites  in  him  whom,  beyond  even  Abraham 
and  Isaac,  they  recognized  as  their  father  Israel. 
His  doubtful  qualities  exactly  recall  to  us  the 
meanness  of  character,  which,  even  to  a  proverb, 
we  call  in  scorn,  "Jewish."  By  his  peculiar 
discipline  of  exile  and  suffering,  a  true  counter- 
part is  produced  of  the  special  faults  and  special 
gifts,  known  to  us  chiefly  through  his  persecuted 
descendants  in  the  middle  ages.  In  Jacob  we 
see  the  same  timid,  cautious  watchfulness  that 
we  know  so  well,  though  under  darker  colours, 
through  our  great  masters  of  fiction,  in  Shylock 
of  Venice  and  Isaac  of  York.  But  no  less,  in 
the  nobler  side  of  his  career,  do  we  trace  the 
germs  of  the  unbroken  endurance,  the  undying 
resolution,  which  keeps  the  nation  alive  still, 
even  in  its  present  outcast  condition,  and  which 
was  the  basis,  in  its  brightest  days,  of  the  heroic 
zeal,  long-suffering,  and  hope  of  Moses,  of  David, 
of  Jeremiah,  of  the  Maccabees,  of  the  twelve 
Jewish  apostles,  and  the  first  martyr,  Stephen. 
— Dea}i  Stanley. 

[17093]  Jacob  is  the  true  patriarch.  He  is 
the  epitome  of  the  character  of  the  chosen 
people,  who,  again,  are  an  epitome  of  the  great 
human  world.  Jacob  is  the  typical  Jew.  All 
the  vices,  all  the  virtues,  all  the  strength  and 
all  the  weakness,  all  the  nobleness  and  all  the 
baseness  of  the  people  whom  Jehovah  loved 
and  took  to  be  His  own,  meet  in  their  patriarch's 
character  and  life. — Rev.  J.  Brown. 

[17094]  We  have  learned,  during  long  years 
of  tumultuous  history,  to  attach  a  distinctive 
and  peculiar  meaning  to  the  name  of  Jew. 
There  are  great  and  honourable  exceptions  ; 
but  the  application  is  wide,  and  the  general 
significance  (it  must  be  confessed)  is  not  lofty 
or  ennobling.  The  characteristics  may  be  easily 
enumerated.  On  the  one  side,  we  find  indomi- 
table resolution  ;  the  patient  fortitude  ;  the  in- 
dustrious thrift  ;  the  fidelity  to  friends  ;  the 
steadfast  adherence  to  what  is  believed  to  be 
doctrinal  truth  ;  the  burning  zeal  of  energy  ; 
the  unretaliating  endurance  of  violent  wrong  ; 
the  unwavering  faith  ;  the  beautiful  hope,  which 
shines  unquenched  through  the  years  of  humili- 
ation, exclusion,  and  defeat  ;  and  the  grand 
reverence  for  the  past,  of  which  (it  is  freely  ad- 
mitted) they  have  no  reason  to  be  ever  ashamed. 
This  it  is  which  has  made  them  worthy  of  the 
glowing  panegyric  :  "  A  nation  that  living,  shall 
die,  and  dying,  shall  live  ;  trampled  by  all,  shall 


trample  on  all  ;  bleeding  from  a  thousand 
wounds,  shall  be  unhurt  ;  beggared,  shall  wield 
the  wealth  of  kingdoms  ;  without  a  name,  shall 
sway  the  councils  of  kings  ;  without  a  city,  shall 
inhabit  in  all  lands  ;  scattered  like  the  dust, 
shall  be  bound  together  like  the  rock  ;  perish- 
ing by  the  chain,  by  fire,  by  famine,  shall  be 
imperishable,  unnumbered,  glorious,  as  the  stars 
of  heaven  ! "  On  the  other  side,  we  find  the 
wonderful  and  unscrupulous  shrewdness,  the 
sharp  cunning,  the  relentless  avarice,  the  low 
craft,  the  penurious  parsimony,  the  alertness  to 
over-reach,  the  Shylock  severity  to  the  bond, 
the  amazing  resources  in  concealing  duplicity 
and  covering  tracks  behind  it.  Jacob  becomes 
the  pattern  ye'w.  All  that  is  good  or  bad  in  his 
descendants  has  its  natural  beginning  in  him. 
He  had  not  yet  received  the  name  of  Israel,  but 
he  was  an  Israelite  nevertheless.  As  you  look 
at  him  lying  there  on  his  stone  pillow,  however, 
it  would  be  palpably  out  of  place  for  any  one  to 
quote  our  Lord's  remark  made  long  years  after 
this,  concerning  Nathanael  :  "  Behold  an 
Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile!" — Rev. 
C.  Robinsoi,  D.D. 

[17095]  Jacob  is  a  thorough  Jew.  In  him, 
subtlety,  love  of  this  world's  goods,  and  timidity 
co-exist  with  profound  attachment  to  the  God 
of  his  fathers  and  ardent  devotion.  His  patience, 
too,  in  so  waiting  and  working  for  his  bride,  re- 
minds you  of  that  of  his  people,  who  have,  for 
ages,  been  looking  up  to  a  heaven  which, 
whether  it  be  black  or  bright,  never  opens  nor 
ever  shall,  to  let  forth  tJieir  beloved  Messiah. — 
Rev.  G.  Giljillan. 

3       The  life  of  Jacob  is  an  interesting  study 
if  only  on  account  of  its  poetical  incidents. 

[17096]  The  poetical  incidents  in  Jacob's 
history  are  exquisitely  peculiar  and  interesting. 
Indeed,  his  whole  life  is  as  entertaining  and 
varied  as  a  romance.  There  is  his  journey  to 
Padan-aram,  and  the  dream  which,  says  one, 
"  cast  a  light  upon  the  lonely  place  which  shall 
never  pass  away."  No  picture  has  hitherto  done 
this  complete  justice.  Even  Rubens  has  but 
dimly  expressed  the  ideal  of  the  smiling  face  of 
the  young  patriarch,  itself  a  dream  of  beauty — 
the  vast  silent  desert  stretching  around  —  the 
stone  pillow,  shining  like  a  lump  of  gold  in  the 
radiance — and  the  undefined  blaze  of  splendour 
(like  a  ladder,  mountain,  or  stair  ;  the  original 
word  is  uncertain)  rising  up  in  brightening 
gradations,  till  lost  in  one  abyss  of  glory,  and 
with  angelic  shapes  swimming  up  and  down, 
like  motes  of  light,  in  the  liquid  lustre.  And 
who  shall  paint  the  bewildered  and  amazed  as- 
pect of  the  awakened  patriarch,  when,  looking 
around  and  above,  he  finds  the  warm  light  of 
the  vision  gone,  the  dread  yet  tender  voice  past, 
and  nothing  around  him  but  the  dark  desert, 
nothing  beside  him  but  the  stone  pillow,  and 
the  cold  light  of  the  stars  of  morning  above, 
and  when  he  says,  "  Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this 
place,  and  I  knew  it  not "  ? — Ibid. 


74 


17097— 17104] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[JACOB. 


[17097]  The  scenes  around  the  well-side,  where 
Jacob  met  the  daughters  of  Laban,  are  in  the 
sweetest  pastoral  vein.  His  meeting  with  Esau 
has  made  many  a  heart  overflow  in  tears.  But 
a  deeper  and  stranger  interest  surrounds  him, 
as  he  wrestles  at  Peniel,  until  the  dawning  of 
the  day,  with  that  mysterious  figure  of  a  "man," 
who  seems  to  drop  at  once  from  heaven,  shapes 
into  dubious  form  during  the  shadows  of  the 
night,  and  melts  away  in  the  morning  sunshine. 
The  passage  is  one  of  those  strange  pits  of 
darkness  which  occur  amid  the  narrative  plains 
of  the  Pentateuch,  taking  you  down  in  an  instant, 
like  Joseph,  out  of  the  clear  shining  of  the  sun, 
into  a  place  of  impenetrable  mystery.  Yet  it  is 
full  of  deep  significance.  It  is  one  of  many 
proofs  that  the  Word,  ere  identifying  Himself 
with  flesh,  tried  o?i,  once  and  again,  if  we  may 
so  speak,  the  robe  of  human  nature,  which  He 
was  everlastingly  to  wear.  "  Jacob  called  the 
name  of  the  place  Peniel :  for  I  have  seen  God 
face  ioface,  and  my  life  is  preserved.'' — Ibid. 

II.  Inherited  Qualities  of  Character. 

1  He  inherited  the  same  tendency  to  false- 
hood displayed  in  the  Abrahamic  family. 

[17098]  Abraham  himself  lied  twice  in  rela- 
tion to  his  wife — once  in  Egypt  and  once  in 
Gerar,  telling  both  Pharaoh  and  Abimelech 
that  Sarah  was  his  sister,  and  implicitly  denying 
that  she  was  his  wife.  This  same  falsehood 
Abraham's  son  Isaac  repeats  at  the  same  court 
of  Gerar,  with  the  double  aggravation  of  having 
his  father's  disgrace  for  a  warning,  and,  in  his 
remoter  relationship  to  his  wife,  a  less  excuse  for 
his  prevarication.  So  Jacob  lied  unto  his  father 
Isaac  in  the  matter  of  the  birthright.  And 
Jacob's  sons  lied  unto  Jacob  in  the  matter  of 
their  brother  Joseph. — Rev.  W.  Roberts. 

2  He    inherited    the    same  predisposition   to 
religion  displayed  by  his  ancestors. 

[17099J  Jacob  exhibits  the  strong  religious 
nature — if  we  may  not  say  the  faith — of  Abraham, 
along  with  his  powers  of  endurance  ;  while  his 
mother's  character  appears  conspicuously,  her 
depth,  energy,  and  tenacity  of  purpose  —  a 
character  more  complex  than  that  of  Esau, 
whom  you  would  have  known  thoroughly  on 
your  first  accjuaintance  with  him. — Rev.  A. 
Gregory,  M.A. 

[17 100]  The  quality  which  chiefly  distin- 
guished Jacob  from  his  hunting  and  marauding 
brother  was  his  desire  for  the  friendship  of  God 
and  sensibility  to  spiritual  influences. — Rev.  M. 
Dods,  D.D. 


III.  Moral   Side  of  Character,  Gene- 
rally Considered. 

I      Vices. 

(l)  Craft. 

[17101]  The  first  display  of  character  in  act 
and  deed  recorded  of  him  is  recorded  of  his 


manhood.  And  it  is  precisely  what  we  might 
expect,  the  record  of  an  error  and  a  blot.  Im- 
perfect natures  will  not  yield,  at  first,  at  least,  a 
perfect  fruit  of  life.  Jacob  was  the  heir,  as  all 
men  are,  to  an  entail  of  evil,  and  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  character  evil  soon  displayed  itself. 
And  the  second  act  recorded  of  this  patriarch 
is  just  the  repetition  and  the  counterpart  of  his 
first  act  of  sin  and  evil.  It  is  that  which  gives 
occasion  to  the  words,  "  Is  not  he  rightly  named 
Jacob?  for  he  hath  supplanted  me  these  two 
times."  Is  it  not  remarkable  that  the  first  two 
acts  of  Jacob's  life,  recorded  in  this  book  of  him, 
are  acts  of  sin,  and  acts  of  sin  almost  identical 
in  kind  .''  He  robs  his  brother  of  his  birthright ; 
and  this  is  his  first  act  in  life  so  far  as  his  bio- 
graphy informs  us.  His  name  then  disappears 
from  view  for  years,  and  when  he  reappears 
again  upon  the  stage  his  first  performance  is  a 
repetition  of  his  former  crime.  He  first  of  all 
robbed  Esau  of  his  birthrigrit.  He  now  de- 
frauds him  of  his  blessing.  The  name  "  Sup- 
planter  "  is  therefore  fairly  earned  by  Jacob  ; 
and  the  character  of  a  "  supplanter  "  is  to  be 
regarded  as  representing,  at  this  stage  of  his 
life  at  least,  his  character  and  disposition. — Rev. 
W.  Roberts. 

[17 102]  Esau  came  in  hungry  from  hunting  ; 
from  dawn  to  dusk  he  had  been  taxing  his 
strength  to  the  utmost,  too  eagerly  absorbed  to 
notice  either  his  distance  from  home  or  his 
hunger;  it  is  only  when  he  begins  to  return,  de- 
pressed by  the  ill-luck  of  the  day,  and  with 
nothing  now  to  stimulate  him,  that  he  feels 
faint  ;  and  when  at  last  he  reaches  his  father's 
tents,  and  the  savoury  smell  of  Jacob's  lentils 
greets  him,  his  ravenous  appetite  becomes  an 
intolerable  craving,  and  he  begs  Jacob  to  give 
him  some  of  his  food.  Had  Jacob  done  so  with 
brotherly  feeling,  there  would  have  been  nothing 
to  record.  But  Jacob  had  long  been  watching 
for  an  opportunity  to  win  his  brother's  birth- 
right, and  though  no  one  could  have  supposed 
that  an  heir  to  even  a  little  property  would  sell 
it  in  order  to  get  a  meal  five  minutes  sooner 
than  he  could  otherwise  get  it,  Jacob  had  taken 
his  brother's  measure  to  a  nicety,  and  was  con- 
fident that  present  appetite  would  in  Esau  com- 
pletely extinguish  every  other  thought. — Rev. 
M.  Dods,  D.D. 

(2)   Unscriipitlous  sclfislmcss. 

[17103]  How  repulsive  the  cold-blooded,  cal- 
culating spirit  that  can  hold  every  appetite  in 
check,  that  can  cleave  to  one  purpose  for  a  life- 
time, and,  without  scruple,  take  advantage  of  a 
twin  brothel's  weakness  !  Jacob  knows  his 
brother  thoroughly,  and  all  his  knowledge  he 
uses  to  betray  him.  He  knows  he  will  speedily 
repent  of  his  bargain,  so  he  makes  him  swear 
he  will  abide  by  it.  It  is  a  relentless  purpose 
he  carries  out — he  deliberately  and  unhesita- 
tingly sacrifices  his  brother  to  himself — Ibid. 

[17 104]  What  !  because  a  brother  is  regard- 
less of  his  birthright,  shall  I  take  advantage  of 


17104—17109] 


OLD    TESl^AMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JACUB. 


75 


his  hunger  to  defraud  him  of  the  same  ?  Or  is 
a  mess  of  pottage  a  proper  price  to  offer  for  it, 
even  if  it  may  be  purchased?  A  most  usurious 
proceeding,  to  say  the  very  least  of  it  ;  the 
bargain  of  a  highwayman  rather  than  a  brother. 
For  does  not  Jacob  plainly  see  that  Esau  is  "at 
the  point  to  die,"  and  what  was  Jacob's  answer 
to  his  brother  in  effect  but  the  alternative  of  his 
birthright  or  his  life.'' — Rev.  \V.  Roberts. 

[17105]  Jacob  looks  his  brother  calmly  in  the 
face,  and  calcjtlates  his  opportunity.,  .  .  .  and  in 
his  depth  and  shrewdness  makes  him  "  swear  " 
that  he  would  stand  by  it. — Ibid. 

(3)  Duplicity. 

[17106]  Kebekah  proposed  to  Jacob  to  take 
advantage  of  his  father's  dim  sight,  and  to  per- 
sonate Esau.  He  was  to  put  on  his  brother's 
dress,  which  bore  the  smell  of  the  aromatic  herbs 
and  bushes  among  which  he  was  wont  to  hunt, 
and  to  cover  his  smooth  skin  with  a  kind  of  fur ; 
while  Rebekah  would  prepare  a  dish  which  his 
father  would  not  be  able  to  distinguish  from  the 
venison  which  Esau  was  to  make  ready  for  him. 
It  is  remarkable,  that  although  Jacob  at  first 
objected,  his  scruples  were  caused  rather  by 
fear  of  detection  tJianff-oni  a  sense  of  the  zvrofig 
proposed.  But  Rebekah  quieted  his  misgivings 
— possibly  trusting,  that  since  she  was  doing,  as 
she  thought,  the  will  of  God,  she  could  not  but 
succeed.  In  point  of  fact,  Jacob  found  his  part 
more  difficult  than  he  could  have  expected. 
Deceit,  equivocation,  and  lying,  repeated  again 
and  again,  were  required  to  allay  the  growing 
suspicions  of  the  old  man.  At  last  Jacob  suc- 
ceeded— with  what  shame  and  remorse  we  can 
readily  imagine — in  diverting  his  father's  doubts; 
and  Isaac  bestowed  upon  him  "the  blessing," 
and  with  it  the  birthright.  But  it  deserves 
special  notice,  that  while  this  blessing  assigned 
to  him  both  the  land  of  Canaan  and  lordship 
over  his  brethren,  there  is  in  it  but  the  faintest 
allusion  to  the  great  promise  to  Abraham.  The 
only  words  which  can  be  supposed  to  refer  to  it 
are  these  :  "  Cursed  be  every  one  that  curseth 
thee,  and  blessed  be  he  that  blesseth  thee." 
But  this  is  manifestly  very  different  from  the 
blessing  of  Abraham,  "  In  thee  and  in  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 
It  is  clear  that  Isaac  imagined  he  had  blessed 
Esau,  and  that  he  did  not  dare  confer  upon  him 
the  spiritual  privileges  attached  to  the  birth- 
right. So,  after  all,  Jacob  and  J^ebekah  d\d  not 
attain  that  which  they  had  sought  ! — Rev.  A. 
Edersheini,  D.D. 

(4)  Falsehood  and  dissimulation. 

[17107]  Jacob  found  that  he  had  to  speak 
when  he  went  in  to  his  father.  Various  circum- 
stances roused  the  old  man's  suspicions  :  the 
quickness  with  which  the  pretended  Esau  pre- 
sented himself  with  the  food,  and  still  more  the 
tones  of  the  voice.  To  allay  these  suspicions, 
Jacob  resorted  to  falsehood  after  falsehood. 
"Lying  is  soon  learned."  What  a  moment  of 
agony  to  him  must  it  have  been  when  he  heard 


his  father  say,  "The  voice  is  Jacob's  voice," 
and  ask  the  question,  "Art  thou  my  very  son 
Esau?"  No  small  punishment  to  him  was  the 
probably  unforeseen  dilemma  in  which  that 
placed  him.  "I  would  have  flung  down  the 
dish  and  run,"  says  the  honest  Luther.  But 
Jacob  was  now  fairly  committed  ;  and  the  fear 
of  God  and  a  regard  to  truth  being  lost  sight  of, 
and  his  conscience,  already  twisted,  not  deter- 
ring him  from  the  crowning  falsehood,  he  de- 
termined to  put  a  stop  to  all  troublesome 
questions,  and  replied,  "  I  am."  And  God  did 
not  step  in  to  prevent  even  this.  No  ;  since  the 
sin,  the  deceit,  is  there  in  Jacob's  heart,  it  is  to 
come  out,  tiie  whole  of  it,  in  all  its  blackness, 
to  horrify  Jacob  on  reflection  by  its  hideous- 
ness,  and  to  be  punished  and  corrected  with 
lengthened  and  repeated  agonies  of  heart,  as 
that  falsehood  reappeared  and  repeated  itself, 
as  that  imposition  inflicted  itself  on  him  in  after 
life. — Rev.  A.  Gregory,  D.D. 

2      Virtues  and  excellences, 

(i)   Thoughtfulness. 

The  teaching  of  his  father  doubtless  implanted 
in  him  a  meditative  spirit. 

[1710S]  Jacob  was  trained  for  long  years 
under  the  eye  of  a  father,  who,  if  we  may  trans- 
fer modern  phraseology  to  an  age  innocent  of 
theological  erudition  and  book-lore,  had  himself 
been  a  devout  student  alike  in  natural  and 
revealed  religion.  He  who  delighted  to  "  medi- 
tate in  the  field  at  eventide"  (Gen.  xxiv.  63) 
would  not  be  likely  to  suffer  his  child  to  grow 
up  to  youth  or  manhood  with  that  outer  oracle 
of  God  unread  and  unreverenced.  No  minstrel 
had  yet  arisen  to  sing  of  "the  green  pastures, 
or  the  still  waters"  where  the  Divine  Shepherd 
led  His  flock;  of  "the  valleys  covered  with 
corn,  the  little  hills  rejoicing  on  every  side." 
But  the  meadows  around,  fringing  the  desert, 
and  the  oasis  where  we  may  imagine  the  tents 
were  pitched,  would  then,  as  now,  form  a  floral 
lesson-book  for  the  young  and  inquiring  mind  ; 
while  the  bright  heavens  above,  whether  vaulted 
in  their  canopy  of  blue,  or  arched  with  the  rain- 
bow, or  gleaming  with  oriental  stars,  would 
serve  as  a  mighty  diagram  to  illustrate  the 
power  and  love  and  glory  of  the  Almighty 
Framer. — Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

[17 109]  Isaac  could  unfold  to  his  son  more 
sacred  revelations  of  Jehovah  than  those  seen 
in  the  hieroglyphics  of  external  nature,  the  pen- 
cilling of  desert  flower,  or  the  lighting  of  the 
vestal  fires  in  the  temple  of  night.  By  that 
desert  tent  there  was  an  altar  on  which,  morn- 
ing and  evening,  sacrifices  were  slain,  and  from 
which  the  incense  cloud  ascended.  More  than 
this,  it  is  evident  from  an  expression  Jacob 
afterwards  employs,  that  the  Divine  Being  was 
so  constantly  realized  by  him  (although  as  yet 
by  no  outward  palpable  manifestations),  that 
the  "  no  creed,"  so  common  in  apostate  Chris- 
tendom, never  threw  its  malignant  shadow 
across  his  early  mental  vision.  There  were 
other  wilds  on  which  he  might  roam,  but  not 


76 


17109— i7"7l 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[JACOB. 


the  bleak  wilds  of  sceptic  doubt.  He  speaks  of 
God  with  the  familiarity  of  a  recognized,  ever- 
present  friend:  "The  Lord  before  whom  my 
fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  did  walk,  the  God 
that  fed  me  all  my  life  long"  (Gen.  xlviii.  15, 
16).— Ibid. 

[171 10]  These  religious  principles  in  which 
Jacob  had  been  nurtured  from  his  earliest  years 
were  illustrated  and  countersigned  by  his 
parent's  holy  and  consistent  life.  For  although 
Isaac  is  the  least  prominent  and  conspicuous  of 
the  founders  of  the  nation,  reticent,  retiring, 
unambitious,  he  never  seems  to  have  lost  the 
impress  and  reward  of  his  early  faith,  on  that 
memorable  occasion  when  he  so  meekly  bowed 
his  young  head  in  unexampled  self-sacrifice  at 
the  bidding  of  his  father  and  his  father's  God. 
That  patient,  unmurmuring  act  of  filial  obedi- 
ence appears  to  have  given  a  tone  of  peaceful- 
ness  to  his  after  character.  The  well  of  Lahai-roi, 
the  well  of  Hagar  and  her  outcast  boy,  where 
the  patriarch  occasionally  pitched  his  tent,  was 
well  calculated,  from  its  name  and  associations, 
to  give  Jacob  his  earliest  impressions  of  the 
"all-seeing  God." — Idid. 

(2)  Tenacity  of  purpose. 

[171 11]  The  substance,  the  strength  of  the 
chosen  family,  the  true  inheritance  of  the  pro- 
mise of  Abraham,  was  interwoven  with  the  very 
essence  of  the  character  of  ''the  plain  man 
dwelling  in  tents,"  steady,  persevering,  moving 
onward  with  deliberate,  settled  purpose,  through 
years  of  suffering  and  prosperity,  of  exile  and 
return,  of  bereavement  and  recovery.  The 
birthright  is  always  before  him.  Rachel  is  won 
from  Laban  by  hard  service,  "and  the  seven 
years  seemed  unto  him  but  a  few  days  for  the 
love  he  had  to  her." — Dean  Stanley. 

[171 12]  While  one  recoils  from  his  craftiness 
and  management,  one  cannot  but  admire  his 
quiet  force  of  character,  his  indomitable  tena- 
city.—/^^z/.  M.  Dads,  D.D. 

(3)  Patience. 

[171 13]  When  the  twins  stood  before  His 
penetrating  knowledge,  the  all- wise  God  saw 
that  Jacob  was  the  better  man — not  the  better 
saint,  for  neither  of  them  was  much  of  a  saint 
in  those  days— but  the  better  instrument.  One 
was  calm,  secret,  quiet,  self-possessed,  ingenious 
— obsequious,  pliant,  timid,  agricultural — tena- 
cious, patient,  hopeful.  The  other  was  hasty, 
passionate,  impulsive,  irregular,  adventurous, 
restless — a  hunter  by  taste,  and  a  rover  by  dis- 
position. Plainly,  Jacob  would  make  the  best 
patriarch  of  the  two.  The  long  run  in  those 
days  was  a  more  desirable  thing  than  the  short 
cut.  Patient  steadiness  was  more  serviceable  for 
the  Divine  ends  than  mere  executive  rush. 
James  would  have  been  better  than  Peter  to  go 
on  Old  Testament  errands. — Rev.  C.  Robinsofi. 
D.D. 

(4)  Prudence. 

[171 14]  I  need  not  either  rehearse  the  details 
of  that  handsome  present  which  Jacob  (allowed, 


perhaps,  a  somewhat  longer  time  than  he  ex- 
pected, before  Esau's  arrival)  prepared  for  his 
brother.  But  I  may  remark  on  the  skill  with 
which  his  dispositions  were  made,  and  the  deli- 
cate consideration  shown  in  the  constitution  of 
the  present  offered.  The  present  was  com- 
posed of  several  kinds  of  animals.  It  was  a 
handsome  present,  in  point  of  value,  on  account 
of  their  character  and  numbers  ;  and  well  chosen 
on  account  of  the  suitable  proportion  in  which 
one  part  of  each  class  stood  to  the  other.  And 
these  several  flocks  Jacob  divided  into  distinct 
droves,  setting  a  space  between  each  drove,  so 
as  to  magnify  the  impression  of  the  greatness  of 
the  gift,  it  may  be,  by  making  each  item  of  it 
distinct  in  itself;  but  more  especially,  perchance, 
to  give  the  servants  in  attendance  the  oppor- 
tunity of  repeating  again  and  again  the  pro- 
pitiatory answer  to  Esau's  repeated  inquiry 
concerning  the  things  he  saw  :  "These  be  thy 
servant  Jacob's  ;  it  is  a  present  sent  unto  my 
lord  Esau  ;  and,  behold,  also  he  is  behind  us." — 
Rev.  W.  Roberts. 

[17115]  In  the  tactics  of  Jacob,  if  I  may  so 
call  them,  in  sending  the  present  to  Esau, 
there  was  none  of  that  crooked  policy  which 
he  had  displayed  in  Beersheba  and  at  Haran. 
There  was  only  so  much  legitimate  skill 
employed  in  propitiating  an  angry  brother 
as  testified  to  Jacob's  earnest  desire  to  be  at 
peace  with  him,  and  as  was  consistent  with 
integrity. — Ibid. 

[171 16]  His  wise  and  politic  nature  was  suited 
to  the  position  of  a  leader.  He  was  to  develop 
a  nation.  He  was  to  found  a  religious  economy. 
He  was  fitted  to  be  a  statesman.  He  had  an 
eventful  life  and  a  long  one.  Yet  so  adroitly 
did  he  manage  circumstances,  so  discreet  was 
he  in  dealing  with  human  nature,  that  we  see, 
even  in  the  simple  and  rude  affairs  of  a  shep- 
herd's life,  a  statesman,  and  one  able  to  control 
himself  (an  ability  which  constitutes  the  first 
element  of  statesmanship),  and  then  able  to 
control  other  men,  and,  last  of  all,  able  to  seek 
human  ends  by  the  use  of  principles  rather  than 
by  expedients.  Such  was  Jacob's  gift. —  Ward 
Beecher. 

(5)  Domestic  affection. 

a.  Conjugal. 

[171 17]  To  have  had  such  a  vision  of  God, 
and  such  a  love  for  Rachel,  was  to  connect  him 
with  all  that  is  highest  and  noblest  in  the  ex- 
perience of  the  human  race.  As  the  memory 
of  a  sun  that  has  gone  down  apparently  into 
darkness,  such  to  Jacob  was  the  death  of  Rachel. 
His  very  love  was  swallowed  up  in  his  grief. 
His  whole  life,  seen  in  retrospect,  was  this  :  "  1 
lost  her.  As  I  was  in  the  way  she  left  me." 
This  man,  that  stood  so  high  amongst  his  own 
people— this  man,  that  was  admitted  to  the 
presence  of  the  king,  and  that  was  full  of  years, 
and  honours,  and  wealth,  in  looking  back  upon 
his  life,  said,  "  I  remember  God,  and  I  remem- 
ber Rachel  that  died."  These  were  all  he  had 
left  to  remember.     The  wail  measures  the  fore- 


17117— I7I23] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JACOB. 


77 


going  joy.  .  .  .  When  Rachel  died,  the  whole 
world  had  but  one  man  in  it,  and  he  was  solitary, 
and  his  name  was  Jacob. — Ibid. 

[17x18]  There  is  something  in  the  helpless- 
ness of  former  days  to  express  affection  that 
touches  every  generous  soul.  Modern  loves 
have  had  their  literature.  Dante  has  lifted  up 
his  Beatrice  and  made  her  the  world's  admira- 
tion. Petrarch's  Laura  will  not  be  forgotten 
while  letters  last.  Poets  build  temples  in  verse 
wherein  they  enshrine  love  and  give  it  immor- 
tality. The  letters  of  Abelard  and  Heloise  will 
make  their  names  famous  to  the  end  of  time, 
which  show  that  they  spent  their  life  in  repenting 
of  that  which  was  the  noblest  thing  that  belonged 
to  that  life — the  fact  that  they  loved  each  other. 
In  the  days  in  which  they  lived,  love,  under  the 
touch  of  superstition,  had  withered.  But  in 
those  far-away  days  in  which  Jacob  lived,  men 
were  without  literature,  without  the  instruments 
of  expression,  and  the  great  heart  carried  its 
love  unspoken.  Yet  this  simple  scene  on  the 
boundary  of  the  other  life  is  a  testimony  to 
Rachel  more  touching  and  exquisite,  by  its  very 
helplessness,  than  any  man  has  ever  laid  at  the 
teet  of  his  beloved.  The  simple  mention  of  her 
name  by  the  side  of  that  of  God,  in  this  last 
tremulous  moment  of  his  life,  is  itself  a  monu- 
ment to  her,  to  her  goodness,  to  her  lovable- 
ness,  to  the  ascendency  which  she  gained  over 
the  patriarch's  heart.  I  would  rather  be  Rachel 
than  Laura. — Ibid. 

[171 19]  Is  it  not  among  the  things  of  note  and 
of  grandeur  to  see  a  soul  walking  along  life  up- 
held by  a  full  and  perfect  love .''  Others  had 
been  dear  to  Jacob,  but  Rachel  alone  filled  his 
capacity  of  love.  She  left  no  part  of  his  life 
unfertilized.  The  outward  life  had  been  full  of 
cares,  dangers,  business,  and  change.  This  in- 
ward life  had  been  silent,  and  had  had  little 
expression.  Persons  approaching  this  chief 
would  not  have  dreamed  of  its  depth  and  power. 
They  would  have  seen  his  state,  his  authority, 
his  wealth,  but  not  that  spring  which,  though 
hidden,  fed  his  joy  and  made  it  green.  But  in 
his  last  hours  the  flocks  were  forgotten.  The 
gold  and  silver,  the  raiment  and  the  riches — 
these  external  elements  sank  out  of  sight,  and 
left  disclosed  that  deep  and  hidden  source  of 
his  life,  a  soul-satisfying  love. — Ibid. 

b.  Paternal. 

[17 1 20]  Joseph  and  Benjamin  are  long  and 
passionately  loved  by  their  father  with  a  more 
than  parental  affection — bringing  down  his  grey 
hairs  for  their  sakes  "  in  sorrow  to  the  grave." 
This  is  no  character  to  be  contemned  or  scoffed 
at. — Dean  Stanley. 

[17121]  "If  I  be  bereaved  of  my  children,  I  am 
bereaved  I  "  It  may  be  truly  said  of  Jacob,  as  a 
father,  that  "even  his  failings  leaned  to  virtue's 
side."  We  can  account  for  them  from  causes 
that  are  in  themselves  good.  There  are  good 
principles,  right  affections — but  operating  irregu- 
larly, under   the   sway   of    certain   misguiding 


influences, — erring  in  their  direction  and  their 
degree,  more  than  in  their  kind.  The  words 
before  us  express  the  power  of  natural  affection. 
To  be  bereaved  of  his  children  was  to  him  a 
pang  of  peculiar  acutencss  and  tenderness. 
And  yet  still,  the  partiality  of  fondness  is  mani- 
festly for  Benjamin.  Simeon  is  far  from  sharing 
equally  with  him  the  anxieties  of  the  father's 
heart  :  "  That  he  may  send  away  your  other 
brother  and  Benjatnin."  The  former  appellation 
has  not  in  it  the  affectionate  tenderness  that 
there  is  in  the  familiar  and  beloved  name.  We 
approve  his  affection,  while  we  condemn  its  par- 
tiality ;  and  yet,  as  we  have  before  seen,  even 
its  partiality  has  its  natural  alleviations  in  the 
considerations  from  which  it  arose. — Rev.  R. 
Wardlaw,  D.D. 

IV.   Spiritual    Side  of    Character  as 
Viewed  Before  the  Vision. 

His  inner  life  presents  to  view  a  heavy  heart 
and  a  guilty  conscience. 

Faith  slumbers. 

[17122]  The  sun  had  set,  and  its  last  glow 
faded  out  from  the  grey  hills  of  Ephraim,  when 
he  reached  "  an  uneven  valley,  covered,  as  with 
gravestones,  by  large  sheets  of  bare  rock, 
some  few  here  and  there  standing  up  like  the 
cromlechs  of  Druidical  monuments."  Here, 
close  by  a  wild  ridge,  the  broad  summit  of  which 
was  covered  by  an  olive  grove,  was  the  place 
where  Abraham  had  first  rested  for  some  time 
on  entering  the  land,  and  whence  he  and  Lot 
had,  before  their  separation,  taken  a  survey  of 
the  country.  There,  just  before  him,  lay  the 
Canaanitish  Luz  ;  and  beyond  it,  many  days' 
journey,  stretched  his  weary  course  to  Haran. 
It  was  a  lonely,  weird  place,  this  valley  of  stones, 
in  which  to  make  his  first  night's  quarters. 
But  perhaps  it  agreed  all  the  better  with  Jacob's 
mood,  which  had  made  him  go  on  and  on,  from 
early  morning,  forgetful  of  time  and  way,  till  he 
could  no  longer  pursue  his  journey.  Yet,  acci- 
dental as  it  seemed — for  we  read  that  "  he 
lighted  upon  a  certain  place" — the  selection  of 
the  spot  was  assuredly  designed  of  God.  Pre- 
sently Jacob  prepared  for  rest.  Piling  some  of 
the  stones,  with  which  the  valley  was  strewed, 
he  made  them  a  pillow,  and  laid  him  down  to 
sleep.  On  that  first  night,  when  an  outcast  from 
his  home,  and  a  fugitive,  heavy  thoughts,  doubts, 
and  fears  would  crowd  around  Jacob  ;  when,  in 
every  sense,  his  head  was  pillowed  on  stones  in 
the  rocky  valley  of  Luz. — Rez'.  A.  Edersheifn, 
D.D. 

[17123]  Jacob  had  wilily  deprived  Esau  of  his 
birthright.  It  needed  lying  and  fraud  to  accom- 
plish this  ;  but  he  had  scrupled  at  nothing.  He 
had  committed  a  mean  deceit  to  outwit  his 
brother  ;  he  had  falsified  the  truth  openly,  in 
order  to  prevail  over  his  old  blind  father  ;  and 
then,  in  smooth-faced  villany,  he  had  knelt  at  the 
feet  of  the  same  outraged  parent,  and  received 
the  invoked  blessing  with  a  hardihood  which, 
under  the  circumstances,  appears  almost  like 


78 


17123— 17130] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[JACOB. 


blasphemy  against  God.  It  is  likely  his  medita- 
tions must  have  been  far  from  pleasant.  From 
the  actual  summit  of  hope  he  was  now  pre- 
cipitated into  an  abyss  of  uncertainty  and  alarm. 
His  heart  was  sad;  his  mood  was  pensive.  His 
step  was  not  elastic  ;  his  eye  was  not  full  of 
light.  Cui/t  7C'as  heavier  than  his  wallet  ;  sin 
pierced  his  hand  more  than  his  staff  did. — Rev. 
C.  Robinsoti,  D.D. 

[17 1 24]  His  thoughts  probably  centred  in  one 
deep  feeling  that  he  was  an  outcast,  a  fugitive 
from  justice.  He  was  glad  he  was  in  so  solitary 
a  place,  he  was  glad  he  was  so  far  from  Esau 
and  from  every  human  eye  ;  and  yet — what 
desolation  of  spirit  accompanied  this  feeling  : 
there  was  no  one  he  could  bid  good-night  to,  no 
one  he  could  spend  the  evening  hour  with  in 
quiet  talk  ;  he  was  a  banished  man  whatever 
fine  gloss  Rebekah  might  put  upon  it,  and  deep 
down  in  his  conscience  there  was  that  which 
told  him  he  was  not  banished  without  cause. 
Might  not  God  also  forsake  him — might  not  God 
banish  him,  and  might  he  not  find  a  curse  pur- 
suing him,  preventing  man  or  woman  from  ever 
again  looking  in  his  face  with  pleasure  i* — Rev. 
M.  Dods,  D.D. 

V.    Spiritual    Side    of    Character   as 
Viewed  After  the  Vision. 

His    inner    life    presents    to    view  a   sin    con- 
victed heart  and  an  accusing  conscience. 

Faith  azvakes  but  prevails  not. 

[17125]  "And  Jacob  awaked  out  of  his  sleep, 
and  he  said.  Surely  Jehovah  is  in  this  place,  and 
I  knew  it  not."  Quite  another  fear  now  came 
upon  him  from  that  of  loneliness  or  of  doubt.  It 
was  azoe  at  the  conscious  presence  of  the  ever- 
watchful,  ever -mindful  covenant  -  God  which 
made  him  feel,  as  many  a  wanderer  since  at 
such  discovery  :  "  How  dreadful  is  this  place  ! 
This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and 
this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."  The  next  effect 
seems  to  have  been  some  sort  of  sense  of  guilt. 
He  immediately  bethought  himself  of  his  old 
sins.  He  vaguely  feels  the  need  of  propitiation. 
He  seems  to  be  lumbling  around  for  something. 
He  erects  a  pillar,  which  does  not  turn  out  to 
be  an  altar.  He  pours  oil  on  it,  which  is  no 
sacrifice.  He  vows  a  vow,  which  is  only  an 
offer  of  a  bargain.  He  promises  to  give  the 
Lord  one  sheep  out  of  ten  if  the  Lord  would 
furnish  the  ten.  He  says  he  will  begin  to 
behave  himself  when  he  gets  back  ;  and  live 
a  better  life,  provided  the  Lord  will  bring  him 
back  unhurt.  So  we  see  that  this  vision  has 
awaked  him  into  a  half-spasm  of  repentance, 
which  renders  him  scared  and  uneasy. — Rev. 
C.  Robinson,  D.D. 

[17 126]  The  goodness  of  God  leadeth  men  to 
repentance.  And  Jacob's  was  precisely  a  nature 
apt  to  be  led — gentle,  quiet,  timid.  And  God 
dealt  with  him,  in  goodness,  for  his  good.  He 
would  shame  him  out  of  subtlety  by  kindness. 
And  oh  !  how  bitterly  ashamed  of  his  sin  against 


Esau  must  Jacob  have  felt,  in  the  light  of  what 
was  now  revealed  to  him  !  How  must  he  have 
humbled  himself  in  the  dust  before  God,  as  he 
now  perceived  that  the  same  God  who  had  just 
blessed  him  had  also  witnessed  all  his  treachery 
to  Esau,  and  his  duplicity  towards  Isaac  \  And 
how  superfluous,  as  well  as  shameful,  must  all 
his  artifices  have  appeared  I— Rev.  IV.  Roberts. 

[17 1 27]  He  seemed  reverent,  and  yet  he  did 
not  give  his  heart  to  God.  He  was  afraid,  but 
not  submissive.  He  was  convicted,  but  not 
converted.  He  was  moved,  but  not  melted. 
He  hfted  a  monument,  and  then  went  on  his  way 
without  lifting  a  prayer, — Jbid. 

[17128]  What  this  fugitive  man  can  feel  he 
feels.  He  seems  absolutely  arrested.  He  moves 
around  as  if  he  had  been  fairly  impressed  by 
the  spirit  of  the  spectacle.  He  is  thoroughly 
awe-struck.  He  talks  to  himself.  He  acts  like 
one  swayed  by  a  purpose  outside  of  him.  That 
dream  gave  his  mind  a  shock.  It  broke  up  his 
apathy.  One  of  the  kings  of  France  is  said  to 
have  offered  a  reward  for  a  neiu  sensation. 
This  was  what  Jacob  now  had.  It  had  entered 
his  very  soul.  He  rose  to  meet  it  with  as  much 
gravity  as  he  could  command.  The  first  thing 
it  did  was  to  frighten  him.  "  And  he  was 
afraid."  Singular  to  notice,  he  does  not  pray  a 
word. — Rev.  C.  Robinson,  D.D. 


VI.   Spiritual   Side   of   Ch.\racter    as 
Viewed  After  the  Wrestle. 

His    inner  life   presents   to    view   a    God-con- 
verted heart  and  a  quieted  conscience. 

Faith  triumphs. 

[17 1 29]  There  are  two  decisive  and  determin- 
ing moments  in  the  life  of  Jacob.  This  wrestling 
with  the  angel  of  the  Lord  was  the  second  of 
these,  even  as  that  marvellous  vision  in  the  field 
of  Luz  had  been  the  first.  The  work  which  that 
began,  this  completed.  That  Lord  who  was  the 
author  then,  was  now  the  finisher,  of  the  patri- 
arch's faith.  And  this  with  which  we  now  have 
to  do,  was  the  crisis  not  of  his  inward  and 
spiritual  life  only,  but  of  his  outward  life  as  well ; 
even  as  the  decisive,  all-determining  moments 
of  the  one  and  of  the  other  do,  in  the  providence 
of  God,  fall  oftentimes  together.  What  an  epoch 
in  his  spiritual  life  this  was,  we  shall  best  under- 
stand if  we  consider  the  name  of  Israel,  which 
in  this  conflict  he  won,  and  which  hereafter 
as  a  memorial  of  his  victory  he  bore. — Abp. 
Trencli. 

[17 130]  That  night  Jacob  the  supplanter  dis- 
appears, and  Israel  the  prince  of  God  stands  up 
in  his  room.  The  man  who  could  wrestle  thus 
with  the  angel  for  the  blessing  had  learnt  what 
stolen  blessings  are  worth.  He  had  wrested  the 
birthright  by  superior  intellect  and  will  from 
Esau,  and  it  had  become  a  bitter  curse  to  him  ; 
he  knew  now  that  he  must  win  it  afresh  by 
wrestling  prayer  to  God.  He  wrestled,  he  agon- 
ized ;  lame  and  fainting  he  still  held  on  ;  and 


I7I30— I7I37J 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


79 


[JACOB, 


he  came  out  of  that  agony  of  prayer  a  prince, 
having  power  with  man  and  with  God. — Rev.  J. 
Brown. 

[17 131]  God  had  finally  conquered  Jacob's 
nature  by  persistent  grace.  And  the  man  was 
for  evermore  happier  for  the  subjection.  His 
figure  rises  in  beautiful  majesty  on  our  recollec- 
tion hereafter.  He  is  God's  own  child  now — 
an  Old  Testament  Christian.  He  lived  a 
discordant  life  for  these  years,  but  his  powers 
were  reduced  to  harmony  by  the  convulsions  of 
experience  at  Penuel.  They  had  been,  for  all 
this  lonely  time,  like  so  many  bells  in  a  mediaeval 
belfry,  where  saint  and  monk  had  failed — tuneless 
and  tongueless  with  neglect — which  some  mighty 
tempest  rocking  the  turrets  and  towers,  had 
unloosed  from  the  rust,  so  that  even  the  gentlest 
touch  of  the  chorister  could  now  set  them 
ringing  into  chords — not  sweet  nor  mellow  at 
first,  but  growing  more  and  more  musical  with 
each  day's  use,  and  by  and  by  falling  easily 
into  their  old  wonted  chimes  calling  to  prayer. 
— Rev.  C.  Rolufison,  D.D. 

[17132]  It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  relief  of  this 
wrestling  patriarch  when  the  dawn  caught  him 
just  crossing  the  stream.  That  light  was  only 
the  sweet  emblem  of  the  dearer,  brighter  illu- 
mination he  had  in  his  soul.  Every  old  cloud  of 
apprehension  was  gone,  every  shadow  of  fear 
was  banished.  No  more  doubts,  no  more 
hesitancy  ;  he  could  go  forward  on  his  journey 
unalarmed.  Weeping  endured  for  the  night  ; 
joy  came  in  the  morning.  He  felt  himself  now 
under  the  sunshine  of  reconciliation  and  peace 
with  God.  He  had  gained  the  blessing  he  went 
across  the  brook  to  wrestle  for.  He  was  once 
more  on  praying  terms  with  his  Maker.  And 
the  greater  included  the  less  also.  If  he  could 
only  surely  know  that  the  Almighty  was  within 
reach  of  his  voice,  he  knew  that  he  need  no 
longer  dread  an  encounter  with  his  wild  brother 
Esau.  In  the  very  wording  of  his  benediction 
the  hint  was  given  :  "thou  hast  power  with  God, 
and  with  men;"  that  last  expression  meant  he 
should  prevail  over  Esau  as  he  had  prevailed 
over  God.  Nor  was  even  that  all  which  was 
given  for  his  encouragement.  The  omniscient 
God  reminded  him  that  from  his  birth  he  had 
been  chosen  ;  it  had  been  predicted  "  the  elder 
shall  serve  the  younger."  This  supplanting  of 
Esau,  however  iniquitously  accomplished  by 
trickery,  was  now  forgiven  —  overruled  —  and 
even  accepted  into  the  eternal  purpose  of 
Jehovah  as  a  historic  fact.  So  that  all  he  had 
to  do  in  the  future  was  to  go  on,  obedient,  godly, 
resting  upon  the  grace  and  goodness  of  his 
Almighty  Friend. — Ilnd. 

VII.  Jacob  and  Esau  contrasted. 

I       Esau's  feelings    controlled   his  judgment, 
Jacob's  judgment  controlled  his  feelings. 

[17 1 33]  They  could  not  have  been  better 
contrasted  had  their  characters  been  merely 
dramatic.     Esau  was  bold,  abrupt,  heedless,  yet 


with  much  in  his  nature  that  was  generous  and 
lovable.  He  united  a  kind  of  rashness  which 
produces  the  effect  of  wickedness,  with  qualities 
which  still  draw  the  heart  to  him.  He  had  no 
settled  plan  of  life,  no  governing  principle.  He 
acted  resolutely,  but  thoughtlessly.  Esau's 
feelings  were  first,  his  thoughtfulness  was 
second. — Ward  Beecher. 

[17134]  He  indulged  or  repressed  his  feelings 
as  seemed  best.  .  .  .  Reason  was  always  domi- 
nant. Nothing  in  him  acted  that  he  did  not 
permit.  He  looked  before  him.  He  foresaw 
advantages,  anticipated  evils  ;  secured  the  one, 
and  avoided  the  other. — Ibid. 

2       Esau  was  the   man   of  generous   impulse, 
Jacob  of  selfish  calculation. 

[17135]  The  sacred  history,  whilst  exposing 
the  carnal  indifference  of  Esau,  does  not  ex- 
tenuate the  selfishness  of  Jacob.  Throughout 
their  history,  Esau  is  the  bold,  reckless,  but 
generous  and  open-hearted  man  of  this  world  ; 
Jacob,  on  the  contrary,  is  a  thoughtful,  religious 
man,  but  with  many  infirmities,  and  especially 
with  that  absence  of  simplicity  and  uprightness 
which  often  characterizes  those  who  have  made 
their  choice  of  heaven,  and  yet  let  their  hearts 
linger  too  much  on  earth. —  Coiiunentary  {Canon 
Cook). 

[17 1 36]  Unlike  the  sharp  contrast  of  the 
earlier  pairs  of  sacred  history,  in  these  two  the 
good  and  evil  are  so  mingled,  that  at  first  we 
might  be  at  a  loss  which  to  follow,  which  to 
condemn.  The  distinctness  with  which  they 
seem  to  stand  and  move  before  us  against  the 
clear  distance  is  a  new  phase  in  the  history. 
Esau,  tlie  shaggy,  red-haired  huntsman,  the  man 
of  the  field,  with  his  arrows,  his  quiver,  and  his 
bow,  coming  in  weary  from  the  chase,  caught  as 
with  the  levity  and  eagerness  of  a  child,  by  the 
sight  of  the  lentil  soup  —  ''  Feed  me,  I  pray 
thee,  with  the  red,  red  pottage,"— yet  so  full  of 
generous  impulse,  so  affectionate  towards  his 
aged  father,  so  forgiving  towards  his  brother, 
so  open-hearted,  so  chivalrous  ;  who  has  not  at 
times  felt  his  heart  warm  toward  the  poor 
rejected  Esau,  and  been  tempted  to  join  with 
him  as  he  cries  with  "  a  great  and  exceeding 
bitter  cry.  Hast  thou  but  one  blessing,  my 
father.''  bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my  father  !" 
And  who  does  not  in  like  manner  feel  at  times 
his  indignation  swell  against  the  younger 
brother.?  "  Is  he  not  rightly  named  Jacob  ?  for 
he  hath  supplanted  me  these  two  times." — 
Dean  Staiiley. 

[17 1 37]  Did  we  seek  indeed  from  Old  Testa- 
ment history,  in  the  era  in  which  Jacob  lived,  a 
more  winning  portraiture,  we  do  not  require  to 
travel  beyond  the  tent-home  of  Isaac,  In  the 
person  of  Esau,  even  if  we  take  him,  as  he  is 
often  regarded,  as  the  representative  man  of  the 
world,  we  have  more  engaging  native  excellen- 
cies. Our  sympathies  are  all  with  the  bold, 
brave  hunter — his  noble  mien  and  manly  ways 


8o 


17137— 17142] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JACOB. 


and  filial  devotion,  rather  than  with  the  artful 
equivocating  brother,  who  has  tricked  him  out 
of  his  patrimonial  rights,  and  drawn  down 
thereby  a  very  righteous  vengeance.  Add  to  this, 
there  is  nothing  either  brilliant  or  heroic  about 
Jacob.  Absent  are  those  mental  p,ifts  and  those 
valorous  exploits  which  throw  a  halo  of  interest 
over  the  lives  of  some  even  subordinate  charac- 
ters in  Bible  story.  Though  we  may  admire  a 
tenacity  of  purpose  and  unflinching  determina- 
tion, which  go  far  to  redeem  baser  and  less 
amiable  qualities — a  certain  worldly  adroitness, 
energy  of  will,  fertility  of  resource,  and  perhaps, 
more  than  all,  patient  endurance  ;  yet  he  is 
neither  philosopher,  nor  minstrel,  nor  warrior. 
His  name  is  the  keynote  to  his  inner  nature, 
"  the  crafty  "—having  a  shrewd  eye  to  business, 
and  to  self.  His  prosaic  calling  and  ways  are 
brought  out  in  the  sacred  narrative,  when  he  is 
briefly  described  as  "  a  plain  man  dwelling  in 
tents"  (Gen.  xxv.  27).— Rev.  J.  Macdiif,  D.D. 

[17 1 38]  Esau  might  be  a  pleasant  companion, 
far  brighter  and  more  vivacious  than  Jacob  on  a 
day's  hunting  ;  free  and  open-handed,  and  not 
implacable  ;  and  yet  such  people  are  not  satis- 
factory friends.  Often  the  most  attractive  people 
have  similar  inconstancy  ;  they  have  a  superficial 
vivacity,  and  brilliance,  and  charm,  and  good- 
nature, which  invites  a  friendship  they  do  not 
deserve. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17139]  The  weakness  in  Esau's  character 
which  makes  him  so  striking  a  contrast  to  his 
brother  is  his  inconstancy. 

"  That  one  error 
Fills  him  with  faults  ;  makes  him  run  through 
all  the  sins." 

He  is  led  by  impulse,  betrayed  by  appetite, 
everytiiing  by  turns  and  nothing  long.  To-day 
despising  his  birthright,  to-morrow  breaking  his 
heart  for  its  loss  ;  to-day  vowing  he  will  murder 
his  brother,  to-morrow  falling  on  his  neck  and 
kissing  him  ;  a  man  you  cannot  reckon  upon, 
and  of  too  shallow  a  nature  for  anything  to  root 
itself  deeply  in. — Ibid. 

[17 140]  Esau  had  his  father's  easy  and 
generous  nature,  with  his  mother's  energy  fully 
developed  in  a  masculine  form.  Jacob  with  his 
father's  retiring  disposition  inherits  his  mother's 
artful  ways.  Esau,  rough  and  robust  in  body, 
and  of  a  bold  and  intrepid  disposition,  does  not 
like  the  restraints  of  an  "indoor"  life  ;  simple 
pastoral  employments  are  dreary  to  him,  and  he 
devotes  himself  to  the  chase,  living  the  life  of  an 
Ishmael  or  a  Nimrod.  Jacob,  apparently  a 
smaller  and  feebler  man  (as  is  sometimes  the 
case  with  one  in  a  twin  birth),  was  also  "a  plain 
man,"  quiet,  timid,  and  retiring,  fond  of  a  simple 
life,  and  content  to  "dwell  in  the  tents,"  and 
attend  to  shepherd's  duties.  And  so  "  the  boys 
grew,"  their  diverse  natures  growing  with  them: 
Esau,  manly  and  generous,  a  strong,  bold,  and 
cunning  {i.e.,  skilful)  huntsman  of  the  field,  the 
favourite  of  his  father ;  Jacob,  a  quiet,  tender, 


gentle  youth,  sitting  in  the  tents,  living  a  homely 
domestic  life,  the  favourite  of  his  mother. 
Courage,  frankness,  impulsiveness,  and  lordli- 
ness are  encouraged  by  Esau's  habits  ;  thought- 
fulness,  timidity,  and  scheming  craftiness  by 
those  of  ]3.coh.—Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

3  The  fundamental  superiority  of  Jacob's 
character  to  that  of  Esau  is  proved  in  the 
fact  of  the  Divine  preference. 

[17141]  God,  who  reads  the  heart,  inclines  to 
Jacob  rather  than  to  Esau.  How,  then,  is  this  ? 
Most  certainly  it  is  not  on  account  of  those 
things  in  his  character  which  we  so  strongly 
reprobate  that  God  prefers  him.  These  things 
God  also  reprobates,  and  with  far  more  intensity 
of  indignation  and  abhorrence  than  any  one  of 
us  experiences.  But  God  inclines  to  Jacob  for 
that  in  him  which  He  more  plainly  sees  than  we 
are  able  to  detect.  Esau  is  a  brave,  honourable, 
and  manly  spirit ;  but  he  is  godless  and  profane. 
Jacob  is  a  mean,  cowardly,  and  crooked  nature 
to  begin  with  ;  but  there  are  germs  and  latent 
possibilities  of  goodness  in  him,  which  more 
than  counterbalance  his  present  inferiority  to 
Esau.  We  see  this  when  we  look  more  closely 
into  the  conduct  of  these  brothers,  both  in  the 
matter  of  the  birthright  and  also  of  the  blessing. 
Jacob  bought  and  Esau  sold  the  birthright— a 
nefarious  transaction  whichever  way  we  look  at 
it.  A  birthright  is  a  thing  too  sacred  to  be 
bought  or  bartered.  But  at  least  Jacob  showed 
his  appreciation  of  the  birthright  in  his  purchase 
of  it  ;  while  Esau  just  as  plainly  showed  how  he 
despised  it  in  his  sale  of  it.  So,  also,  in  the 
matter  of  the  blessing.  How  much  Esau  valued 
it  for  its  own  sake  we  do  not  know.  But  that  he 
so  readily  forwent  his  birthright  raises  the 
suspicion  that  he  did  not  greatly  prize  his 
father's  blessing  till  he  lost  it.  But  Jacob 
manifestly  did  attach  importance  to  his  father's 
blessing,  and  a  very  high  importance  too,  though 
he  used  such  crooked  means  to  gain  it.  Indeed, 
the  very  depth  of  his  devices  shows  the  earnest- 
ness with  which  he  coveted  the  thing  he  sought. 
And  God  appreciates  these  indications  of 
superior  susceptibility  in  men,  and  fosters 
them,  and  bears  with  much  infirmity  in  order  to 
develop  them.  And  the  result  justifies  the 
preference  God  shows  to  such  men. — Rev.  W. 
Roberts. 

[17142]  It  is  natural,  I  know,  to  pity  poor 
Esau  ;  but  one  has  no  right  to  do  more.  One 
has  no  right  to  fancy  for  a  moment  that  God 
was  arbitrary  or  hard  upon  him.  Esau  is  not 
the  sort  of  man  to  be  the  father  of  a  great 
nation,  or  of  anything  else  great.  Greedy,  pas- 
sionate, reckless  people  like  him,  without  due 
feeling  of  religion  or  of  the  unseen  world,  are 
not  the  men  to  govern  the  world,  or  help  it 
forward,  or  be  of  use  to  mankind,  or  train  up 
their  families  in  justice,  and  wisdom,  and  piety. 
If  there  had  been  no  people  in  the  world  but 
people  like  Esau,  we  should  be  savages  at  this 
day,  without  religion  or  civilization  of  any  kind. 
They  are  of  the  earth,  earthy  ;  dust  they  are. 


17142— I7I49] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


8t 

[JACOB. 


and  unto  dust  they  will  return.  It  is  men  like 
Jacob  whom  God  chooses  —  men  who  have  a 
feeling  of  religion  and  the  unseen  world  ;  men 
who  can  look  forward,  and  live  by  faith,  and 
form  plans  for  the  future— and  carry  them  out, 
too,  against  disappointment  and  difficulty,  till 
they  succeed. — Canon  Kini^sUy. 

[17 143]  The  character  of  Jacob,  with  all  his 
moral  imperfections  at  the  first,  is,  on  account 
of  its  religious  aptitudes,  a  nobler  and  truer 
character  than  Esau's,  in  spite  of  all  his  natural 
excellences  at  the  first.  Such  is  the  jndi^rnent 
of  the  Most  High  God  on  character,  and  such  is 
the  criterion  by  which  our  judgments  must  be 
regulated.  We  are  very  apt  to  worship  the 
manly  and  the  bold  :  let  us  try,  with  better 
reason,  to  reverence  the  simple  and  devout. — • 
Rev.  IV.  Roberts. 

[17144]  Esau  was  bold,  off-hand,  generous  ; 
untliinking,  impulsive,  impetuous  ;  taken  up 
with  the  present,  regardless  of  the  future. 
Jacob  was  thoughtful  and  strong-minded  ;  re- 
tiring, cautious,  and  calculating,  and  disposed 
to  be  even  selfish  and  wily,  not  nearly  so  at- 
tractive as  a  natural  character  ;  and  yet  he  is 
preferred  by  Him  who  is  sovereign  in  His  choice 
of  the  objects  of  His  favour  and  the  instruments 
of  His  purposes,  and  not  without  reason  and 
wisdom  in  His  choice.  And  what  a  vessel  unto 
honour  is  grace  to  make  out  of  the  inferior 
materials  supplied  by  the  natural  qualities  of 
Jacob  \—Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

4  The  fundamental  superiority  of  Jacob's 
character  to  that  of  Esau  is  proved  in  the 
result  of  their  respective  lives. 

[17145]  The  free,  easy,  frank  good-nature  of 
the  profane  Esau  is  not  overlooked  ;  the  craft, 
duplicity,  timidity  of  the  religious  Jacob  is  duly 
recorded.  Yet,  on  the  one  hand,  fickleness,  un- 
steadiness, weakness,  want  of  faith,  and  want  of 
principle,  ruin  and  render  useless  the  noble 
qualities  of  the  first  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
steadfast  purpose,  resolute  sacrifice  of  present 
to  future,  and  fixed  principle,  purify,  elevate, 
turn  to  lasting  good  even  the  baser  qualities  of 
the  second.  And,  yet  again,  whether  in  the 
two  brothers  or  their  descendants,  we  see  how 
in  each  the  good  and  evil  strove  together  and 
worked  their  results  almost  to  the  end.  Esau 
and  his  race  cling  still  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
chosen  people.  "  Meddle  not,"  it  was  said  in 
after  times,  "with  your  brethren  t!ie  children  of 
Esau,  for  I  will  not  give  you  of  their  land, 
because  I  have  given  Mount  Seir  to  ILsau  for  a 
possession."  Israel,  on  the  other  hand,  is  out- 
cast, thwarted,  deceived,  disappointed,  be- 
reaved— "all  these  things  are  against  me  ;  "  in 
him,  and  in  his  progeny  also,  the  curse  of  Ebal 
is  always  blended  with  the  blessings  of  Gerizim. 
How  hardly  Esau  was  condemned,  how  hardly 
Jacob  was  saved  ! — Deait  Stanley. 

[17146]  By  toil  and  struggle,  Jacob,  the  sup- 
planter,  is  gradually  transformed   into    Israel, 
VOL.   VI. 


the  prince  of  God.  He  looks  back  over  his 
long  career  with  the  fulness  of  experience  and 
humility.  "  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least  of  all 
Thy  mercies  and  of  all  the  truth  which  Thou 
hast  shown  unto  Thy  servant."  Alone  of  the 
patriarchal  family,  his  end  is  recorded  as  in- 
vested with  the  solemnity  of  warning  and  of 
prophetic  song.  "  Gather  yourselves  together, 
ye  sons  of  Jacob,  and  hearken  unto  Israel  your 
father."  We  need  not  fear  to  acknowledge  that 
the  God  of  Abraham  and  the  God  of  Isaac  was 
also  the  God  of  Jacob. — Ibid. 

[17147]  Esau  in  his  youth  is  a  far  more  at- 
tractive character  than  Jacob.  But  who  ever 
dwells  on  his  later  years,  as  we  fashion  them 
forth  to  ourselves  in  his  strongholds  on  Mount 
Seir,  the  rich,  successful,  mighty  Arab  chief,  as 
we  rest  on  those  of  Jacob  ?  It  is  the  true,  ever 
self-repeating  history  of  the  world's  banquet  ; 
the  best  wine  is  that  which  is  first,  and  after- 
wards that  which  is  worse.  The  very  lands  of 
the  two  brothers'  inheritance  seem  to  catch  up 
and  repeat  the  mi;4hty  truth.  The  red  ranges 
of  the  mountains  of  Edom  shine  forth  gloriously 
under  the  blaze  of  the  morning  sunshine  ;  but 
the  calm  shadows  of  evening  sleep  peacefully 
on  the  grassy  uplands  of  Judah.  There  is  a 
difference  deep  as  eternity  between  natural 
attractiveness  and  the  true  character  of  re- 
deemed humanity  wrought  by  however  slow 
degrees  in  the  servant  of  God,  by  the  regenera- 
ting, renewing  influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Brightly  as  the  morning  of  the  man  of  the 
world  may  glow  with  all  the  glorious  colours  ot 
the  molten  light,  it  must  end  in  darkness. 
Showy  and  attractive  as  are  youthful  frankness, 
joyousness,  and  daring,  there  is  a  poison  which 
pervades  and  at  last  destroys  all  worldly  things 
which  are  not  sanctified  by  the  presence  of  God  ; 
whilst  the  path  of  those  who  walk  with  God  is 
like  the  ''  shining  light  which  shineth  more  and 
more  unto  the  perfect  day." — Bp.  Wilbo-forcc. 

[17148]  At  the  outset  of  their  lives,  no  doubt, 
Esau  utterly  eclipses  Jacob  ;  but  in  the  out- 
come of  their  lives  Jacob  as  thoroughly  eclipses 
Esau.  Jacob's  is  an  upward,  and  Esau's,  com- 
paratively at  least,  a  downward  course.  Day 
by  day  we  see  new  excellences  springing  up  in 
Jacob's  life  and  Jacob's  heart,  until  at  last  he 
wins  the  name  of  Israel,  a  prince  with  God. — 
Rev.  W.  Roberts. 

VIII.    HOMILETICAL   HINTS. 

I       The  sympathy  of  our  own  lives  with  that 
of  Jacob. 

[17 149]  There  is  the  Jacob  whom  the  Lord 
saw  under  all  the  craft  and  cleverness  of  the 
lad  who  could  cheat  both  father  and  brother  of 
a  blessing.  And  this  is  the  radical  strength  of 
every  man  who  would  leave  his  baser  nature 
beneath  him,  and  pass  up,  as  Jacob  passed,  to 
claim  his  birthright  in  the  eternal  world.  If 
you  have  never  wrestled  the  long  night  through 
for  the   blessing,  if  you  have   never,  faint  and 


17149— 17155] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JACOB. 


worn,  flung-  yourself  down  before  the  cross  and 
cried,  "  If  I  perish,  I  perish  here  ;  I  will  not  let 
Thee  go.  Thou  dying  Christ,  except  Thou  bless 
me,"  be  silent  about  Jacob's  falsehoods  and 
sins.  That,  too,  is  your  world.  Israel  can 
never  be  your  name  if  you  cannot  win  your 
princedom  as  he  won  it  in  Peniel.  And  if,  like 
him,  you  go  halting  on  your  way,  if  through 
this  Divine  infirmity  you  feel  crippled  in  your 
race  for  the  prizes  and  crowns  of  this  life,  then 
"  Gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  be  sober,  and 
hope  to  the  end,  for  the  grace  that  shall  be 
brought  unto  you  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ." — Rev.  J.  Broivn. 

2       The  lessons  to  be  derived  from  his  history. 

(i)  It  teaches  us  to  realize  our  need  and  the 
source  luhetice  that  fieed  may  be  supplied. 

[17150]  The  history  of  Jacob  teaches  us  this: 
Let  a  man  know  himself.  Let  him  under- 
stand, first  and  last,  and  once  for  all,  that  what 
he  wants  is  God.  Not  fame — not  wealth — not 
friends  — not  country  —  not  home  —  a-cs,  in  a 
sense  all  of  these,  but  over  and  above  any  one 
of  them,  he  is  soul-hungry  and  soul-thirsty  after 
God.  And  he  will  never  be  at  peace  till  he 
rests  in  God,  the  centre  of  all  hope  and  joy. 

[17151]  We  must  recollect  that  real,  genuine 
religion  consists  in  a  very  essential  experience 
of  sin  and  grace,  of  our  own  misery  and  God's 
glory,  of  our  own  weakness  and  God's  strength, 
of  our  own  blindness  and  God's  wisdom  ;  and 
remember,  at  the  same  time,  that  in  reality  we 
understand  nothing  more  of  it  than  what  we 
experience.  We  must  learn  to  know  that  God 
has  interwoven  the  cross  into  all  His  providential 
dealings,  and  that  the  old  man  gradually  bleeds 
to  death  upon  it  under  them.  The  Scriptures 
speak  of  a  salutary  crucifixion  and  a  dying  with 
Christ,  as  well  as  a  rising  and  being  made  alive 
again  with  Him.  Even  as  the  latter  is  some- 
thing very  sacred  and  glorious,  so  the  former, 
on  the  contrary,  like  every  other  mode  of  being 
put  to  death,  cannot  take  place  without  anxiety 
and  distress,  as  little  as  Jacob's  conflict  could  be 
carried  on  without  pain  and  tears.  Before 
Israel  was  delivered  out  of  Egypt,  their  distress 
had  reached  its  height  ;  and  Paul  always  bore 
about  with  him  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
that  the  life  of  Christ  mig!it  also  be  manifested 
in  him. — Krummacher. 

[171 52]  The  life  of  Jacob  is  an  illustration  of 
the  way  in  which  the  Divine  Being,  by  wondrous 
but  efl"ective  discipline,  turns  a  sinful  life  into 
that  which  is  comparatively  pure  and  prayerful. 
Here  we  see  the  possibilities  of  which  the  lowest 
manhood  is  capable  under  the  touch  of  heaven  ; 
and  in  its  study  welcome  light  is  thrown  upon 
many  problems  which  perplex  the  soul. — C.  N. 

(2)  //  suggests  the  duty  of  improving  life's 
op>portunities. 

[171 53]  Look  at  Jacob  in  the  opportunities  of 
his  boyhood.  A  contemplative  father  like  Isaac 
ivas  not  the  best  sort  of  father  for  him.  There  was 


between  them  just  that  want  of  sympathy  which 
led  to  parental  neglect  on  the  one  hand,  and  to 
filial  disregard  on  the  other.  Jacob  was  quiet 
without  being  thoughtful,  and  his  habits  were 
homely  without  being  devout.  It  was  a  certainty 
that  he  would  be  his  mother's  boy,  for  his  nature 
was  the  complement  of  hers.  She  had  the 
greater  will,  he  had  the  greater  aff'ection. 
Under  her  he  learned  how  to  submit  to 
another's  strong  mind  rather  than  how  to  guide 
his  own  warm  heart  ;  and,  when  suddenly 
wrenched  from  her,  we  see  how  little  he  was 
prepared  to  traverse  the  world  alone.  He 
might  have  had  a  different  brother.  The  youth 
who  early  took  to  the  life  of  a  beast  of  prey 
was  not  likely  to  have  tnuch  regard  for  a 
brother  who  did  not  dare  to  sleep  abroad,  and 
who  lived  on  potherbs  and  goat's  milk.  But, 
with  the  powers  which  Jacob  had,  the  oppor- 
tunities of  such  a  home  were  great,  and,  by 
wise  behaviour,  he  might  have  endeared  him- 
self to  Isaac  his  father,  and  to  Esau  his  brother, 
no  less  than  to  Rebekah  his  mother,  and,  as  he 
did  afterwards,  to  Rachel  his  wife,  and  Joseph 
his  favourite  child. — Rev.  G.  Woolnough. 

[17 1 54]  If  we  come  up  to  this  man  in  mid  life 
we  shall  find  his  position  one  of  difficulty.  He 
must  break  away  from  Laban,  and  whilst  there 
may  be  a  right  way  and  a  wrong  to  do  that,  the 
difliculty  is  all  the  same.  Leaving  a  situation 
of  great  trust  is  an  awkward  thing  at  any  time, 
and  he  must  have  felt  it  desperate  to  call  in 
both  his  wives  to  advise  him.  Getting  clear  of 
Laban  was  running  foul  of  Esau,  and  that  was 
the  most  trying  moment  of  his  life.  At  last  all 
the  energy,  tact,  and  courage  of  the  man  are 
brought  out.  There  is  now  something  like  an 
effort  to  do  the  right  thing  in  the  right  way. 
His  last  precaution  is  rightly  last,  for  it  must 
be  either  first  or  last.  When  a  man  should 
work  he  ought  not  to  pray,  and  when  he  should 
pray  it  is  waste  time  to  work.  If  a  man  wants 
guidance,  let  him  pray  ;  Jacob  did  not  want 
that,  and  therefore  at  once  laid  all  his  plans. 
If  a  man  wants  God's  prospering  blessing,  let 
him  pray  ;  Jacob  did  want  that,  and  he  sought 
for  it  last  of  all,  sought  by  soul-stirring  prayer. 
—Ibid. 

[171 55]  If  we  follow  Jacob  into  old  age  and 
into  Egypt  his  surroundings  are,  if  possible, 
still  more  critical.  He  was  the  head  of  a  clan 
in  a  country  ruled  by  an  absolute  monarchy. 
Their  vocation  as  shepherds  made  them  not 
very  welcome  just  at  that  time,  and  they  are 
welcomed  as  a  set-off  for  the  great  service 
which  Joseph  has  rendered  to  the  nation. 
Jacob  must  bear  himself  with  submission,  yet 
with  dignity.  He  must  be  a  good  citizen,  and 
yet  rule  well  his  own  people  ;  and  the  gratitude 
of  Pharaoh  must  not  be  greater  than  that  of  his 
distinguished  guest.  Yes,  here  was  a  man  of 
rare  powers  and  of  rare  opportunities  for  writing 
his  character  on  the  lives  and  destiny  of  his 
children,  and  i&'N  perhaps  have  succeeded 
better.     Few   men    have   had    the    like    possi- 


17155—17164] 


OLD    TESTAMEXT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JOSEPH. 


S3 


bilities  for  moulding  large  communities  with 
means  that  were  primitive,  but  with  prospects 
the  most  enduring.  But  let  us  be  warned 
against  wasting  time  in  unavailing  regrets  that 
Providence  has  not  been  more  generous  with 
us  ;  let  us  embrace  the  opportunities  given, 
however  small,  nor  wait  for  great  ones  ;  for 
great  occasions  do  not  make  great  men.  The 
sum  of  our  small  eftbrts  may  at  last  be  great 
indeed,  and  it  may  be  that  of  those  who  have 
so  done  it  will  be  found,  "he  who  has  gathered 
much  has  nothing  over,  and  he  who  has  gathered 
little  has  no  lack."  I  would,  therefore,  affec- 
tionately warn  the  young  especially  against 
waiting  for  something  to  turn  up,  and  against 
seeking  for  a  place  in  life  where  they  will  have 
as  little  as  possible  to  do,  and  where  they  will 
contribute  as  little  as  possible  to  the  common 
stock  of  public  good. — Ibid. 


JOSEPH, 

I.  Introductory. 

I  The  history  of  Joseph  is  one  of  the  most 
touching  and  instructive  narratives  ever 
recorded  for  the  benefit  of  mankind. 

(l)  As  to  its  inimitable  pathos. 

[17 1 56]  The  story  of  Joseph  is  in  many  re- 
spects unique.  A  universal  favourite,  one  over 
which  gentle  childhood  bends  with  interest  and 
venerable  age  with  tears,  it  is  in  some  respects 
as  unrivalled  in  the  Bible  as  the  Bible  is  un- 
rivalled among  books.  There  are  touches  of 
nature  which  the  greatest  uninspired  genius 
never  approached— so  fine,  so  true,  so  tender, 
that  no  man  of  ordinary  sensibility  could  read 
the  story  aloud,  but  his  tongue  would  falter  and 
his  eyes  be  dim  with  tears. — Rev.  T.  Giiikrie, 
D.D. 

[17157]  There  is  a  beauty  and  pathos  in  the 
story  of  Joseph  which  invest  it  with  a  peculiar 
charm.  Indeed,  if  we  consider  the  marvellous 
changes  of  fortune,  the  deliverance  from  the  pit 
and  the  prison,  and  the  sudden  elevation  to 
princely  power,  it  may  be  safely  said  that  there 
is  nothing  in  the  highly  -  seasoned  tales  of 
romance  so  passing  strange. — Rev.  J.  Norton., 
D.D. 

[171 58]  In  whatever  point  of  view  we  con- 
sider it,  the  history  of  Joseph,  as  it  is  laid  before 
us  in  the  first  book  of  the  Bible,  is  wonderfully 
adapted,  not  only  to  arrest  our  attention,  but  to 
affect  our  hearts,  and  influence  our  lives.  Many 
things  unite  to  give  a  special  and  peculiar  charm 
to  this  story.  The  tender  age  of  Joseph,  when 
he  is  first  introduced  to  our  notice,  his  grievous 
afflictions,  his  virtuous  behaviour,  his  marvellous 
advancement,  and  all  the  steps  and  circum- 
stances which  led  to  his  promotion,  are  most 
striking  and  most  instructive.  These  things 
also  are  related  with  all  the  eloquence  of  that 


unaffected  simplicity  which  never  fails  both  to 
interest  and  delight  ws.—Ibid. 

(2)  As  to  its  picturesque  simplicity. 

[17159]  The  life  of  Joseph  is  eminently 
picturesque.  It  resembles  the  scenes  that  lend 
their  charms  to  the  Alps  or  Apennines,  where 
the  thundering  cataract  and  foaming  torrent 
alternate  with  lakes  that  lie  asleep  in  the 
arms  of  beauty,  where  frowning  crags  look 
down  on  flowery  meadows,  and  deep  dark 
valleys  are  parted  by  mountains  whose  peaks 
pierce  the  azure  sky,  and,  glistening  with  eternal 
snows,  seem  to  bear  up  the  vault  of  heaven.— 
Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17160]  No  tale  of  Eastern  fiction  could  be 
more  full  of  picturesque  detail  or  striking  adven- 
ture, no  hero  of  romance  could  move  our  sym- 
pathy more  powerfully. — The  Bible  Educator. 

(3)  As  to  its  dramatic  interest. 

[17161J  The  history  of  Joseph  is  a  succession 
of  scenes,  constituting  the  finest  prose  drama  in 
the  world.  If  ever  drama  possessed  all  the 
constituents  of  the  species  of  composition — 
unity  of  plot,  a  beginning,  middle,  and  end, 
vicissitude  of  interest,  variety  of  character, 
pathos  of  feeling,  elegance  of  costume — it  is 
this.  Its  commencement  is  so  simple,  its  de- 
nouement so  ingenious,  its  close  so  satisfactory 
and  triumphant !  And  yet  we  never  lose  the 
feeling  for  a  moment — "  This  is  truth,  although 
truth  stranger  far  than  fiction." — Rev.  G.  Gil- 
fillan. 

(4)  As  to  its  historical  interest. 

[17162]  The  historical  interest  is  greater  than 
in  the  case  of  the  earlier  patriarchs,  for  in 
Joseph  sacred  and  profane  history  for  the  first 
time  mingle ;  he  has  left  his  mark  on  the 
figyptian  annals  as  deeply  as  on  the  Hebrew. — 
The  Bible  Educator. 

[Some  Egyptologers  question  this. — C.  A^.] 

(5)  As  to  its  inteiise  and  Jincly  diversified 
moral  interest. 

[17 163]  The  history  of  Joseph  recommends 
itself,  by  its  lofty  morality,  the  spirit  of  piety 
which  it  breathes,  and  the  lessons  of  wisdom 
which  it  teaches.  Seek  stories  tliat  rouse  and 
sustain  our  interest  by  remarkable  vicissitudes 
of  fortune,  the  play  of  lights  and  shadows, 
sudden  alternations  of  sunshine  and  of  storm, 
scenes  both  of  the  wildest  grief  and  of  ecstatic 
joy,  hair-breadth  escapes  from  horrid  crimes, 
from  pit,  and  prison,  and  deadly  perils,  where 
shall  we  find  one  to  compare  with  Joseph's? 
No  man,  I  ever  read  of,  had  such  experience  of 
the  vicissitudes  of  life,  passed  unscathed  through 
so  many  strange  and  fiery  trials,  met  with  de- 
liverances so  signal,  or  had  more  apparent  cause 
to  doubt,  and  in  the  end  more  real  cause  to 
acknowledge,  a  presiding  providence  and  the 
goodness  of  God. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie.,  D.D. 

(6)  As  to  its  theological  interest. 

[17 164]  The  theological  interest  of  Joseph's 
life    can   hardly  be    over-rated  ;    in   him    the 


84 


17164—17173] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JOSEPH. 


Messianic  promise  made  to  Abraham  first 
begins  to  unfold  itself,  while  in  his  own  career 
the  foreshadowing  of  the  Messiah  Himself  is 
unmistakable. — JJie  Bible  Educator. 

[Some  Egyptologers  question  this. — C.  NP\^ 

2  The  history  of  Joseph  presents  a  type  of 
character  pre-eminent  in  its  combination 
of  grace  and  power. 

Its  coinprchcnsive  beauty  is  unsurpassed, 
though  occasionally  reproduced  in  Jewish  record. 

[17165]  In  David  we  find  a  similar  flexibility 
and  grace  of  character,  and  a  similar  personal 
superiority.  We  find  the  same  bright  and 
humorous  disposition  helping  him  to  play  the 
man  in  adverse  circumstances  ;  but  we  miss  in 
David  Joseph's  self-control  and  incorruptible 
purity,  as  we  also  miss  something  of  his  capacity 
for  difficult  affairs  of  state.  In  Daniel  this  latter 
capacity  is  abundantly  present,  and  a  facility 
equal  to  Joseph's  in  dealing  with  foreigners,  and 
there  is  also  a  certain  grace  or  nobility  in  the 
Jewish  Vizier,  but  Joseph  had  a  surplus  of  power 
which  enabled  him  to  be  cheerful  and  alert  in 
doleful  circumstances,  which  Daniel  would  cer- 
tainly have  borne  manfully  but  probably  in  a 
sterner  and  more  passive  mood. — Rev.  M.  Dods, 
D.D. 

II.    Special    Characteristics    of    the 
Child  and  Youth. 

1  Joseph  inherited  and  happily  combined 
the  highest  qualities  of  his  ancestors. 

[17 166]  He  had  Abraham's  dignity  and 
capacity,  Isaac's  purity  and  power  of  self- 
devotion,  Jacob's  cleverness  and  buoyancy  and 
tenacity. — Ibid. 

[17167J  Like  Abraham,  he  was  strong,  decided, 
and  prudent  ;  like  Isaac,  patient  and  gentle  ; 
like  Jacob,  warm-hearted  and  affectionate. — Rev. 
A.  Edersheim,  D.D. 

[17168]  A  remarkable  combination  of  gifts 
and  graces  met  in  the  character  of  Joseph.  He 
had  the  calmness,  the  shrewdness,  the  large- 
heartedness,  the  faith  of  Abraham,  with  the 
holy  reverence  and  much  of  the  gentleness  of 
Isaac.  He  had  the  gushing  tenderness  of  Jacob, 
without  his  ruggedness  and  impetuosity.  — 
Blackie. 

[17169]  A  more  attractive  character  can 
hardly  be  conceived,  containing  as  it  does  so 
wonderfully  the  robust  virtues  of  a  heroic  age 
with  the  tender  graces  of  a  devotional  life. — 
The  Bible  Educator, 

2  He  displayed  unspoiled  humility  and  gentle- 
ness,  notwithstanding  the  injudicious  par- 
tiality of  his  father. 

[17 1 70]  It  does  not  appear  that  Joseph  had 
been  at  all  spoiled  by  indulgence.  It  may  be 
said,  indeed,  and  said  truly — no  thanks  to  Jacob 
for  that — how  many  hundreds  have  been  spoiled 
by  such  partiality,  for  one  that  has  escaped  its 
injurious  influence  !      In  the  present  case  we 


have  an  exception  to  the  general  result,  but  no 
proof  against  the  tendency.  For  the  exception 
before  us,  we  have  to  thank,  along  with  the  natu- 
rally gentle  dispositions  of  the  youth,  the  early 
influence  of  the  grace  of  God  upon  his  heart — 
the  power  of  piety.  We  discover  none  of  the 
perverseness  and  selfishness  of  one  who  had 
been  spoiled  by  a  petted  childhood. — Rev.  R. 
Ward  law,  D.D. 

[17171]  It  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  how  even 
the  promising  qualities  of  his  natural  disposition 
might  become  sources  of  moral  danger.  Of 
this  the  history  of  Joseph's  ancestors  had  af- 
forded only  too  painful  evidence.  How  much 
greater  would  be  the  peril  to  a  youth  exposed  to 
such  twofold  temptation  as  rooted  dislike  on 
the  part  of  brothers  whom  he  could  not  respect, 
and  marked  favouritism  on  that  of  his  father  ! — 
Rev.  A.  Edersheim,  D.D. 

[17 1 72]  The  speciality  of  affection  for  Joseph 
relates  to  him  in  comparison  with  his  senior 
brothers  rather  than  with  Benjamin  ;  Joseph 
having  been  one  fur  whom  the  father  had  waited 
and  longed  during  a  succession  of  many  years, 
and  who  was  at  length  born  to  him,  when  he 
was  advanced  in  life,  by  the  wife  of  whose  love 
he  had  ever  been  most  anxiously  desirous  to 
possess  such  a  pledge.  This  peculiarity  of  feel- 
ing centred  most  strongly  therefore  in  him, 
although  it  was  afterwards  renewed  in  Benjamin. 
He  was  the  first-born  of  his  beloved  Rachel,  of 
whom  Benjamin  was  the  only  brother.  Rachel 
had  been  the  wife  of  his  own  choice — his  first 
love  ;  and  the  tenderness  with  which  he  cher- 
ished her  memory  naturally  and  strongly  at- 
tached itself  to  her  offspring.  But,  independently 
of  these  and  other  natural  "  cords  of  love  "  by 
which  Joseph  was  bound  to  his  heart,  he  appears 
to  have  been  a  youth  of  amiable  character  and  of 
early  piety  ;  which,  to  a  godly  father,  could  not 
fail  to  be  another  and  a  powerful  bond  of  attach- 
ment. He  was  in  this  distinguished  from  his 
elder  brothers  at  least — who,  both  here  and 
throughout  the  narrative,  appear  before  us  as 
very  far  indeed  from  what  rhey  ought  to  have 
been — very  unworthy  sons  of  such  a  sire. — Rev. 
R.  IVardlaw,  D.D. 

3  He  stands  out  prominently  as  one  who, 
from  early  childhood,  manifested  all  the 
virtues  of  youth. 

(i)  Piety. 

[17 1 73]  The  record  does  not  inform  us  of  the 
means  by  which,  in  Providence,  his  early  im- 
pressions of  piety  were  produced.  The  fact 
unfolds  itself  in  his  subsequent  history.  And 
that  this  early  piety  was  one  of  the  grounds  of 
his  father's  partial  fondness,  we  have  no  reason 
for  a  moment  to  doubt.  What  we  know  of  his 
own  character,  more  than  warrants  our  belief  of 
it.  And,  considered  in  itself,  the  ground  was  a 
worthy  one.  He  looked  not  to  corporeal  or 
even  mental  powers  and  accomplishments 
merely,  but  to  the  qualities  of  the  heart  ;  and 
of  all  those  qualities,  first  and  specially  to  the 


17173—171' 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


85 


[JOSEPH. 


symptoms  of  religious  principle  and  spiritual 
sensibility  —  the  indications  of  Divine  grace 
taking  hold  of  the  affections- — of  that  "  fear  of 
the  Lord  which  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom." — 
/did. 

(2)  Moral  sensitiveness. 

[17174]  The  dress  and  the  dreams  were  in- 
sulferably  exasperating  to  the  brothers,  because 
they  proclaimed  and  marked  in  a  definite  way 
the  feeling  of  Joseph's  si/periority,  which  had 
already  been  vaguely  rankling  in  their  con- 
sciousness. And  it  is  creditable  to  Joseph  that 
this  superiority  should  first  have  emerged  in 
connection  with  a  point  of  conduct.  It  was  in 
wfrrt/ stature  that  the  sons  of  Bilhah  and  Zilpah 
felt  that  they  were  outgrown  by  the  stripling 
whom  they  carried  with  them  as  their  drudge. 
Neither  are  we  obliged  to  suppose  that  Joseph 
was  a  gratuitous  tile-bearer,  or  that  when  he 
carried  their  evil  report  to  his  father  he  was 
actuated  by  a  prudish,  censorious,  or  in  any  way 
unworthy  spirit.  That  he  very  well  knew  how 
to  hold  his  tongue  no  man  ever  gave  more 
adequate  proof;  but  he  that  understands  that 
there  is  a  time  to  keep  silence,  necessarily  sees 
also  that  there  is  a  time  to  speak.  And  no  one 
can  tell  what  torture  that  pure  young  soul  may 
have  endured  in  the  remote  pastures,  when  left 
alone  to  withstand  day  after  day  the  outrage  of 
these  coarse  and  unscrupulous  men. — Rev.  M. 
Dods,  D.D. 

(3)  Artlessttess  and  candour. 

[17175]  In  relating  his  dreams  to  his  brethren, 
Joseph  displayed  the  simplicity  of  his  mind. 
Had  he  been  artful  and  deceptive,  he  would, 
we  imagine,  have  kept  them  to  himself  But 
there  was  a  noble  frankness  in  his  character, 
and  far  from  supposing  that  by  communicating 
his  dreams,  he  would  increase  the  animosity  of 
his  brethren,  he  probably  thought  that  he 
would  thereby  win  their  confidence,  and  disarm 
their  hate.  That  his  dreams  were  calculated 
to  do  this,  we  do  not  say,  but  Joseph  had  no 
vain  or  ostentatious  views,  and  why  then  should 
he  not  tell  his  brethren  everything.''  Had  he 
been  less  candid,  he  might  perhaps  have  escaped 
their  wrath  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  re- 
lating of  his  dreams  was  one  of  the  links  in  the 
chain  of  events,  which,  in  the  end,  led  to  their 
accomplishment. — Rev.  T.  ^mith. 

[17176]  Had  he  not  been  a  very  simple-7ninded 
lad,  he  would  have  kept  his  dreams  to  himself; 
but  he  not  only  related  them  to  his  father,  but 
to  his  jealous  brothers.  They  nursed  their  bitter 
hatred,  and  bided  their  time  for  punishing  the 
unsuspecting  object  of  it. — Rev.  J.  Norton,  D.D. 

(4)  Thous:;htfulness. 

[17177]  He  saw,  obscurely  indeed,  but  with 
sufficient  clearness  to  make  him  thoughtful,  that 
the  man  whom  God  chooses  and  makes  a  bless- 
ing to  others  is  so  far  advanced  above  his  fellows 
that  they  lean  upon  him  and  pay  him  homage 
c-s  if  he  were  in  the  place  of  God  to  them.  He 
saw  that  his  higher  powers  were  to  be  used  for 


his  brethren,  and  that  the  high  destiny  he  some- 
how felt  to  be  his  was  to  be  won  by  doing  ser- 
vice so  essential  that  his  family  would  bow 
before  him  and  give  themselves  into  his  hand. 
He  saw  this,  as  every  man  whose  love  keeps 
pace  with  his  talent  sees  it,  and  he  so  far  an- 
ticipated the  dignity  of  Him  who,  in  the  deepest 
self-sacrifice,  assumed  a  position  and  asserted 
claims  yvhich  enraged  his  brethren  and  made 
even  his  believing  mother  marvel.  Joseph 
knew  that  the  welfare  of  his  family  rested  not 
with  the  Esau-like  good-nature  of  Reuben,  still 
less  with  the  fanatical  ferocity  of  Simeon  and 
Levi,  not  with  the  servile  patience  of  Issachar, 
nor  with  the  natural  force  and  dignity  of 
Judah,  but  with  some  deeper  qualities  which,  if 
he  himself  did  not  yet  possess,  he  at  least 
valued  and  aspired  to. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

(5)  Patience. 

[  1 7 1 78]  Fastened  to  a  pole,  as  the  custom  was, 
and  dragged  behind  the  camels  of  the  Ishmael- 
ites  ;  or,  it  may  be  (to  prevent  his  being  in  a 
way  injured,  and  thus  rendered  less  saleable  on 
the  market),  placed  upon  a  camel  ;  he  was 
carried  away  from  his  country  and  his  home, 
and  brought  down  into  Egypt.  The  youth  was 
now  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  fully  capable, 
therefore,  of  understanding  the  distressing  cir- 
cumstances of  his  condition.  How  he  bore  up 
above  his  trials  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  con- 
ceive ;  but  he  was,  we  imagine,  one  of  those 
spirits  who  can  endure  the  rough  blasts  of  ad- 
versity with  extraordinary  fortitude  and  patience. 
He  was  cast  in  such  a  mould  as  that  he  could 
pass  through  afflictions  under  which  many 
would  have  pined  away  ;  and  then,  we  cannot 
doubt  that  he  was  sustained  and  strengthened 
by  an  unseen  hand. — Rev.  T.  Stnit/u 

(6)  Filial  duty. 

[17 179]  Unsuspicious  of  the  evils  before 
him,  Joseph  set  out  on  his  errand  to  visit  his 
brethren.  It  was  an  errand  of  filial  duty  and  of 
fraternal  kindness.  To  the  claims  of  both  the 
pious  and  amiable  youth  was  feelingly  alive. 
How  fond  soever  of  his  father's  society,  he  was 
still  fonder  of  his  father's  gratification,  and 
prompt  to  do  his  will. — Rev.  R.  Wardlaw,  D.D. 

[17 1 80]  He  could  not  expect  much  pleasure 
from  the  errand  upon  which  his  father  proposed 
to  send  him.  He  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
acquainted  with  the  way.  After  he  had  set  out, 
a  certain  man  found  him  wandering  in  the  field. 
After  what  had  occurred  at  home,  he  might  look 
for  raillery  and  unkind  treatment  from  his 
brethren  abroad.  Rut  it  is  his  father's  will  that 
he  should  go  and  visit  his  brethren,  and  that  is 
his  law.  Hence  he  urges  no  objection,  nor 
mentions  a  single  obstacle  ;  but  with  all  the 
readiness  of  cheerful  alacrity  and  dutiful  sub- 
mission, his  only  language  to  the  summons  of 
his  father  is  this  :  "Here  am  I."  As  if  he  had 
said,  Here  am  I,  my  father,  ready  to  go  wher- 
ever you  may  send  me,  ready  to  do  whatever 
you  may  command  me. — Rev.  C.  Overton, 


86 


17181—17186] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[JOSEPH. 


[17181]  His  thus  "strA-wiT  his  brethren" 
showed  that  he  was  in  earnest,  both  to  fulfil 
his  father's  wishes  and  to  satisfy  himself  and 
relieve  his  own  anxiety.  Had  he  not  been  thus 
in  earnest,  he  might,  on  coming  to  Shechem 
and  not  finding  them,  have  turned  carelessly 
homeward,  and  told  Jacob  he  had  executed  his 
message— had  gone  to  the  place,  but  they  were 
not  there.  But  this  would  not  have  been  Joseph. 
He  could  not  be  thus  indifferent,  cither  as  a  son 
or  asabrother.  Heis  overjoyed  at  the  intelligence 
thus  received,  and  hastens  on  to  Dothan.  He 
at  length  descries  his  brethren  at  a  distance  ; 
and,  weary  as  we  cannot  but  conceive  him  to 
have  been,  he  quickens  his  steps  to  reach  them. 
— AVz/.  Ji.  IVardlaw,  D.D. 


III. 


Special    Characteristics    of    the 
Statesman. 


I       Sound  judgment. 

[17182]  The  power  he  wielded  was  just  the 
power  which  a  nation  gives  to  a  statesman  of 
real  talent — to  the  man,  who,  in  extraordinary 
times,  steps   forward,  and  by  some  large  and 
comprehensive  measure  proposes  to  meet  the 
circumstances  of  the  country.     Such  a  man  is 
hailed  by  the  popular  voice  as  just  the  man  for 
the  day,  and  almost  with  one  consent  will  the 
people,  as  well  as  the  monarch,  submit  to  his 
arrangements,  and  lend  him  their  assistance  in 
carrying  them  to  perfection.     That  Joseph  was 
such  a  man  is  evident  from  his    history.     He 
possessed  an  extraordinary  capacity  for  govern- 
ment.    In  the  house  of  Potiphar,  in  the  prison, 
and  now  no  less  in  the  court,  he  managed  the 
affairs  with  which  he  was  entrusted  with  supe- 
rior skill,  and  if  genius  be  rightly   defined  as 
inventive,    then    must    we   admit    that   he   was 
richly  endowed  with  it.     God  was  with  him,  it 
is  true,  and  to  (iod  he  owed  his  superior  abilities, 
but  these  abilities  were  to  a  great  extent  natural, 
for  he  evinced  from  the  very  first  a  mind  of  a  very 
superior  order.     The  wisdom  of  his  policy  it  is 
impossible    to    call    in    question.       Viewed    in 
whatever  light  it   may   be  it  was  indicative  of 
sound  judgment  and  discretion.  Joseph  occupied 
the  place  of  Pharaoh  ;  and  what  is  more  becom- 
ing in  a  monarch  than  a  desire  to  promote  the 
welfare   of  his  people  1      He  is    properly  their 
shepherd,  whose  duty  it  is  to  provide  for  the 
necessities    of    his    flock.        Joseph    probably 
thought  of  this,  and  ruling  for  Pharaoh  and  in 
Pharaoh's  name,   wished  to  promote    the  best 
interests  of  the  people  ;  and  to  gather  up  the 
surplus  produce  of  the  land  during  the  seven 
years  of  plenty,  and  thus  to  prepare  for  the  famine 
which  he  foresaw  would  come,  was  undouljtedly 
an  act  of  kindness  to  the  Egyptians,  and  one 
which,  as  the  narrative  intimates,  they  ultimately 
appreciated. — Ibid. 

[17183]  When  the  Egyptians  had  parted  with 
all  their  money,  cattle,  and  lands,  and  still  wanted 
sustenance,  they  offered  to  become  Pharaoh's 
servants.      But  Joseph   refused   to   accej)!   this 


offer  He  seems  to  have  had  a  great  and  true 
insight  into  things,  and  could  not  thmk  that 
he  should  really  advance  his  masters  mterest 
by  keeping  his  subjects  in  poverty  and  skvery. 
He  was  desirous  of  establishmg  a  sufficient 
revenue  for  the  occasions  of  the  crown,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  of  giving  the  subjects  a  property 
of  their  own— as  well  to  excite  their  industry  to 
improve  it,  as  to  raise  in  them  a  sense  of  duty 
and  affection  to  the  government  that  protected 
them  in  the  secure  enjoyment  of  it.  For  this 
reason,  Joseph  returned  back  possessions  to  all 
the  people,  upon  condition  of  paying  yearly  the 
fifth  part  of  the  product  of  their  lands  to  the  king 
for  ever.  When  he  returned  the  lands  back 
again  to  the  people,  however,  he  did  not  put 
them  in  possession  each  man  of  what  was  his 
own  before,  but  he  removed  them  from  one  end 
of  Egypt  to  the  other,  wisely  foreseeing  that 
few  men  would  have  so  easy  a  sense  of  their 
condition  in  the  enjoyment  of  what  had  formerly 
been  their  own,  without  tax  or  burden,  but 
which  they  now  received  upon  terms  of  disad- 
vantage, as  they  would  have  in  the  possession 
of  what  was  never  their  own,  though  they  held 
it  upon  the  same  conditions. — Shuck/ord. 

[17 1 84]  The  permanent  alterations  made  by 
Joseph  on  their  tenure  of  land,  and  on  their 
places  of  abode,  may  have  convinced  the  most 
sagacious  of  the  Egyptians  that  it  was  well  for 
them  that  their  money  had  failed,  and  that  they 
had  been  compelled  to  yield  themselves  uncon- 
ditionally into  the  hands  of  this  remarkable 
ruler.  It  is  the  mark  of  a  competent  statesman 
that  he  makes  temporary  dist^-ess  the  occasion 
for  permanent  benefit  ;  and  from  the  confidence 
Joseph  won  with  the  people,  there  seems  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  permanent  alterations 
he  introduced  were  considered  as  competent  as 
certainly  they  were  bold. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

2  Keen  foresight. 

[17 1 85]  An  enemy  was  at  hand — an  enemy 
more  terrible  than  the  warriors'  proudest  hosts  ; 
but  Egypt  was  prepared  to  meet  him,  and  to 
bid  defiance  to  his  power.  But  for  Joseph's 
forethought,  famine  would  have  found  the 
country  like  a  dismantled  city,  and  would  have 
entered  in  among  the  people,  and  smitten  its 
thousands  to  the  ground  ;  but  the  land  was 
fortified  against  it,  and  when  it  came  it  could 
scarcely  find  admission,  for  its  demands  were 
met,  and  the  necessities  of  the  inhabitants  re- 
lieved.— Afiofi. 

3  Self-reliance. 

[17 1 86]  There  was  that  in  Joseph's  bearing 
which  would  have  commended  him  to  any 
sagacious  monarch.  Not  only  did  the  court 
accept  him  as  a  messenger  from  God,  but  they 
could  not  fail  to  recognize  substantial  and  ser- 
viceable human  qualities  alongside  of  what  was 
mysterious  in  him.  The  ready  apprehension 
with  which  he  appreciated  the  magnitude  of 
the  danger,  the  clear-sighted  promptitude  with 
which  he  met  it,  the  resource  and  quiet  capacity 


I7I86 — 17I941 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


87 


[josEPr. 


with  which  he  handled  a  matter  involving  the 
entire  property  of  Egypt,  showed  them  that 
they  were  in  the  presence  of  a  true  statesman. 
No  doubt  the  confidence  with  wliich  he  described 
the  best  method  of  deahng  with  the  emergency 
was  the  confidence  of  one  who  was  convinced 
he  was  speaking  for  God. — Rev.  M.  Dods^  D.D. 

4  Personal  determination. 

[17 1 87]  Joseph  was  not  the  man  to  be  satisfied 
\s\xS\  playing  the  prime  minister  ;  but  he  began, 
forthwith,  to  carry  out  the  duties  of  his  high 
office  with  diligence  and  conscientiousness. 
The  indications  were  soon  made  apparent  to 
every  one,  that  his  interpretation  of  Pharaoh's 
dream  was  correct.  The  year  in  which  Joseph 
was  called  to  assume  the  management  of  public 
affairs  proved  to  be  a  year  of  plenty,  and  it  was 
followed  by  six  years  of  like  abundance  ;  and 
"  in  the  seven  plenteous  years,  the  earth  brought 
forth  :by  handfuls"  (Gen.  xli.  47). — Rev.  J. 
Norton,  D.D. 

[17188]  There  is  no  doubt  that  Joseph  had 
learned  to  recognize  the  providence  of  God  as 
a  most  important  factor  in  his  life.  And  the 
man  who  does  so,  gains  for  his  character  all  the 
strength  and  resolution  that  come  with  a  capa- 
city for  waiting.  He  saw,  most  legibly  written 
on  his  own  life,  that  God  is  never  in  a  hurry. 
And  for  the  resolute  adherence  to  his  seven 
years'  policy  such  a  belief  was  most  necessary. 
Nothing,  indeed,  is  said  of  opposition  or  in- 
credulity on  the  part  of  the  Egyptians.  But  was 
there  ever  a  policy  of  such  magnitude  carried 
out  in  any  country  without  opposition  or  without 
evilly-disposed  persons  using  it  as  a  weapon 
against  its  promoter.''  No  doubt  during  these 
years  he  had  need  of  all  the  personal  determi- 
nation as  well  as  of  all  the  official  authority  he 
possessed.  And  if,  on  the  whole,  remarkable 
success  attended  his  efforts,  we  must  ascribe 
this  partly  to  the  unchallengeable  justice  of  his 
arrangements,  and  partly  to  the  impression  of 
commanding  genius  Joseph  seems  everywhere 
to  have  made. — Rev.  M.  Dads,  D.D. 

5  Honourable  policy  and  upright  action. 

He  appears  before  us  an  unimpeachable  pattern 
of  disinterestedness. 

[17 1 89]  Suppose  it  assumed  that  everything 
he  did  was  for  his  prince,  and  that  he  exerted 
himself,  to  the  uttermost  of  his  power  and  his 
policy,  to  serve  him  and  to  forward  his  interests, 
there  is  not  the  slightest  symptom  of  his  having 
availed  himsejf  of  so  tempting  an  opportunity 
to  benefit  himself  and  his  family — as  so  many, 
in  the  same  circumstances,  would  have  reckoned 
themselves  almost  entitled,  or  even  more  than 
entitled,  to  do.  Of  no  such  selfish  principle  is 
there  the  remotest  indication  in  the  whole  of 
Joseph's  political  administration.  He  stands 
clear  of  this  too  common  vice  of  public  eminence 
and  trust. — Rev.  R.  IVardlaw,  D.D. 

[17190]  "Joseph,"  says  Dr.  Lawson,  "did  not 
enrich  himself  with  that  money  which  came  so 


abundantly  into  his  hands.  He  brought  it  into 
Pharaoh's  house,  reserving  nothing  to  himself 
but  the  lawful  reward  of  his  labour."  He 
certainly  had  good  opportunities  to  heap  up 
riches  without  end  to  iiimsclf.  He  could  not 
have  been  easily  delected  if  he  had  secreted  a 
part  to  his  own  use  ;  and,  if  his  mind  had  been 
tainted  with  covetousness,  it  might  have  found 
out  many  pretences  to  excuse  him  to  himself  ; 
but  he  knew  that  an  all-seeing  eye  was  upon 
him,  and  abhorred  the  thought  of  sinning 
against  God. — Ibid. 


IV.    Special    Characteristics    of   tiik 

Man. 

1  Conscientiousness  and  integrity. 

[17191]  When  one  has  learned  how  little  he 
can  depend  upon  finding  good  faith  and  common 
justice  in  the  world,  his  character  will  show 
itself  in  the  attitude  he  assumes  towards  men 
and  towards  life  generally.  The  supreme 
healthiness  of  Joseph's  nature  resists  all  the 
infectious  influences  that  emanate  from  the  world 
around  him,  and  preserves  him  from  every  kind 
of  morbid  attitude  towards  the  world  and  life. 
So  easily  did  he  throw  off  all  vain  regrets  and 
stifle  all  vindictive  and  morbid  feelings,  so 
readily  did  he  adjust  himself  to  and  so  heartily 
enter  into  life  as  it  presented  itself  to  him,  that 
he  speedily  rose  to  be  overseer  in  the  house  of 
Potiphar.  His  capacity  for  business,  his  genial 
power  of  devoting  himself  to  other  men's  inte- 
rests, his  clear  integrity,  were  such,  that  this 
officer  of  Pharaoh's  could  find  no  more  trust- 
worthy servant  in  all  Egypt. — Rev.  JM.  Dods, 
D.D. 

[17192]  Joseph  wisely  accommodated  himself 
to  his  situation.  He  did  not  give  way  to  stub- 
bornness and  sullenness  in  his  new  capacity. 
He  did  not  arrogantly  say,  This  is  no  situation 
for  me,  nor  one  which  I  have  been  accustomed 
to  fulfil.  He  did  not  say,  I  will  do  nothing  but 
what  I  am  obliged  to  do  ;  and  even  that  I  will 
not  take  the  least  care  how  I  do.  Far,  very 
far,  was  Joseph  either  from  speaking  or  acting 
thus.  He  made  it  a  matter  of  conscience  to 
discharge,  faithfully,  the  services  and  the  duties 
which  he  had  to  do.  He  did  everything  as  well 
as  he  could. — Anon. 

[17193]  The  integrity  of  his  character  was 
put  to  the  severest  trial.  Removed  from  the 
watchful  eye  of  his  doting  father,  and  surrounded 
by  every  form  of  temptation  which  can  be 
imagined,  the  foundations  of  moral  responsibility 
must  have  been  firmly  laid,  to  have  remained 
undisturbed. — Rev.,  f.  Norton,  D.D. 

2  Trustworthiness. 

[17194]  In  the  house  of  Potiphar  it  went  with 
Joseph  as  formerly  in  his  own  home.  For  it  is 
not  in  the  power  of  circumstances,  prosperous 
or  adverse,  to  alter  our  characters.  He  that  is 
faithful  in  little  shall  also  be  faitliful  in  much; 
and  from  him  who  knoweth  not  how  to  employ 


17194 — ^72oi] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


fjrSEPH. 


what  is  committed  to  his  charge,  shall  be  taken 
even  that  he  hath.  Joseph  was  faithful,  honest, 
upright,  and  conscientious,  because  in  his 
earthly,  he  served  a  heavenly  Master,  whose 
presence  he  always  realized.  Accordingly 
"Jehovah  was  with  him,"  and  "Jehovah  made 
all  that  he  did  to  prosper  in  his  hand."  His 
master  was  not  long  in  observing  this.  From 
an  ordinary  domestic  slave  he  promoted  him  to 
be  "overseer  over  his  house, and  all  that  he  had 
he  put  into  his  hand."  The  confidence  was  not 
misplaced.  Jehovah's  blessing  henceforth  rested 
upon  Potiphar's  substance,  and  he  "left  all  that 
he  had  in  Joseph's  hand  ;  and  he  knew  not 
aught  that  he  had,  save  the  bread  which  he  did 
cat." — Rev.  A.  Edersheim,  D.D. 

[17195]  The  sculptures  and  paintings  of  the 
ancient  Egyptian  tombs  bring  vividly  before  us 
the  daily  life  and  duties  of  Joseph.  "The 
property  of  great  men  is  shown  to  have  been 
managed  by  scribes,  who  exercised  a  most 
methodical  and  minute  supervision  over  all 
the  operations  of  agriculture,  gardening,  the 
keeping  of  live  stock,  and  fishing.  Every 
product  was  carefully  registered,  to  check 
the  dishonesty  of  the  labourers,  who  in  Egypt 
have  always  been  famous  in  this  respect.  Pro- 
bably in  no  country  was  farming  ever  more 
systematic.  Joseph's  previous  knowledge  of 
tending  fiocks,  and  perhaps  of  husbandry,  and 
his  truthful  character,  exactly  fitted  him  for  the 
post  of  overseer.  How  long  he  filled  it  we  are 
not  told."— y^/^. 

3       Purity. 

[17196]  There  are  characters,  even  godly 
characters,  who  resemble  different  classes  of 
household  gods.  Some  are  so  frail  that  the 
faintest  breath  of  trial  seems  to  shiver  them  to 
fragments  and  the  weakest  temptation  to  mar 
their  beauty,  while  others  pass  through  the 
roughest  experience  of  providential  dealing  with- 
out sustaining  any  injury.  It  is  written,  "  God 
is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted 
above  that  ye  are  able."  Joseph  is  a  striking 
example  of  the  latter  class.  The  nurture  ot  a 
godly  home  had  not  exerted  its  influences  in 
vain,  he  had  so  profited  by  them  that  he  was 
strong  enough  tobearunharmed  the  temptations 
that  grew  out  of  the  painful  transitions  ot  his 
eai  ly  manhood  ;  yea,  to  be  more  than  conqueror. 
— Rev.  W.  Harris. 

[17197I  He  preserves  his  purity  and  upright- 
ness. How  grand,  like  some  lustrous  diamond 
gleaming  inwardly  on  his  lonely  spirit,  the  talis- 
man of  the  one  thought,  ''  How  can  I  do  this 
great  wickedness,  and  sin  against  God  !  "  (Gen. 
xxxix.  9.) — Rev.  J.  Norton^  D.D. 

4       Charity  and  forbearance. 

[17 1 98]  When  Joseph,  in  prison  for  no  crime, 
was  asked  the  cause  of  his  misery  and  disgrace 
he  merely  says  that  he  was  innocent  and  stolen 
away  from  the  land  of  the  Hebrews.  He  is 
silent  about  Potiphar's  wife,  about  the  murderous 


conspiracy  of  his  brothers,  about  their  envy, 
their  calumnv,  their  cruelty,  their  deceit,  because 
his  love  for  his  enemies  forbids  him  to  dwell  on 
their  sins  or  to  make  mention  of  them  to  others. 
He  speaks  oi  things,  not  oi  persons,  TmiS.  here  we 
have  a  lofty  lesson  of  the  most  exalted  charity. 
— Chrysostom. 

[17199]  For  his  purity  you  v/ill  find  his  equal, 
one  among  a  thousand  ;  for  his  mercy  scarcely 
one.  For  there  is  nothing  more  intensely  trying 
than  to  live  under  false  and  painful  accusations, 
which  totally  misrepresent  and  damage  your 
character,  which  effectually  bar  your  advance- 
ment, and  which  yet  you  have  it  in  your  power 
to  disprove.  Joseph,  feeling  his  indebtedness  to 
Potiphar,  contents  himself  with  the  simple  aver- 
ment that  he  himself  is  innocent.  The  word  is 
on  his  tongue  that  can  put  a  very  different  face 
on  the  matter,  but  rather  than  utter  that  word, 
Joseph  will  suffer  the  stroke  that  otherwise  must 
fall  on  his  master's  honour  ;  will  pass  from  his 
high  place  and  office  of  trust,  through  the  jeering 
or  possibly  compassionating  slaves,  branded  as 
one  who  has  betrayed  the  frankest  confidence, 
and  is  fitter  for  the  dungeon  than  the  steward- 
ship of  Potiphar.  He  is  content  to  lie  under  the 
cruel  suspicion  that  he  had  in  the  foullest  way 
wronged  the  man  whom  most  he  should  have 
regarded,  and  whom  in  point  of  fact  he  did 
enthusiastically  serve.  There  was  one  man  in 
Egypt  whose  good-will  he  prized,  and  this  man 
now  scorned  and  condemned  him,  and  this  tor 
the  very  act  by  which  Joseph  had  proved  most 
faithful  and  deserving. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

5       Sympathy. 

[17200]  On  coming,  one  morning,  into  the 
apartment  of  the  two  officers  of  the  king,  Joseph 
perceived  in  both  their  countenances  an  un- 
wonted gravity,  and  an  expression  of  care  and 
sadness,  evidently  indicative  of  something  lying 
heavily  upon  their  spirits.  By  manners  above 
his  station,  as  well  as  by  the  amiableness  of  his 
dispositions,  and  the  kindly  activity  of  his 
attentions,  he  had  ingratiated  himself  into  their 
favour.  With  the  affection  of  one  who  was 
interested  in  their  condition,  and  who  was  never 
sullenly  and  selfishly  regardless  of  the  circum- 
stances of  others  about  him,  he  inquired  the 
cause.  And  they  told  him.  Not  that  from 
him  they  could  look  for  any  solution  of  their 
difficulties,  for  any  relief  to  their  perplexed  and 
troubled  minds  ;  but  he  was  one  whom  they 
could  not  treat  with  disdain  ;  and,  by  giving 
him  their  confidence,  they  would  have  at  least 
his  sympathy. — Rev.  R.  IVardlatu,  D.D. 

[17201]  "  Wherefore  look  ye  so  sadly  to-day  ?  " 
How  little  was  there  here  of  that  unfeeling 
indifference  to  the  anxieties  of  others,  which  is 
so  common  in  the  world,  and  which,  alas,  is 
natural  to  us  all  !  How  little  of  the  pride  of 
office,  or  of  the  self-importance  which  is  con- 
stantly shown  by  one  in  authority,  to  those  that 
are  under  him  !  If  Joseph  had  been  a  selfish 
man,  what  would  he  have  cared  for  the  looks  of 


I720I — 17206] 


OLD    TESTAMEXT   SCKIPTL'RE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    EKA. 


S9 


[JOSEPH. 


the  prisoners  that  were  under  his  charge  !  It 
would  have  been  a  matter  of  perfect  inditlerence 
to  him  whether  they  were  looking  sad  or  joyful. 
Such  a  man  would  never  have  noticed  their 
looks  at  all.  Or,  if  he  observed  them,  he  would 
not  have  troubled  himself  to  inquire  into  the 
cause  of  their  anxiety.  But  Joseph  is  a  man  of 
another  spirit.  He  has  more  of  the  mind  of 
Him  who  is  very  pitiful  and  of  great  kindness. 
He  knows  the  heart  of  a  prisoner.  He  has 
learnt  compassion  for  others  by  things  which  he 
has  suffered  himself.  He  remembers  them  that 
are  in  bonds,  as  bound  with  them.  He  can  weep 
with  them  that  weep,  as  well  as  rejoice  with 
them  that  rejoice.  Thus,  he  notices  at  once  the 
cloud  that  sits  on  the  brow  of  his  fellow-prisoners, 
and  immediately,  in  the  tenderest  accents  of 
kind  consideration,  he  inquires,  "  Wherefore 
look  ye  so  sadly  to-day  ?  " — liev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

6  Gentleness  and  heroism. 

[17202]  When  he  found  how  completely  he 
was  forgotten,  and  how  friendless  and  lone  a 
creature  he  was  in  that  strange  land  where 
things  had  gone  so  mysteriously  against  him  ; 
when  he  saw  before  him  no  other  fate  than  that 
which  he  had  seen  befall  so  many  a  slave  thrown 
into  a  dungeon  at  his  master's  pleasure  and  never 
more  heard  of,  he  must  have  been  sorely  tempted 
to  hate  the  whole  world,  and  especially  those 
brethren  who  had  been  the  beginning  of  all  his 
misfortunes.  Had  there  been  any  selfishness 
in  solution  in  Joseph's  character,  this  is  the 
point  at  which  it  would  have  quickly  crystallized 
into  permanent  forms.  For  nothing  more 
certainly  elicits  and  confirms  selfishness  than 
bad  treatment.  But  from  his  conduct  on  his 
release,  we  see  clearly  enough  that  through  all 
this  trying  time  his  heroism  was  not  only  that 
of  the  strong  man  who  vows  that  though  the 
whole  world  is  against  him  the  day  will  come 
when  the  world  shall  have  need  of  him,  but  of 
the  saint  of  God  in  whom  suffering  and  injustice 
leave  no  bitterness  against  his  fellows,  nor  even 
provoke  one  slightest  morbid  utterance. — Ibid. 

7  Self-possession  and  tranquillity. 

[17203]  The  self-possessed  dignity  and  ease 
of  command  which  appear  in  him  from  the 
moment  when  he  is  ushered  into  Pharaoh's 
presence  have  their  roots  in  the  two  previous 
years  of  silence.  As  the  bones  of  a  strong  man 
are  slowly,  imperceptibly  knit,  and  gradually 
take  the  shape  and  texture  they  retain  through- 
out ;  so  during  these  years  there  was  silently 
and  secretly  consolidating  a  character  of  almost 
unparalleled  calmness  and  power.  One  has  no 
words  to  express  how  tantalizing  it  must  have 
been  to  Joseph  to  see  the  Egyptian  officer  have 
his  dreams  so  gladly  and  speedily  fulfilled, 
while  he  himself,  who  had  so  long  waited  on  the 
true  God,  was  left  waiting  still,  and  now  so 
utterly  unbefriended  that  there  seemed  no  pos- 
sible way  of  ever  again  connecting  himself  with 
the  world  outside  the  prison  walls. — Ibid. 


8  Conscious  rectitude. 

[17204]  As  in  Potiphar's  house,  so  in  the 
king's  house  of  detention  Joseph's  fidelity  and 
serviceableness  made  him  seem  indispensable, 
and  by  sheer  force  of  character  he  occupied  the 
place  rather  of  governor  than  of  prisoner.  The 
discerning  men  he  had  to  do  with,  accustomed 
to  deal  with  criminals  and  suspects  of  all  shades, 
very  quickly  perceived  that  in  Joseph's  case 
justice  was  at  fault,  and  that  he  was  a  mere 
scape-goat.  Such  was  the  vitality  of  Joseph's 
confidence  in  God,  and  such  was  the  light- 
heartedness  that  sprang  from  his  integrity  of 
conscience,  that  he  was  free  from  all  absorbing 
anxiety  aljout  himself,  and  had  leisure  to  amuse 
and  help  his  fellow-prisoners,  so  that  such  pro- 
motion as  a  gaol  could  afford  he  won,  from  a 
dungeon  to  a  chain,  from  a  chain  to  his  word  of 
honour.  Thus  even  in  the  unlatticed  dungeon 
the  sun  and  moon  look  in  upon  him  and  bow  to 
him  ;  and  while  his  sheaf  seems  at  its  poorest, 
all  rust  and  mildew,  the  sheaves  of  his  masters 
do  homage. — Ibid. 

9  Self-renunciation  and  fidelity  to  God. 

[17205]  It  is  the  existence  at  the  court  of 
Pharaoh  of  this  highly  respected  class  of 
dream-interpreters  and  wise  men,  which  lends 
significance  to  the  conduct  of  Joseph  when 
summoned  into  the  royal  presence.  .Such 
wisdom  as  he  displayed  in  reading  Pharaoh's 
visions  was  looked  upon  as  attainable  by  means 
within  the  reach  of  any  man  who  had  sufficient 
faculty  for  the  science.  And  the  first  idea  in 
the  minds  of  the  courtiers  would  probably  have 
been,  had  Joseph  not  solemnly  protested  against 
it,  that  he  was  an  adept  where  they  were 
apprentices  and  bunglers,  and  that  his  success 
was  due  purely  to  professional  skill.  This  was 
of  course  perfectly  well  known  to  Joseph,  who, 
for  a  number  of  years,  had  been  familiar  with 
the  ideas  prevalent  at  the  court  of  Pharaoh  ; 
and  he  might  have  argued  that  there  could  be 
no  great  harm  in  at  least  effecting  his  deliverance 
from  an  unjust  imprisonment  by  allowing 
Pharaoh  to  suppose  that  it  was  to  him  he  was 
indebted  for  the  interpretation  of  his  dreams. 
But  his  first  word  to  Pharaoh  is  a  self- renouncing 
exclamation  :  "  Not  in  me  :  God  shall  give 
Pharaoh  an  answer  of  peace." — Ibid. 

[17206]  Two  years  had  elapsed  since  anything 
had  occurred  which  looked  the  least  like  the 
fulfilment  of  his  own  dreams,  or  gave  him  any 
hope  of  release  from  prison  ;  and  now,  when 
measuring  himself  with  these  courtiers  and 
feeling  able  to  take  his  place  with  the  best  of 
them,  getting  again  a  breath  of  free  air  and 
feeling  once  more  the  charm  of  life,  and  having 
an  opening  set  before  his  young  ambition,  being 
so  suddenly  transferred  from  a  place  where  his 
very  existence  seemed  to  be  forgotten  to  a  place 
where  Pharaoh  himself  and  all  his  court  eyed 
him  with  the  intensest  interest  and  anxiety,  it  is 
significant  that  he  should  appear  regardless  of 
his  own  fate,  but  jealously  careful  of  the  glory 
of  God. — Ibid. 


90 


I72C7— 17213] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[JOSEPH. 


[17207]  Considering  how  jealous  men  com- 
monly are  of  their  own  reputation,  and  how 
impatiently  eager  to  receive  all  the  credit  that 
is  due  to  them  for  their  own  share  in  any 
good  that  is  doing,  and  considering  of  what 
essential  importance  it  seemed  that  Joseph 
should  seize  this  opportunity  of  providing  for 
his  own  safety  and  advancement,  and  should 
use  this  as  the  tide  in  his  affairs  that  led  to 
fortune,  his  words  and  bearing  before  Pharaoh 
undoubtedly  disclose  a  deeply  inwrought  hdehty 
to  God,  and  a  magnanimous  patience  regarding 
his  own  personal  interests. — Jbid. 

[1720S]  When  Pharaoh — whose  curiosity,  so 
strongly  excited,  and  hitherto  so  miserably 
disappointed,  brooked  no  delay— instantly  and 
briefly  intimates  his  purpose  in  sending  for  him  : 
"  I  have  dreamed  a  dream,  and  there  is  none 
that  can  interpret  it  :  and  I  have  heard  say  of 
thee,  that  thou  canst  understand  a  dream  to 
interpret  it  ;" — mark  Joseph's  answer.  "It  is 
not  in  me  :  God  shall  give  Pharaoh  an  answer 
of  peace."  He  had  formerly  acted  the  same 
part,  with  becoming  lowliness  of  mind,  putting 
self  in  abeyance,  and  giving  God  the  glory. 
But  it  is  more  remarkable  in  this  manifestation 
of  it  than  in  the  former.  The  temptation  to  self- 
recommendation  and  self-aggrandizement  was 
now  much  more  powerful  than  when  in  prison 
with  the  chief  butler  and  chief  baker.  But  if 
the  inducement  was  stronger  to  selfishness  on 
the  one  side,  it  was  stronger  also  to  piety  on  the 
other.  And  the  latter  prevailed.  A  regard  to 
the  glory  of  God  triumphed  over  all  considera- 
tions of  self-love.  It  was  an  opportunity  which 
he  felt  it  would  be  inexcusable  in  him  to  lose, 
for  recommending  the  God  and  the  religion  of 
his  fathers.  He  embraces  it.  He  disowns 
self  in  the  matter,  and  magnifies  Jehovah. — 
Rev.  R.  VVardlaiv,  D.D. 

[17209]  What  genuine  humility  and  true  piety 
shine  forth  together  in  Joseph's  answer  to 
Pharaoh  !  "  It  is  not  in  me.  God  shall  give 
Pharaoh  an  answer  of  peace."  He  disclaimed 
all  merit  and  credit  to  himself,  and  gave  it  all 
to  the  living  and  true  (lod,  who  was  pleased  to 
employ  him  as  the  instrument  of  revealing  His 
providential  intentions  to  Pharaoh. — Rev.  M. 
Dads,  D.D. 

10      Fear  of  God. 

[172 10)  We  find  Joseph  in  temptation, exposed 
to  imminent  danger  of  ruin  ;  not  only  enticed 
under  circumstances  which  promised  conceal- 
ment, but  aware  that  if  he  declined,  he  might 
be  ruined  in  his  master's  esteem  by  a  false 
accusation.  How  true  it  is  that  snares  and 
dangers  thicken  in  the  path  of  promotion  and 
prosperity  !  They  ajjpear  in  new  and  unexpected 
forms,  and  under  fair  disguises.  They  lull 
suspicion  to  sleep,  they  elude  all  guards  but 
One  ;  and  that  One  stood  revealed  to  Joseph's 
mind  in  the  hour  of  his  greatest  danger,  and 
threw  around  him  that  shield  of  heavenly 
chastity  which    averted    the    shafts    of  vicious 


pleasure,  and  inspired  a  deep  abhorrence  of  the 
sin  •  it  was  the  Holy  One,  whose  voice  had 
called  Abraham  from  his  native  land  ;  whose 
blessino-  was  renewed  on  Isaac  ;  who  stood  by 
Jacob's°pillow  of  stones  at  Bethel,  and  who  now 
defended  Jacob's  favourite  son  from  rum,  though 
he  left  him  to  be  tried  by  new  suffermg  in  the 
dungeon  of  the  king's  prison.— AVi'.  C.  Mason. 

[172 11]  If  Abraham  was  the  "friend  of  God," 
Joseph  may  be  termed  the  "  fearer  of  God,"  for 
regard  to  the  holiness  and  majesty  of  Jehovah 
was  the  ruling  motive  of  Joseph's  life.  In 
temptation  he  asks,  "  How  can  I  do  this  great 
wickedness  and  sin  against  God?"  With  his 
cruel  brothers  in  his  power,  he  takes  no  revenge, 
but  says,  "  This  do  and  live,  for  I  fear  God," 
—M.  J. 

II       Prudential  sagacity. 

[17212]  The  counsel  of  Joseph  to  Pharaoh 
was  obviously  wise  and  excellent.  Like  many 
similar  counsels,  it  commends  itself,  when  sug- 
gested, to  instant  approbation,  while  yet  to 
many  minds  it  might  not  at  once  occur.  As 
there  is  nothing  in  it,  however,  beyond  sound 
human  policy,  there  is  no  need  for  supposing 
any  direct  Divine  suggestion  of  the  plan  ;  while, 
at  the  same  time,  it  would  be  wrong,  and  very 
unlike  the  spirit  of  Joseph  himself,  were  we  to 
overlook  that  God  from  whom  all  wisdom,  as 
well  as  all  else  that  is  good,  proceeds.  He  who 
gave  his  wisdom  to  Solomon,  gave  it  also  to 
Joseph. — Rev.  R.  Wardlaw.,  D.D. 

12      Sensibility. 

(i)  He  displays  the  fine  and  tare  combination 
171  ]iiana7i  character  of  exquisitefeelings  allied  to 
the  most  perfect  self-control. 

a.  He  assumed  a  sternness  which  he  did  not 
feel. 

[172 1 3]  "And  the  sons  of  Israel  came  to  buy 
corn  among  those  that  came  :  for  the  famine 
was  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  And  Joseph's 
brethren  came,  and  bowed  down  themselves 
before  him,  with  their  faces  to  the  earth."  Here 
are  the  sheaves  and  the  stars  of  his  prophetic 
dreams  !  What  a  sight  for  the  eyes  of  Joseph  ! 
The  last  time  he  had  seen  these  ten  brothers — 
more  than  twenty-one  years  before — was  by 
the  brink  of  the  pit,  into  which  they  had  cast 
him  in  the  wilderness  of  Dothan,  and  out  of 
which  they  had  drawn  him  forth  to  sell  him  into 
slavery,  regardless  of  his  entreaties  and  tears, 
and  the  anguish  of  his  soul  !  And  now,  here 
they  are,  prostrate  at  his  feet,  performing, 
with  profound  respect,  their  lowly  Eastern 
salaams  before  him,  and  dependent  upon  his 
will  for  the  sustenance  of  life  !  To  look  upon 
them  with  indilTcrence  was  impossible  ;  he 
instantly  felt  the  necessity  of  his  not  imme- 
diately discovering  himself.  He  was  inwardly 
conscious  that  the  ordinary  and  natural  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance  was  not  that  of 
forbidding  austerity,  and  anxious  that  his 
brothers,  continuing  to  look  upon  him,  might 
not  recognize  him,  put  on  the  expression  which 


I72I3— I72I9] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


91 


[JOSEPH. 


was  most  likely,  as  the  furthest  from  that  to 
which  of  old  they  had  been  accustomed,  to 
prevent  such  recognition.  We  cannot,  of  course, 
suppose  his  plan  matured  at  once.  He  wanted 
time.  And  we  cannot  but  admire,  in  his  con- 
duct, on  so  sudden  an  apparition,  and  in  cir- 
cumstances so  startling  and  so  trying,  at  once 
his  readiness  and  his  self-command  :  he  makes 
an  effort — commanding  his  emotions — assuming 
a  look  and  tone  and  manner  the  very  opposite 
of  the  real  state  of  his  mind,  and  of  what  it 
powerfully  dictated. — JbU. 

[17214]  Joseph  here  acted  like  a  humane  and 
skilful  surgeon,  who  probes  the  wound,  or  cuts 
the  limb  of  his  patient  with  unflinching  firmness 
and  apparent  unconcern,  while  at  the  same 
time  his  heart  is  inwardly  bleeding  for  the  pain 
he  inflicts,  and  nothing  but  the  necessity  of  the 
case  and  the  happiness  of  the  expected  result 
would  have  reconciled  him,  either  to  endure 
himself  or  to  inflict  upon  another  so  much 
mental  anguish  and  so  much  bodily  pain. — 
Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

b.  He  put  a  strong  restraint  upon  his  genuine 
emotion. 

[17215]  By  the  remarks  which  Joseph  heard 
from  the  lips  of  his  brethren  he  was  deeply 
affected,  and,  for  awhile,  retired  to  weep.  It 
must  have  cost  him  a  struggle  to  retain  his 
composure  and  to  withhold  from  them  the  fact 
that  he  was  Joseph  ;  but  he  was  evidently  a 
man  of  firm  purpose  and  resolution,  and,  rising 
above  the  emotions  of  his  nature,  he  returned 
and  conversed  with  them  again. — Rev.  T. Smith. 

[17216]  "  And  he  said  unto  them,  Nay,  but  to 
see  the  nakedness  of  the  land  ye  are  come. 
And  they  said,  Thy  servants  are  twelve  brethren, 
the  sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of  Canaan  ; 
and,  behold,  the  youngest  is  this  day  with  our 
father,  and  one  is  not."  This  reply  was  very 
valuable.  It  assured  Joseph  of  the  life  of  his 
father,  and  of  his  uterine  brother  :  and  it  in- 
formed him,  in  terms  touchingly  simple,  of  the 
view  entertained  at  home  of  his  own  fate  :  "one 
is  not  ! "  What  an  affecting  close  to  Joseph's 
ear — "  one  is  not  !  "  This  was  the  only  account 
they  dared  to  give  of  him.  But  it  was  more  a 
great  deal  than  they  could  with  certainty  affirm. 
They  were  now  in  the  very  country  into  which 
they  themselves  had  sold  him.  He  might  be 
still  alive  there  :  how  could  they  assert  the 
contrary?  It  was  long  since,  however.  They 
had  heard  nothing  of  him  ;  nor  is  it  at  all 
likely  that  the  idea  of  falling  in  with  him 
was  in  their  minds,  even  in  the  form  of  a 
possibility,  when  they  left  their  father's  house 
to  come  down  to  Egypt.  "  One  is  not  !  " 
W^hat  a  temptation  to  betray  himself!  how 
superlatively  difficult  for  him,  when  these  simple 
words  were  dropped,  to  command  his  feelings  ! 
All  the  past  was,  in  one  instant,  before  him  : 
their  jealousy  ;  their  cruelty  ;  his  father  ;  his 
brother  Benjamin  ;  and  all  the  strange  vicissi- 
tudes through  which  he  himself  had  since  been 


led  :  how  could  he  stand  it  1 — Rev.  R.  VVardlaw, 
D.D. 

[17217]  In  conformity,  no  doubt,  with  Joseph's 
instructions,  the  steward  treats  his  brothers  with 
all  the  attention  and  kindness  of  Eastern  hos- 
pitality, making  every  suitable  provision  both 
for  their  own  comfort  and  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  their  beasts  :  and  they  prepare  to 
offer  their  father's  present  to  the  steward's 
master,  in  the  most  appropriate  and  rei.pcctful 
style,  on  his  coming  home  at  noon.  When  he 
does  come,  the  scene  is  touched  with  admirable 
simplicity  and  tenderness.  In  spite  of  all 
Joseph's  previous  resolution  and  bracing  up  of 
his  mind  for  the  firm  and  consistent  acting  of 
his  part,  it  must  have  cost  him  no  small  erlbrt 
of  self-command,  when  he  thus  came  into  more 
immediate  contact  than  ever  with  his  brothers, 
and  especially  when  to  the  ten  there  was  now 
added  his  own  only  full  brother,  the  son  of  the 
same  mother,  the  fond  and  lively  playmate  of 
his  childish  and  boyish  days,  and  the  intimate 
bosom  companion  of  his  maturer  years.  Filial 
and  fraternal  love,  inwardly  felt  in  all  their 
mighty  and  melting  power,  could  not  but  expose 
him  to  the  imminent  hazard  of  betraying  him- 
self.— Ibid. 

[17218]  The  sight  of  Benjamin,  the  son  of 
his  own  mother — Benjamin,  who  had  never 
entertained  towards  him  the  envious  feelings 
which  were  expressed  by  the  others — Benjamin, 
who  had  never  devised  the  cruel  devices  which 
the  others  had  devised  against  him — the  sight 
of  Benjamin  with  the  rest  completely  upset 
him.  He  abruptly  inquires,  in  a  voice,  we  may 
conceive,  almost  choked  with  emotion,  "  Is  this 
your  brother  of  whom  ye  spake  ?"  Then,  with- 
out pausing  for  an  answer  (for  he  could  answer 
himself  the  question  which  he  proposed),  he 
gives  utterance  to  the  short  and  pathetic  prayer 
for  his  youngest  brother,  "  God  be  gracious  unto 
thee,  my  son  !  "  He  cannot  any  longer  trust  to 
his  feelings.  His  secret  will  be  out  if  he  remains 
with  his  brother  a  moment  longer.  He  is  obliged 
to  retire,  and  that  immediately,  to  conceal  his 
emotion  and  to  master  his  feelings.  The  strong 
feeling  of  natural  affection  was  ready  to  throw 
off  the  mask  of  indifference  which  it  had  put 
on,  and  to  burst  from  the  fetter  of  expediency 
by  which  it  was  confined  ;  to  act  in  its  true 
character,  and  to  give  utterance  to  its  genuine 
language.  Oh,  how  Joseph  longs  to  spring 
forth,  and  to  embrace  his  brother  with  all  the 
warmth  of  unrestrained  aftection  !  But  he  puts 
a  restraint  upon  his  feelings.  He  withdraws  for 
a  while  ;  and,  having  found  relief  by  giving  vent 
to  his  feelings  in  private,  again  he  conceals  his 
emotion,  and  returns  with  apparent  composure 
to  his  brethren. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[172 1 9]  What  a  crowd  of  overpowering  re- 
collections must  have  rushed  upon  Joseph's 
mind  !  In  this  one  moment  he  lived  all  his 
early  life  over  again.  It  is  true  there  could  not 
be  between  Joseph  and  Benjamin  the  softly  but 


92 


I72I9— 17223] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JOSEPH. 


Strongly  uniting  remembrance  of  a  common 
mother's  love  ;  for  Benjamin  had  never  known 
a  mother  ;  but  tliey  both  knew  and  felt  that  for 
that  mother's  sake  they  were  the  joint  objects 
of  a  doting  father's  affection  ;  and  they  appear 
too  to  have  been  mutually  attached  by  kindred 
dispositions,  by  a  congeniality  of  character. 
Strong  as  his  emotions  were,  he  succeeded,  by 
this  sudden  withdrawment,  under  whatever  pre- 
text, to  conceal  them  from  his  brethren.  The 
gush  of  tears,  which  he  could  allow  freely  to 
flow  in  his  chamber,  relieved  him,  and  made 
him,  for  the  time,  "  himself  again  " — restoring 
his  composure  and  self-command.  The  sus- 
picions of  his  brothers  remained  unawakened. 
They  do  not  seem  ever  to  have  had  the  remotest 
surmise  of  the  truth. — Rev.  R.  IVardlaw,  D.D. 

(2)  He  united  to  his  keen  sensibilities  the 
deepest  tenderness. 

[17220]  Joseph,  thoroughly  unmanned  by  the 
pathetic  pleading  of  Judah,  and  unable  any 
longer  to  impose  the  painful  restraint  upon  his 
feelmgs,  which  even  thus  far  he  had  with  no 
little  difficulty  maintained,  gives  way  to  the 
overpowering  violence  of  his  emotions,  weeps 
aloud,  pouring  forth  a  flood  of  tenderness,  to 
the  relief  of  his  aching  yet  overjoyed  heart  ;  to 
the  surprise  of  the  Egyptians  who  overheard 
him  without,  and  to  the  still  greater  surprise  of 
the  brothers  within.  Joseph's  was  not  a  heart 
of  stone  ;  and  a  heart  of  stone  it  would  have 
required  not  to  be  melted  now.  Our  only 
astonishment  is  how  he  stood  it  so  long  ;  how 
Judah  got  his  address  finished.  The  pleading 
of  Jud.ah,  even  apart  from  the  special  interest 
which  Joseph  himself  had  in  it,  was  one  which 
admitted  of  the  indulgence  of  feeling.  Even  to 
a  neutral  stranger  it  was  tenderly  affecting.  It 
would  have  been  unnatural  not  to  feel,  and  not 
to  appear  to  feel.  Tiiis,  therefore,  would  so  far 
lessen  the  necessity  of  restraint  and  self-control. 
Nobody  could  wonder  at  his  feeling.  He  had 
not  to  shut  up  all  his  sensibilities,  to  seal  at 
every  opening  the  fountain  of  tenderness.  The 
constraint  so  long  laid  upon  himself  had  been 
painfully  difficult.  He  had  often  been  in  danger 
of  giving  way.  His  heart  had  yearned  towards 
the  objects  of  its  love — had  longed  intensely  to 
go  forth  toward  his  brethren,  and  to  give  its 
struggling  emotions  full  freedom  of  expression. 
And  in  proportion  to  the  difficulty  with  which 
the  current  had  been  dammed  up,  and  the  length 
of  time  during  which  its  force  had  been  gather- 
ing, was  the  impetuosity  with  which,  at  length, 
it  burst  forth  (Gen.  xlv.  1-3). — lOid. 

[17221]  "And  he  fell  upon  his  brother 
Benjamin's  neck,  and  wept  ;  and  Benjamin 
wept  upon  his  neck."  Benjamin  shared  not  in 
those  feelings  by  which  the  rest  (he  knew  not 
wliy)  were  kept  at  a  distance.  His  heart  and 
his  conscience  were  alike  free.  Both  brothers 
are  overcome.  Both  weep.  They  are  tears, 
not  of  grief,  unless  for  so  long  a  separation, 
but  rather  of  affection  and  gladness.  Tender 
sensibilities  are  no  indications  of  a  feeble  mind  ; 


and,  when  found  in  association— as  they  may 
be,  and  not  unfrequently  are— with  the  amplest 
and  most  vigorous  intellect,  the  two  form  a 
delightful  union.  And  when  mind  and  heart- 
strength  of  understanding  and  softness  of  affec- 
tion thus  in  union— are  sanctified  by  piety,  this 
completes  the  character.  In  Joseph  they  were 
all  combined.  The  other  brothers  could  easily 
account  for  his  first  and  strongest  emotions 
being  towards  Benjamin.  But  while  they 
looked  on  the  tender  scene  they  could  not  but 
recollect  that  Benjamin,  besides  being  Joseph's 
maternal  brother,  was,  at  the  same  time,  guilt- 
less of  the  wrong  which  their  consciences  re- 
minded them  that  they  had  done  him.  So  that 
Joseph's  feelings  towards  him  were  no  certain 
test  of  his  feelings  towards  them. — Uid. 

(3)  He  united  to  his  strong  affection  the  most 
considerate  delicacy. 

a.  He  banishes  every  lingering  remnant  of 
distress  and  distrust  by  the  looks  and  the 
language  of  kindness. 

[17222]  "  He  kissed  all  his  brethren,  and  wept 
upon  them."  It  required  all  this  to  set  their 
minds  fully  at  rest.  And  then,  having  somewhat 
recovered  from  the  stunningand  stupefying  effect 
of  the  first  discovery,  and  being  tranquillized  by 
the  manifest  indications  of  deep  sincerity  in  his 
assurances  of  forgiveness  ;  of  his  retaining  no 
grudge  ;  of  his  being  desirous  to  forget  as  well 
as  to  forgive — they  got  so  far  at  their  ease  as  to 
enter  into  conversation  with  him.  "  After  that 
his  brethren  talked  with  him."  This  follows  his 
embrace  and  his  tears.  They  felt  at  once,  from 
the  manner  of  that  embrace,  that  it  was  none  of 
your  cold,  constrained,  formal  embraces,  which, 
instead  of  grappling  heart  to  heart,  give  you 
the  instant  and  mortifying  assurance  that  there 
is  no  heart  at  all  in  the  matter,  and  so  repel 
instead  of  conciliating,  freeze  instead  of  melt- 
ing. And  the  tears  which  accompanied  his 
embrace  they  saw  and  felt  to  come  warm  from 
the  fountain  of  love — to  be  anything  but  the 
crocodile  tears  of  feigned  endearment  covering 
a  secret  purpose  of  revenge.  They  felt  in  a 
moment  that  they  were  more  than  safe  in  his 
hands  ;  that  they  were  in  the  power  of  one  who, 
instead  of  "  rendering  evil  for  evil,"  would  "  over- 
come evil  with  good." — Ibid. 

[17223]  We  perceive  the  anxiety  of  Joseph  to 
take  off  all  painful  hesitation  and  doubt  from 
the  minds  of  his  brothers.  Now  that  he  had 
told  them  who  he  was,  he  appeals  to  themselves 
for  the  truth  of  his  declaration.  Not  now  cover- 
ing his  face,  or  using  any  arts  of  concealment, 
but  exposing  his  countenance  to  their  gaze  in 
all  its  own  expression,  and,  resuming  all  his 
natural  manner,  he  in  effect  asks  them  whether 
they  did  not  recognize  in  him  the  injured,  the 
long-lost  Joseph.  "Look  at  me,  my  brothers  ; 
look  at  me,  Benjamin.  Twenty  years  have 
passed  since  last  we  parted  ;  yet  cannot  you 
recognize  me?  Is  it  not  indeed  Joseph  that  is 
before  you  .?  Is  it  not  his  mouth  that  speaks  to 
you?      Are  they  not  his  eyes  that  look,   and 


17223—17231] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JOSEPH. 


93 


his  lips  that  smile  upon  you  ?  Is  it  not  so, 
Benjamin — son  of  my  own  mother,  comrade 
of  my  early  days  ?  Look  again.  Be  assured 
it  is  indeed  he,  and  no  stranger." — Ibid. 

h.  "He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  breth- 
ren," and  is  anxious  they  should  feel  their 
equality. 

[17224]  "And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren, 
Come  near  to  me,  I  pray  you.  And  they  came 
near.  And  he  said,  I  am  Joseph  your  brother, 
whom  ye  sold  into  Egypt."  They  were  over- 
awed and  held  back.  With  the  melting  eye 
and  winning  smile  of  benignity  he  invites  their 
Iree  approach. — Ibid. 

[17225]  There  is  a  species  of  forgiveness 
which  assumes  the  throne  of  offended  supe- 
riority ;  which  dictates  terms  ;  which  stands 
upon  punctilio  ;  which  exacts  submission,  and, 
with  the  offenders  prostrate  at  its  feet,  deigns  to 
grant  a  reluctant  pardon,  on  a  certain  stipulated 
ratio  of  humble  acknowledgment.  This  is  not 
the  spirit  of  Joseph.  He  is  open,  affable,  kind, 
condescending.  He  is  no  longer  the  viceroy  of 
Pharaoh  and  lord  of  Egypt,  but  their  own 
brother  inviting  them  to  his  arms  and  making 
them  feel  their  equality.  He  has  forgiven  them 
in  his  heart.  He  has  no  grudge  there.  And 
he  is  anxious  to  assure  them  that  it  is  so,  and 
that  they  have  nothing  to  fear. — Ibid. 

[17226]  He  was  the  governor  of  Egypt,  en- 
trusted with  its  richest  treasures  and  distin- 
guished by  its  highest  honours.  He  was  arrayed 
in  silken  robes,  he  wore  on  his  hand  the  royal 
signet,  and  around  his  neck  hung  a  golden  chain. 
He  rode  in  the  king's  second  chariot,  and  heard 
the  heralds  proclaim,  "  Bow  the  knee  before 
him."  He  ruled  all  the  people  with  such  un- 
disputed authority  that  without  him  no  man 
lifted  up  his  hand  or  his  foot  in  the  land.  But 
this  governor  was  still  himself.  He  remembered 
that  he  was  Joseph,  a  Hebrew — the  son  of  an 
old  pilgrim,  who  now  sojourned  in  Canaan,  and 
the  brother  of  these  plain  and  vulgar  strangers 
who  depended  on  his  goodness  and  solicited  his 
clemency. — Rev.  J.  Lat/irop,  D.D. 

[17227]  Perhaps  in  instantly  following  the 
words  "  1  am  Joseph"  with  the  inquiry  after  his 
father,  he  might  have  the  kind  intention,  when 
he  saw  his  announcement  stunning  and  troub- 
ling them,  of  turning  their  thoughts  from  himself 
to  a  centre  of  union — to  the  one  common  object 
of  his  own  and  their  affection.  The  supposition 
is  in  good  keeping  at  least  with  the  amiable 
delicacy  and  considerate  kindliness  of  his  cha- 
racter.— Rev.  R.  Wardlaw,  D.D. 

c.  He  leads  their  minds  away  from  the  evil 
cause  to  the  good  result. 

[17228]  The  lofty  ruler  of  Egypt  might  have 
reproached  them  for  their  treacherous  cruelty, 
but  he  studied  only  how  he  might  remove  their 
embarrassment  and  dread.  "  Come  near  to  me, 
I  pray  you,"  he  said  in  gentlest  words  ;  "  I  am 


Joseph  your  brother,  whom  ye  sold  into  Egypt. 
Now,  therefore,  be  not  grieved  nor  angry  witli 
yourselves  that  ye  sold  me  hither,  for  God  did 
send  me  before  you  to  preserve  life."  In  listen- 
ing to  these  words,  we  know  not  which  to  admire 
most  :  the  magnanimity  of  Joseph,  in  not  only 
pardoning,  but  even  making  excuses  for  his 
cruel  brothers;  or  for  his  sublime  devotion  to 
God,  which  enabled  him  to  discover  in  each 
event  of  life,  whether  prosperous  or  adverse, 
the  ordering  of  His  gracious  providence.  It 
was  God  who  had  brought  him  into  ICgvpt,  and 
made  him,  the  poor  bond-slave,  a  fatlicr  unto 
Pharaoh  ;  and,  not  only  so,  but  had  enabled 
him  to  become  the  preserver  of  his  own  race. 
Joseph  must  have  often  heard  of  the  gracious 
promises  which  had  been  made  to  Abraham 
and  Isaac,  and  he  now  saw  clearly  that  his 
being  sent  into  Egypt  had  formed  one  part  of 
the  plan  bv  which  these  promises  were  to  be 
fumUed.— AV7/.  J.  Norton,  D.D. 

13     Filial  love. 

While  giving  vent  to  the  generous  feelings 
of  a  brother  he  does  not  forget  that  he  is  a  son. 

[17229]  Joseph's  love  for  his  father  is  very 
forcibly  brought  before  us  at  the  time  when  he 
made  himself  known  to  his  brethren.  "  And 
Joseph  wept  aloud  :  and  the  Egyptians  and  the 
house  of  Pharaoh  heard.  And  Joseph  said,  I 
am  Joseph.  Doth  my  father  yet  live.?"  To  be 
sure,  he  had  heard  them  speak  of  his  fiither  as 
being  yet  alive  long  before  this.  But  now  that 
he  has  told  them  who  he  is,  and  the  relation  in 
which  he  stands  to  them,  nothing  can  be  more 
natural,  or  more  proper,  than  for  a  pious  and 
dutiful  son  to  make  this,  at  such  a  time,  his  very 
first  inquiry. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17230]  The  aged  father  is  first  in  his  thoughts, 
first  in  his  cares.  How  tender,  how  affectionate, 
how  dutiful  his  question  !  He  was  elevated 
high  in  power  ;  but  not  elevated  above  his  rela- 
tion to,  and  solicitude  for  the  old  patriarch  from 
whom  he  descended.  What  is  his  first  instruc- 
tion to  his  brethren  }  "  Haste  ye,  go  up  to  my 
father,  and  say  to  him.  Thus  saith  thy  son  Joseph, 
God  hath  made  me  lord  of  all  Egypt.  Come 
down  unto  me  ;  tarry  not.  Thou  shalt  dwell 
near  to  me,  and  I  will  nourish  thee."  While  all 
Egypt  bowed  the  knee  before  him,  he  could  feel 
the  affection  and  duty  of  a  son  to  an  aged 
parent,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  more  than 
twenty  years. — Rev.  J.  Lathrop,  D.D. 

[ 1 7231]  Joseph  remembers  the  "good  old 
father,"  left  alone  in  Canaan,  suftering  many  a 
pang  of  anxiety — looking  out,  with  longing  solici- 
tude, for  the  return  of  his  family — with  his 
beloved  Benjamin  ;  marvelling  at  the  pro- 
tracted time  ;  often  trembling  for  the  issue ; 
his  fond  heart  misgiving  him  under  the  self- 
created  suggestions  of  a  timid  and  too  faithless 
fancy.  Joseph  discovers  the  full  power  of 
filial  as  well  as  fraternal  love. — Rev.  R.  Ward- 
law,  D.D. 


94 
17232- 


-17238] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JOSEPH. 


14     Simplicity. 

He  bore  a  simple,  unsophisticated  heart  amidst 
the  pomp  of  an  Jii^yptian  court. 

[17232]  In  Joseph  we  find  simplicity  of  cha- 
racter :  partly  in  the  willingness  to  acknowledge 
his  shepherd  father  in  Egypt,  where  the  pastoral 
life  was  an  abomination  ;  partly  in  that  inciden- 
tal notice  which  we  have  of  the  feast  at  which 
he  entertained  his  brethren,  where  the  Egyptians 
sat  at  a  table  by  themselves,  and  Joseph  by 
himself.  So  that,  elevated  as  he  was,  his  heart 
remained  Hebrew  still.  He  had  contracted  a 
splendid  alliance  by  marr^'ing  into  one  of  the 
noblest  families  in  Egypt,  that  of  Potipherah 
the  priest  of  On.  And  yet  he  had  not  forgotten 
his  country,  nor  sought  to  be  naturalized  there. 
His  heart  was  in  that  far  land  where  he  had  fed 
his  father's  flocks  in  his  simple,  genial  boyhood. 
The  divining  cup  of  Egyptian  silver  was  on  his 
table  ;  but  he  remembered  the  days  when  the 
only  splendour  he  knew  was  that  coat  of  many 
colours  which  was  made  for  hmi  by  his  father. 
— Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

[17233]  Whatever  nerve  and  self-command 
and  humble  dependence  on  God  Joseph's  varied 
experience  had  wrought  in  him  were  all  needed 
when  Pharaoh  took  his  hand  and  placed  his  own 
ring  on  it,  thus  transferring  all  his  authority  to 
him,  and  when  turning  from  the  king  he  received 
the  acclamations  of  the  court  and  the  people, 
bowed  to  by  his  old  masters,  and  acknowledged 
the  superior  of  all  the  dignitaries  and  poten- 
tates of  Eg)'pt.  Only  once  besides,  so  far  as 
the  Egyptian  inscriptions  have  yet  been  de- 
ciphered, does  it  appear  that  any  subject  was 
raised  to  be  regent  or  viceroy  with  similiar 
powers. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17234]  After  a  life  in  the  service  of  the  state, 
he  retains  the  simplicity  of  the  Hebrew  lad. 
With  the  magnanimity  of  a  great  and  pure  soul, 
he  passed  uncontaminated  through  the  flatteries 
and  temptations  of  court  life  ;  and,  like  Moses, 
"esteemed  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches 
than  the  treasures  of  Egypt."  He  has  not  in- 
dulged in  any  affectation  of  simplicity,  nor  has 
he,  in  the  pride  that  apes  humility,  declined  the 
ordinary  honours  due  to  a  man  in  his  position. 
He  wears  the  badges  of  office,  the  robe  and  the 
gold  necklace,  but  these  things  do  not  reach  his 
spirit.  He  has  lived  in  a  region  in  which  such 
honours  make  no  deep  impression  ;  and  in  his 
deatli  he  shows  where  his  heart  has  been.  The 
small  voice  of  (iod,  spoken  centuries  ago  to  his 
forefathers,  deafens  him  to  the  loud  acclaim 
with  which  the  people  do  him  homage. — Ibid. 

15     Benevolence. 

[17235]  Benevolence  was  manifested  in  the 
generosity  with  which  he  entertained  his  breth- 
ren, and  in  the  discriminating  tenderness  with 
which  he  provided  his  best  beloved  brother's 
feast  with  extraordinary  delicacies.  These  were 
traits  of  thoughtfulness.  But  farther  still.  The 
prophetic  insight  of  Joseph  enabled  him  to  fore- 
see the  approach  of  famine.     He  took  measures 


accordingly  ;  and  when  the  famine  came,  the 
royal  stol-ehouses  were  opened,  and  every  man 
in  Egypt  owed  his  life  to  the  benevolent  provi- 
dence of  the  Hebrew  stranr— 
Robertson. 


-'cr.—- Rev.    F. 


16     Forgiveness. 

His  life  was  one  long  Pardon  of  human 
perfidy. 

[17236]  Conversant  as  his  experience  was 
with  human  treachery,  no  expressions  of  bitter- 
ness escape  from  him.  No  sentimental  wailing 
over  the  cruelty  of  relations,  the  falseness  of 
friendship,  or  the  ingratitude  of  the  world.  No 
rancorous  outburst  of  misanthropy  :  no  sarcastic 
scepticism  of  man's  integrity  or  woman's  honour. 
He  meets  all  bravely,  with  calm,  meek,  and 
dignified  forbearance.  If  ever  man  had  cause 
for  such  doubts,  he  had  ;  yet  his  heart  was  never 
soured.  At  last,  after  his  father's  death,  his 
brothers,  apprehending  his  resentful  recollec- 
tions of  their  early  cruelty,  come  to  deprecate 
his  revenge.  Very  touching  is  his  reply.  "  Fear 
not  :  for  am  I  in  the  place  of  God  ?  But  as  for 
you,  ye  thought  evil  against  me  :  but  God  meant 
it  unto  good,  to  bring  to  pass,  as  it  is  this  day, 
to  save  much  people  alive.  Now,  therefore, 
fear  ye  not  :  I  will  nourish  you  and  your  little 
ones." — Ibid. 

[17237]  Distrust  seemed  to  pursue  Joseph 
from  first  to  last.  First  his  own  family  mis- 
understood and  persecuted  him.  Then  his 
Egyptian  master  had  returned  his  devoted  ser- 
vice with  suspicion  and  imprisonment.  And 
again,  after  sufficient  time  for  testing  his  cha- 
racter might  seem  to  have  elapsed,  he  was  still 
looked  upon  with  distrust  by  those  who  of  all 
others  had  best  reason  to  believe  in  him.  But 
though  Joseph  had  through  all  his  life  been  thus 
conversant  with  suspicion,  cruelty,  falsehood, 
ingratitude,  and  blindness,  though  he  seemed 
doomed  to  be  always  misread,  and  to  have  his 
best  deeds  made  the  ground  of  accusation 
against  him,  he  remained  not  merely  unsoured, 
but  equally  ready  as  ever  to  be  of  service  to  all. 
The  finest  natures  may  be  disconcerted  and 
deadened  by  universal  distrust  ;  characters  not 
naturally  unamiable  are  sometimes  embittered 
by  suspicion  ;  and  persons  who  are  in  the  main 
high-minded,  do  stoop,  when  stung  by  such 
treatment,  to  rail  at  the  world,  or  to  question 
all  generous  emotion,  steadfast  friendship,  or 
unimpeachable  integrity.  In  Joseph  there  is 
nothing  of  this.  If  ever  man  had  a  right  to 
complain  of  being  unappreciated  it  was  he;  if 
ever  man  was  tempted  to  give  up  making  sacri- 
fices for  his  relatives,  it  was  he.  But  through 
all  this  he  bore  himself  with  manly  generosity, 
with  simple  and  persistent  faith,  with  a  dignified 
respect  for  himself  and  for  other  men.  In* 
the  ingratitude  and  injustice  he  had  to  endure 
he  only  found  opportunity  for  a  deeper  unsel- 
fishness, a  more  Godlike  forbearance. — Rev.  M. 
Dods,  D.D. 

[17238]  The  brethren  had  sold  Joseph  into 


17238—17244] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


95 


[JOSEPH. 


this  foreign  land,  meaning  to  bury  him  for  ever  ; 
he  retahated  by  requiring  that  the  tribes  should 
restore  him  to  the  land  from  which  he  had  been 
expelled.  Few  men  have  opportunity  of  show- 
ing so  noble  a  revenge  ;  fewer  still,  having  the 
opportunity,  would  so  have  used  it.  Jacob  had 
been  carried  up  to  Canaan  as  soon  as  he  was 
dead  :  Joseph  declines  this  exceptional  treat- 
ment, and  prefers  to  share  the  fortunes  of  his 
brethren,  and  will  then  only  enter  ou  the  pro- 
mised land  when  all  his  people  can  go  with  him. 
As  in  life,  so  in  death,  he  took  a  large  view  of 
things,  and  had  no  feeling  that  the  world  ended 
in  him.  His  career  had  taught  him  to  consider 
national  interests  ;  and  on  his  death-bed,  it  is 
from  the  point  of  view  of  his  people  that  he 
looks  at  the  future. — Ibid. 

17     Faith. 

[17239]  "Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the  children 
of  Israel,  saying,  God  will  surely  visit  you,  and 
ye  shall  carry  up  my  bones  from  hence."  This 
is  the  one  act  of  Joseph's  life  which  the  author 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  selects  as  the  sign 
that  he  too  lived  by  faith.  "  By  faith  Joseph, 
when  he  died,  made  mention  of  the  departing  of 
the  children  of  Israel  ;  and  gave  commandment 
concerning  his  bones."  It  was  at  once  a  proof 
of  how  entirely  he  believed  God's  promise,  and 
of  how  earnestly  he  longed  for  its  fulfilment.  It 
was  a  sign  too  of  how  little  he  felt  himself  at 
home  in  Egypt,  though  to  outward  appearance 
he  had  become  completely  one  of  its  people. 
The  ancestral  spirit  was  in  him  true  and  strong, 
though  he  was  "  separate  from  his  brethren." 
He  bore  an  Egyptian  name,  a  swelling  title,  he 
married  an  Egyptian  woman,  he  had  an  Egyp- 
tian priest  for  father-in-law,  but  he  was  an  Is- 
raelite in  heart  ;  and  in  the  midst  of  official 
cares  and  a  surfeit  of  honours,  his  desires  turned 
away  from  them  all  towards  the  land  promised 
by  God  to  his  fathers. — Rev.  A.  Maclarcn, 
D.D. 

[17240]  All  his  life  long,  from  the  day  of  his 
captivity,  Joseph  was  an  Egyptian  in  outward 
seeming.  He  rilled  his  place  at  Pharaoh's  court, 
but  his  dying  words  open  a  window  into  his  soul, 
and  betray  how  little  he  had  felt  that  he  be- 
longed to  the  order  of  things  in  the  midst  of 
which  he  had  been  content  to  live.  This  man, 
too,  surrounded  by  an  ancient  civilization,  and 
dwelling  among  granite  temples  and  solid  pyra- 
mids, and  firm  based  sphinxes,  the  very  emblems 
of  eternity,  confessed  that  here  he  had  no  con- 
tinuing city,  but  sought  one  to  come.  As  truly 
as  his  ancestors  who  dwelt  in  tabernacles  ;  like 
Abraham  journeying  with  his  camels  and  herds, 
and  pitching  his  tent  outside  the  walls  of  He- 
bron ;  like  Isaac  in  the  grassy  plains  of  the  South 
'Country  ;  like  Jacob  keeping  himself  apart  from 
the  families  of  the  land,  their  descendant,  an 
heir  with  them  of  the  same  promise,  showed  that 
he  too  regarded  himself  as  a  "  stranger  and  a 
sojourner."  Dying,  he  said,  "  Carry  my  bones 
up  from  hence."  Therefore  we  may  be  sure 
that,  living,  the  hope  of  the  inheritance  must 


have  burned  in  his  heart  as  a  hidden  light,  and 
made  him  an  alien  everywhere  but  on  its 
blessed  soW.  — Ibid. 

[17241]  Faith  imparted  to  Joseph's  spirit  the 
same  composure  and  peace  as  it  had  imparted 
to  that  of  his  father  ;  and  it  was  very  strikingly 
evinced.  Not  only  docs  he  look  at  death  with 
firm  tranquillity,  saying,  without  fear  or  shrink- 
ing, "  I  die  ; "  but  he  assures  them,  as  Jacob 
had  done  before  him,  of  Jehovah's  faithfulness 
to  His  promises,  and  of  the  certainty  of  His 
visiting  them,  and  delivering  them,  and  bring- 
ing them  to  the  promised  land.  And  what 
pledge  does  he  give  them  of  the  reality  of  his 
faith  }  A  very  remarkable  one.  He  does  not, 
as  his  father  had  done,  enjoin  the  removal  of 
his  body  now  ;  but  so  confident  is  his  assurance 
that  the  time  would  come,  that  he  gives  his 
bones  to  them  in  charge,  to  be  kept  and  carried 
with  them,  that  he  might  take  possession  of  the 
land  in  death  at  the  same  time  with  the  genera- 
tion which  should  be  then  alive.  —  Rev.  R. 
IVard/aza,  D.D. 

V.  The  Influence  of  his  Character 

AS   SEEN    IN    THE     POSTHUMOUS    TESTI- 
MONY TO  HIS  Worth. 

The  honours  of  this  world  were  given  to  the 
graces  of  the  next. 

[17242]  It  is  highly  probable  that  Jannes  and 
Asses  were  the  monarchs  of  Egypt  during  the 
latter  period  of  the  life  of  Joseph  ;  and  so  valu- 
able a  servant  had  he  proved  to  Aphophis,  that 
they  retained  him  in  the  office  which  he  held, 
perhaps  to  the  very  close  of  his  life.  The  benefits 
he  had  conferred  on  Egypt  were  of  the  greatest 
value  and  importance,  and  they  were  not  for- 
gotten when  he  became  infirm.  He  had  been 
faithful  to  his  king,  and  not  less  faithful  to  his 
God,  and  he  went  down  into  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  laden  with  the  honours  of  the 
world,  but  at  the  same  time  cheered  with  the 
smile  and  approbation  of  Heaven. — Ano/i. 

[17243]  'We  cannot  suppose  that  Joseph's  own 
obsequies  were  on  a  scale  less  grand  than  his 
father's.  This  was  not  the  homage  paid  to 
talent,  nor  to  wealth,  nor  to  birth.  He  was  a 
foreign  slave,  raised  to  eminence  by  the  simple 
power  of  goodness.  Every  man  in  Egypt  felt, 
at  his  death,  that  he  had  lost  a  friend.  There 
were  thousands  whose  tears  would  flow  when 
they  recounted  the  preservation  of  lives  dear 
to  them  in  the  years  of  famine,  and  felt 
that  they  owed  those  lives  to  Joseph.  Egypt 
mourned  the  good  foreigner. — Rev.  F.  Robert- 
son^ M.A. 

"VI.   The  Marked   Success  of  his   Life 
Traced  to  its  Sources. 

I       It  was  due  to  God. 

His  history  furnishes  manifest  examples  of 
a  special  Providence. 

[17244]    "Who  knoweth,"  said   Mordecai  to 


96 


17244— 17250] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA.  [twelve   TRIBES,    BLESSINGS   OF  THE. 


Esther,  when  urging  that  noble  woman  to  risk 
Hfe  and  all  for  the  sake  of  her  people,  "  who 
knowelh  whether  thou  art  come  to  the  kingdom 
for  such  a  time  as  this.-"'  The  special  provi- 
dence which  seemed,  though  probable,  still 
problematical  to  Mordecai  in  Esther's  fortunes, 
no  man  can  doubt,  held  the  helm  of  Joseph's. 
Though  somewhat  like  the  course  of  a  boat, 
now  riding  upon  the  top  of  the  waves  and  now 
lost  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  or  like  that  of  a 
traveller  crossing  a  mountain  region,  who  now 
stands  on  sunny  heights  and  anon  descends  into 
the  sombre  depths  of  valleys,  Joseph's  course, 
with  many  ups  and  downs,  goes  right  to  its 
mark — from  the  point  where  he  starts  to  the 
goal  he  reaches.  How  manifest  is  it  in  his 
case,  that  a  Divine  eye — none  else  could — saw 
the  end  from  the  beginning  !  By  what  a 
special  providence  did  all  the  vicissitudes  of 
his  chequered  life — those  things  men  call  acci- 
dents— like  successive  waves,  bear  him  on  and 
up  to  the  position  where  he  accomplished  his 
singular  destiny  ;  saving  his  family,  and  through 
them  the  hope  of  the  Messiah?  What  hand  but 
one  Divine  could  have  forged  the  chain  which 
linked  long  years  together  ;  the  sheepfolds  of 
Hebron  with  the  proud  palaces  of  Egypt  ;  the 
dreams  of  the  boy  with  the  deeds  of  the  man.'' 
No  hand  but  God's  could  have  steered  his  bark 
through  the  storms,  shoals,  reefs,  and  quick- 
sands of  his  romantic  and  eventful  life  ;  and 
well  therefore  miglit  he  acknowledge  God  in 
liis  remarkable  success,  saying  to  his  brothers, 
'"As  for  you,  ye  thought  evil  against  me,  but 
God  meant  it  unto  good,  to  bring  to  pass,  as  it 
is  this  day,  to  save  much  people  alive." — Rev. 
r.  Guikrte,  D.D. 

2       Under    God,  it  was   due    to   his    own    de- 
cision and  uniformity  of  character. 

[17245]  He  owed  nothing  to  fortune,  but, 
under  (iod,  everything  to  himself — to  his  piety, 
his  pure  and  high  morality,  his  extraordinary 
self-control,  the  patience  with  which  he  bore, 
the  faith  with  which  he  waited,  the  perseverance 
with  which  he  pursued  his  objects,  an  iron  will 
and  an  indomitable  energy. — Rev.  M.  Dods, 
D.D. 

[17246]  Joseph  stands  clear  throughout  a 
scries  of  singular  transactions  ;  wanting  neither 
in  tenderness  nor  kind-heartedness,  nor  in  the 
piety  of  a  (iod-fearing  man — the  behaviour  of 
the  patriarch  was  throughout  consistent  and 
considerate. — Rev.  H.  Melvill,  B.D. 


VH.   The  Symmetry  and   Harmony  of 
HIS  Charactkr  viewed  as  a  Whole. 

There  is  a   clear   and    steady  ascending  scale 
in  his  growth  in  moral  worth. 

[17247]  In  whatever  aspect  we  behold  him, 
whether  as  son,  brother,  slave,  statesman, 
father  ;  or  in  whatever  stage  of  life,  be  it  dawn- 
ing youth  or  closing  age,  the  grand  syinmetry 
of  his  moral  physique  is  always  strikingly  ap- 
parent.    No  spurious  element  mingled  with  the 


sterling  qualities  of  this  all  but  perfect  character. 
His  absolute  power  as  a  ruler  never  degenerated 
into  despotism  ;  his  moral  superiority  as  a  man 
was  untinged  by  the  slightest  trace  of  self-suf- 
ficiency or  conceit  ;  and  the  almost  feminine 
susceptibilities  of  his  nature,  so  far  from  weaken- 
ing the  sterner  virtues,  only  served  to  heighten 
their  beauty.  The  "  positive  "  qualities  of  an 
artless  childhood  were  augmented  by  the  "  com- 
parative "  graces  of  a  God  -  like  youth,  and 
every  ripened,  virtue  culminating,  as  it  were,  in 
the  "  superlative "  manhood,  he  stood  erect 
to  the  close  of  his  earthly  life — a  grand  speci- 
men of  the  "noblest  work  of  God." — A.  AI. 
A.  IV. 


VHI.    Analogy  between   the    Life    of 
Joseph  and  that  of  our  Lord. 

The  leading  events  of  his  history  are  typi- 
cal of  the  great  facts  connected  with  the 
life  and  work  of  Christ. 

[17248]  Although  Joseph  is  not  personally 
mentioned  in  the  New  Testament  as  a  type  of 
Christ,  his  history  was  eminently  typical  of  that 
of  our  blessed  Saviour,  alike  in  his  betrayal,  his 
elevation  to  highest  dignity,  his  preserving  the 
life  of  his  people,  and  in  their  ultimate  recog- 
nition of  him  and  repentance  of  their  sin. — 
Rev.  A.  Edersheiin,  D.D. 

[17249]  In  Joseph,  sold  into  the  hands  of  the 
Ishmaelites,  many  have  seen  a  type  of  Christ, 
despised  and  rejected  by  His  people,  and  ulti- 
mately betrayed  by  Judas  to  the  chief  priests 
and  scribes.  We  do  not  meet  with  any  warrant 
for  this  opinion  in  the  pages  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, but  there  are  several  other  persons  and 
things  of  the  older  economy,  having  a  typical 
relation,  which  are  not  mentioned  there,  whence 
we  infer  that  those  which  are  mentioned  are 
mentioned  only  as  specimens.  And  so  striking 
is  the  similarity  between  Joseph  and  Christ  in 
this,  and  in  several  other  particulars,  that  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  conceive  that  the  events  in 
the  life  of  the  former  were  not  ordered  by  God 
with  reference  to  certain  events  in  the  history  of 
the  latter. — Rev.  T.  Smith. 


TWELVE  TRIBES,  BLESSINGS  OF 
THE. 

Introductory. 

I       The  light  in  which  to  regard  Jacob's  bless- 
ing of  the  twelve  tribes. 

[17250]  It  is  not  to  the  sayings  (in  Gen.  xlix.) 
of  the  dying  saint  so  much  as  of  the  inspired 
prophet  that  attention  is  called.  Jacob  is  pre- 
pared, like  Isaac  in  similar  circumstances  (chap, 
xxvii.),  to  pronounce,  before  the  collected  group 
of  his  nuinerous  family,  that  solemn  benedic- 
tion which,  in  the  case  of  the  first  patriarchs, 


17250—17256] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  97 

JEWISH    ERA.  [twelve  TRIBES,    BLESSINGS   OF  THE. 


carried  with  it  the  force  of  a  testamentary  deed 
in  conveying  the  Divine  promises  committed  to 
them.  These  communications,  however,  though 
commonly  called  blessings  (ver.  28),  contained, 
in  the  present  instance,  words  of  severe  censure 
upon  some  of  his  sons  ;  while  in  their  prospec- 
tive import  they  were  made  to  indicate  the 
future  fortunes  of  his  posterity. — Rev.  R.Jamie- 
son,  D.D. 

[17251]  These  "blessings"  were  founded  on 
a  long  and  close  observation  of  the  character, 
dispositions,  and  habits  of  each  of  his  sons  ;  for 
such  a  knowledge  undoubtedly  lay  at  the  foun- 
dation of  his  judgments.  But  his  words  were 
more  than  the  dictates  of  mere  natural  sagacity; 
and  although  he  was  now  arrived  at  this  extreme 
age— 

"  When  sage  experience  does  attain 
To  something  like  prophetic  strain," 

the  utterances  of  Jacob  concerned  the  destiny 
not  so  much  of  his  sons  individually,  as  of 
tribes  which  should  respectively  descend  from 
tliem,  and  they  were  so  pregnant  with  a  mean- 
ing which  a  remote  future  alone  could  evolve, 
that  he  must  be  considered  as  having  spoken 
them  under  the  immediate  inspiration  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. — Ibid. 

2  Jacob's    providential    preparation    for   the 
office  of  blessing  his  sons. 

[17252]  Jacob  has  studied  these  sons  of  his 
for  fifty  years,  and  has  had  his  acute  per- 
ception of  character  painfully  enough  called  to 
exercise  itself  on  them.  He  has  all  his  life  long 
had  a  liking  for  analyzing  men's  inner  life,  know- 
ing that  when  he  understands  that,  he  can 
better  use  them  for  his  own  ends  ;  and  these 
sons  of  his  own  have  cost  him  thought  enough 
over  and  above  that  sometimes  penetrating 
interest  which  a  father  will  take  in  the  growth 
of  a  son's  character  ;  and  now  he  knows  them 
thoroughly,  understands  their  temptations,  their 
weaknesses,  their  capabilities,  and  as  a  wise 
head  of  a  house,  can,  with  delicate  and  un; 
noticed  skill,  balance  the  one  against  the  other, 
ward  off  awkward  collisions,  and  prevent  the 
evil  from  destroying  the  good.  This  knowledge 
of  Jacob  prepares  him  for  being  the  intelligent 
agent  bv  whom  God  predicts  in  outline  the 
future  of  His  Church.— ie^-^'.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

3  Jacob's  dignified  faith  in  the  performance 
of  his  office. 

[17253]  Note  the  faith  of  Jacob,  by  which  he 
assumes  the  right  to  bless  Pharaoh — though  he 
is  himself  a  mere  sojourner  by  sufferance  in 
Pharaoh's  land,  and  living  on  his  bounty — and 
by  which  he  gathers  his  children  round  him  and 
portions  out  to  them  a  land  which  seemed  to 
have  been  most  barren  to  himself,  and  which 
now  seemed  quite  beyond  his  reach.  The  en- 
joyments of  it,  which  he  himself  had  not  very 
deeply  tasted,  he  yet  knew  were  real  ;  and  if 
there  were  a  look  of  scepticism,  or  of  scorn,  on 
the  face  of  any  one  of  his  sons  ;  if  the  unbelief 

VOL.   VI. 


of  any  received  the  prophetic  utterances  as  the 
ravings  of  delirium,  or  the  fancies  of  an  im- 
becile and  worn-out  mind  going  back  to  the 
scenes  of  its  youth,  in  Jacob  himself  there  was 
so  simple  and  unsuspecting  a  faith  in  God's 
promise,  that  he  dealt  with  the  land  as  if  it  were 
the  only  portion  worth  bequeathing  to  his  sons, 
as  if  every  Canaanite  were  already  cast  out  of 
it,  and  as  if  he  knew  iiis  sons  could  never  be 
tempted  by  the  wealth  of  Egypt  to  turn  witli 
contempt  from  the  land  of  promise.— /(^/V/. 

4  The  dispensational   aspects   of  the    bless- 
ings themselves. 

(0  //  marks  the  close  of  the  patriarchal  dis- 
pensation. 

[17254]  Henceforth  the  channel  of  God's 
blessing  to  man  does  not  consist  of  one  person 
only,  but  of  a  people  or  nation.  It  is  still  o?ie 
seed,  as  Paul  reminds  us,  a  unit  that  God  will 
bless,  but  this  unit  is  now  no  longer  a  single 
person — as  Abraham,  Isaac,  or  Jacob — but  one 
people,  composed  of  several  parts,  and  yet  one 
whole  ;  ecjually  representative  of  Christ,  as  the 
patriarchs  were,  and  of  equal  effect  every  way 
in  receiving  God's  blessing  and  handing  it  down 
until  Christ  came.  The  Old  Testament  Church, 
quite  as  truly  as  the  New,  formed  one  whole 
with  Christ.  Apart  from  Him  it  had  no  mean- 
ing, and  would  have  had  no  existence.  It  was 
the  promised  seed,  always  growing  more  and 
more  to  its  perfect  development  in  Christ. — 
Ibid. 

(2)  //  is  the  first  mtcltiplication  of  Chrisfs 
rep  res  en  tatives. 

[17255]  At  this  point — where  Israel  distri- 
butes among  his  sons  the  blessing  which  here- 
tofore had  all  lodged  in  himselt — we  see  the 
first  multiplication  of  Christ's  representatives  ; 
the  mediation  going  on  no  longer  through  indi- 
viduals, but  through  a  nation  ;  and  where  in- 
dividuals are  still  chosen  by  God,  as  commonly 
they  are,  for  the  conveyance  of  God's  communi- 
cations to  earth,  these  individuals,  whether 
priests  or  prophets,  are  themselves  but  the 
official  representatives  of  the  nation. — Ibid. 

5  The  typical    aspect  in  which    the    history 
of  the  twelve  tribes  should  be  viewed. 

[17256]  Upon  the  gates  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
are  written  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of 
the  children  of  Israel.  This  fact  proves  their 
eternity.  As  long  as  the  twelve  apostles  are 
remembered,  so  long  will  endure  the  memory  of 
the  twelve  tribes.  All  are  now  lost  in  the  un- 
distinguished mass  of  the  dispersed  Jews.  Until 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  all  were  known  to. 
retain  their  individuality.  The  captivity  of  the 
kingdom  of  Israel  by  the  Assyrians  did  not 
destroy  it :  the  kings  of  Judah  gathered  the 
remnant  together  into  one  nation.  When  Judah 
also  went  into  captivity,  the  tribes  of  Israe'  still 
kept  their  identity.  Children  of  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh,  as  well  as  of  Judah,  Benjamin,  and 
Levi,  are  stated  to  have  returned  (i  Chron.  ix. 


98 


17256 — 17260] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    KRA.  ^TWELVE  TRIBES,    BLESSINGS   OF  THE. 


3,  &c.  Observe  that  this  is  parallel  to  Nehe- 
miah  xi.  4,  &c.).  The  sacrifices  were  offered  in 
the  restored  temple  for  twelve  tribes.  Those 
who  did  not  return  were  not  absorbed  into  the 
Gentiles  in  the  time  of  Queen  Esther,  in  any  of 
the  hundred  and  twenty  and  seven  provinces 
reached  by  Haman's  and  Mordecai's  decrees. 
Twche  tribes  were  remembered  by  our  Lord  in 
His  promises  to  His  apostles  ;  twelve  were 
acknowledged  by  St.  Paul  in  his  profession  of 
the  common  faith  ;  twelve  were  addressed  in  an 
epistle  by  St.  James  ;  twelve  tribes  contributed 
their  thousands  to  the  number  of  those  who 
were  sealed  with  the  seal  of  God  in  their  fore- 
heads and  seen  in  the  visions  of  the  Apocalypse  ; 
twelve  are  immortalized  on  the  gateways  of  the 
golden  city.  Each  gate  is  alike  in  everything 
except  its  position  and  the  name  of  the  tribe  to 
which  it  belongs.  Every  several  gateway  is  of 
one  pearl,  for  all  find  entrance  into  the  city 
through  the  "one  pearl  of  great  price;"  but 
whosoever  enters  the  New  Jerusalem  must  pass 
in  under  the  name  of  one  or  other  of  the  twelve 
tribes.  It  follows  from  this  that  the  twelve 
tribes  must  be  representative  of  spiritual  cha- 
racters in  God's  Israel,  and  the  method  of  their 
entrance  into  the  city  representative  of  ours. 
All  the  tribes  alike  were  made  partakers  of 
redemption,  but  their  experience  of  sin  and  love 
is  diverse.  They  come  from  the  East,  and  from 
the  West,  and  from  the  North,  and  from  the 
South.  A  right  study  of  their  history  would 
include  the  tracing  out  the  separate  career  of 
each  tribe  in  this  aspect,  to  mark  its  individu- 
ahty  in  sin,  redemption,  grace,  and  work  of 
God,  as  depicted  in  Holy  Scripture.  The  saints 
of  God  have  an  experience  no  less  diverse  and 
manifold  than  that  of  the  twelve  tribes. — Rev. 
C.  lVa//er. 

I.  Reuben. 

"Reuben,  thou  art  my  firstborn,  my  might,  and  the 
beginning  of  m\^  strength,  the  excellency  of  dignity,  and 
the  excellency  of  power  :  unstable  as  water,  thou  shalt 
not  excel  ;  because  thou  wentest  up  to  thy  father's  bed  ; 
then  defiledst  thou  it :  he  went  up  to  my  couch." — Gen. 
xlix.  3,  4. 

"Let  Rculien  live,  and  not  die  ;  and  let  not  his  men 
be  few." — Deut.  xxxiii.  6. 

I       His  traits  of  character. 

Instability  and  impulsiveness. 

[17257J  Reuben  is  presented  to  us  ^'5  tl  crea- 
ture 0/  passion,  following  the  impulses  of  the 
moment,  whether  corrupt  and  degrading,  or 
generous  and  noble,  teelim::;  is  fickle  as  the 
wind,  "  unstable  as  water,"  and  the  character 
determined  by  it  must  present  a  constant  alter- 
nation of  bright  and  dark  shades — apparent 
energy  and  real  feebleness  ;  high  resolve,  wither- 
ing at  the  touch  of  temptation  ;  no  great  plans 
steadfastly  pursued  till  their  end  be  gained.  The 
man  of  mere  feeling  cannot  excel.  Such  was 
Reuben.  How  different  from  Joseph,  the  man 
o^ principle — of  stern,  unbending  integrity  !  He 
had  not  less  tenderness  of  susceptibility  than  his 
older  brother  ;  but  with  him,  feeling  was  sub- 


jected severely  to  conscience  and  duty,  and 
therefore  he  excelled  always  and  everywhere.— 
Christian  Treasury. 

[17258]  This  excellency  that  does  not  excel, 
the  weight  that  is  weighed  in  the  balances  and 
found  wanting,  is  the  one  fatal  flaw.  There  are 
resources  enough  and  to  spare  ;  natural  ability, 
and  the  best  of  it  ;  the  best  portion  of  all  that 
makes  a  man  acceptable,  gives  him  dignity  and 
influence  with  others,  and  a  good  deal  of  the 
force  that  might  bring  it  to  bear  ;  all  this  in 
abundance,  yet  for  want  of  moral  steadiness 
this  excellence  is  not  to  excel.  This  man,  who 
is  qualified  to  take  the  first  place,  shall  never 
have  it  for  want  of  application  to  the  matter  in 
hand.  Who  has  not  seen  this  character  and 
seen  it  fail  ?  "  Unstable  as  water  "  is  a  terribly 
accurate  illustration.  The  force  of  water  is  one 
of  the  most  powerful  in  nature,  but  it  is  utterly 
useless  until  it  is  confined  and  kept  in  bounds. 
The  force  must  be  concentrated,  or  else  nothing 
can  be  done  with  it.  The  character  of  Reuben 
is  one  which  has  no  power  of  continuous  con- 
centration, and  has  not  learned  self-control. 
Reuben  develops  this  character  in  his  father's 
lifetime,  and  the  place  of  his  tribe  is  determined 
for  ever.  That  place  may  be  second,  it  will  never 
be  first. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 

[[7259]  Lightness  of  character  is  a  leading 
element  in  Reuben's  instability.  Such  characters 
express  themselves  in  many  acts  of  weakness  and 
wickedness  ;  the  particular  act  is  of  less  import- 
ance than  the  root  of  evil  from  which  it  springs. 
The  want  of  weight  appears  in  the  character  of 
Reuben  when  he  had  Joseph  cast  into  the  pit, 
and  then  left  his  brethren,  thinking  by  absence 
to  separate  himself  from  their  evil  deeds,  though 
he  was  the  eldest,  and  responsible  above  the  rest 
(cf.  Pilate's  washing  his  hands  of  the  Saviour's 
blood).  There  was  no  want  of  conscience,  no 
absence  of  feeling  or  ignorance  of  responsibility 
in  Reuben.  When  Simeon  was  put  in  prison 
by  Joseph,  Reuben  was  the  first  to  apply  the 
lesson  to  the  rest :  "  Spake  I  not  unto  you,  say- 
ing. Do  not  sin  against  the  child  ;  and  ye  would 
not  hear?  therefore,  behold,  also  his  blood  is 
required." — Ibid. 

2  Instances  in  which  he  exhibited  instability. 
[17260]  Jacob's  dying  prophecy  concerning  his 
eldest  son  embodied  a  most  important  practical 
truth— "Unstable  as  water,  thou  shalt  not  excel." 
The  sacred  history  exhibits  to  us  just  enough  of 
Reuben  to  illustrate  this  trait  of  his  character. 
The  criminal  indulgence  of  passion  (Gen.  xxxv. 
22),  which  sent  down  its  withering  curse  to 
generations  after  him  (Cien.  xlix.  4  ;  i  Chron. 
V.  i),  presents  the  most  painful  aspect  of  it. 
Next  we  see  him  attempting  to  save  his  brother 
Joseph,  whom  his  brethren  were  determined  to 
put  to  death,  and  overwhelmed  with  grief  on 
learning  that  his  efforts  had  failed.  His  com- 
passion was  excited  by  his  brother's  cries  for 
help,  and  he  seems  also  to  have  had  sincere 
afftciion  for  his  brother  and  for  Jacob  his  father. 


17260 — 17265] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  99 

jp:\visii  era.  [twelve  tribes,  blessings  of  the. 


Again,  on  the  return  of  the  sons  of  Jacob  from 
their  first  visit  to  Egypt  to  buy  corn,  when  they 
wished  to  take  Benjamin  immediately  and  go 
back  again,  and  their  father,  overwhehned  with 
grief,  reproached  them  as  the  cause  of  his 
sorrow,  Reuben  promptly  offered  to  suffer  for 
the  security  of  that  child  of  his  father's  old  age. 
"  Slay  my  two  sons  if  I  bring  him  not  unto 
thee."  This  was  the  language  of  sudden  emotion 
rather  than  calm  judgment  and  the  stern  call  of 
duty. — Christian  Treasury. 

3  The  rationale  of  his  failure  to  excel. 
[17261]  Unstable  as  water,  how  could  Reuben 

excel  1  Excellence  involves  elements  of  con- 
stancy, conditions  of  stability.  But  what 
stability  is  there  in  water?  The  house  built  on 
the  shifting  sea-sands — we  know  what  came 
of  it.  But  the  sands  are  more  stable  than 
the  sea — than  the  waves  of  the  sea,  at  least  ; 
and  he  that  wavereth  is  like  the  waves  of 
the  sea.  Unstable  as  that  troubled  water,  he 
shall  not  excel.    Says  Philip  van  Artevelde — 

"  All  my  life  long 
I  have  beheld  with  most  respect  the  man 
Who  knew  himself,  and  knew  the  ways  before 

him, 
And  from  among  them  chose  considerately, 
And,  having  chosen,  with  a  steadfast  mind 
Pursued  his  purpose." 

A  commentator  upon  which  passage  has  re- 
marked how  true  it  is  that,  attractive  though 
versatility  be,  concentration  of  energies  upon 
some  one  good  work  is  the  master-key  to  the 
honour  and  respect  of  our  fellows.— /^  Jacox. 

4  Descriptions  of  the  Reuben-like  character. 

(i)  III  the  downward  course. 

[17262]  The  future  of  Reuben  was  of  a  nega- 
tive, blank  kind — "  Thou  shalt  not  excel."  His 
unstable  character  must  empty  it  of  all  great 
success.  And  to  many  a  heart  since  have  these 
words  struck  a  chill,  for  to  many  they  are  as  a 
mirror  suddenly  held  up  before  them.  They 
see  themselves,  when  they  look  on  the  tossing 
sea,  rising  and  pointing  to  the  heavens  with 
much  noise,  but  only  to  sink  back  again  to  the 
same  everlasting  level.  Men  of  brilliant  parts 
and  great  capacity  are  continually  seen  to  be 
lost  to  society  by  instability  of  purpose.  Would 
they  only  pursue  one  direction,  and  concentrate 
their  energies  on  one  subject,  they  might  become 
true  heirs  of  promise,  blessed  and  blessing  ;  but 
they  seem  to  lose  relish  for  every  pursuit  on  the 
first  taste  of  success — all  their  energy  seems  to 
have  boiled  over  and  evaporated  in  the  first 
glow,  and  sinks  as  the  water  that  has  just  been 
noisily  boiling  when  the  fire  is  withdrawn  from 
under  it.  No  impression  made  upon  them  is 
permanent — like  water,  they  are  plastic,  easily 
impressible,  but  utterly  incapable  of  retaining 
an  impression  :  and  therefore,  like  water,  they 
have  a  downward  tendency,  or,  at  the  best,  are 
but  retained  in  their   place   by  pressure  from 


without,  and  have  no  internal  power  of  growth. 
—Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17263]  The  misery  of  an  unstable  character 
is  often  increased  by  the  desire  to  excel  which 
commonly  accompanies  instability.  It  is  gene- 
rally this  very  desire  which  prompts  a  man  to 
hurry  from  one  aim  to  another,  to  give  up  one 
path  to  excellence  when  he  sees  that  other  men 
are  making  way  upon  another  ;  having  no  internal 
convictions  of  his  own,  he  is  guided  mostly  by 
the  successes  of  other  men,  the  most  dangerous 
of  all  guides.  So  that  such  a  man  has  all  the 
bitterness  of  an  eager  desire  doomed  never  to 
be  satisfied.  Conscious  to  himself  of  capacity 
for  something,  feeling  in  him  the  excellency  of 
power,  and  having  that  "excellency  of  dignity," 
or  graceful  and  princely  refinement,  which  the 
knowledge  of  many  things,  and  intercourse  with 
many  kinds  of  people,  have  imparted  to  him, 
he  feels  all  the  more  that  pervading  weakness, 
that  greedy,  lustful  craving  for  all  kinds  of 
priority,  and  for  enjoying  all  the  various  advan- 
tages which  other  men  severally  enjoy,  which 
will  not  let  him  finally  choose  and  adhere  to 
his  own  line  of  things,  but  distracts  him  by 
a  thousand  purposes,  which  ever  defeat  one 
another. — Ibid. 

(2)  In  the  itptvard  course. 

[17264]  Is  not  this  the  history  of  the  second 
birth  of  many  a  Reuben,  who  at  first  is  no  true 
child  of  Israel  at  all .''  In  the  days  of  his  great 
ability  and  instability  he  is  morally  worthless, 
but  he  is  made  to  feel  his  weakness.  He  loses 
the  place  that  his  birthright  had  entitled  him  to 
hold  by  his  unsteadiness  of  character,  and  falls 
from  the  first  place  to  the  second,  though  his 
talents  were  unsurpassed.  Thus  he  is  afflicted, 
and  it  is  good  for  him.  He  is  brought  down  to 
feel  his  need  of  a  Saviour,  and  the  Lord  looks 
upon  his  aftliction,  and  he  is  born  of  God.  Such 
characters  as  Reuben  have  sometimes  gone  a 
long  way  with  the  prodigal  ;  they  lose  great 
opportunities  and  advantages,  if  they  do  not 
actually  waste  their  substance  with  riotous  living, 
and  experience  some  of  the  pressure  of  the 
mighty  famine  which  the  parable  describes. 
Then  they  come  to  themselves  ;  and,  if  Christ 
has  prayed  for  them,  "  Let  him  live,  and  not 
die,"  they  arise  and  go  to  the  Father  against 
whom  they  have  sinned.  They  are  received 
into  the  arms  of  His  mercy  with  joy  unspeak- 
able, and,  behold,  a  son  is  born  to  God.  "This 
my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again  ;  he  was 
lost,  and  is  found."  This  is  the  true  interpreta- 
tion of  Reuben  ;  but,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
affliction,  the  child  of  God  would  never  have 
been  seen. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 

5       The    significance     of    Moses'    prayer    for 
Reuben. 

[17265]  We  find  the  natural  end  of  instability 
marked  in  the  blessing  of  Moses  (Deut.  xxxiii.  6), 
which  takes  the  form  of  a  prayer.  This  prayer 
is  the  salvation  of  the  tribe.  Mark  the  natural 
end  of  instability,  if  it  were  suftered  to  run  its 


lOO 
17265 — 17269] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA.  [twelve  TRIBES,    BLESSINGS  OF  THE. 


course — "The  end  of  those  things  is  death." 
This  is  plainly  intimated  in  the  prayer  of  Moses 
— "  Let  Reuben  live,  and  not  die  ;  and  let  not  his 
men  be  few."  Why  should  he  pray  that  Reuben 
might  not  die,  unless  he  were  on  the  way  to 
death,  in  danger  of  perishing  from  among  the 
congregation,  like  those  Reubenites  of  vain  and 
light  character,  who  died  in  the  rebellion  not 
long  before.''  This  prayer  of  Moses  is  most 
significant  in  the  salvation  of  the  Reubenites, 
for  Moses  is  the  "mediator"  and  "ruler  and 
redeemer"  of  Israel  under  the  old  covenant. 
It  represents  the  prayer  and  intercession  of  the 
Saviour,  which  is  the  only  salvation  of  those 
who  fall,  and  yet  do  not  die.  The  character  of 
Reuben,  the  first  of  the  twelve  patriarchs,  is 
hardly  the  same  with  that  of  Peter,  the  first  of 
the  twelve  apostles,  though  in  both  there  is  a 
certain  amount  of  failure  and  recovery.  But 
there  is  a  resemblance  in  this — that  both  of 
them  are  saved  by  the  intercession  of  another, 
who  stands  between  them  and  death.  "  Simon, 
Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you, 
that  he  may  sift  you  as  wheat  :  but  I  have 
prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  die  not  :  and, 
when  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy 
brethren."  So  in  the  Old  Testament,  "  Let 
Reuben  live,  and  not  die  ;  and  let  not  his  men 
be  few."  Accordingly  we  find  in  history  that 
from  this  time  forward  Reuben  has  a  place  and 
a  work.  He  strengthened  his  brethren  in  the 
conquest  of  Canaan,  fighting  under  the  banner 
of  Joshua  till  the  land  was  won. — Jbid. 

II.  Simeon. 

"  Simeon  and  Levi  are  brethren  ;  instruments  of 
cruelty  are  in  their  habitations.  O  my  soul,  come  not 
thou  into  their  secret  ;  unto  thf-irassembly,  mine  honour, 
be  not  thou  united  :  for  in  their  anger  they  slew  a  man, 
and  in  their  self-will  they  digged  down  a  wall.  Cursed 
be  their  anger,  for  it  was  fierce  ;  and  their  wrath,  for  it 
was  cruel :  I  will  divide  them  in  Jacob,  and  scatter  them 
in  Israel." — Gen.  .xli.x.  5,  6,  7. 

1       Description  of  the  Simeon-like  character. 

[17266]  The  natural  character  represented  by 
Simeon  is  hard  and  cruel.  Men  who  think  to 
advance  the  kingdom  of  heaven  by  the  sword 
are  here.  "  Lord,  shall  we  smite  with  the 
sword  ? "  says  Simeon,  or  Simon  Peter  of  the 
New  Testament ;  and,  before  he  has  heard  the 
answer,  he  has  smitten  his  Master's  enemy,  and 
cut  off  his  ear.  "  If  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
were  of  this  world,  then  must  His  servants  fight, 
that  He  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews. 
But  now  is  His  kingdom  not  from  hence  ;"  and 
thus,  though  the  Master  is  insulted,  and  the 
daughter  of  Israel  outraged,  the  Simeons  and 
Levis  that  stand  by  and  see  it  must  not  take  the 
sword,  or  they  shall  perish  with  the  sword. — 
Jbid. 

[17267]  "Here  is  the  patience  and  the  faith 
of  the  saints."  "The  wrath  of  man  worketh 
not  the  righteousness  of  God."  But  this  is  a 
truth  that  the  Simeonites  in  Israel  find  it  hard  to 
earn.      They  cannot  see  why  they  should  not 


do  justice,  even  to  severity,  upon  others.  They 
are  austere  in  their  religion,  and  yet  the  same 
character  sometimes  breaks  out  into  acts  of 
licentiousness,  as  with  "Zimri,the  son  of  Salu,  the 
prince  of  a  chief  house  among  the  Simeonites," 
who  was  slain  with  a  Midianitish  woman  by  a 
man  of  the  brother  tribe  of  Levi  for  his  sin .  Of 
this  tribe  in  Israel  are  many  persecutors  of  the 
saints,  who  think  that  they  do  God  service- 
men who  take  up  arms,  not  to  defend  their 
religion,  but  to  propagate  it,  with  many  monks 
and  children  of  the  desert,  and  those  who  will 
put  down  false  doctrine  by  open  violence,  for- 
saking the  simple  remedies  which  the  Master 
had  prescribed. — Ibid. 

[17268]  It  is  always  difificult  to  draw  the  lines 
between  intolerance  and  discipline,  and  between 
tolerance  and  neglect.  But  cruelty  and  violence, 
especially  when  accompanied  with  treachery, 
are  not  the  weapons  for  a  disciple  of  Christ. 
No  one  ever  yet  accomplished  by  the  sword 
what  has  been  accomplished  by  "  the  meekness 
and  gentleness  of  Christ."  The  way  in  which 
God  deals  with  this  disposition  has  been  clearly 
taught  in  the  case  of  Simeon.  Separation, 
imprisonment,  and  isolation  are  the  results  of 
this  conduct.  God's  cruel  servants  find  them- 
selves deserted  and  alone.  They  are  parted 
again  and  again  from  their  associates  in  Jacob, 
and  are  at  last  left  almost  alone  in  Israel  ;  their 
strength  is  diminished,  they  are  so  surrounded 
by  others  of  a  different  temper  to  themselves 
that  they  can  work  their  will  no  more  ;  and  then 
they  are  brought  into  contact  with  the  gospel. 
There  is  a  defect  in  their  apprehension  of  it. 
They  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  they  are 
of.  Theirs  is  the  spirit  of  fear,  not  of  love  ;  and 
the  remedy  for  them  is  this — they  are  first 
brought  low  in  their  affliction,  and  then  over- 
whelmed with  the  revelation  of  the  love  of  God. 
—Ibid. 


2       The   design   of   Simeon    and    Levi   being 
scattered  in  Israel. 

[17269]  "Simeon  and  Levi  are  brethren" — 
showing  a  close  affinity,  and  seeking  one 
another's  society  and  aid,  but  it  is  for  bad  pur- 
poses ;  and  therefore  they  must  be  divided  in 
Jacob  and  scattered  in  Israel.  This  was  accom- 
plished by  the  tribe  of  Levi  being  distributed 
over  all  the  other  tribes  as  the  ministers  of 
religion.  The  fiery  zeal,  the  bold  independence, 
and  the  pride  of  being  a  distinct  people,  which 
had  been  displayed  in  the  slaughter  of  the 
Shechemites,  might  be  toned  down  and  turned 
to  good  account  when  the  sword  was  taken  out 
of  their  hand.  Qualities  such  as  these,  which 
produce  the  most  disastrous  results  when  fit 
instruments  can  be  found,  and  when  men  of  like 
disposition  are  suffered  to  band  themselves  to- 
gether, may,  when  found  in  the  individual  and 
kept  in  check  by  circumstances  and  dissimilar 
dispositions,  be  highly  beneficial.— AVz/.  AI. 
Dods,  D.D. 


17270— 17272] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  lOI 

JEWISH   ERA  [twelve  TRIBES,   BLESSINGS  OF  THE. 


III.  Levi. 

"And  of  Levi  he  said,  Let  tliy  Thummim  and  thy 
Urim  be  witli  thy  holy  one,  whom  thou  didst  prove  at 
Massah,  and  with  whom  thou  didst  stiive  at  the  waters 
of  Meribah  ;  who  said  unto  his  father  and  to  his  mother, 
I  have  not  seen  liim  ;  neither  did  he  acl<nowledge  his 
brethren,  nor  knew  liis  own  children  :  for  they  have 
observed  Thy  word,  and  kept  Thy  covenant.  They  shall 
teach  Jacob  Thy  judgments,  and  Israel  Thy  law  :  they 
shall  put  incense  before  Thee,  and  whole  burnt  sacrifice 
upon  Thine  altar.  Bless,  Lord,  his  substance,  and 
accept  the  work  of  his  hands  :  smite  through  the  loins 
of  them  that  rise  against  him,  and  of  them  that  hate 
him,  that  they  rise  not  again.'" — Deut.  x.xxiii.  8-11. 

Instances   in   the  history   of  the    tribe  of  its 
capacity  to  stand  alone. 

[17270]  Isolation  is  a  feature  in  the  history  of 
Levi,  quite  as  much  as  in  that  of  Simeon.  The 
capacity  to  stand  alone,  which  made  Simeon  and 
Levi  so  conspicuous  among  their  brethren  in 
their  attack  upon  the  Shechemites,  proved  a 
valuable  instrument  for  the  work  of  the  Lord. 
Look  at  Moses  when  he  was  come  to  years, 
refusing  *'  to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's 
daughter,"  and  finally  forsaking  Egypt,  "  not 
fearing  the  wrath  of  the  king."  When  coin- 
pelled  to  flee  into  Midian  by  inevitable  danger, 
we  find  him  standing  forth  as  the  fearless 
champion  of  the  daughters  of  Jethro  against 
the  shepherds  at  the  well.  Moses,  in  these 
things,  acted  not  only  from  natural  impulse,  but 
in  the  fear  of  God.  At  first  Simeon  and  Levi 
acted  from  natural  character  alone  ;  but  it  is 
the  same  character  throughout — a  fearless  un- 
consciousness of  self,  and  disregard  of  danger, 
in  the  cause  of  right.  The  man  Moses  for  his 
own  part  was  "  very  meek,  above  all  men  on  the 
face  of  the  earth."  It  was  for  others  he  was 
bold,  and  in  the  cause  of  justice,  not  in  self- 
assertion,  or  for  selfish  gain.  When  the  fear  of 
God  is  the  ruling  principle,  this  character  is  one 
of  the  mightiest  in  the  world.  This  is  the 
material  that  makes  men  of  God.  These  men 
are  outwardly  and  visibly  successful  in  His 
cause.  They  are  most  perplexing  to  an  enemy, 
because  they  are  proof  against  fear  or  favour. 
It  is  said  that  "every  man  has  his  price,"  but 
what  is  the  price  of  a  man  who  will  give  his  life 
for  a  cause  which  he  is  not  supporting  for  the 
sake  of  gain  t  That  kind  of  man  was  Moses, 
and  that  kind  of  tribe  was  Levi.  Of  course 
there  were  exceptions — all  Levites  were  not  as 
Moses. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 


IV.  JUDAH. 

"Behold  the  Lion  of  the  tribeof  Judah."— Rev.  v.  5. 

"  Judah,  thou  art  he  whom  thy  brethren  shall  praise  : 
thy  hand  shall  be  in  the  neck  of  thine  enemies  ;  thy 
father's  children  shall  bow  down  before  thee.  Judah  is 
a  lion's  whelp  :  from  the  prey,  my  son,  thou  art  gone  up  : 
he  stooped  down,  he  couched  as  a  lion,  and  as  an  old 
lion  ;  who  shall  rouse  hmi  up  ?  The  sceptre  shall  not 
depart  from  Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver  from  between  his 
feet,  until  Shiloh  come  ;  and  unto  him  shall  the  gather- 
ing of  the  people  be.  Binding  his  foal  unto  the  vine, 
and  his  ass's  colt  unto  the  choice  vine  ;  he  washed  his 
garments  in   wine,    and   his   clothes   in   the    blood    of 


grapes  :  his  eyes  shall  be  red  with  wine,  and  his  teeth 
white  with  milk." — GCN.  xlix.  8-12. 

"And  this  is  the  blessing  of  Judah:  and  he  said, 
Hear,  Lord,  the  voice  of  Judah,  and  bring  him  unto  his 
people  :  let  his  hands  be  sufficient  for  him  ;  and  be  Thou 
an  help  to  him  from  his  enemies." — Deut.  x.\.\iii.  7. 

1  His  traits  of  character. 
His  lion-like  qualities. 

[17271]  There  is  enough  in  the  subsequent 
history  of  the  tribe  to  justify  the  ascription  to 
Judah  of  all  lion-like  qualities — a  kingly  fear- 
lessness, confidence,  power,  and  success  ;  in 
action  a  rapidity  of  movement  and  might  that 
make  him  irresistible,  and  in  repose  a  majestic 
dignity  of  bearing.  As  the  serpent  is  the  cogni- 
zance of  Dan,  the  wolf  of  Benjamin,  the  hind  of 
Naphtali,  so  is  the  lion  of  the  tribe  of  judah. 
He  scorns  to  gain  his  end  by  a  serpentine  craft, 
and  is  himself  easily  taken  in  ;  he  does  not  ravin 
like  a  wolf,  merely  plundering  for  the  sake  of 
booty,  but  gives  freely  and  generously,  even  to 
the  sacrifice  of  his  own  person  ;  nor  has  he  the 
mere  graceful  and  ineffective  swiftness  of  the 
hind,  but  the  rushing  onset  of  the  lion — a 
character  which,  more  than  any  other,  men 
reverence  and  admire — "Judah,  thou  art  he 
whom  thy  brethren  shall  praise" — and  a  cha- 
racter which,  more  than  any  other,  fits  a  man  to 
take  the  lead  and  rule. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

2  The  typical  nature  of  his  character. 
[17272]    Do    we    not   find    in    the   story   of 

Judah  the  most  complete  manhood  in  the 
world. "^  Every  human  capability,  every  human 
propensity,  every  human  motive— the  heights 
and  depths  of  our  nature — every  capacity 
that  man  possesses — may  be  found  here. 
And  the  strongest  must  win,  if  he  has  skill 
and  energy  to  use  his  strength.  Judah  had 
the  firmness  to  do  so,  and  therefore  "Judah  pre- 
vailed above  his  brethren,  and  of  him  came  the 
chief  ruler."  Where  else  could  he  be  found  ? 
This  was  true  to  the  end.  Who  came  to  the 
first  place  among  the  apostles  at  Jerusalem  but 
James,  the  Lord's  brother  ?— a  man  of  Judah, 
without  doubt.  We  see  what  follows  when 
this  is  applied  to  the  character  of  our  Lord. 
Here  is  man  in  full  perfection,  and  "  yet  without 
sin."  What  can  be  more  certain  than  that  He 
was  "  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are"  if 
He  was  a  man  of  this  tribe?  No  man  on 
earth  need  doubt  that  he  will  find  sympathy 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whatever  the  peculiar 
bent  of  his  nature  may  be.  "  We  have  not  an 
High  Priest  which  cannot  be  touched  with  the 
feeling  of  our  infirmities  ;  "  but  one  of  whom  we 
may  be  absolutely  certain  that  "in  all  things 
He  was  made  like  unto  His  brethren" — one 
who  fully  understands  man,  knows  what  is  in 
man,  and  one  also  who,  even  humanly  speak- 
ing, has  no  equal  in  the  knowledge  of  God. — 
Rev.  C.  Waller. 

V.  Zebulun. 

"  Zebulun  shall  dwell  at  the  haven  of  the  sea  ;  and  he 
shall  be  for  an  haven  of  ships  ;  and  his  border  shall  be 
unto  Zidon." — Gen.  xlix.  13. 


I02 

17273— 17277] 


OLD    TESTAMENr   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA.  [twelve   TRIBES,    BLESSINGS   OF   THE. 


"And  of  Zohulun  he  said,  Rejoice,  Zebulun,  in  thy 
going  out  ;  and,  Issachar,  in  thy  tents.  They  shall 
call  the  people  unto  the  mountain  ;  there  they  shall  ofter 
sacrifices  of  righteousness  :  for  they  shall  suck  of  the 
abundance  of  the  seas,  and  of  treasures  hid  in  the 
sand." — Deut.  .\x.\iii.  18,  19. 

1  The  Zebulun-like  condition  of  life, 

Poveriy  and  obscurity. 

[17273]  It  may  be  called  the  poor  man's 
tribe.  The  fact  that  our  Lord  dwelt  there 
betokens  this.  When  He  for  our  sakes  became 
poor,  it  was  at  Nazareth  in  Zebulun  that  He 
chose  to  dwell.  His  first  miracle  at  Cana  was 
called  forth  by  want.  The  wine  had  run  short 
even  at  the  wedding — an  occasion  when  every 
one  who  can  will  provide  abundance.  The 
obscurity  of  Zebulun's  boundaries,  of  his  his- 
tory, of  the  very  prophecy  that  concerns  him, 
all  point  in  the  same  direction.  Whose  lives 
and  histories  and  abodes  are  so  hard  to  trace 
as  those  of  the  poor  ? — Ibid. 

2  The  Zebulun-like  turn  of  mind. 

Inquiry  and  speculation. 

[17274]  Zebulun,  then,  was  to  represent  the 
commerce  of  Israel,  its  outgoing  tendency  ; 
was  to  supply  a  means  of  communication  and 
bond  of  connection  with  the  world  outside,  so 
that  through  it  might  be  conveyed  to  the 
nations  what  was  saving  in  Israel,  and  that 
what  Israel  needed  from  other  lands  might  also 
find  entrance.  In  the  Church,  also,  this  is  a 
needful  quality  :  for  our  well-being  there  must 
ever  exist  among  us  those  who  are  not  afraid  to 
launch  on  the'wide  and  pathless  sea  of  opinion  ; 
those  in  whose  ears  its  waves  have  from  their 
childhood  sounded  with  a  fascinating  invita- 
tion, and  who  at  last,  as  if  possessed  by  some 
spirit  of  unrest,  loose  from  the  firm  earth,  and 
go  in  quest  of  lands  not  yet  discovered,  or  are 
impelled  to  see  for  themselves  what  till  now 
they  have  believed  on  the  testimony  of  others. 
—Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17275]  It  is  not  for  all  men  to  quit  the  shore, 
and  risk  themselves  in  the  miseries  and  disasters 
of  so  comfortless  and  hazardous  a  life  ;  but  happy 
the  people  which  possesses  from  one  generation 
to  another,  men  who  must  see  with  their  own 
eyes,  and  to  whose  restless  nature  the  discom- 
forts and  dangers  of  an  unsettled  life  have  a 
charm.  It  is  not  the  instability  of  Reuben  that 
we  have  in  these  men,  but  the  irrepressible 
longing  of  the  born  seaman,  who  must  lift  the 
misty  veil  of  the  horizon  and  penetrate  its 
mystery.  And  we  are  not  to  condemn,  even 
when  we  know  we  should  not  imitate,  men  who 
cannot  rest  satisfied  with  the  ground  on  which 
ive  stand,  but  venture  into  regions  of  specula- 
tion, of  religious  thougjit  which  we  have  never 
trodden,  and  may  deem  hazardous.  The  nourish- 
ment we  receive  is  not  all  native-grown  ;  there 
are  views  of  truth  which  may  very" profitably  be 
imported  from  strange  and  distant  lands.— /(J/V/. 


3       The  Zebulun-like  character. 

(i)  Stubborn  pride  combined  "with  stubborn 
fidelity, 

[17276]  The  men  were  faithful  and  brave  and 
warlike  ;  but,  like  many  who  are  thoroughly 
faithful,  they  are  too  apt  to  despise  their 
brethren,  and  think  there  is  no  one  like  them- 
selves. We  may  see  this  in  the  question  of 
Nathanael,  "  Can  there  any  good  thing  come 
out  of  Nazareth?"  The  people  of  Nazareth 
themselves  showed  the  same  kind  of  spirit 
afterwards  to  our  Lord.  They  were  astonished 
at  His  being  anything  more  than  one  of  them  : 
"  Whence  hath  this  man  this  wisdom  ?"  They 
were  offended  at  Him.  And  when  His  reference 
to  Elijah  and  Elisha  among  the  Gentiles  touched 
their  pride,  they  were  ready  to  cast  their  Saviour 
down  headlong  from  the  brow  of  the  hill  on  wiiich 
the  town  stood.  So,  in  time  past,  some  of  them 
had  mocked  the  messengers  of  Hezekiah  who 
called  them  to  repentance,  and  laughed  them 
to  scorn  :  a  few  humbled  themselves,  but  the 
greater  part  were  wise  in  their  own  conceit.  I 
think  the  same  characteristic  may  be  traced  in 
another  man  of  Zebulun,  the  prophet  Jonah,  the 
son  of  Amittai  of  Gath-hepher,  in  that  tribe. 
How  indignant  he  was  when  God  spared 
Nineveh,  because  it  might  make  his  reputa- 
tion as  a  prophet  somewhat  less  ! — Rev.  C. 
Waller. 


(2)  Lotuliness  ajid  fidelity  induced  by  the 
"  single  eye." 

[17277]  We  see  in  the  tribe  of  Zebulun  the 
sort  of  people  with  whom  the  Saviour  will 
abide.  They  are  lowly  and  yet  faithful  ;  not 
of  double  heart.  They  are  such  as  will  go  forth 
at  His  bidding  to  the  conflict,  and  bring  others 
to  Him.  Their  dwelling-place  may  be  hard  for 
man  to  discover,  but  it  is  the  dwelling- place  of 
Christ  ;  and  they  are  saved  because  He  is 
among  them.  It  is  not  of  themselves,  for  they 
have  pride  enough  to  ruin  them.  Their  natural 
impulse  would  be  to  bid  Christ  depart.  They 
are  too  proud  to  acknowledge  Him  by  nature 
until  they  are  brought  low.  Then  they  become 
His  most  diligent  servants,  and  He  condescends 
to  manifest  Himself  to  them  as  He  does  not  to 
the  world.  To  them  He  appears  in  the  midst 
of  trouble,  saying,  "  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid." 
They  will  see  Him  standing  on  the  shore,  in 
the  dawn  of  the  resurrection  morning,  when 
He  will  call  them  to  Himself. — Ibid. 


VI.  Issachar. 

"  Issachar  is  a  strong  ass  couching  down  between  two 
burdtMis  :  and  he  saw  that  rest  was  good,  and  the  land 
tiiat  it  was  pleasant;  and  bowed  his  shoulder  to  bear, 
and  became  a  servant  unto  tribute."— Gen.  xlix.  14,  15. 

".-Xud  of  Zebulun  he  said.  Rejoice,  Zebulun,  in'  thy 
going  out  ;  and,  Issachar,  in  thy  tents.  They  shall 
call  the  people  unto  the  mountain  ;  there  they  shall  offer 
sacrifices  of  righteousness  :  for  they  shall  suck  of  the 
abundance  of  the  seas,  and  of  treasures  hid  in  the 
sand." — Deut.  ,\x.\iii.  18, 19. 


17278 -17283] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 


JEWISH  ERA. 


[twelve  tribes,  blessings  of  the. 


1       The  censurable  nature  of  an  Issachar-like 
want  of  ambition. 

[17278]  There  is  a  pleasantness  still  in  the 
land  that  appeals  to  us  all  ;  a  luxury  in  observ- 
ing the  risks  and  struggles  of  others  while  our- 
selves are  secure  and  at  rest  ;  a  desire  to  make 
life  easy,  and  to  shirk  the  responsibility  and  toil 
that  public-spiritedness  entails.  Yet  of  what 
tribe  has  the  Church  more  cause  to  complain 
than  of  those  persons  who  seem  to  imagine 
that  they  have  done  enough  when  they  have 
joined  the  Church  and  received  their  own  in- 
heritance to  enjoy  ;  who  are  alive  to  no  emer- 
gency, nor  awake  to  the  need  of  others  ;  who 
have  no  idea  at  all  of  their  being  a  part  of  the 
community  for  which,  as  well  as  for  themselves, 
there  are  duties  to  discharge  ;  who  couch,  like 
the  ass  of  Issachar,  in  their  comfort  without 
one  generous  impulse  to  make  common  cause 
against  the  common  evils  and  foes  of  the 
Church,  and  are  unvisited  by  a  single  com- 
punction that  while  they  lie  there,  submitting 
to  whatever  fate  sends,  there  are  kindred  tribes 
of  their  own  being  oppressed  and  spoiled  .'' — 
Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17279]  Issachar  is  portrayed  as  the  big- 
boned,  patient,  strong,  plodding  ass,  willingly 
submitting  to  no  burden  of  tribute,  if  only  he 
may  have  the  present  enjoyment  of  his  good 
things — a  type  surviving  still  among  us  in  the 
persons  of  those  citizens  who  are  too  busy 
minding  their  own  affairs  to  be  disturbed  with 
public  matters,  and  who  will  rather  endure  in- 
justice than  put  themselves  to  trouble  in  re- 
moving the  wrong-doers. —  W.M.  Taylor,  D.D . 

2      The  occasional  practical  wisdom  of  such 
a  character. 

[17280]  In  the  days  of  David  apparently  new 
character  is  given  to  them — "  the  children  of 
Issachar,  which  were  men  that  had  under- 
standing of  the  times,  to  know  what  Israel 
ought  to  do."  This  quite  accords,  however,  with 
the  kind  of  practical  philosophy  which  we  have 
seen  to  be  imbedded  in  Issachar's  character. 
Men,  they  were,  not  distracted  by  high  thoughts 
and  ambitions,  but  who  judged  things  according 
to  their  substantial  value  to  themselves  ;  and 
who  were,  therefore,  in  a  position  to  give  much 
good  advice  on  practical  matters — advice  which 
would  always  have  a  tendency  to  trend  too  much 
towards  niere  utilitarianism  and  worldliness,  and 
to  partake  rather  of  crafty  politic  diplomacy  than 
of  far-seeing  statesmanship,  yet  trustworthy  for 
a  certain  class  of  subjects.  And  here,  too,  they 
represent  the  same  class  in  the  Church  ;  for  one 
often  finds  that  men  who  will  not  interrupt  their 
own  comfort,  and  who  have  a  kind  of  stolid  in- 
difference as  to  what  comes  of  the  good  of  the 
Church,  have  yet  also  much  shrewd  practical 
wisdom  ;  and  were  these  men,  instead  of  spend- 
ing their  sagacity  in  cynical  denunciation  of 
what  the  Church  does,  to  throw  themselves  into 
the  cause  of  the  Church,  and  heartily  advise  her 
what  she  ot(ght  to  do,  and  help  in  the  doing  of 
it,  their  observation  of  human  affairs,  and  poli- 


tical understanding  of  the  times,  would  be  turned 
to  good  account,  instead  of  being  a  reproach. — 
Ibid. 

3       Issachar's  compromise  and  tact. 

[17281]  The  character  of  Issachar  has  been 
made  remarkable  by  the  words  used  of  the 
tribe  in  the  time  of  David  (i  Chron.  xii.  32), 
"Of  the  children  of  Issachar,  who  were  men 
that  had  understanding  of  the  times,  to  know 
what  Israel  ought  to  do  ;  the  heads  of  them 
were  two  hundred  ;  and  all  their  brethren 
were  at  their  commandment."  This  descrip- 
tion agrees  with  Jacob's  blessing.  The  tribe 
consisted  of  men  who  were  ready  to  sacrifice 
a  great  deal  for  the  sake  of  a  good  position 
— for  ease  and  wealth  and  rest.  Compromise 
and  tact  were  absolutely  necessary  to  them. 
They  must  be  ready  to  give  and  take,  and  to 
bear  much  if  they  would  hold  their  ground. 
The  difficulties  of  their  own  position  made  them 
excellent  advisers  to  all  Israel,  owing  to  the 
great  experience  of  conflict  and  perplexity  which 
they  had.  In  their  position  they  were  a  kind  of 
lesser  Israel  themselves.  As  Canaan,  upon  the 
whole,  was  a  pleasant  land  and  a  great  highway 
between  other  nations,  so  the  lot  of  Issachar 
was  a  pleasant  inheritance,  lying  between  the 
northern  and  southern  tribes — a  battle-ground 
for  all  who  were  pushing  their  conquests  either 
\sAy.—Rev.  C.  Waller. 

VII.  Dan. 

"  Dan  shall  judge  his  people,  as  one  of  the  tribes  of 
Israel.  Dan  shall  be  a  serpent  by  the  way,  an  adder  in 
the  path,  that  biteth  the  horse  heels,  so  that  his  rider 
shall  fall  backward.  I  have  waited  for  Thy  salvation,  O 
Lord." — Gen.  xlix.  16-18. 

"And  of  Dan  he  said,  Dan  is  a  lion's  whelp  :  he  shall 
leap  from  Bashan." — Deut.  xxxiii.  22. 

Dan's  grim  humour. 

[17282]  The  whole  tribe  of  Dan  seems  to  have 
partaken  of  that  "grim  humour"  with  which 
Samson  saw  his  foes  walk  time  after  time  into 
the  traps  he  set  for  them,  and  give  themselves 
an  easy  prey  to  him — a  humour  which  comes 
out  with  singular  piquancy  in  the  narrative  given 
in  the  Book  of  Judges  of  one  of  the  forays  of 
this  tribe,  in  which  they  carried  off  Micah's 
priest  and  even  his  gods. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

VIII.  Gad. 

"  Gad,  a  troop  shall  overcome  him  :  but  he  shall  over- 
come at  the  last." — Gen.  xlix.  19. 

"And  of  Gad  he  said.  Blessed  be  he  that  enlargeth 
Gad  :  he  dwelletli  as  a  lion,  and  teareth  the  arm  with  the 
crown  of  the  head.  And  he  provided  the  first  part  for 
himself,  because  there,  in  a  portion  of  the  lawgiver,  was 
he  seated  ;  and  he  came  with  the  heads  of  the  people, 
he  executed  the  justice  of  the  Lord,  and  his  judgnienis 
with  Israel." — Deut.  xxxiii.  20,  21. 

Gad's  dogged  pertinacity. 

[17283]  "Gad,  a  troop  shall  overcome  him, 
but  he  shall  overcome  at  the  last."  Many  a  good 
soldier  of  Jesus  Christ  has  proved  the  truth  of 


I04 
17283 — 17286] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA.  [twelve   TRIBES,    BLESSINGS   OF  THE. 


this.  He  was  going  to  make  such  havoc  among 
the  hosts  of  God's  enemies — to  do  such  great 
things  for  Him,  and  gain  such  glory — and  lo  ! 
before  he  had  done  anytliing  he  was  himself  in- 
vaded and  trampled  to  the  ground,  and  almost 
crushed  by  the  enemies  of  his  own  soul.  The 
disciple  who  drew  the  sword  and  struck  for  his 
Master,  when  the  bandofmen  came  with  Judas, 
denied  his  Master  for  fear  of  a  woman  before 
the  night  was  gone.  And  yet  he  did  overcome 
at  the  last,  and  was  crucified,  going  without  his 
Master,  and  yet  with  Him,  to  prison  and  to 
death.  This  is  the  history  of  many  soldiers  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  command  given  to  them  is 
to  "endure  hardness."  What  is  it  to  endure 
hardness  ?  To  suffer  ill-treatment  from  the 
enemy,  to  endure  afflictions,  temptations,  perse- 
cutions, just  as  in  battle  the  soldier  must  some- 
times be  still  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy  and 
receive  many  attacks  before  he  can  be  suffered 
to  make  the  attack  himself. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 

[17284]  There  is  something  particularly  in- 
spiriting to  the  individual  Christian  in  finding 
this  pronounced  as  part  of  the  blessing  of  God's 
people — "a  troop  shall  overcome  him,  but  he 
shall  overcome  at  the  last."  It  is  this  that  en- 
ables us  to  persevere  —  that  we  have  God's 
assurance  that  present  discomfiture  does  not 
doom  us  to  final  defeat.  If  you  be  among  the 
children  of  promise,  among  those  that  gather 
round  God  to  catch  His  blessing,  you  shall  over- 
come at  the  last.  You  may  now  feel  as  if 
assaulted  by  treacherous,  murderous  foes,  irre- 
gular troops,  that  betake  themselves  to  every 
cruel  deceit,  and  are  ruthless  in  spoiling  you  ; 
you  may  be  assailed  by  so  many  and  strange 
temptations  that  you  are  bewildered  and  cannot 
lift  a  hand  to  resist,  scarce  seeing  where  your 
danger  comes  from  ;  you  may  be  buffeted  by 
messengers  of  Satan,  distracted  by  a  sudden  and 
tumultuous  incursion  of  a  crowd  of  cares  so  that 
you  are  moved  away  from  the  old  habits  of  your 
life  amid  wliich  you  seem  to  stand  safely  ;  your 
heart  may  seem  to  be  the  rendezvous  of  all  un- 
godly and  wicked  thoughts,  you  may  feel  trodden 
under  foot  and  overrun  by  sin,  but,  with  the 
blessing  of  God,  you  shall  overcome  at  the  last. 
Only  cultivate  that  dogged  pertinacity  of  Gad, 
which  has  no  thought  of  ultimate  defeat,  but 
rallies  cheerfully  and  resolutely  after  every  dis- 
comfiture.— Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

IX.  ASHER. 

"  Out  of  Ashcr  his  bread  shall  be  fat,  and  he  shall 
yield  royal  dainties." — Gen.  xli-^c.  20. 

"  And  of  Aslier  he  said.  Let  Asher  be  blessed  with 
children  ;  let  him  be  acceptable  to  his  brethren,  and  let 
him  dip  his  foot  in  oil.  Thy  shoes  shall  be  iron  and 
hnuss  ,  and  as  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be." — 
Deut.  xxxiii.  24,  25. 

The  luxurious  ease  of  Asher,  and  its  natural 
issues. 

[17285]  It  is  not  surprising  that  Asher  was 
contented  to  partake  the  luxuries  of  the  Phoeni- 
cian settlements  which  were  even  at  that  early 


period  in  full  vigour,  and  to  "  dwell  among  them," 
without  attempting  the  conquest  and  extermi- 
nation enjoined  in  regard  to  all  the  Canaamtes 
(Judg.  i.  31,  32).  Accordingly  he  did  not  drive 
out  the  inhabitants  of  Accho,nor  Dor,  norZidon, 
nor  Ahlab,  nor  Achzib,  nor  Helbah,  nor  .A.phil<, 
nor  Rehob  (Judg.  i.  31),  and  the  natural  conse- 
quence of  this  inert  acquiescence  is  immediately 
visible.  While  Zebulon  and  Naphtali  "jeoparded 
their  lives  unto  the  death "  against  Sisera, 
Asher  was  content  to  forget  the  peril  of  his  fel- 
lows in  the  creeks  and  harbours  of  his  new  allies 
(Judg.  v.  17,  18).  At  the  numbering  of  Israel 
at  Sinai,  Asher  was  more  numerous  than  either 
Ephraim,  Manasseh,  or  Benjamin,  but  in  the 
reign  of  David  so  insignificant  had  the  tribe  be- 
come that  its  name  is  altogether  omitted  from 
the  list  of  the  chief  rulers  (i  Chron.  xxvii. 
16-22),  and  it  is  with  a  kind  of  astonishment 
that  it  is  related  that  "divers  of  Asher  and 
Manasseh  and  Zebulun  "  came  to  Jerusalem  to 
the  passoverof  Hezekiah.  With  the  exception  of 
Simeon,  Asher  is  the  only  tribe  west  of  the  Jor- 
dan which  furnished  no  hero  or  judge  to  the 
nation. — G.  Grove. 


X.  Naphtali. 

"  Naphtali  is  a  hind  let  loose :  he  giveth  goodly 
words." — Gen.  xlix.  21. 

"And  of  Naphtali  he  said,  O  Naphtali,  satisfied  with 
favour,  and  full  with  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  :  possess 
thou  the  west  and  the  south." — Deut.  xxxiii.  23. 

Naphtali's  heroism, 

[17286]  How  gigantic  were  the  efforts  by 
which  these  heroic  mountaineers  saved  their 
darling  highlands  from  the  swarms  of  Canaanites 
who  followed  Jabin  and  Sisera,  and  how  grand 
the  position  which  they  achieved  in  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  nation,  may  be  gathered  from  the  nar- 
rative of  the  war  in  Judg.  iv.,and  still  more  from 
the  expressions  of  the  triumphal  song  in  which 
Deborah  the  prophetess  of  Ephraim  immortalized 
the  victors  and  branded  their  reluctant  country- 
men witheverlastinginfamy.  Gilead  and  Reuben 
lingered  beyond  the  Jordan  amongst  their  flocks. 
Dan  and  Asher  preferred  the  luxurious  calm  of 
their  hot  lowlands  to  the  free  air  and  fierce  strife 
of  the  mountains.  Issachar,  with  characteristic 
sluggishness,  seems  to  have  inoved  slowly,  if  he 
moved  at  all  ;  but  Zebulun  and  Naphtali,  on  the 
summits  of  their  native  highlands,  devoted 
themselves  to  death,  even  to  an  extravagant 
pitch  of  heroism  and  self-devotion  (Judg.  v.  18), 
"  Zebulun  are  a  people  that  threw  away  their 
lives  even  unto  death  ;  and  Naphtali  on  the  high 
places  of  the  field." — Ibid. 


XI.  Joseph  (Ephraim  and  Manasseh). 

''  And  unto  Joseph  were  born  two  sons  before  the 
years  of  famine  came,  which  Asenath  the  daughter  of 
Poti-pherah  priest  of  On  bare  unto  him.  And  Joseph 
called  the  name  of  the  firstborn  Manasseh  :  For  God, 
said  he,  hath  made  me  forget  all  my  toil,  and  all  my 
father's  house.     And  the  name  of  the  second  called  he 


17287 — 17290] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


105 

[lot. 


Ephraim  :  For  God  hath  caused  me  to  be  fruitful  in  the 
land  of  my  affliction." — Gen.  xli.  50,  51,  52. 

"  And  his  father  refused,  and  said,  I  know  it,  my  son, 
I  know  it :  he  also  shall  become  a  people,  and  he  also 
shall  be  great  :  but  truly  his  younger  brother  shall  be 
greater  tlian  he,  and  his  seed  shall  become  a  multitude  of 
nations." — Gen.  xlviii.  19. 

"  His  glory  is  like  the  firstling  of  his  bullock,  and  his 
horns  are  like  the  horns  of  unicorns  :  with  them  he  shall 
push  the  people  together  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  :  and 
they  are  the  ten  thousands  of  Ephraim,  and  they  are  the 
thousands  of  Manasseh." — Deut.  x.xxiii.  17. 

1  Ephraim's  pride  and  its  rebuke. 

[17287]  The  prophecies  addressed  to  Israel  as 
distinct  from  Judah  would  point  first  to  Ephraim, 
the  acknowledged  head  of  the  ten  tribes. 
Pride  of  our  own  privileges  is  our  danger  as 
well  as  Ephraim's,  according  to  the  caution 
addressed  to  us  by  St.  Paul  in  the  famous 
passage  where  he  shows  the  position  of  Jew  and 
Gentile  in  the  good  olive-tree  of  God.  "  Boast 
not  thyself  against  the  branches.  Be  not  high- 
minded  ;  but  fear."  The  God  who  punished 
Israel  for  the  sin  of  Ephraim  will  punish  us 
also  for  our  pride.  But  the  pride  of  Ephraim 
in  the  days  of  his  power  in  Israel  receives  a 
most  significant  rebuke  in  the  list  of  the  sealed 
tribes.  His  name  is  simply  omitted.  He  gives 
place  to  his  father  Joseph,  whose  children  were 
to  be  called  after  the  name  of  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh  in  their  inheritance.  The  name  of 
the  humble  Joshua  has  risen  above  every  name  ; 
the  name  of  the  proud  Ephraim  is  lost  ;  for 
"  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased, 
and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  e.\alted." 

2  Manasseh  and  Ephraim,  as  Jacob's  Gentile 
descendants,  were  typical  of  the  Gentiles 
who  should  be  admitted  into  the  Church 
of  Christ. 

[17288]  "  Manasseh  shall  be  a  people,  and 
he  shall  be  great,"  is  the  portion  given  by  Jacob 
to  this  tribe.  Moses  speaks  of  the  thousands  of 
Manasseh  side  by  side  with  the  ten  thousands 
of  his  brother  Ephraim  ;  but  there  is  more 
character  about  the  name  of  Manasseh  than 
appears  in  either  of  those  two  fragments  of 
prophecy  which  can  be  limited  to  him.  Ephraim 
and  Manasseh  may  fairly  be  called  Jacob's 
Gentile  descendants.  They  were  children  of 
an  Egyptian  mother,  born  while  their  father 
Joseph  occupied  the  position  of  a  Gentile 
prince.  Accordingly,  when  we  remember  the 
words  respecting  Ephraim,  that  his  seed  should 
be  "the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles,"  we  can  only 
regard  Joseph  as  representing  Christ,  the 
Saviour  of  the  Gentile  world.  The  tribe  of 
Judah  is  sacred  to  our  Lord  as  head  of  the 
chosen  people.  The  character  of  Joseph  be- 
longs to  Him  in  prophecy  as  the  Saviour  of  all 
mankind  ;  and  as  in  the  twelve  tribes  we  find 
the  house  of  Judah  and  the  house  of  Joseph 
united,  so  in  the  Church  of  Christ — the  Bride, 
the  Lamb's  Wife — we  find  the  twelve  tribes 
of  the  children  ot  Israel,  and  the  gate  of 
Joseph  open  for  the  Gentiles  in  multitudes 
that  no  man  can  number. — Rev.  C.  Waiier. 


XII.  Benjamin. 

"  Benjamin  sliall  ravin  as  a  wolf:  in  the  morning  he 
shall  devour  the  prey,  and  at  night  he  shall  divide  the 
spoil." — Gen.  xlix.  27. 

"And  of  Benjamin  he  said.  The  beloved  of  the  Lord 
shall  dwell  in  safety  by  him  ;  and  the  Lord  shall  cover 
him  all  the  day  long,  and  he  shall  dwell  between  his 
shoulders." — Deut.  xxxiii.  12. 

The    passionate    impulsiveness    of   the    Ben- 
jamin-like character. 

[17289]  There  may  be  some  difficulty  in 
showing  how  the  virtues  and  vices  of  Benjamin 
can  be  the  expression  of  the  same  character, 
even  under  opposite  influences.  But  the  ruling 
principle  seems  to  be  impulsiveness.  The  ob- 
ject of  Benjamin's  desire  is  pursued  without  the 
least  regard  to  consequences.  The  cruelties 
and  vices  of  the  Benjamites  were  the  indu'gence 
of  unbridled  passion.  Their  virtues  were  the 
expression  of  undaunted  love.  Saul  casting 
javelins  at  David  ;  saving  the  men  of  Jabesh- 
Gilead  by  a  sudden  appeal  to  all  Israel  ;  sen- 
tencing the  priests  to  death,  and  even  his  son 
Jonathan  too,  in  a  moment  of  passion  ;  yet 
bursting  into  tears  at  the  sound  of  the  voice  of 
David  ;  utterly  overcome  by  the  terrible  appa- 
rition at  Endor  ;  and  yet  fighting  bravely  to  the 
last.  Who  does  not  see  that  he  is  the  creature 
of  impulse  throughout?  The  effect  of  Divine 
grace  is  to  control  the  outward  expression  of 
these  impulses,  but  not  to  chill  the  loving  heart 
from  which  they  spring.  We  see  this  exhibited 
in  Jonathan  and  St.  Paul.  The  result  is  a  kind 
of  deliberate  passion  in  God's  service,  which 
produces  an  almost  unconquerable  force.  The 
conversion  of  St.  Paul  by  a  sudden  onset  of 
Divine  love  and  glory  exhibits  God's  way  of 
dealing  with  this  character  for  good.  Probably 
the  behaviour  of  the  persecuted  disciples  had 
given  many  a  prick  already  to  the  warm  but 
misguided  heart.  The  behaviour  of  Christians 
under  persecution  would  have  an  influence  that 
a  man  of  Benjamin  would  find  it  hard  to  with- 
stand.— Ibid. 


LOT. 

I.    His     Worldly     and     Self-seeking 
Choice. 

I       Probable     temporal     advantages    blinded 
him  to  all  other  considerations, 

(i)  He  thought  neither  of  the  possibility  of 
local  changes  nor  of  the  anger  of  God. 

[i729o]'"He  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  beheld 
all  the  plain  of  Jordan,  even  as  the  garden  of 
the  Lord,  like  the  land  of  Egypt."  The  volcanic 
fires,  slumbering  beneath,  made  that  vale  so 
fertile  that  its  riches  have  become  proverbial, 
and  the  Jordan,  which  has  now  so  short  a  course 
to  the  Dead  Sea,  then  wandered  through  the 
plain,  like  the  rivers  of  Eden.  Lot's  eye  re- 
garded neither  the  dangers  sleeping  beneath, 


io6 

17290—17296] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA.  


[lot. 


nor  the  light  of  God  above,  but  only  the  corn 
and  wine  and  verdant  pastures. — Rev.  J.  Ker. 

(2)  He  displayed  an  utter  disregard  of  reli- 
gious privileges. 

[17291]  "The  men  of  Sodom  were  wicked, 
and  sinners  before  the  Lord  exceedingly."  This 
is  said  in  connection  with  Lot's  choice,  as  if  to 
intimate  to  us  that  it  was  full  in  his  view  when 
he  came  to  a  decision.  Their  sins  were  of  a 
peculiarly  gross  and  inhuman  kind,  and  were 
the  growth  of  that  very  luxuriance  of  soil  which 
made  Lot  choose  it  for  his  home.  The  prophet 
Ezekiel  (xvi.  49)  enumerates  these  three  causes 
of  the  sins  of  Sodom,  "pride,  fulness  of  bread, 
and  abundance  of  idleness."  And  how  they  are 
still  the  parents  of  vice  in  prosperous  communi- 
ties we  know  full  well.  It  shows  how  wide- 
spread and  inveterate  the  wickedness  of  the 
community  was,  that  when  the  fiery  deluge 
came  down,  not  one  beyond  Lot's  family  was 
counted  worthy  to  escape.  Can  there  be  con- 
ceived a  more  unpromising  place  for  a  man  who 
had  a  spark  of  religion  in  him  to  enter,  if  he 
wished  to  keep  it  still  burning  .''  Had  it  been 
very  warm  and  bright  he  would  not  have  ven- 
tured there  ;  for  this  is  observable,  that  in 
general  those  who  have  least  religion  to  lose 
are  most  ready  to  thrust  it  into  danger.- — Ibid. 

[17292]  It  is  very  likely  that  if  Lot  thought 
at  all  of  the  question  of  religious  privilege,  and 
the  hazard  of  evil  association  to  himself  and  his 
children,  he  had  a  number  of  ways  of  smoothing 
his  choice  to  his  conscience.  One  of  these, 
common  enough  still,  might  be  that  he  was 
going  there  to  do  a  great  deal  of  good.  Their 
wickedness  made  it  the  vei-y  spot  for  him  to 
work  in,  and  set  a  different  example.  If  this 
were  genuine,  it  might  be  very  well  ;  but  when 
it  is  merely  a  pretext,  the  man  cannot  cover  it 
comfortably  from  himself,  and  it  is  somehow 
found  out  still  sooner  by  the  sinners  who  are  to 
be  converted.  Nothing  prejudices  religion  more 
than  to  use  its  interest  as  a  mask  for  covetous- 
ness. —  Ibid. 

[17293]  Among  the  indications  of  a  very  low 
state  of  religion  in  Lot's  own  soul  may  be 
mentioned  his  negligence  of  the  spiritual  good 
of  his  household.  In  this  particular  he  was 
strongly  contrasted  with  Abraham.  His  large 
household  of  children  and  slaves,  whom  he  was 
bound  to  train  up  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
were  educated — where  ?  Amid  the  luxury  and 
pollutions  of  Sodom,  and  at  best  by  the  very 
doubtful  example  and  influence  of  such  a 
master  and  such  a  father.  This  is  one  of  the 
darkest  features  in  his  character.  Well  is  it 
said  by  the  prophet,  "  And  he  shall  turn  the 
heart  of  the  fathers  to  the  children,  and  the 
heart  of  the  children  to  their  fathers,  lest  I  come 
and  smite  the  earth  with  a  curse."  Lot  had 
sons,  and  he  had  daughters  too,  whom  he 
brought  up  in  Sodom  !  Was  it  possible  for  a 
good  man  thus  to  trifle  with  the  highest  and 
most  sacred  of  earthly  responsibilities,  and  thus 


educate  and  prepare  for  everlasting  perdition 
those  who  were  committed  to  his  trust  for  the 
purpose  of  becoming  the  heirs  of  heaven  1 — Rev. 
G.  spring,  D.D. 

[17294]  It  was  a  perilous  hour  in  the  history 
of  Lot  when  he  consented  to  part  with  his  re- 
ligious privileges,  to  leave  the  Holy  Land  for  a 
land  of  Paganism,  and  to  separate  himself  from 
his  spiritual  friend  and  guardian  to  dwell  with 
wicked  men.  There  was  no  necessity  for  his 
doing  this,  even  though  the  unseemly  strife 
between  the  herdsmen  rendered  a  separation 
expedient  ;  there  was  room  enough  in  the  broad 
land  of  Canaan  without  his  removal  to  a  land  of 
notorious  wickedness.  It  was  not  poverty  that 
drove  him,  for  he  was  rich.  It  was  not  a  due 
regard  to  his  worldly  interests  ;  these  might 
have  been  promoted  without  such  a  fearful 
exposure.  Nor  was  it  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
seminating the  true  religion  among  the  igno- 
rant and  unevangelized  population  with  whom 
he  selected  his  inheritance  ;  his  subsequent  life 
shows  no  such  benevolent  motive.  It  was  for 
no  such  good  ends  as  these,  but  rather  for 
purposes  that  were  purely  mercenary  and 
selfish.  His  piety  was  obscured  by  his  love  of 
wealth.  His  whole  history  shows  that  the  love 
of  money  was  a  passion  which  early  influenced 
him,  nor  was  it  eradicated  at  last  but  by 
violence. — Ibid. 

(3)  He  was  entirely  untouched  by  Abrahavi's 
magnanimity. 

[17295]  Abraham,  to  preserve  good  feeling, 
proposed  that  their  encampments  should  be 
kept  apart,  and  he  gave  Lot  the  selection  of 
place.  It  was  in  accordance  with  the  noble 
nature  of  Abraham  ;  and  had  Lot  shared,  or 
been  capable  of  appreciating  it,  he  would  have 
declined  to  avail  himself  of  the  offer.  But  he 
grasped  at  it  eagerly,  and  took  the  richest  side. 
It  may  be  he  had  the  slightest  possible  feeling 
of  contempt  for  Abraham's  unworldliness  and 
simplicity,  and  congratulated  himself  on  his  own 
shrewdness.  This  is  one  of  the  mean  things 
in  life,  to  gloat  over  a  gain  that  may  have 
dropped  from  the  generosity,  or  may  have  been 
stolen  from  the  simplicity,  of  a  friend  who 
scorns  to  be  always  standing  on  the  extreme 
edge  of  his  rights.  It  is  a  "blessing  of  himself 
by  the  covetous  which  the  Lord  abhors." — Rev. 
f.  Ker. 

2       The   consequences    which    the    choice    he 
made  brought  upon  him. 

(i)  Ilie  profit  and  loss  of  a  selfish  policy  is 
therein  plainly  displayed. 

[17296]  Lot  by  his  choice  gained  a  more 
comfortable  and  luxurious  abode  than  Abram, 
probably  also  a  more  rapid  increase  of  his 
worldly  wealth.  But  this  was  all.  Now  what 
are  we  to  place  upon  the  "loss"  side  of  the 
account  ?  He  soon  lost,  for  a  time  at  least,  his 
peace  of  mind,  his  liberty  and  his  goods,  in  the 
captivity  which  he  experienced  at  the  hands  of 
the  four  kings,  and  it  was  only  by  the  resolute 


17296— I730I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


107 

[lot. 


action  of  his  noble-minded  kinsman  that  Lot 
and  his  family  were  rescued  and  returned  to 
Sodom.  Lot  certainly  lost  by  his  residence  in 
Sodom  a  large  portion  of  his  tranquillity  of 
mind,  for  as  regards  the  inhabitants  of  that  city 
"just  Lot  vexed  his  righteous  soul  from  day  to 
day  with  their  unlawful  deeds."  He  also  lost 
his  married  daughters,  who  remained  in  Sodom 
and  were  destroyed  with  it.  He  lost  his  wife, 
he  lost  his  home,  and  he  lost  altogether  the 
moral  tone  which  had  once  pervaded  his  family. 
The  very  name  of  that  family  was  lost,  dis- 
appearing for  ever  from  the  sacred  narrative. 
Here  is  a  deficit  in  the  account  indeed  ! — M.J. 

(2)  The  issues  of  his  choice  well  illustT-ate  the 
law  of "  retaliation  "  in  the  spiritual  lije. 

a.  As  he  made  worldly  advantage  his  chief 
aim,  he  failed  in  gaining  it. 

[17297]  See  how  Lot's  choice  came  back  on 
him.  He  grasped  recklessly  at  worldly  advan- 
tage, and  twice  he  lost  his  entire  possessions — 
the  second  time,  as  it  would  seem,  beyond  re- 
covery. In  the  first  instance,  the  kings  of  the 
East  plundered  Sodom,  and  carried  off  Lot  and 
all  he  had.  "  They  took  Lot  a7id  his  goods  " — 
an  emphatic  conjunction.  There  was  much 
property,  and  it  was  much  to  him,  for  his  heart 
was  in  it.  No  doubt  it  was  a  sore  blow  to  Lot, 
and  was  meant  as  a  warning  to  quit  the  place. 
But  he  refused  to  take  it,  and  the  stroke  came 
next  time  direct  from  God,  and  with  more  crush- 
ing weight.  He  who  would  not  leave  Sodom 
of  his  own  free  will  must  be  driven  from  it  by 
the  sword  of  the  avenging  angel.  He  went  out 
poorer  than  he  entered,  and  all  his  wealth 
perished  with  the  men  of  Sodom.  So  when 
God  punishes  open  sinners,  He  can  judge  the 
sins  of  His  own  people  by  the  way.  He  can 
mingle  judgment  with  mercy,  but  also  mercy 
with  judgment,  and  Lot  was  made  to  feel  it 
when  he  tied  from  the  fiery  rain,  stripped  of  the 
labours  of  years,  and  did  not  dare  to  look  be- 
hind on  the  ruin  of  his  hopes. — Rev.  J.  Ker. 

[17298]  He  that  chose  the  plains  of  Jordan 
in  his  youth  was  glad  of  a  cave  in  the  mountain 
in  his  old  age.  Wife,  home,  property,  with  the 
prospect  of  a  home  for  his  daughters — all  were 
gone.  Who  would  go  near  the  survivors  of  such 
a  place  as  Sodom  .''  They  were  outcasts  from 
the  whole  earth. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 

[17299]  This  is  not  unfrequently  the  case  with 
good  men  when  they  have  become  excessively 
worldly,  and  more  especially  where  their  wealth 
has  been  accumulated  at  the  sacrifice  of  re- 
ligious principle,  and  by  doubtful  means.  The 
history  of  this  strange  man  furnishes  an  affect- 
ing view  of  God's  faithfulness  in  visiting  the 
iniquity  of  His  people.  He  lived  to  see  the 
w-ealth  of  Sodom,  and  the  treasure  he  had  there 
secured,  smouldering  in  ashes  ;  the  finger  of 
God  touched  his  possessions,  and  they  vanished 
into  smoke.  Those  luxuriant  plains,  for  which 
he  left  the  land  of  promise  and  forsook  the  God 
of  Abraham,  were  overrun  by  fire  from  the  Lord 


out  of  heaven.  He  was  probably  never  richer, 
and  never  gloried  more  in  his  wealth,  than  at 
the  time  when  his  expectations  were  so  fearfully 
defeated,  and  the  large  possessions  for  which 
he  had  sacrificed  so  much,  either  perished  in 
the  flames  or  sunk  in  the  Dead  Sea.  Just  look 
at  this  guilty  and  miserable  man  in  the  extremity 
of  his  poverty  and  want.  He  who  once  could 
scarcely  find  space  enough  in  the  land  of  Canaan 
for  himself  and  servants,  and  augmented  flocks 
and  herds  ;  he  who  had  been  heaping  up  silver 
as  dust,  and  fine  gold  as  the  mire  of  the  streets, 
now  retires  to  a  cave  in  the  side  of  a  mountain, 
and  probably  with  not  enough  rescued  from  the 
flames  to  keep  him  from  actual  suffering. — Rev. 
G.  Spring,  D.D. 

b.  As  he  failed  in  generosity  to  Abraham,  he 
was  repeatedly  brought  under  the  weightiest 
obligations  to  him. 

[17300]  If  this  did  not  make  him  blush,  it 
should  have  done  so.  Lot  took  what  may  be 
called  an  unfair  advantage,  and  trusted  perhaps 
that  he  was  in  a  clear  way  to  outstrip  Abraham 
in  wealth,  but,  ere  many  years  had  passed,  he 
owed  all  he  had — family,  property,  liberty — to 
Abraham's  timely  and  courageous  interposition. 
Abraham  never  reproached  him,  but  let  us  hope 
Lot's  own  heart  did.  Time  came  round,  and 
when  Sodom  was  ripe  for  destruction  Abraham's 
voice  was  raised  for  it.  That  Lot  was  there, 
was  no  doubt  one  reason  why  he  pleaded  so 
urgently.  Sodom  could  not  be  spared,  but  Lot 
was  rescued,  and  Abraham's  intercession,  no 
less  than  Lot's  own  character,  had  to  do  with 
that  result  (Gen.  xix.  29).  The  friend  with 
whom  he  had  dealt  so  ungenerously  fought  with 
men  and  wrestled  with  God  for  him,  and,  in 
both  conflicts,  like  a  prince  he  prevailed.  In 
his  old  days,  when  reduced  to  poverty,  it  is 
every  way  likely  that  Lot  was  again  indebted 
to  Abraham  for  succour.  Certainly,  if  it  was 
needed,  it  was  given,  and  given  without  upbraid- 
ing.— Rev.  J.  Ker. 

c.  As  he  disregarded  religious  privileges,  he 
brought  upon  himself  a  bitter  entail  of  sin  and 
shame. 

[17301]  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Lot's 
own  religious  character  suffered  from  the  long 
sojourn  in  Sodom.  A  man  cannot  voluntarily 
expose  himself  to  the  worst  of  influences  from 
the  mere  love  of  gain  without  his  religious  sen- 
sibilities being  deadened  ;  and  this  only  can 
account  for  the  grievous  termination  to  the 
history  of  Lot,  which  is  among  the  most  melan- 
choly records  in  the  Word  of  God.  It  is  one 
of  those  cases  which  we  must  contemplate  be- 
cause it  is  there — very  terrible  and  very  neces- 
sary to  be  thought  of;  but  we  would  wish  to 
look  at  it  as  Abraham  did  at  the  ruin  of  Sodom 
(Gen.  xix.  27),  standing  in  the  place  where  we 
have  met  God,  and  looking  at  it  "a  great  way 
oft'."  There  is  a  general  consistency  in  tlie  lives 
of  men  ;  and  such  a  deplorable  spiritual  catas- 
trophe could  not  well  have  happened  to  one  who 
strove  to  maintain  warm  religious  feeling,  and 


io8 

17301—17308] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[lot. 


to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world.  To 
Lot's  family  the  disregard  of  all  religious  asso- 
ciations was  even  worse. — Ibid. 

[17302]  His  own  mind  must  have  been  in- 
volved in  darkness  and  doubt,  his  spiritual  views 
and  prospects  obscured,  and  his  peace  and 
comfort  disturbed.  God  said  to  His  ancient 
people,  "  Know  therefore  and  see  that  it  is  an 
evil  thing  and  bitter  that  thou  hast  forsaken  the 
Lord  thy  God."  Lot  had  none  of  the  enjoyment 
of  a  consistent  and  exemplary  piety.  Many  was 
the  bitter  reproach  of  conscience  he  had  to 
struggle  with,  and  many  a  painful  remembrance 
of  the  past.  Violated  obligations  embarrassed 
his  intercourse  with  God.  He  was  often,  if  not 
habitually  and  always,  shut  out  from  all  that 
delightful  influence,  and  reminded  that  in  "  for- 
saking the  fountain  of  living  waters,"  he  had 
"  hewed  out  to  himself  cisterns,  broken  cisterns 
that  could  hold  no  water."  His  religious  policy, 
if  it  may  so  be  called,  could  not  have  been  more 
unwise  and  ine.xpedient.  The  man  who  has 
just  religion  enough  to  spoil  the  world  and  not 
enough  to  draw  comfort  from  God,  always 
"  procures  to  himself"  this  comfortless  state  of 
mind.  The  threatening  is  sure,  "Thine  own 
■wickedness  shall  correct  thee,  and  thy  back- 
slidings  shall  reprove  thee."  The  defects  of 
Lot's  character,  if  they  did  not  exclude  him  from 
hope  and  heaven,  produced  great  spiritual  de- 
sertion. He  had  been  a  thousand-fold  the 
happier  man  if  he  had  been  a  better.  Contrast 
his  hopes,  his  friendship,  and  fellowship  with 
God,  with  those  of  Abraham,  and  it  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  perceive  on  whose  side  the  advantage 
lies. — Rev.  G.  Spritig,  D.D. 

[17303]  Lot  was  disgraced  in  the  character 
and  ruin  of  his  household.  Not  one  of  his 
numerous  servants  escaped  the  overthrow  of  the 
city  ;  they  were  all  nurtured,  and  partook  in 
its  crimes,  and  were  therefore  partakers  of  its 
doom.  Nor  were  his  own  flesh  and  blood  re- 
served for  a  much  better  fate.  He  probably 
married  one  of  the  wealthy  daughters  of  Sodom  ; 
there  his  children  were  born  and  brought  up  ; 
and  there  they  also  contracted  those  matrimonial 
alliances  which  insnared  them  to  their  undoing. 
His  sons-in-law,  who  married  his  daughters,  do 
not  appear  to  have  been  reclaimed  from  their 
wickedness  by  their  alliance  with  his  family  ; 
when  he  gave  them  the  warning  that  the  city 
was  about  to  be  destroyed,  they  mocked  the 
message.  His  daughters  listened  to  the  warn- 
ing, and  escaped  with  their  parents  ;  while  their 
scoffing  husbands  were  overtaken  by  the  horrors 
of  that  fearful  morning  when  the  licentious,  and 
abandoned,  and  scoffing,  sunk  to  hell.  Sad  hour 
to  this  fatherless  father  !  and  most  bitterly  must 
he  have  felt  the  consequences  of  his  own  folly 
when  he  saw  his  children  thus  die  without  hope, 
and  the  pit  close  upon  them  for  ever  !  And  his 
daughters — we  blush  to  recite  their  history  : 
we  may  not  recite  it.  They  had  been  familiar 
with  the  rumour  and   spectacle  of  crime,  and 


they  had  learned  enough  of  the  ways  of  Sodom 
to  destroy  all  sense  of  it. — Ibid. 

n.  His  Laggard  Flight  from  Sodom. 

I  It  displayed  how  completely  the  fascina- 
tions of  the  city  had  subjugated  even  Lot. 
[17304]  The  angels  hastened  him  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  "  they  laid  hold  of  his  hand  while  he  yet 
lingered,  and  the  hand  of  his  wife,  and  the  hand 
of  his  two  daughters  "—four  souls,  only  half  the 
number  saved  with  Noah— and  "  they  brought 
him  forth,  and  set  him  without  the  city."  They 
bade  him  escape  to  the  mountain,  but  the  idle 
life  of  Sodom  had  so  unnerved  him  that  he  was 
afraid.  He  still  clung  to  the  city.  He  that  had 
begun  life  a  wanderer  with  Abram,  now  feared 
to  live  outside  the  city  wall.  At  his  own  earnest 
entreaty  he  was  permitted  to  be  safe  in  Zoar. 
But  the  horrors  of  that  day  overcame  him.  He 
dared  not  stay  any  longer  in  the  place  where  he 
had  seen  four  prosperous  cities  overwhelmed. — 
Rev.  C.  Waller. 

[17305]  The  powerful  attraction  which  Sodom 
exercised  over  even  Lot  himself  (no  doubt  in  his 
case  in  connection  with  the  increase  of  worldly 
wealth)  is  markedly  shown  (i)  in  his  return  to 
the  city  after  his  rescue  by  Abraham  from  the 
hands  of  the  four  kings  ;  and  (2)  from  the  actual 
force  which  it  was  found  necessary  to  exercise 
to  drag  him  from  the  devoted  place,  immediately 
before  its  doom  fell  upon  it. — M.J. 

2  It  furnished  a  notable  instance  of  God's 
condescending  mercy. 

[17306]  Even  "while  he  lingered,"  angelic 
messengers  "hastened  him,  and  laid  hold  upon 
his  hand,  and  upon  the  hand  of  his  wife,  and 
upon  the  hand  of  his  two  daughters,  and  they 
brought  them  forth  and  set  them  without  the 
city."  What  a  scene  for  some  delicate  and 
moral  painter  is  furnished  by  this  little  incident 
in  sacred  history  !  We  know  not  with  what  so 
fitly  to  compare  it,  as  to  those  sweet  and  heavenly 
influences  which  so  often  come  down  upon  the 
hesitating,  lingering  sinner,  and  constrain  him 
to  flee  to  the  stronghold  while  he  is  yet  the 
"prisoner  of  hope."  Sweet  messengers  of 
mercy  !  angel  forms,  thus  condescending,  in 
their  robes  of  light,  to  force  this  group  of  delay- 
ing, hesitating  refugees  from  the  flames  of 
Sodom  !  Memorable  words  !  "  Haste  thee  ; 
escape  to  Zoar  ;  for  I  cannot  do  anything  till 
thou  be  come  thither  !  " — Rev.  G.  Spring,  D.D. 

[17307]  "The  Lord  being  merciful  to  him." 
Yes,  indeed.  Omnipotence  deigns  to  bind  its 
own  hands  whilst  degenerate  Lot  shall  flee  to  a 
place  of  safety.  "  Escape  to  Zoar,  for  I  cannot 
do  anything  till  thou  be  come  thither." — M.J. 

III.  His  Character  Estimated. 

I  It  was  highly  ambiguous,  presenting  a 
more  than  ordinary  intermingling  of  good 
and  evil. 

[17308]  He  was  far  from  possessing  either  the 


17308—17316] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


109 

[lot. 


intellectual  or  moral  qualities  of  Abraham  ;  on 
the  other  hand,  he  was  in  some  respects  a  weak 
man.  We  must  acknowledge  even  more  than 
his  infirmities  ;  and  while  we  may  not  call  in 
question  his  piety,  must  consent  to  portray 
melancholy  features  of  his  wickedness.  There 
were  times  when  his  religion  was  very  obscure 
and  doubtful,  and  many  a  beholder  might  have 
been  pardoned  the  suspicion  that  it  was  any- 
thing more  than  a  name.  But  there  were  times 
also  when  it  broke  through  the  cloud,  and  he 
appeared  and  conducted  himself  like  a  good 
man.  There  are  several  incidents  in  his  histoiy 
which  evince  his  moral  sensitiveness,  and  his 
high  regard  for  rectitude  and  goodness.  His 
undisguised  and  frank-hearted  hospitality  to  the 
angels  who,  under  the  garb  of  travellers,  were 
sent  to  execute  God's  wrath  tipon  the  cities  of 
the  plain,  was  not  a  little  in  his  favour.  His 
expostulation  with  the  men  of  Sodom  when  they 
would  have  done  those  strangers  a  foul  wrong, 
and  his  ready  exposure  of  his  own  person  to 
danger  in  their  defence,  were  creditable  to  him 
as  a  man  of  moral  principle.  His  appeal  to  his 
sons-in-law,  on  the  approaching  destruction  of 
Sodom,  was  marked  with  an  earnestness  which 
honoured  his  heart ;  and  showed  that  in  that 
age  of  contemptuous  unbelief  he  was  not  among 
those  who  had  no  faith  in  God's  threatenings.— 
Rev.  G.  Spring,  D.D. 

[17309]  That  his  religious  andmoral principles 
were  not  of  the  most  firm  and  established  kind 
is  obvious  from  his  voluntary  exposure  to  cor- 
rupting associations  from  no  good  end.  Good 
men  will  not  thus  expose  themselves  but  from 
considerations  that  justify  and  demand  the 
exposure.  They  instinctively  recoil  from  them, 
as  ill-suited  to  the  state  of  their  own  minds. 
Duty  may  call  them  to  this  exposure,  and  when 
it  does  so,  they  may  pass  through  the  furnace 
without  even  the  smell  of  fire  upon  their  gar- 
ments.— Ibid. 

[173 10]  He  appears  from  history  to  have  been 
a  weak  and  selfish  character.  .  .  .  He  had  good 
feelings  and  perceptions  ;  but  was  a  feeble- 
spirited  man,  lacking  the  strength  to  act  on  his 
own  convictions.  He  was  content  to  mourn 
over  the  guilt  he  saw  ;  and  would  rather  pas- 
sively sit  down  amid  the  certainties  of  danger 
and  the  probabilities  of  judgment,  than  rouse 
himself  to  one  great  and  energetic  effort  to  be 
free,  and,  at  whatever  sacrifice,  to  depart  from 
the  tainted  and  abominable  place. — Rev.  J. 
Kit  to,  D.D. 

[17311]  The  root  of  the  matter,  we  believe, 
was  in  him  ;  but  he  was  one  of  those  good  men 
who  teach  us  more  by  their  faults  than  their 
attainments — standing  as  beacons  on  the  edge  of 
terrible  breakers,  rather  than  moving  like  lights 
to  lead  us  to  places  of  refuge,  and  the  chief 
purpose  of  whose  life  seems  to  be  to  show  how 
far  a  good  man  may  go  astray  and  yet  leave 
ground  for  believing  that  he  was  saved,  as  by 
fire,  through  the  grace  of  God. — Re^J.  J.  Ker. 


IV.  Lot  and  Abraham  contrasted. 

[17312]  Abraham  was  generous.  Lot  was  sel- 
fish ;  Abraham  was  full  of  faith.  Lot  was  feeble  of 
faith  ;  Abraham  was  a  strong  man,  Lot  was  a 
weak  man  ;  Abraham  was  a  spiritual  giant,  Lot 
was  a  spiritual  dwarf —yl/.  J. 

[173 1 3]  Few,  if  any,  examples  of  the  two 
extremes  of  religious  character  are  more  for- 
cibly exhibited  than  in  Lot  and  Abraham  ;  this 
distinguished  for  his  constancy  and  circum- 
spection, that  for  his  declension  ;  the  latter  for 
his  cultivation  of  every  grace  and  virtue,  the 
former  for  blemishes  which  tarnish  his  excel- 
lence ;  Abraham  for  a  piety  tliat  was  comely 
and  fruitful.  Lot  for  a  piety  that  was  barren  and 
doubtful,  and  that  failed  to  carry  conviction  to 
the  minds  of  men  of  its  genuineness  and  purity. 
—Rev.  G.  Spring,  D.D. 


V.   HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 

1  The  history  of  Lot  is  a  standing  warning 
against  worldly-mindedness  and  the  spi- 
ritual loss  which  accompanies  it. 

[17314]  If  there  be  a  life  in  the  Bible  which 
warns  against  the  spirit  of  worldliness,  it  is  that 
of  Lot.  There  is  no  sin  so  insinuating,  none 
that  can  hide  itself  under  so  many  fair  excuses 
to  the  self-deception  of  the  possessor,  and  that 
ends  with  more  destructive  results.  If  it  is  the 
sin  of  God's  people,  it  must  be  burned  out  of 
them  in  some  way  ;  but  it  frequently  needs  a 
funeral  pile  of  all  they  have  to  effect  it. — Rev. 
J.  Ker. 

[173 1 5]  Such  a  state  of  mind  involves  fearful 
loss.  Many  a  bright  and  cheering  view  of  God's 
truth  is  lost  by  it,  which  a  quickened  intellect 
and  an  awakened  heart  enjoys.  Fervid  love 
and  elevated  faith  are  lost  by  it,  and  in  their 
place  come  apathy  and  distrust.  The  tender- 
ness and  sweetness  of  godly  sorrow  are  lost  by 
it,  and  instead  thereof  is  hard-hearted  obduracy. 
Steady  hopes,  precious  comforts,  and  inciting 
joys  are  lost  by  it,  and  are  superseded  by  gloom 
and  despondency.  Activity  and  usefulness  are 
lost  by  it,  and,  instead  of  mounting  upward,  the 
soul,  in  ignoble  sloth  and  lassitude,  cleaves  to 
the  dust.  Communion  with  God  is  lost  by  it  ; 
and  when  such  a  Christian  kneels  at  the  mercy- 
seat,  it  is  with  a  languor  and  deadness,  and 
vacancy  of  thought  and  emotion,  that  seem  to 
forbid  his  access.  His  retrospect  is  pensive,  and 
the  grateful  reminiscences  of  what  God  has 
done  for  his  soul  are  few. — Rev.  G.  Spring, 
D.D. 

2  The  history  of  Lot  illustrates  the  truth 
that  "all  things  are  lawful,  but  all  things 
are  not  expedient." 

[173 1 6]  Had  Godforbidden  Lot  to  enter  the 
plain  of  Jordan.?  No!  There  is  no  direct /^w 
in  the  Bible  that  forbids  any  of  us  to  go  into  this 
or  that  city,  this  or  that  family,  this  or  that 


no 

I73I6- 


OLD 


-17320J 


TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE 
JEWISH    ERA. 


CHARACTERS. 


[iSHMAEL. 


scene  of  temptation.  Of  course  it  was  Imvful 
for  Lot  to  forsake  his  country,  and  his  kindred, 
and  his  father's  house,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  where  they  served  other  gods,  and  to 
come  away  with  faithful  Abram  to  be  a  pilgrim 
and  a  stranger  looking  for  the  better  country, 
the  city  that  hath  foundations.  It  was  lawful 
for  Lot  in  the  morning  of  life  to  start  on  a  pil- 
grimage to  the  heavenly  city,  and  then  before 
noonday  to  betake  himself  to  the  wickedest  city 
that  he  could  find  on  the  earth  !  There  is 
nothing  that  forbids  a  would-be  citizen  of  the 
golden  city  to  dwell  in  Sodom,  if  it  pleases  him 
so  to  do.  "Just  Lot  "  set  the  example.  It  has 
often  been  followed  since.  God  will  not  bind 
His  servants  by  more  rules  than  are  absolutely 
necessary.  But  see  the  result !  Little  by  little 
Lot's  way  of  living  underwent  an  entire  change. 
Hitherto  Abram  and  Lot  had  both  lived  "  as 
strangers  and  pilgrims,"  "dwelling  in  tents." 
Lot  did  not  at  once  give  up  the  tent  when  he 
parted  from  Abram  (Gen.  xiii.  12).  But  not 
long  afterwards  we  find  him  dwelling  in  .Sodom 
— a  citizen,  not  a  stranger,  upon  earth  (Gen. 
xiv,  12).-— Rev.  C.  IVa/ieK 


ISHMAEL. 


The   Ante-natal 

ING  HIM. 


Prophecy  regard- 


"  And  he  will  be  a  wild  man;  his  hand  will 
be  against  every  man,  and  every  man's 
hand  against  him,  and  he  shall  dwell 
in  the  presence  of  all  his  brethren"  (Gen. 
xvi.  12). 

His  wild  and  unruly  character  was  herein 
graphically  described. 

[•7317]  The  prophecy  given  to  his  mother 
before  his  birth  describes  his  character  most 
vividly  :  "  He  will  be  a  wild  man  (or,  literally, 
a  wild  ass  of  a  man)  ;  his  hand  shall  be  against 
every  man,  and  every  man's  hand  against  him  ; 
and  he  shall  dwell  in  the  presence  of  all  his 
brethren"  (Gen.  xvi.  12).  If  this  were  indeed 
the  personal  character  of  Ishmael  while  he  was 
a  child  in  his  fathers  house,  and  not  merely  a 
description  of  what  he  would  become  when  he 
was  cast  out  to  dwell  in  the  wilderness,  it  is 
clear  enough.  The  wild  ass  is  one  of  those 
creatures  whom  the  Creator  has  Himself  con- 
descended to  describe.  "Who  hath  sent  out 
the  wild  ass  free.''  or  who  hath  loosed  the  bands 
of  the  wild  ass  ?  whose  house  I  have  made  the 
wilderness,  and  the  barren  land  his  dwellings. 
He  scorneth  the  multitude  of  the  city,  neither 
regardcth  he  the  crying  of  the  driver"  (Job 
xxxix.  5-7).  You  may  try  to  tame  him  and  keep 
him  in  the  house,  like  Ishmael,  for  a  season  ; 
but  God  made  his  home  in  the  wilderness,  and, 
sooner  or  later,  you  will  have  to  send  him  home. 
—Ibid. 


IL 


The  Single    Incident 
HIS  Life  turned. 


UPON    WHICH 


"  And  Sarah  saw  the  son  of  Hagar  the  Egyp- 
tian, which  she  had  born  unto  Abraham, 
mocking"  (Gen.  xxi.  9). 
[17318]  Little  of  his  personal  history  is  re- 
corded. Not  one  word  that  he  said  has  been 
written  down.  The  chief  incident  of  his  life  is 
the  act  that  entailed  his  expulsion  from  his 
father's  house.  "  Sarah  saw  the  son  of  Hagar 
the  Egyptian,  which  she  had  born  unto  Abrahani, 
mockin'^r  What  this  mockery  was,  and  why  it 
was,  we  might  well  doubt,  unless  it  had  been 
explained  by  the  New  Testament.  It  is 
Ishmael's  first  recorded  act.  We  know  also 
that  he  returned  to  bury  his  father,  and  per- 
formed that  last  act  of  love  and  duty  together 
with  Isaac.  From  this  we  gather  that  Ishmael 
loved  his  father,  as  we  know  that  his  father 
loved  him.  Beyond  this,  the  man  himself  is  a 
blank  in  Old  Testament  history.— -/(^Z^. 

III.  His  TYPICAL  Character. 

1  As  a  persecutor  of  the  child  of  promise. 
[17319]  There  never  was  any  real  friendship 

between  Isaac  and  Ishmael.  The  one  has  the 
spirit  of  a  slave,  the  other  the  spirit  of  a  son. 
And  in  time  the  want  of  sympathy  between 
them  appears  openly.  In  the  day  of  the  glad- 
ness of  the  family,  when  Isaac  is  no  longer  an 
infant  dependent  upon  his  mother,  but  begins 
to  take  the  food  of  man — when  Abraham  has 
made  a  great  feast,  and  the  household  is  full  of 
rejoicing  because  his  son  had  begun  to  take  hold 
on  life,  the  son  of  the  bondwoman  is  outside  the 
circle.  He  is  seen  mocking,  and  by  his  mockery 
he  shows  plainly  the  spirit  that  is  in  him.  He 
has  no  part  nor  lot  in  the  joy  of  the  true  family. 
He  puts  himself  outside.  And  where  he  is  in 
heart,  there  he  shall  be  altogether.  "  What 
saith  the  Scripture  "  by  the  mouth  of  Sarah,  the 
new  covenant,  the  city  of  God  above  ?  "  Cast 
out  this  bondwoman  and  her  son  ;  for  the  son 
of  the  bondwoman  shall  not  be  heir  with  the 
son  of  the  freewoman."  Ishmael  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  inherit  with  Isaac.  They  are 
separated,  never  to  be  brought  together  again. 
The  mockery  of  Ishmael,  which  parted  the  two 
brothers,  is  thus  explained  by  St.  Paul  (Gal.  iv. 
29)  :  "As  then,  he -that  was  born  after  the  flesh 
persecuted  him  that  was  born  after  the  Spirit, 
even  so  it  is  now.'' — Ibid. 

2  As  an  outcast  at  the  point  of  death. 

[17320]  When  Ishmael  and  his  mother  were 
outcasts,  and  at  the  point  to  die,  "  God  opened 
her  eyes,  and  she  saw  a  well  of  water."  Is  not 
this  a  prophecy  of  the  restoration  of  outcast 
Israel,  when  the  vail  shall  be  taken  from  their 
hearts,  and  their  eyes  shall  be  opened  to  see 
"  the  fountain  open  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness  " 
— the  fountain  of  living  waters  that  is  so  near 
at  hand.''  Ishmael's  very  name  contains  a 
prophecy  resting  upon  a  fact— God  will  hear  his 


17320— 17326] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


Ill 

[esau. 


prayer.  He  was  so  named  of  God  before  he 
was  born,  because  God  heard  the  affliction  of 
his  mother.  The  name  was  verified  afterwards, 
when  he  was  an  outcast.  "  God  heard  the 
voice  of  the  lad  where  he  was,"  though  he  was 
outside  the  family  of  God  ;  and  from  this  we 
may  preach  the  jjospel  even  to  the  children  of 
the  bondwoman,  for  there  is  hope  that  God  will 
find  them  and  bring  them  home.  If  any  man 
have  not  the  spirit  of  adoption,  let  him  ask  of 
God,  and  God  will  give  him  life.  If  he  be  an 
Ishmael,  God  will  hear  the  voice  of  his  prayer 
when  he  cries  to  Him  where  he  is.  God  will 
open  his  eyes,  and  show  him  the  well  of  living 
water,  and  give  him  the  spirit  of  adoption,  and 
make  him  a  child  of  God  by  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ. — Ibid. 

IV.    HOMILETICAL    REFLECTIONS. 
Ishmael's  is  a  type  of  character  not  yet  extinct. 

[1732 1]  There  are  children  of  the  bondwoman 
in  the  Church  of  Christ  now.  There  is  a  spirit 
of  bondage,  and  there  is  a  spirit  of  adoption. 
Some  take  hold  of  the  new  covenant,  and  some 
remain  under  the  old  covenant,  though  it  has 
passed  away.  Some  think  that  the  essence  of 
Christianity  consists  in  outward  forms  and  cere- 
monies ;  they  look  upon  themselves  as  bound 
to  keep  certain  rules,  and  they  ask  Christ  to  fill 
up  their  shortcomings  ;  they  look  upon  God  as 
a  taskmaster  rather  than  a  loving  Father.  These 
are  very  like  Ishmael,  even  now.  Others  take 
hold  of  the  new  covenant.  They  look  to  be 
saved  by  union  with  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  safe 
already.  They  have  the  spirit  of  adoption,  the 
confidence  of  children,  rather  than  the  spirit  of 
slaves.  They  are  indeed,  as  St.  Paul  often  called 
himself,  bondsmen  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  yet  they 
are  also  the  Lord's  freemen.  Their  bondage 
has  been  thus  described  : 

"  I  will  not  work  my  soul  to  save, 
For  that  my  Lord  hath  done  ; 
But  I  will  work  like  any  slave 

From  love  to  God's  dear  Son." — Ibid. 


ESAU. 

I.  His  General  Characteristics. 
\See  Jacob,  pp.  79-81.] 

II.  His  Chief  Defect. 

The  undervaluing  of  spiritual  blessings. 

( I )  As  shown  in  the  contempt  which  he  evinced 
for  his  birthright. 

[17322]  Esau  despised  his  birthright  :  "Be- 
hold, I  am  at  the  point  to  die  ;  and  what  good 
shall  this  birtiiright  do  me  ?"  Here  was  a  want 
of  faith.  Abraham  was  content  to  slay  his  son, 
his  only  one,  the  child  of  all  the  promises,  rather 
than  displease  his  God.  Isaac  was  content  to 
die  with  his  birthright  rather  than  incur  the  loss 


of  it  by  disobedience.  If  the  kingdom  of  God 
had  been  as  precious  to  Esau  as  it  was  to  his 
father  or  grandfather,  he  would  have  valued  life 
less,  or  the  birthright  more. — Ibid. 

[17323]  Esau's  guilt  was  not  at  its  highest  in 
the  moment  of  necessity.  If  he  had  been 
thoroughly  ashamed  of  his  act  when  he  re- 
covered his  strength  and  spirits,  if  he  had 
repudiated  the  disgraceful  bargain  or  shown 
any  regret  for  his  folly,  we  might  have  pitied 
him  and  thought  him  hardly  used.  But  Esau 
was  guilty  of  despising  his  birthright  at  other 
times  when  he  was  not  at  the  point  to  die.  "  He 
did  eat  and  drink,  and  rose  up,  and  went  his 
way,'"  confirming,  by  his  indifference  when  he 
recovered,  the  bargain  which  was  extracted 
from  him  when  he  was  at  the  point  to  die. — 
Ibid. 

[17324]  Aristotle  taught  that  human  actions 
done  under  compulsion  or  in  ignorance  are  to 
be  considered  voluntary  or  involuntary,  accord- 
ing to  the  behaviour  of  the  person  when  he  is 
set  free  to  realize  what  he  has  done.  This 
maxim  well  illustrates  the  sale  of  the  birthright 
by  Esau,  and  the  bestowal  of  the  blessing  by 
Isaac.  Both  were  strictly  voluntary  actions, 
for  both  were  approved  after  they  were  done. — 
Ibid. 

[17325]  When  we  ask  ourselves  what  Jacob 
intended  to  purchase,  or  Esau  to  sell  in  the 
"  birthright,"  we  answer  that  in  later  times  it 
conveyed  a  double  share  of  the  paternal  pos- 
sessions. In  patriarchal  days  it  included  "  lord- 
ship "  over  the  rest  of  the  family,  and  especially 
succession  to  that  spiritual  blessing  which 
through  Abraham  was  to  flow  out  into  the 
world,  together  with  possession  of  the  land  of 
Canaan  and  covenant  communion  with  Jehovah. 
What  of  these  things  was  spiritual,  we  may 
readily  believe,  Esau  discredited  and  despised  ; 
and  what  was  temporal,  but  yet  future,  as  his 
after  conduct  shows,  he  imagined  he  might  still 
obtain  either  by  his  lather's  favour  or  by 
violence.  But  that  for  the  momentary  gratifi- 
cation of  the  lowest  sensual  appetites  he  should 
have  been  ready  to  barter  away  such  unspeak- 
ably precious  and  holy  privileges,  proved  him, 
in  the  language  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
to  have  been  "  a  profane  person,"  and  therefore 
quite  unfitted  to  become  the  heir  of  the  pro- 
mises. For  profanity  consists  in  this  :  for  the 
sensual  gratification  or  amusement  of  the 
moment  to  give  up  that  which  is  spiritual  and 
unseen  ;  to  be  careless  of  that  which  is  holy, 
so  as  to  snatch  the  present  enjoyment — in  short, 
practically  not  to  deem  anything  holy  at  all,  if 
it  stands  in  the  way  of  present  pleasure.  Scrip- 
ture puts  it  down  as  the  bitter  self-condemna- 
tion which  Esau,  by  his  conduct,  pronounced 
upon  himself — "  and  he  did  eat  and  drink,  and 
rose  up,  and  went  his  way  :  thus  Esau  despised 
his  birthright." — Rev.  A.  Edersheitn,  D.D. 

[17326]  A  careful  study  of  the  life  and  charac- 
ter of  the  father  of  the  P-domites  leaves  on  the 


I  12 

17326— 17333] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    F.RA. 


[esau. 


mind  and  memory  a  deep  impression  of  one 
conspicuouscrime — the  un(ier\;iluing  of  spiritual 
blessings  ;  and  of  one  terrible  result— their  final 
and  irrevocable  forfeiture  (Heb.  xii.  16,  17). 
The  Word  of  God  makes  this  one  thing  most 
emphatic  in  Esau's  life  and  character — it 
swallows  up  all  else  ;  in  comparison  with  it 
all  else  is  forgotten — viz.,  with  the  spirit  of  a 
'•  profane  person"  he  sold  his  birthright,  parted 
with  that  which  he  could  not  recover,  which 
even  repentance  could  not  restore. — Rev.  A, 
Picraon. 

[17327]  "  Thus  Esau  despised  his  birthright." 
How  did  he  do  it?  He  did  it  thoughtlessly, 
like  many  of  you,  but  he  did  it  irrevocably. 
How  did  he  do  it  ?  He  did  it  flippantly.  Many 
a  young  man  does  it  flippantly,  sacrificing  his 
highest  interests  with  a  joke  ;  but  he  did  it,  and 
his  tears  and  cries  could  not  atone  for  his  fatal 
levity.  How  did  he  do  it.''  Quite  casually. 
He  had  never  made  up  his  mind  to  lose  the 
blessing  and  to  win  the  curse,  and  I  never  yet 
met  a  man  who  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go  to 
hell.  But  I  am  afraid  I  may  have  known  many 
who  are  there  now.  Men  do  not  make  up  their 
minds  to  take  a  downward  road.  No,  no  ;  that 
is  not  the  way  souls  are  lost.  It  is  done  quite 
casually,  by  a  process  of  drifting,  drifting,  drift- 
ing a  little  further  and  a  little  further — down 
the  broad  road,  until  all  possible  hope  of  return 
is  gone.  And  "thus  Esau  despised  his  birth- 
right."—/?^7/.  H.  Ait  ken. 

[1732S]  "  Esau  despised  his  birthright."  That 
terrible  word  "  despised."  He  would  never  have 
lost  it  if  he  had  not  despised  it  ;  but  you  know 
it  is  the  law  of  God  that  whenever  we  despise 
His  gifts  He  takes  them  from  us.  I  do  not  care 
how  a  man  be  endowed  with  natural  gifts.  Let 
the  man  despise  tlie  gifts,  and  the  Giver  will 
soon  see  to  it  that  the  gifts  are  withdrawn.  So 
it  was  with  Esau. — /bid. 

[17329]  Esau  proved  himself  to  be  a  profane 
man  ;  a  common,  secular,  sense-l:)ound  man,  in 
whose  soul  there  was  no  sanctuary  for  tliose 
thoughts  which  transfigure  our  nature  ;  who, 
heedless  of  everything  beyond  this  petty  and 
visible  present,  could  part  with  his  grand  dower 
of  eternal  gifts  and  privileges,  even  as  many  a 
man  now  parts  with  "  use  and  name  and  fame  " 
for  the  stilling  of  some  momentary,  passionate 
craving. — James  Moorhouse. 

(2)  As  sho-vn  in  the  choice  of  his  wives. 

\My:fA  ^^y  marrying  his  two  Hittite  wives 
Esau  broke  through  one  of  the  most  important 
rules  of  life  which  had  been  given  to  the  family 
whom  God  had  chosen  to  inherit  His  blessing, 
Abraliam  was  called  of  God  to  leave  his  country 
and  his  kindred  because  "they  served  other 
gods."  When  Isaac  was  to  have  a  wife,  his  father 
made  his  servant  swear  that  he  would  not  take  a 
wife  of  the  daughters  of  the  Canaanites.  The 
reason  is  given  in  Deut.  vii.  6  :  "  For  thou  art 
an   holy  people  to  the   Lord  thy  God."     The 


people  whom  God  had  chosen  were  to  be  a 
separate  people  ;  if  not,  they  could  not  inherit 
His  blessing.  Esau  might  have  known  the  care 
which  Abraham  had  taken  to  keep  Isaac  sepa- 
rate. And  yet  he  behaved  as  if  no  such  rule 
had  ever  existed,  and  married  Canaanitish  wives 
without,  as  it  seems,  giving  himself  a  thought 
about  the  matter. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 


III.  Question  as  to  his  Reprobation. 

"  For  ye  know  how  that  afterward,  when  he 
would  have  inherited  the  blessing,  he 
was  rejected  :  for  he  found  no  place  for 
repentance,  though  he  sought  it  carefully 
with  tears "  (Heb.  xii.   17). 

(i)  His  sin  was  ag^^ravated  by  the  lens^th  o' 
time  allowed  to  him  for  repentance,  of  which  he 
did  not  avail  hitnself. 

[17331]  The  narrative  goes  straight  on  from 
the  record  of  the  marriage  to  the  story  of  the 
blessing,  but  we  are  not  to  suppose  that  the 
blessing  was  given  to  Jacob  immediately  after 
Esau's  marriage.  Between  the  end  of  Gen.  xxvi. 
and  the  beginning  of  chap,  xxvii.  there  is  an 
interval  of  thirty-seven  years.  It  is  important 
to  note  this  fact,  because  it  shows  the  length  of 
time  allowed  to  Esau  for  repentance.  Even 
after  these  marriages  he  was  allowed  a  space 
of  thirty-seven  years  to  repent  of  his  errors  and 
to  return  to  the  appointed  path.  Every  day  of 
grace,  however,  has  its  appointed  limit ;  and  the 
end  of  Esau's  day  came  at  last — came  most 
unexpectedly  in  a  catastrophe  which  it  was  im- 
possible to  provide  against,  because  it  was  alto- 
gether unforeseen. — Jbid. 

[17332]  Esau  might  have  found  room  for  the 
repentance  if  he  had  cared  to  seek  it  in  due  time. 
Either  when  he  recovered  himself  after  he  sold 
the  birthright,  or  any  time  before  he  married 
Canaanitish  wives,  or  even  after  his  marriage, 
during  those  thirty-seven  years  while  his  con- 
duct was  a  grief  to  Isaac  and  Rebekah,  he  might 
have  incjuired  wh;it  rules  God  had  given  for  the 
chosen  people,  and  severed  himself,  if  necessary, 
from  the  connection  which  stood  in  his  way. 
For  more  than  forty  years  Esau  had  space  for 
repentance,  but  he  neglected  it,  he  despised  it, 
he  did  not  need  it,  and  he  let  the  time  go  by. 
At  last  he  had  no  warning.  He  went  out  from 
the  presence  of  his  father,  secure  of  the  blessing ; 
he  came  back,  and  lo,  it  was  gone  ! — Ibid. 

[173.33]  "For  ye  know  how  that  afterwards, 
when  he  would  have  inherited  the  blessing,  he 
was  rejected  :  for  he  found  no  place  of  repen- 
tance, though  he  sought  it  carefully  with  tears." 
The  lesson  comes  out  here  that  regret  and  « 
remorse  have  no  availableness  in  restoring  a 
soul's  ruin.  He  deliberately  refused  the  call  to 
a  better  life.  For  this  does  not  mean  that  he 
found  no  place  in  his  own  mind  for  repentance  ; 
he  7iever  tried  to  find  any ;  he  went  out  with 
murder  in  his  heart,  not  any  sort  of  contrition. 
It  means  he  found  no  second  chance  in  Isaac's 
mind.     "  He  cried  with  a  great  and  exceeding 


17333— 17339] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   EkA. 


113 

[esau. 


bitter  cry  —  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my 
father  !  And  Esau  lifted  up  his  voice,  and 
wept." — Rev.  C.  Robinson. 

(2)  It  would  seem  that  we  are  Jtot  warranted 
in  proftoiijicing  on  his  eternal  state, 

[17334]  Was  Esau  a  reprobate  ?  Are  we  war- 
ranted to  pronounce  upon  his  eternal  condition? 
Certainly  not,  from  what  is  said  of  him  either 
in  the  Old  Testament  or  in  the  New  Testament. 
We  know  that  what  was  said  about  God's  hating 
Esau  or  preferring  Jacob  related  to  their  tem- 
poral condition  and  that  of  their  posterity.  It 
established  the  sovereignty  of  Providence  in  its 
dispensations,  and  the  apostle  employs  the  case 
to  illustrate  the  same  sovereignty  of  God  in  the 
dispensations  of  grace.  But  farther  than  this 
we  are  not  warranted  to  go,  either  in  reference 
to  Esau  or  to  others. — Rev.  J,  Leijchild. 

IV.  The  Contrast  which   he  Presents 
TO  Jacob. 

[17335]  The  estimate  which  is  formed  of  the 
characters  of  Jacob  and  Esau  depends  entirely 
upon  the  aspects  under  which  they  are  regarded. 
Judged  by  a  non-religious  and  customary  stan- 
dard Esau  decidedly  possessed  the  nobler  and 
more  attractive  qualities  of  the  two  ;  but  if 
measured  by  a  higher  standard,  Jacob  far  ex- 
celled Esau,  who  seems  to  have  been  devoid 
altogether  of  spiritual  instincts,  and  who  conse- 
quently degenerated.  In  Jacob's  life  we  have 
a  splendid  record  of  spiritual  achievements 
when  we  take  into  account  the  naturally  bad 
moral  outfit  with  which  he  was  born,  coupled 
with  home  influences  certain,  in  his  case,  to  be 
especially  hurtful. — C.  N. 

{See  Jacob,  p.  79.] 

V.  Lessons   Taught  by  his    Life  and 
Character. 

I       His  was  a  typical  history. 

[17336]  Esau  stands,  for  all  the  ages,  as  the 
type  of  those  who,  for  the  brief  gratification  of 
a  sensual  taste,  will  barter  away  a  whole  heri- 
tage of  manhood,  and  suffer  a  whole  future  of 
spendthrift  poverty  and  shame.  Look  around  you 
— where  is  the  family  circle  that  is  not  to-day 
drawing  the  mantle  of  its  loving  apology  over 
the  presence  or  the  meinory  of  some  Esau 
among  its  inmates  ?  There  are  misers  selling 
their  souls  for  gold.  There  are  silly  women 
bartering  every  jewel  of  hope  and  home  for  the 
meretricious  displays  of  dress  and  equipage. 
There  are  men  ambitious  for  office,  surrender- 
ing truth  and  honour  for  mere  authority  and 
chance  of  plunder.  There  are  filthy  "  forni- 
cators," like  Esau,  who  buy  sensual  gratifica- 
tions at  the  price  of  heaven  and  the  cost  of 
\itVi.—  Rev.  C.  Robinso7i. 

[17337]  Esau  is  the  pattern  of  those  who  are 
born  within  the  visible  Church  of  God,  brought 
up  in  its  best  families,  with  every  advantage  and 
every    privilege    a   Christian   family  can   give. 

VOL.  VI.  ! 


And  yet  do  we  not  know  those  that  forfeit  these 
advantages  by  utter  heedlessness  and  neglect  ? 
Profanation,  not  sanctification,  is  the  rule  of  their 
lives.  Esau  is  not  exactly  what  we  should  call  a 
wicked  ViXAVi ;  but  he  is  a  "  profane  person,"  who 
deals  so  lightly  with  his  religious  opportunities 
that  he  may  be  said  to  fling  them  utterly  away. 
Such  persons  entirely  put  out  of  mind  the  "  holi- 
ness without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord." 
God's  own  children  "mind  the  things  of  the 
Lord,  that  they  may  be  holy  in  body  and  spirit. 
Those  who  are  like  Esau  think  nothing  of  holi- 
ness at  all.  They  may  understand  how  to  avoid 
certain  sins  which  are  disapproved  of ;  but  as 
for  holiness,  they  cannot  even  tell  what  it 
means.  Yet  it  has  a  very  definite  meaning  in 
the  sight  of  God.  Without  it  "  no  man  shall 
see  the  Lord." — Rev.  C.  Waller. 

2       His  was  no  uncommon  bargain. 

[17338]  Surely,  you  say,  the  dearest  mess  of 
pottage  ever  eaten  !  and  the  strangest  and 
toolishest  act  ever  done!  no  one  else  can  ever 
have  been  so  unspeakably  senseless  !  On  the 
contrary,  this  selling  of  the  birthright,  this 
selling  of  the  soul,  ay,  and  selling  it  invariably 
for  nought,  is  a  very,  very  common  thing.  If 
Esau  sold  it  for  a  morsel  of  meat,  why,  Eve  sold 
it  for  a  forbidden  fruit  ;  Balaam  sold  it  for  a 
promise  that  was  never  fulfilled,  and  a  death  on 
the  battlefield  among  the  foes  of  God  ;  Achan 
sold  it  for  a  dress  which  he  never  put  on,  and 
for  some  gold  which  lay  for  a  few  weeks  under 
the  turf  of  his  tent-floor  ;  Ahab  sold  it  for  a 
vineyard,  at  the  gate  of  which  the  very  next 
morning  the  prophet  met  him  and  made  it  ab- 
horrent to  him  ;  Judas  sold  it  for  thirty  pieces 
of  silver,  not  one  of  which  he  ever  spent,  and  all 
of  which  he  flung  down  in  horror  a  few  days  after 
on  the  temple  pavement  ;  the  prodigal  sold  it  for 
a  banquet  which  began  with  revelry  and  ended 
with  the  husks  of  swine. — Archdeacon  Farrar. 

[17339]  For  one  morsel  of  meat .''  Yes.  That 
is  how  It  was  done.  When  we  come  to  see 
things  in  the  light  of  eternity,  as  we  one  day 
shall,  the  one  morsel  of  meat  will  look  a  very 
little  thing  indeed.  The  sensual  gratification 
that  stood  between  you  and  Christ — ah  !  that 
one  morsel  of  meat — how  poor  a  thing  it  will 
seem  when  the  light  of  eternity  flashes  into  your 
soul  ;  the  good  opinion  of  your  fellow-men,  the 
desire  to  be  thought  much  of,  the  wish  to  shine 
in  the  eyes  of  those  who  surround  you — it  may 
seem  much  to  you  now  ;  but  what  will  it  appear 
when  the  light  of  eternity  flashes  upon  your 
soul  !  The  pride  of  your  heart  that  stands 
between  you  and  the  cross,  it  may  seem  a  worthy 
and  a  manlike  thing  to  you  now.  How  mean 
and  despicable  it  will  appear  by  and  by  !  Would 
to  God  that  it  might  stand  between  you  and 
the  cross  no  more.  The  love  of  pleasure  rather 
than  the  love  of  God,  it  may  seem  natural 
enough  now  ;  but  when  the  light  of  eternity 
flashes  into  your  soul,  how  little  will  the  memory 
of  your  pleasures  please  you  then  ! — Rev.  H. 
Aitken. 


114 

17340-17345] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEVVrSH    ERA. 


[eliezer. 


ELIEZER. 

I.  Introductory. 
His  position  in  the  household  of  Abraham. 

[17340]  When  Abraham  came  into  Syria  by 
way  of  Damascus,  he  probably  found  this 
Kiiezer,  who  became  not  only  a  sort  of  bailiff, 
but  a  trusted  friend.  He  had  been  selected  by 
Abraham  to  be  his  heir,  but  of  course  when 
Isaac  was  born  he  could  not  hold  that  position. 
He  became  honoured  as  "  the  eldest  servant  of 
his  (Abraham's)  house,  that  ruled  over  all  that 
lie  had"  (Gen.  xxiv.  2).  To  him  probably  was 
committed  the  delicate  business  recorded  in 
this  chapter  ;  and  the  way  in  which  it  was  exe- 
cuted was  just  that  which  would  be  expected 
from  one  who  had  so  won  .the  confidence  of 
Abraham  as  to  be  selected  as  his  heir. — F. 
Hastings. 


II.  His  Chief  Char.acteristics. 

They  appear  in    his  discharge  of   the  difficult 
and  delicate  mission  entrusted  to  him. 

{ I )  Disinterested  fidelity. 

[17341]  No  man  in  the  Bible  plays  a  more 
hi^^h-minded  and  honourable  part  than  Eliezer 
— though  a  servant,  and  in  one  sense  a  slave. 
P'uliy  to  comprehend  that,  and  appreciate  his 
fidelity,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  birth 
of  Isaac,  though  a  happy  event  to  Abraham 
and  .Sarah,  was  far  otherwise,  in  a  worldly  point 
of  view,  to  him.  It  inflicted  a  blow  on  Eliezer, 
which  it  needed  uncommon  magnanimity  and 
piety  to  bear.  Till  Isaac  appeared  this  man  had 
good  hopes  of  succeeding  to  his  master's  fortune. 
.Such  is  the  way  I  read,  and  the  meaning  I 
attach  to,  these  words  of  Abraham  :  "I  go 
childless,  and  the  steward  of  my  house  is  this 
Eliezer  of  Damascus.  Behold,  to  me  thou  hast 
given  no  seed  :  and  lo,  one  born  in  my  house 
is  mine  heir" — this  Eliezer,  one  of  my  slaves, 
or  a  child  of  his. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie.,  D.D. 

[17342]  We  cannot  doubt  that  Eliezer  bore 
liis  disappointment  nobly  ;  and  for  his  dear 
master's  sake  welcomed  and  even  loved  the  boy 
who  had  come  between  him  and  a  splendid 
fortune.  And  yet  one  hope  may  still  have 
lingered,  and  risen  sometimes  unbidden,  in  his 
bosom.  Might  not  Isaac  choose  to  live  un- 
wedded  .''  and  die,  leaving  no  heir  behind  }  But 
this  expectation,  if  he  ever  cherished  it,  was  also 
to  be  extinguished  ;  and  it  was  surely  no  small 
trial  to  his  fidelity  when,  commissioned  to  seek 
a  wife  for  Isaac,  Eliezer  had,  with  his  own  hand, 
to  quench  his  last  hope  of  rising  in  the  world  — 
of  exchanging  poverty  for  affluence,  and  a 
state  of  servitude  for  freedom.  In  such  circum- 
stances most  people  would  have  intrusted  the 
office  to  another  agent.  Committing  it  into  the 
hands  of  one  who  had  strong  temptations  to 
play  his  master  false,  Abraham,  more  than  by 
any  language,  expressed  his  confidence  in  the 


fidelity  of  his  servant ;  and  that  he  believed  this 
Eliezer  of  Damascus  to  be  true  as  its  famous 
steel.  What  a  pattern  of  faithfulness  the  servant 
in  whom  his  master  could  repose  such  faith  1 — 
Idid. 

(2)  Practical  piety. 

[17343]  Eliezer's  piety  is  no  more  than  his 
fidelity  and  diligence  matter  of  conjecture.  In 
this  story  he  appears  pre-eminent  as  a  man  of 
prayer.  He  displays  an  extraordinary  con- 
fidence in  the  providence  and  faithfulness  of 
God.  He  casts  himself  on  Him  whom  he  loves 
to  call  his  master's  God  with  almost  as  much 
faith  as  his  master  could  have  done.  With  the 
first  dawn  of  success  he  bows  his  head  and  wor- 
ships the  Lord.  "  Blessed,"  he  cries,  "  be  the 
Lord  God  of  my  master  Abraham,  who  hath  not 
left  destitute  my  master  of  His  mercy  and  His 
truth."  Not  in  our  judgment  only,  but  in  his 
own,  it  is  not  his  own  skill,  but  the  Lord  who 
leads  him  ;  it  is  not  good  fortune,  but  the  Lord 
who  speeds  him.  '1  he  saying,  "Like  master 
like  man,"  had  never  a  happier  illustration  than 
in  the  venerable  patriarch  and  his  pious 
steward. — Jbid. 

[17344]  Eliezer  did  not  hesitate  to  ask  God's 
guidance  in  respect  to  a  subject  which  many 
would  account  as  quite  within  the  scope  of  their 
own  judgment  to  decide.  Many  also  would 
have  thought  it  beneath  the  notice  of  God. 
Many  would  have  made  their  way  direct  into 
the  city  to  Nahor's  house  to  choose  for  them- 
selves. And  many  would  have  left  the  matter 
to  be  decided  by  chance  ;  but  Eliezer  seeks 
guidance  from  God.  Only  those  who  are  ig- 
norant of  the  value  of  trifles,  of  their  relative 
power,  or  who  are  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  there 
are  no  trifles  but  which  may  become  all-im- 
portant circumstances,  would  think  such  an 
affair  as  that  Eliezer  had  in  hand,  as  beneath 
God's  notice  ;  and  if  not  beneath  God's  notice, 
it  may  properly  be  the  subject  of  prayer.  Many 
who  contemplate  forming  relationships  might 
with  the  greatest  advantage  imitate  the  example 
of  Eliezer  in  this  case,  and  seek  direction  from 
God.  Were  this  the  practice  there  would  be 
fewer  unhappy  marriages.  Eliezer  in  carrying 
out  his  master's  wish  seeks  success  from  God. — 
F.  Hastings. 

[17345]  He  casts  himself  on  providence, 
saying,  "  O  Lord  God  of  my  master  Abraham, 
I  pray  Thee,  send  me  good  speed  this  day,  and 
show  kindness  unto  my  master  Abraham.  .  .  . 
And  let  it  come  to  pass,  that  the  damsel  to 
whom  I  shall  say.  Let  down  thy  pitcher,  I  pray 
thee,  that  I  may  drink  ;  and  she  shall  say. 
Drink,  and  I  will  give  thy  camels  drink  also  : 
let  the  same  be  she  that  Thou  hast  appointed 
for  Thy  servant  Isaac  ;  and  thereby  shall  I  know 
that  Thou  hast  showedkindness  unto  my  master." 
What  an  unselfish,  noble  regard  to  his  master 
breathes  out  in  this  prayer  ;  and  what  wisdom 
also  in  seeking  one  for  Isaac  who,  by  her  bear- 
ing to  himself,  should  prove  herself  not  high- 


1/345—17351] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[MELCmZEDEK. 


minded,  but  humble  ;  not  idle,  but  industrious  ; 
not  rude,  but  courteous  ;  not  cold,  but  kind. — 
/^ev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17346]  At  the  most  suitable  time  the  steward 
prays.  He  committed  his  way  unto  the  Lord 
at  the  period  when  he  felt  most  strongly  that  he 
needed  His  guidance.  God  honours  the  man's 
trust.  "  It  came  to  pass  that  before  he  had 
done  speaking  Rebekah  came  out."  She  was 
the  very  one  whom  God  had  appointed.  She 
knew  not  that  she  was  moving  to  fulfil  the  in- 
tention of  God.  In  her  acts  and  in  her  words 
she  was  doing  that  which  was  in  harmony  with 
the  sign  the  man  had  asked.  Courteously,  on 
being  asked  for  a  draught  from  her  vessel,  she 
offered  even  to  draw  for  the  camels  also.  In 
the  very  first  person  he  addressed  Eliezer  had 
the  answer  to  his  prayer.  Thus  in  Isaiah 
Ixv.  24  it  is  said,  "  Before  they  call  I  will 
answer,"  &c.,  and  in  Daniel  ix.  23,  "At  the 
beginning  of  thy  supplication  the  command- 
ment came  forth." — F.  Hasiiuas. 


III.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

1  His  success  in  his  mission  encourages  to 
prayer. 

[•7347]  Everything  fell  out  better  than  the 
steward  could  have  expected  ;  he  could  only 
see  in  it  God's  hand,  God's  mercy  in  guiding 
him  and  in  confirming  his  hope.  God  is  as 
willing  to  answer  us  as  to  answer  Eliezer  of 
Damascus.  Prayer  can  overcome  difficulties 
that  seem  insurmountable.  When  the  cup  of 
sorrow  is  not  removed,  the  strength  is  given  to 
bear  it,  and  so  prayer  is  answered.  If  the  way 
we  expected  does  not  open  up  in  answer  to  our 
supplication,  another  and  better  is  sure  to  be 
made  plain.  Prayer  also  "  makes  the  darkened 
cloud  withdraw." — Ibid. 

2  The   record   of   his   fidelity    as    a   servant 
teaches  an  important  lesson. 

(i)    To  mastefs. 

[17348]  Were  there  more  masters  like  Abra- 
ham there  would  certainly  be  more  servants  like 
Eliezer— more  who  would  in  their  honesty, 
fidelity,  and  piety  show  the  results  of  a  master 
or  mistress's  holy  example;  the  benefits,  by 
some  servants  too  lightly  esteemed,  which  may 
be  expected  from  dwelling  with  a  religious 
family,  in  a  house  where  the  Sabbath  is  carefully 
observed  and  God  is  daily  worshipped.  I  have 
heard  servants  loudly  complained  of,  and  un- 
favourable contrasts  drawn  between  those  of 
our  own  and  of  older  times.  I  would  not  con- 
ceal their  faults.  Though  with  a  kind  hand,  I 
would  rather  lay  them  bare,  that  they  might  be 
amended.  Yet,- when  I  have  heard  some  com- 
plaining, for  example,  of  the  ingratitude  of  ser- 
vants, I  have  been  tempted  to  ask  what  many 
of  them  have  to  be  grateful  for.  They  have 
feelings  to  be  hurt  as  well  as  others  ;  and  how 
have  I  seen  them  lacerated  and  rudely  torn  ! 
Removed  from  home  and  friends,  they  are 
peculiarly  sensitive  to  kindness  ;  but  its  words 


m  many  instances  never  fall  on  their  ear. 
Affections  that,  like  tendrils  torn  from  their 
support,  would  attach  themselves,  in  lack  of 
father  or  mother,  to  master  or  mistress,  arc  left 
to  lie  bleeding  on  the  ground  ;  and  in  manv 
instances  are  trodden  under  foot.  Far  from 
parental  care,  no  kind  eye  watches  over  them, 
nor  kind  voice  warns  them  of  the  snares  that 
beset  their  feet.— A'^-t'.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17349]  ^I<^ny  show  no  more  interest  in  their 
servants"  souls  than  if  they  had  no  souls  to  be 
saved  ;  and  less  care  is  taken  to  preserve  their 
virtue  from  seducers  than  the  f.imily  plate  from 
thieves.  They  may  well  ask  in  'such  cases, 
"  What  have  we  to  be  grateful  for  .?  "  I  do  not 
defend  their  faults  :  but,  so  far  as  my  know- 
ledge and  experience  go,  it  is  but  justice  to  them 
to  say  that,  were  more  regard  paid  to  the  feelings 
of  servants,  more  forbearance  shown  with  their 
failings,  more  pains  taken  to  make  them  happy, 
to  keep  them  from  the  paths  of  vice,  to  culti- 
vate their  virtues  and  bless  their  souls,  there 
would  be  less  occasion  to  complain  of  their 
depravity. — Ibid. 

(2)   To  servants. 

[17350]  Servants  often  have  themselves  to 
blame.  They  forfeit  respect  by  a  miserable 
aping  of  the  manners  of  their  superiors.  They 
waste  on  their  indulgences  or  on  vain  and  showy 
attire  the  means  which  would  save  a  parent 
from  the  degradation  of  public  charity,  and 
provide  for  the  wants  of  their  own  old  age. 
Yielding  to  the  temptation  of  higher  wages, 
they  will  leave  a  Christian  house  for  one  where 
they  will  see  no  good,  but  much  bad  example, 
imperilling  their  precious  souls.  If  crimes  are 
committed  against  servants,  they  are  also  com- 
mitted by  them.  Falsehood  and  dishonesty  are 
not  the  worst  they  may  commit,  and  the  guilt 
of  receiving  some  simple  and  unsuspicious  one 
into  a  house  to  accomplish  her  ruin  is  only 
equalled  by  that  of  the  servant  who  carries  vice 
into  a  virtuous  family,  and  more  wickedly  be- 
trays her  trust  than  it  were  to  steal  down  at 
midnight  with  muffled  foot  and  open  the  door 
to  thieves. — Ibid. 


MEL  CHIZEDEK. 

I.  The  Mysterious  Reticence  of  Scrip- 
ture Concerning  him. 

[1735 1]  Mystery  hovers  about  him.  Not  a 
word  is  said  of  his  father  or  mother,  his  "  be- 
ginning of  days  or  end  of  years."  Nothing  is 
told  of  his  achievements,  nothing  of  his  history 
before  or  after  that  single  circumstance  which 
is  related  in  the  Book  of  Genesis.  Solitary, 
mysterious,  unrelated—  like  a  flash  from  another 
world,  like  an  apparition  that  slowly  slides 
into  light,  scintillates  for  a  moment  on  the 
vision,  speaks  forth  some  awful  hint,  and  then 
fades  away,  so  this  august  personage  seems  to 


ii6 

17351— 17358] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS, 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[melchizedek. 


come  and  go.  Before  we  can  ask,  What  is  thy 
name  ?  Whence  comest  thou  ?  Whither  goest 
thou  ?  he  is  gone. — C.  Stanford. 

II.  Various    Speculations    as    to    his 
Personality. 

[^7352]  No  character  has  been  more  fruitful 
of  speculation  than  that  of  Melchizedek.  Some 
have  conjectured  that  he  was  a  theophany  of 
Christ  or  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Gnostics  con- 
sidered him  an  aeon,  or  a  man  formed  before 
the  creation  out  of  spiritual  matter.  Origen 
said  he  was  an  angel.  Others,  Ham,  Shem, 
Arpha.xad,  or  Job. — Rev.  A.  Maclareii,  D.D. 

[17353]  ^^  cannot  read  impartially  the 
apostle's  argument  without  seeing  that  the 
special  similitude  between  Melchizedek  and 
Christ  was  in  this  very  mystery  of  perpetuity. 
In  Heb.  vii.  15,  16,  it  is  clearly  shown  :  "After 
the  similitude  of  Melchizedek  there  ariseth 
another  priest,  who  is  made  not  after  the  law  of 
a  carnal  commandment,  but  after  the  power  of 
an  endless  life."  The  power  of  force  which  an 
endless  life  gave  is  the  chief  point  of  likeness  be- 
tween Melchizedek  and  Christ.  We  are  thus  shut 
up  to  the  conclusion  that  Melchizedek  was  Christ 
Himself;  that  in  that  early  age  the  Messiah 
reigned  in  Jerusalem,  before  He  came  to  Jeru- 
salem to  die,  even  as  hereafter  He  shall  reign 
in  the  New  Jerusalem.  It  may  be  that  none 
(unless  Abraham)  knew  His  true  character,  but 
that  it  was  only  known  that  One  of  unblemished 
purity,  coming  no  one  knew  whence,  was  the 
holy  Priest  and  King  of  Salem.  His  remark- 
able sanctity  had  approved  itself  to  the  people 
of  this  pious  city,  and  they  had  made  Him 
their  King.  This  appearance  of  Christ  we  take 
to  be  a  theophany  like  so  many  recorded  in 
Scripture,  but  of  longer  duration.  That  Christ 
should  appear  on  earth  before  His  birth  from 
tiie  Virgin  Mary  is  no  novel  doctrine.  It  is 
admitted  that  the  captain  of  the  Lord's  host, 
who  appeared  to  Joshua  before  Jericho,  was 
the  Messiah,  and  that  He  who  walked  with  the 
three  Jews  in  the  fiery  furnace  at  Babylon  was 
the  same.  Indeed,  in  this  latter  case,  the 
phraseology  is  very  similar  to  that  which  Paul 
uses  of  Melchizedek.  Paul  says  of  Melchizedek  : 
"  Made  like  unto  the  Son  of  God  :"  and  of  the 
companion  of  the  three  Jews  it  is  said  :  *'  The 
form  of  the  fourth  is  like  the  Son  of  God."  A 
like  theopiiany,  but  of  longer  duration,  was  this, 
we  think,  of  Melchizedek  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  to 
this  we  refer  that  remark  of  our  Lord  to  the 
Jews  :  "  Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see 
My  day,  and  he  saw  it  and  was  glad."  To 
Abraham  there  was  proliably  given  some  notion 
of  the  Divine  character  of  Salem's  King,  and 
hence  his  remarkable  acts  of  homage,  which 
would  be  inexplicable  toward  any  Canaanitish 
monarch. — Rev.  I/.  Crosby^  D.D. 

[17354]  In  our  view  Melchizedek  was  pro- 
bably the  last  representative  of  the  race  of  Shem 
in  the  land  of  Canaan,  which  was  now  in  the 


hands  of  the  Canaanites,  who  were  children  of 
Ham,  as  well  as  that  he  was  the  last  repre- 
sentative of  the  faith  of  Shem,  in  the  midst  of 
idolatry— being  a  "priest  of  the  Most  High 
God.:'— Rev.  A.  Edersheim,  D.D. 

III.  Historical  Facts  Recorded  of  him. 

[17355]  The  historical  facts  concerning  are  : 
(l)  that  he  came  into  contact  with  Abraham  at 
the  close  of  the  first  war  recorded  in  the  annals 
of  the  human  race  ;  (2)  that  he  was  a  priest 
and  king  ;  (3)  that  he  was  greater  than  Abra- 
ham ;  (4)  that  he  lived  at  Salem,  which  was 
probably  Jerusalem. — Rev.  C.  Stanford. 

IV.  Spiritual  Significance  of  his  Per- 
son AND  Recorded  Acts. 

He  was  an  eminent  type  of  Christ. 

( 1 )  Viewed  generally. 

[17356]  He  is  a  symbol  :  (i)  Of  the  mys- 
terious character  of  our  Saviour's  person  in  that 
he  is  "without  father,  without  mother,  without 
descent,  having  neither  beginning  of  days  nor 
end  of  life.''  (2)  Of  his  priesthood,  in  {a)  its 
antiquity,  before  Aaron,  before  Abraham,  (Jb) 
its  catholicity,  not  restricted,  like  that  of  Aaron, 
to  a  race,  a  nation  ;  if)  its  independence  :  he 
shines  apart  as  if  he  had  no  earthly  connections  ; 
{d)  its  perpetuity.  (3)  Of  Christ's  royalty,  in 
(a)  the  fact  of  his  kingship.  There  was  no 
symbol  of  this  in  the  Levitical  economy.  If 
Christ  is  our  Priest  He  must  also  be  our  King. 
Many  are  ready  in  their  creed  to  trust  Christ 
as  their  Priest,  who  will  not  in  their  practice 
serve  Him  as  their  King  ;  {b)  the  character  of 
his  administrative  righteousness  and  peace.  (4) 
Of  Christ's  ministry.  He  comes  forth  from  God 
to  Abraham  with  a  benediction.— /i;!'/^'. 

['7357]  Melchizedek,  the  last  representative 
of  the  Shemitic  order,  is  the  type  of  Christ,  as 
the  last  representative  of  the  Abrahamic  order. 
What  lay  in  germ  in  Melchizedek  was  to  be 
gradually  unfolded — the  priesthood  in  Aaron, 
the  royalty  in  David — till  both  were  most 
gloriously  united  in  Christ.  Melchizedek  was, 
however,  only  a  shadow  and  a  type  ;  Christ  is 
the  reality  and  the  antitype.  It  is  for  this 
reason  that  Scripture  has  shut  to  us  the  sources 
of  historical  investigation  about  his  descent 
and  duration  of  life,  that  by  its  silence  it  might 
point  to  the  heavenly  descent  of  Jesus. — Rev. 
A.  Edersheim,  D.D. 

(2)  Viewed  in  special  relation  to  the  kingship 
of  Christ. 

[17358]  The  name  of  "  Melchizedek,"  or  King 
of  Righteousness,  fitly  symbolizes  tlie  Messiah. 
Christ  is  the  King  of  Righteousness,  first  in  the 
sense  of  being  Himself  "Jesus  Christ  the 
righteous,"  the  only  righteous  man  that  ever 
lived  ;  also  being  made  our  righteousness 
through  our  faith  in  Him  ;  and  then  again 
being  the  source,  through  His  Holy  Spirit,  of  all 


17358—17364] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


117 

[melchizedek. 


our  individual  righteousness. — Rev.  H.  Crosby, 
D.D. 

[17359]  The  name  of  King  of  Salem,  or 
"  King  of  Peace,"  is  a  typical  indication  of  the 
Messiah,  who  is  called  the  "  Prince  of  Peace." 
The  peace  which  Christ  gives  the  soul  is  the 
result  of  the  righteousness  both  imputed  and 
implanted,  which  assimilates  the  soul  to  God, 
and  ends  the  war  between  the  soul  and  God. 
Jesus  is  the  King  of  my  peace,  because  He  is 
the  King  of  my  righteousness.  There  can  be  no 
other  real  peace  for  the  soul.  The  peace  that 
is  founded  on  forgetfulness,  or  thoughtlessness, 
or  compromises,  is  a  very  short  one,  and  must 
end  in  bitterness,  but  the  peace  which  is  founded 
on  righteousness  is  indestructible.  It  is  God's 
peace.  We  never  could  have  attained  to  it, 
but  it  was  given  us  by  our  King.  Blessed  be 
our  Melchizedek — our  Melek-Shalem — Christ 
Jesus,  the  King  of  our  righteousness,  the  King 
of  our  peace  ! — Ibid. 

(3)  Viewed  in  special  relation  to  the  priest- 
hood of  Christ. 

"  Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever  after  the  order  of 
Melchizedek"  (Psa.  ex.  4  ;  Heb.  v.  6). 

[17360]  Melchizedek  brought  forth  bread  and 
wine.  It  was,  doubtless,  in  the  first  instance, 
refreshment  to  Abraham  and  his  troop.  It  was 
bread  to  strengthen,  and  wine  to  cheer  them 
after  their  long  and  rapid  march  to  Anti-Leb- 
anon and  back,  some  400  miles.  But  typically 
this  was  a  foreshadowing  of  the  flesh  and  blood 
of  Christ  which  strengthens  and  cheers  the 
weary,  fainting  soul  of  sinful  man,  and  which 
was  authoritatively  indicated  by  bread  and  wine 
in  the  institution  of  the  Eucharist.  Christ 
brings  forth  this  Divine  bread  and  wine  to  the 
world,  and  says  :  "  Eat,  O  friends  ;  drink,  yea, 
drink  abundantly,  O  beloved."  The  offer  is  full 
and  comprehensive.  It  conveys  the  bread  and 
wine  of  eternal  life,  and  it  is  "brought  forth"  or 
published  to  our  dying  race. — Ibid. 

[17361]  Melchizedek  was  the  priest  of  the 
Most  High  God.  In  the  midst  of  idolatry  he 
taught  and  represented  the  true  religion.  He 
officiated  at  the  altar  of  God,  offering  up  the 
victim  for  the  sins  of  the  worshippers.  As  a 
priest  he  served  by  no  genealogical  and  heredi- 
tary right  ;  he  was  not  the  ritual  priest  of  a 
written  law  ;  but  he  stood  alone,  acknowledged 
for  his  own  worth  and  inherent  excellence,  as 
the  priest  of  the  Most  High  God.  So  was  Christ 
Jesus  a  priest  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek. 
He  came  not  of  the  Levitical  line.  He  per- 
formed no  ceremonial  service  of  prescription, 
and  stood,  not  one  of  many,  but  alone,  without 
example  or  peer,  as  the  Mediator  between  man 
and  God.  We  do  not  look  upon  Christ  as  the 
Jew  looked  upon  the  high  priest— as  one  of  a 
line,  the  dignity  being  in  the  office  and  not  in 
the  man — but  we  look  upon  Jesus  as  our  only 
High  Priest,  whose  power  is  supreme  in  excel- 
lence.    He  is  a  High  Priest,  not  after  the  order 


of  Aaron,  but  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek. — 
Ibid. 

[17362]  Melchizedek  blessed  Abraham.  This 
was  an  authoritative  priestly  blessing.  He 
stands  between  God  and  Abraham  and  pro- 
nounces each  blessed.  Hear  the  blessing  : 
"Blessed  be  Abram  of  the  Most  High  God, 
possessor  of  heaven  and  earth  ;  and  blessed  be 
the  Most  High  God,  which  hath  delivered  thine 
enemy  into  thy  hand."  So  Christ  pronounces 
all  blessed  who,  like  Abram,  will  receive  the 
blessing,  and  also  glorifies  the  Father  for  His 
deliverance  of  man.  Christ's  blessing  saves  the 
soul,  and  through  Christ's  blessing  God  is  ac- 
knowledged as  having  delivered  our  enemies 
into  our  hands. — Ibid. 

[17363]  Melchizedek  received  tithes  of 
Abram.  By  this  act  of  homage  Abram  acknow- 
ledged the  dignity  of  the  royal  priest.  He 
yielded  to  him  both  tribute  and  reverence;  and 
while  he  bowed  before  his  blessing  as  a  priest, 
he  offered  him  of  the  booty  as  his  lord  para- 
mount. The  reception  of  tithes  by  priests 
marks  clearly  a  kingly  element  in  the  priest- 
hood (for  as  priests  they  offer  sacrifices,  but  as 
kings  only  they  receive  tribute) ;  and  this  kingly 
element  is  necessary  to  express  the  royalty  of 
Christ's  priesthood.  Jesus  possesses,  back  of 
all  His  work  for  us,  a  power  supremely  regal  to 
make  effective  that  work  and  put  our  salvation 
and  glory  beyond  all  peradventure;  and  to  Him 
as  our  Omnipotent  Lord  we  yield  the  tribute  of 
obedience. — Ibid. 

[17364]  Christ  is  a  priest  after  the  order  of 
Melchizedek.  i.  That  order  was  unique,  (i)  In 
its  loneliness,  Melchizedek  stood  alone.  Other 
priests  sacrificed  to  idols  or  the  powers  of 
nature  ;  he  to  the  "  Most  High  God."  He  was 
the  one  true  priest  before  the  Mosaic  dispen- 
sation. Christ  is  the  one  true  Priest  after  it, 
and  He  stands  alone.  "  One  Mediator."  No 
other  order  but  His  is  found  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, or  is  now  possible,  or  necessary.  (2)  In 
that  it  was  underived  and  untransmitted.  Mel- 
chizedek did  not  follow,  nor  was  he  succeeded 
by,  a  priestly  line.  So  Christ's  priesthood  is 
"not  after  the  order  of  a  carnal  commandment ;" 
nor  does  it  "  pass  over  to  another.''  (3)  In  its 
efficacy.  The  priesthoods  contemporaneous 
with  Melchizedek  were  founded  on  superstition  ; 
his  only  on  Divine  revelation.  So  all  other 
priesthoods  but  that  of  Christ  are  now  effete  or 
vain.  His  alone  is  efficacious.  2.  That  order 
was  righteous.  His  very  name  "King  of  Right- 
eousness "  is  significant  of  that.  ]5ut  in  a  far 
more  real  and  valuable  sense  is  this  so  with 
Christ,  (i)  He  is  absolutely  righteous  in  Him- 
self He  of  all  the  sons  of  men  alone  could 
say,  "Which  of  you  convinceth  Me  of  sin?" 
As  such  He  was  predicted  (Isa.  liii.  11  ;  Jer. 
xxiii.  5).  As  such  He  was  by  the  confession  of 
both  friends  and  foes  (Luke  xxiii.  4  ;  i  Peter 
ii.  23).  (2)  As  the  King  of  righteousness.  He 
makes  His  subjects  righteous  (Isa.  liii.  11).     By 


iiS 

17364- 


-17367] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[MELCHIZEDEK. 


cleansing  away  their  unrighteousness  and  im- 
parting His  Holy  Spirit,  and  encouraging  and 
directing  their  holy  lives.  3.  That  order  was 
peaceful.  He  was  "  King  of  Salem,  which  is 
King  of  peace."  In  this  the  order  was  a  strong 
contrast  to  the  order  of  Baal,  and  indeed  to  the 
warlike  sons  of  Aaron.  Not  more  so  does  the 
priesthood  of  Christ  contrast  with  the  arrogant 
assumptions,  worldly  ambitions,  devilish  craft, 
and  cruel  persecutions  of  the  orders  of  pagan- 
ism and  Rome.  Christ  is  (i)  absolutely  peace- 
ful in  Himself.  As  such  He  was  predicted  and 
acknowledged.  "  The  Prince  of  peace."  "He 
shall  not  cry,"  &c.  (2)  As  King  of  peace  Christ 
gives  peace,  promotes  it,  and  reigns  over  peace- 
ful subjects.  "  My  peace  1  leave  with  you,"  &c. 
"  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,"  &c.  "  The 
fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  .  .  .  peace."  4.  That 
order  was  royal.  He  was  king  as  well  as  priest. 
So  is  Christ  a  "  priest  upon  His  throne."  These 
two  orders  are  seldom  found  united.  Once 
when  a  king  arrogated  priestly  functions  he  was 
smitten  with  leprosy.  Terrible  calamities  have 
invariably  resulted  when  political  power  has 
been  wielded  by  sacerdotal  hands.  But  in 
Christ  their  union  is  an  unmixed  blessing. 
Why.?  Because  Christ's  royalty  is  based  upon 
the  great  offering  of  Himself,  whereas  other 
priestly  rules  have  invariably  been  founded  on 
arrogant  assumptions  without  corresponding 
service.  Christ  rules  from  His  Cross  :  "  I,  if  I 
be  lifted  up,"  &c.  And  adoring  Christendom 
says  :  "Thou  art  the  King  of  glory,  O  Christ," 
because  "when  Thou  hadst  overcome  the  sharp- 
ness of  death  Thou  didst  open  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  to  all  believers."  5.  That  order  was 
superior,  (i)  In  its  antiquity.  It  was  before 
the  authorized  priesthood  of  Aaron.  So  Christ 
is  "  the  Lamb  slain  from  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world."  (2j  In  its  perpetuity.  "For 
ever."  Christ  "  continueth  ever,"  and  "  ever 
liveth  to  make  intercession."  (3)  In  its  univer- 
sality. Heathen  priests  sacrificed  for  their  par- 
ticular tribes.  Aaron's  priesthood  was  for  the 
Jews  ;  but  Melchizedek  offered  for  Abraham, 
and  also  for  the  Gentiles  among  whom  he  lived. 
So  Christ  is  a  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not 
for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world. — Rev.  A.  Muclareu,  D.D. 


V.  His  Relative  Position  to  Abraham. 

[17365]  It  has  been  well  observed,  that 
"  Abram's  greatness  consisted  in  his  hopes,  that 
of  Melchizedek  in  his  present  possession."  Mel- 
chizedek was  both  a  priest  and  a  king,  Abram 
only  a  prophet  ;  Melchizedek  was  recognized  as 
the  rightful  possessor  of  the  country,  which  as 
yet  was  only  promised  to  Abram.  True,  the 
future  will  be  infinitely  greater  than  the  present, 
but  then  it  was  as  yet  future.  Melchizedek  owned 
its  reality  by  blessing  Abram,  and  transferring 
his  title,  as  it  were,  to  him  ;  while  Abram 
recognized  the  present  by  giving  tithes  to  Mel- 
chizedek, and  bending  to  receive  his  blessing. 
— Rev.  A.  Edtrshfim,  D.D. 


VI.   HOMILETICAL  HiNTS. 

1  The  perpetuity  of  Christ's  priesthood  is  at 
once  the  guarantee  of  His  people's  future 
glory  and  the  source  of  their  present  joy. 

[17366]  "  Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever  after  the 
order  of  Melchizedek."  The  new  song  which 
the  redeemed  in  glory  sing  is :  "  Thou  art 
worthy  ;  ...  for  Thou  wast  slain,  .  .  .  and  hast 
made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and  priests  ;"  and 
the  Apostle  John  anticipates  that  song  in  the 
opening  words  of  the  Revelation.  This  royal 
priesthood,  which  is  the  possession  of  power 
and  holiness,  and  of  power  by  holiness,  is  the 
reflection  of  (or  participation  in)  the  royal 
priesthood  of  Christ.  In  Christ,  our  great  High 
Priest,  we  can  offer  up  our  praises  to  the  Father  ; 
through  Christ  our  King  we  shall  possess  a 
regal  sway,  sitting  with  Him  in  His  throne.  In 
the  perpetuity  of  our  Melchizedek  we  have  the 
guarantee  of  our  perpetual  glory.  Christ  does 
not  take  us  to  heaven  and  leave  us  there.  As 
He  is  the  source  of  attraction,  so  is  He  the 
centre  of  perm.anency.  Were  He  not  a  priest 
for  ever,  we  should  be  lost  for  ever.  His  death 
was  our  life,  that  His  life  might  be  our  glory. 
We  shall  have  glory  while  He  has  life,  and  we 
have  life  only  as  out  of  His  death.  The  cross 
will  never  be  forgotten.  Its  efficiency  will  be 
felt  to  all  eternity.  The  theme  of  redeeming 
love  will  never  lose  its  youth  and  freshness.  It 
is  now  our  joy  to  know  that  in  this  love  we  have 
a  permanent  home.  Christ  is  our  "  priest  for 
ever,  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek." — Rev.  H. 
Crosby,  D.D. 

2  Thoughts  suggested  by  the  interview  be- 
tween Abraham  and  Melchizedek. 

[17367]  This  venerable  man,  in  whom  we 
behold,  as  it  were,  the  glorious  sunset  of  the 
primeval  dispensation,  met  Abram  and  brought 
unto  him  bread  and  wine,  evidently  as  symbols 
of  the  gifts  of  God  in  creation,  to  sustain  and 
gladden  fallen  man  ;  and  he  blessed  Abram,  as 
belonging  by  faith  to  the  same  God  ;  and  he 
blessed  (]od,  as  having  given  through  Abram 
and  his  victory  a  new  manifestation  of  Himself. 
Abram  received  the  blessing,  and  gave  tithes  of 
all  unto  him,  thereby  recognizing  Melchizedek's 
superiority.  What  did  Melchizedek  see  in 
Abram  .!*  Evidently  the  future — a  new  dispen- 
sation of  Divine  grace  and  truth.  What  did 
Abram  see  in  Melchizedek  ?  The  past,  in  its 
universal  character  embracing  all  tribes  and 
families  of  the  earth  ;  in  its  character  of  sim- 
plicity and  fulness,  the  blessing  of  God  in  the 
reign  of  righteousness,  priestly  intercession,  and 
peace — type  of  the  ultimate  future,  which  shall 
terminate  the  period  of  Israel  and  the  Church. 
Melchizedek  is  thus  greater  than  Abram,  be- 
cause the  past  dispensation,  which  he  represents, 
is  a  type  of  that  future  dispensation  of  which 
Abrahamic  is  only  preparatory.  As  the  last 
chapters  of  the  Apocalypse  correspond  with  the 
first  chapters  of  Genesis,  as  the  garden  of  Eden 
was  a  type  and  earnest  of  the  ultimate  reign  of 
blessedness,  which  the  last  pages  of  the  Book  of 


17367— 17370] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


119 

[abimelecii. 


Revelation  describe,  so  the  Melchizedck  reign 
and  priesthood  prefigure  the  glory  of  the 
Christocracy,  which  we  await,  and  which  is  the 
consummation  of  the  period  commencing  with 
Abrani,  and  including  the  history  of  Israel  and 
the  times  of  the  Gentiles.  In  the  bread  and 
wine  Abram  saw  the  pledge  of  God's  abundant 
grace.  After  the  expulsion  of  Paradise,  and  the 
judgment  of  the  flood,  bread  and  wine  are  the 
gifts  by  which  man's  life  is  nourished  and  in- 
vigorated, and  which,  though,  like  all  good  gilts, 
coming  primarily  from  God,  are  yet  obtained 
through  processes  symbolic  of  suffering.  Abra- 
ham is  blessed  of  the  Most  High  God,  possessor 
of  heaven  and  earth.  The  expression  "  posses- 
sor "  is  significant.  The  patriarch  "  possessed  " 
nothing  actually  ;  but  by  faith  he  possessed  all 
things  promised  unto  hnn.  Abraham  had  to 
buy  even  the  burying-place  for  Sarah  of  the 
sons  of  Ephron.  But  He  in  whom  he  trusted 
was  the  possessor  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  the 
promised  inheritance  was  therefore  sure.  Abra- 
ham, like  all  the  faithful,  was  blessed  of  God. 
In  Him  he  was  rich  ;  by  Him  he  was  strong 
and  victorious.  All  things  are  ours  if  we  are 
God's  —  if  His  blessing  rests  upon  us. — A. 
Saphir, 


ABIMELECII. 

I.  His  Views  of  the  Almighty. 

Although  a  Philistine  he  possessed  correct 
views  of  the  justice  of  God  and  the  hein- 
ousness  of  sin. 

[17368]  It  is  remarkable  that  the    Philistine 
king  of  Gerar  should  have  possessed  such  cor- 


rect ideas  (so  far  as  they  went)  of  the  justice  of 
God  and  His  anger  at  sin.  Possibly  he  may 
have  been  thus  instructed  by  Abraham.  Abime- 
lech's  c[uestion  to  God  when  He  visited  him  in 
a  dream  upon  the  king's  appropriation  of  Sarah, 
is  :  "  Lord,  wilt  Thou  slay  a  righieous  nation  'i" 
(Gen.  XX.  4.)  It  reminds  us  of  the  question  oi 
the  patriarch  himself,  "Shall  not  the  Judge  of 
all  the  earth  do  right  ?" — iM.  J. 

II.  The   Dignity  and   Delicacy  of  his 
Rebuke. 

1  Of  Abraham. 

[17369]  The  great  patriarch  certainly  shows 
in  no  superior  light  to  Abimelech  at  Gerar. 
Just  but  dignified  are  the  remonstrance  and 
rebuke  which  he  addresses  to  Abraham  :  "  What 
hast  thou  done  unto  us?  and  what  have  I 
offended  thee  that  thou  hast  brought  on  me  and 
on  my  kingdom  a  great  sin.''  Thou  hast  done 
deeds  unto  me  that  ought  not  to  be  done  " 
(Gen.  XX.  9). — /bid. 

2  Of  Sarah. 

[17370]  The  delicacy  of  Abimelech's  reproof 
to  Sarah  is  very  clearly  marked.  Although  he 
knows  now  that  she  is  Abraham's  wife,  he  yet 
speaks  to  Sarah  of  the  patriarch  as  her  brother, 
delicately  and  considerately  maintaining  the 
illusion.  He  tells  her  that  he  has  given  to  that 
brother  a  thousand  pieces  of  silver — a  generous 
compensation  indeed  for  the  affront  which  had 
been  unintentionally  and  by  her  own  fault  put 
upon  her,  and  that  he  is  a  covering  of  the  eyes  in 
regard  to  her  to  all  those  that  are  with  her  and 
to  all  others.  "  Thus,"  significantly  adds  the 
inspired  historian,  "  was  she  reproved." — lOid. 


I20 


PART   B.     (Continued.) 


JEWISH     ERA. 

{^Continued.^ 

DIVISION   II. 
CHIEF    PERIOD    OF    NATIONAL     LIFE, 

a.   The  TJieocratic  Portion. 

(Moses  to  Saul,  B.C.  1571-1095 :  476  years.) 

SYLLABUS. 

PACB 

Leaders  and  Chief  Persons  before  the  Judges. 

Moses              ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  ...     121 

Aaron        ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  131 

Joshua             ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  ...     134 

Caleb        138 

The  Judges. 

Introduction       ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...     140 

Shamgar   ...  ...  ...         ...         ...  ...         ...  141 


Barak 


142 


Gideon       ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  143 

Abimelech      ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  148 

Jotliam       ...         ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  149 

Jephthah         150 

Samson     ...  152 


Eli 


157 


Samuel      ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  162 

Family  of  David, 

Boaz 166 

Breakers  of  the  Law — 
/;/  the  Wilderness. 

Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram     ...         ...  168 

Nadab  and  Abihu 169 

After  the  Settlement  in  Canaan. 


Uzzah 


170 


Persons  Outside  the  Israclitish  Nation 
Pharaoh 
Balaam 


171 

174 

Adoni-bezek 180 


121 


PART  B.     (Continued.) 


JEWISH   ERA. 

{Continued.) 


MOSES. 
I.  Introductory. 

His  eminence  and  renown. 

(i)  Among  the  characters  of  Scripttire  none 
stands  out  more  grandly  than  Moses. 

[17371]  He  stands  alone,  without  antecedent 
or  successor,  in  severe  and  naked  simplicity,  a 
grand  instrument,  doing  a  grand  work,  in  a 
grand  spirit.  The  Son  of  Sirach,  many  ages 
after,  spoke  the  national  sentiment  towards  him 
who  was  a  nation's  founder  and  father  in  such 
a  sense  as  no  other  man  ever  could  be,  when  he 
calls  him  a  "  man  which  found  favour  with  God 
and  man,  whose  memorial  is  blessed."  "  God," 
says  he,  "made  him  like  to  the  glorious  saints, 
and  magnified  him,  so  that  his  enemies  stood  in 
fear  of  him.  He  made  him  glorious  in  the  sight 
of  kings,  and  gave  him  a  commandment  for  His 
people,  and  showed  him  part  of  His  glory.  He 
sanctified  him  in  his  faithfulness  and  meekness, 
and  chose  him  out  of  all  men.  He  made  him 
to  hear  His  voice,  and  brought  him  into  the 
dark  cloud,  and  gave  him  commandments  be- 
fore His  face,  even  the  law  of  life  and  know- 
ledge, that  he  might  teach  Jacob  His  covenants, 
and  Israel  His  judgments."  The  reverence  of 
the  nation  half-deified  him.  It  was  the  accusa- 
tion of  Stephen,  that  they  "  had  heard  him 
speak  blasphemous  words  against  Moses  and 
against  God."  And  at  the  very  end  of  Scrip- 
ture, in  the  Apocalypse,  the  redeemed  are  heard 
in  their  everlasting  praises,  mingling  "  the  song 
of  Moses  the  servant  of  God  with  the  song  of 
the  Lamb." — Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

[17372]  Take  him  all  in  all,  regard  him  not 
in  one  but  many  aspects,  Moses  is  the  greatest 
character  in  history,  sacred  or  profane. — Rev. 
T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

(2)  He  was  adfnitted  to  close  and  familiar  in- 
tercourse with  the  Almighty. 

[17373]  In  the  caption  of  the  ninetieth  Psalm, 
by  whomsoever  prefixed,  he  is  called  ''  Moses 
the  man  of  God  ;"   while  God  Himself  says  of 


him,  "  My  servant  Moses  vi^ho  is  faithful  in  all 
My  house,  with  him  will  I  speak  mouth  to 
mouth,  even  apparently,  and  the  similitude  of 
the  Lord  shall  he  behold."  And  his  history  is 
finally  summed  up  in  the  declaration,  that 
"There  arose  not  a  prophet  in  Israel  like  unto 
Moses,  whom  the  Lord  knew  face  to  face." — 
Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

(3)  From  Moses  s/>rang  the  gertn  of  IsraePs 
civil  a?id  religious  polity'. 

[17374]  To  him  Israel  owed  whatever  it  came 
to  be  in  time,  whatever  it  learned  to  look  for  in 
eternity  :  purer  morals,  better  ideas  of  God, 
wiser  institutions,  holier  hopes  and  aspirations 
than  were  known  to  the  peoples  round  it.  His 
transmitted  influence  it  was  that  in  after  days 
gave  Jerusalem  an  honour  above  Tyre,  and 
Damascus,  and  Babylon,  and  Memphis,  and 
that  made  it  "  the  glory  of  the  whole  earth,"  not 
so  much  because  beautiful  for  situation  as  be- 
cause "  God  was  known  in  her  palaces  for  a 
sure  refuge." — Ibid. 

[17375]  Moses  was  pre-eminently  one  of  the 
greatest  men  of  all  time.  Coming  from  the 
lowest  ranks  of  life — born  a  slave  under  the  iron 
tyranny  of  an  Eastern  despot — he  rose  to  be- 
come the  emancipator  of  his  people  from  that 
bondage,  and  the  founder  of  a  nation  that  held 
the  light  of  heaven  through  the  darkness  of 
ages  ;  and  which,  of  all  nations,  has  had  the 
mightiest  influence  in  advancing  the  true  pro- 
gress of  the  W'oxld.—Rev.  E.  Hull. 


II.  Formation  of  his  Character. 
I       His  training  fitted  him  for  his  life, 

[17376]  He  knew  hard  life  and  soft  life.  He 
grew  up  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  court  the  most 
voluptuous  and  elegant  of  the  age,  the  acknow- 
ledged ward  and  charge  of  its  royal  house,  as 
the  adopted  son  of  the  sovereign's  daughter. 
He  walked  in  the  halls  of  the  Pharaoh  as  a 
prince  among  the  nobles.  And  yet  he  dwelt 
many  years  in  the  wilderness,  and  there  chose 


122 

17376— 17381] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[moses. 


the  companion  of  his  hfe,  a  shepherd,  a  herds- 
man, living  on  rude  fare  and  wandering  from 
place  to  place.  He  was  equally  at  home  in 
Pharaoh's  palace  and  in  Jethro's  tent,  in  the 
green  meadows  of  the  Nile  and  in  the  deserts  of 
Horeb.  And  it  was  in  this  life  of  strange  vicis- 
situde and  contrast,  of  alternate  luxury  and  hard- 
ship, that  he  bcccame  fitted  for  his  life-task,  and 
when  he  came  to  it  he  knew  /tow  to  do  it,  and 
did  it  well.  This  life  it  was  that  had  taught  him 
how  to  lead  a  huge  army  of  slaves  through  a 
forty  years'  sojourn  in  the  wilderness,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  frame  them  into  a  nation,  give 
them  a  firm  and  enduring  polity,  teach  them  the 
arts  of  life,  and  not  a  few  of  its  embellishments 
and  elegances,  and  fit  them  for  a  settled  life  in 
the  land  to  which  he  was  leading  them. — Rev. 
R.  Hal  lam,  D.D. 

[17377]  How  wisely  and  beneficently  ordered 
was  it  that  he  did  not  step  at  once  from  the 
voluptuousness  of  Memphis  to  the  wastes  of 
Sinai,  but  went  to  them  through  the  rougher 
but  not  ungenial  hospitalities  of  Jethro,  and  the 
ruder  scenes  and  occupations  of  a  pastoral  and 
nomadic  life,  amidst  the  solitudes  of  Horeb. 
Egypt  was  the  university  in  which  the  elements 
of  general  knowledge  and  intelligence  were  ac- 
quired and  stored  up,  leavened  by  the  private 
and  gentle  lessons  in  the  fear  of  God  that  went 
along  with  them  ;  and  Midian,  the  higher 
school,  in  which  he  was  taught  to  apply  this 
knowledge  to  the  uses  of  that  form  of  life  in 
which  the  remainder  of  his  work  on  earth  was 
to  be  performed. — Ibid. 

\Myi'^^  He  entered  the  wilderness  ;  he  be- 
came a  shepherd  of  a  priest  of  Midian.  I 
do  not  know  a  more  beautiful  instance  of  the 
guidance  of  (iod  throughout  a  man's  life  than 
that.  Moses  needed  calm  thought  after  recent 
excitement.  He  needed  to  learn  the  hard  but 
grand  lesson  of  waiting  God's  time;  and  he  had 
to  wait  and  think  for  forty  years  longer.  Every- 
thing in  that  shepherd-life  was  favourable  to  re- 
flection. The  whirl  and  rush  of  life  had  grown 
still.  In  distant  silence  he  could  ponder  the 
wrongs  and  sufferings  of  his  race.  The  silent 
wilderness,  the  great  lonely  hills,  the  common 
dull  round  of  life,  were  all  fitted  to  teach  him  to 
believe,  in  patience,  until  God  should  see  him 
strong  enough  in  meek  trust  to  become  the  De- 
liverer. And  we  can  well,  and  doubtless  truly, 
fancy  how,  during  those  years,  his  soul  would 
now  and  then  sink  into  dark  doubt,  and  now 
and  then  rise  into  faith  and  hope.  Above  him, 
while  watching  his  flocks  under  the  brilliant  sky 
of  an  eastern  night,  were  the  same  stars  that 
Abraham  saw,  when  told  that  thus  should  his 
seed  be— there  they  were,  tlie  bright,  still  wit- 
nesses of  the  covenant  that  could  not  change. — 
Rev.  E.  Hull. 

2       His    education    was    specially    adapted    to 
the  desired  result. 

An  Egyptin7i  a?id  a  Hebrew  training  were 
laiiied. 


in  her  true  relation  to  her  charge,  with  a  true 
mother's  heart  and  a  mother's  tireless  assiduity, 
under  the  shade  of  her  humble  office  had  oppor- 
tunity to  teach  him  better  ideas  of  God  and 
sounder  views  of  religion  than  Egyptian  schools 
could  impart  :  to  tell  him  who  he  was,  and  keep 
alive  in  him  that  Hebrew  heart  which  preserved 
him  from  ever  becoming  an  Egyptian  in  more 
than  appearance,  and  prepared  him  in  due  time 
to  become  the  avenger  of  his  people's  wrongs, 
and  its  deliverer  from  the  degradation  and  base- 
ness of  its  servitude.  Two  women  were  thus 
conspiring  to  make  him  what  he  became,  all 
unconsciously,  and  without  foreknowledge  ol 
God's  intent ;  the  one,  following,  it  may  be,  a 
mere  freak  of  pity  or  indulging  a  princess's 
pretty  fancy  to  display  a  fair  and  handsome  boy 
for  her  minion  and  her  pet  among  the  swarthy 
nobles  of  her  father's  court  ;  the  other,  inspired 
by  the  deep  instinct  of  maternal  affection.  And 
these  two,  each  in  her  sphere,  were  working 
loi^elher  to  imbue  him  with  learning,  secular 
and  Divine,  and  send  him  forth  to  his  work,  the 
work  for  which  God  had  made  him,  a  Hebrew 
with  Egyptian  intelligence  and  culture,  as  a 
patriot  and  a  prophet,  the  best  possible  instru- 
ment to  do  just  that  particular  work  that  God 
was  to  put  into  his  hands.  And  then  began  the 
second  stage  of  his  education,  not  less  fit  and 
appropriate  than  that  which  had  preceded  it. 
He  was  sent  out  into  the  wilder?iess,  there  to 
learn  wilderness  life,  and  to  become  a  Midianite, 
as  he  had  been  an  Egyptian,  while  he  should  be 
still  not  the  less  in  heart  a  Hebrew. — Rev.  R. 
Hal  lam,  D.D. 

III.  Intellectual  Endowments. 

I  As  a  prose  writer  he  takes  precedence  of 
the  most  venerable  writers  of  antiquity  in 
the  power  of  graphic  description  and  pic- 
turesque narration. 

[17380]  Consecrating,  so  to  speak,  the  press, 
the  first  book  type  ever  printed  was  a  copy 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures ;  and  in  beautiful  har- 
mony with  that  remarkable  providence,  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  the  first  book  pen  ever 
wrote  was  one  of  the  five  of  which  Moses  was 
the  author.  Certain  it  is  that  if  his  were  not  the 
first  ever  written  —  written  long  ages  before 
Herodotus  composed  his  history  or  Homer  sang 
his  poems — his  are  the  oldest  books  extant. 
Before  all  others  in  point  of  time,  what  author 
occupies  himself  with  themes  of  such  surpassmg 
grandeur.?  Like  one  who  had  met  God  face  to 
face  within  the  cloudy  curtains  of  the  awful 
mount,  he  introduces  us  into  the  counsels  of  the 
Almighty  ;  and  records  events  which,  receding 
into  a  past,  and  stretching  forward  into  a  future 
eternity,  had  God  for  their  author,  the  world  for 
their  theatre,  and  for  their  end  the  everlasting 
destinies  of  mankind.  Apart  from  the  surpass" 
ing  grandeur  of  his  subjects,  even  in  the  very 
manner  of  handling  them,  the  world's  oldest  is 
its  foremost  writer.— i?^z/.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 


[17379]  Jochebed,  unknown  to  her  employer   !       [17381]    Moses    was    a   man    of  accomplish- 


17381— 17388] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


123 

[moses. 


ments.  He  was  learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of 
Egypt,  and  was  mighty  in  words  and  in  deeds. 
Like  Caesar,  he  was  the  historian  of  his  own 
achievements  ;  and  that  he  was  a  historian  in 
the  best  sense,  none  can  doubt,  who  read  his 
clear,  terse,  graphic  narrations  in  the  pages  of 
the  Pentateuch.— y?^z'.  R.  Hallain,  D.D. 

2  As  a  poet  he  is  distinguished  by  loftiness 
of  style  and  conception,  united  to  sublimity 
of  expression. 

[17382]  What  other  poet  rises  to  heights  or 
sustams  a  flight  so  lofty  as  Moses — in  his  dying 
song,  for  instance,  his  parting  words  to  the 
tribes  of  Israel,  ere  he  ascended  Nebo  to 
wave  them  his  last  farewell,  and  vanish  for  ever 
from  their  wondering,  weeping  gaze  ?  The 
inimitable  pathos  of  his  style,  as  illustrated  in 
the  story  of  Joseph,  the  tears  and  trembling 
voices  of  readers  in  all  ages  have  acknowledged. 
In  simple,  tender,  touching  narrative  no  pas- 
sages in  any  other  book  will  compare  with  it  ; 
and  yet  so  wide  and  varied  is  his  range  that  the 
writings  of  Moses  contain,  infidels  themselves 
being  judges,  the  sublimest  expressions  man  has 
spoken  or  penned.  By  universal  consent,  for 
example,  no  other  book,  ancient  or  modern,  the 
production  of  the  highest  mind  and  of  the  most 
refined  and  cultivated  age,  contains  a  sentence 
so  sublime  as  this  :  "  And  God  said.  Let  there 
be  light  :  and  there  was  light."  —  Rev.  T. 
Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17383]  That  he  was  a  poet  is  plain  from  the 
ninetieth  Psalm,  if  he  was  its  author  ;  from  his 
magnificent  ode  on  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  ; 
from  the  memorial  song  which  he  left  to  be  sung 
by  the  Israelites  in  alter  ages  ;  and  from  his 
dying  benedictions  of  the  tribes. — Rev.  R, 
Hallam,  D.D. 

3  As  a  theologian  he  was  remarkable  for  his 
clear  and  comprehensive  estimate  of  the 
Divine  character. 

[17384]  Compared  to  his  knowledge  of  the 
attributes  and  character  of  God,  how  gross  the 
notions  of  the  heathen  ;  how  puerile,  dim,  and 
distorted  the  speculations  of  their  greatest  sages! 
Since  his  day — removed  from  our  own  by  almost 
four  thousand  years — science  has  made  pro- 
digious strides  ;  but  those  who  have  discovered 
new  elements,  new  forces,  new  worlds,  new  stars, 
new  suns,  have  brought  to  light  no  new  attribute 
of  God,  nor  a  single  feature  of  His  character 
with  which  Moses  was  not  acquainted. — Rev. 
T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17385]  During  long  ages  philosophers  and 
divines  have  been  studying  morals,  the  duties 
men  owe  to  God  and  to  each  other,  the  laws 
that  bind  society  and  hold  its  parts  together  ; 
but  they  who  have  added  a  thousand  truths  to 
science  and  a  thousand  inventions  to  art,  have 
not  discovered  any  duties  which  Moses  over- 
looked, or  added  so  much  as  one  law  to  his 
code  of  morals.  Yet  he  had  no  Bible,  as  we 
have,  whereby  to  acquaint  himself  with  God  : 


nor  was  he  reared,  like  us,  in  a  Christian  land, 
but  among  those  who,  witli  all  their  boasted 
learning,  worshipped  the  ox,  and  serpent, 
beasts  of  the  field,  fowls  of  the  air,  and 
creeping  things — divinities  so  innumerable,  that 
it  was  said  there  were  more  gods  than  men  in 
Egypt.  Let  the  character  of  his  age,  and  the 
circumstances  in  which  he  lived,  be  taken 
into  account,  and  he  is  the  greatest  of  divines  : 
nor  does  his  sublime  knowledge  of  God,  of  the 
mysteries  of  religion,  and  of  the  moralities  of 
life,  admit  of  any  but  one  explanation.  The 
glory  of  his  writings  and  of  his  face  are  to  be 
traced  to  the  same  source.  He  was  admitted 
into  the  secret  counsels  of  the  Eternal  ;  and 
spake,  like  other  holy  men  of  old,  as  he  was 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost. — Ibid. 

4  As  an  inspired  philosopher  he  stands  alone 
in  his  marvellous  intuitions  of  natural 
truth. 

[17386]  From  Moses' account  of  the  creation 
he  represents  light  as  having  been  formed  before 
the  sun  was  hung  in  heaven  to  rule  the  day,  or 
the  moon  to  rule  the  night.  According  to  him, 
ere  day  or  night  was,  God  sent  forth  the  fiat. 
"  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light."  And 
taking  their  stand  on  an  apparent  impossibility, 
infidels  have  challenged  the  soundness  of  his 
philosophy  ;  asking  in  tones  of  undisguised 
triumph,  "  How  could  there  be  light  before,  and 
without,  the  sun  ?"  The  difficulty,  however,  has 
vanished,  and  Moses'  account  is  found  to  be  in 
perfect  harmony  with  the  discoveries  and  the 
doctrines  of  modern  science.  Inspired  of  God, 
he  anticipated  our  tardy  discoveries. — Ibid. 

[17387]  It  was  thousands  of  years  before  the 
telescope  was  invented  and  Galileo  had  turned 
it  on  the  starry  heavens,  before  Newton  had 
discovered  the  laws  of  gravitation,  before  anato- 
mists had  studied  the  structure  of  a  fossil  bone, 
before  geologists  had  explored  the  bowels  and 
strata  of  our  earth  ;  it  was  long  ages,  in  fact, 
before  true  science  was  born,  that  Moses  lifted 
the  veil  from  the  mysteries  of  creation— stating 
facts  in  regard  to  its  order,  and  laws,  and 
phenomena,  that  are  in  perfect  harmony  with 
the  greatest  discoveries  of  our  dsiy.— Ibid. 

[17388]  Moses  represents  the  earth  as  having 
been,  antecedent  to  the  present  epoch,  without 
form  and  void — an  expression  denoting  a  state 
of  extreme  and  violent  confusion,  of  death,  and 
drear  desolation.  And  how  is  his  statement, 
not  confuted,  but  corroborated  by  the  remark- 
able discoveries  of  the  nineteenth  century  ?  The 
very  same  stor>'  is  written  on  the  rocks,  which 
we  read  in  the  Book  of  Genesis.  The  solid 
strata  above  which  we  walk,  build  our  houses, 
and  reap  our  harvests,  have  been  explored  by 
the  lights  of  science  ;  and  in  their  strange  con- 
tortions, irregularities,  and  confusion,  and  those 
remains  of  innumerable  and  extinct  creatures 
that,  retaining  the  postures  of  a  violent  and 
sudden  death,  have  been  entombed  within  their 
stony  sepulclires,  they  present  a  most  remark- 
able commentary  on  Holy  Writ. — Ibid. 


124 
17389— 17397] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


IV.  Special  Characteristics. 

1  Meekness. 

[17389]  He  was  humble  as  a  child  :  a  deeply 
gifted  man,  but  self-distrustful  ;  "  very  meek 
above  all  men  who  were  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth." — Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

[17390]  If  you  can  conceive  a  man  who  had 
hoped  for  forty  years  for  the  deliverance  of  his 
people  discovering  that  they  had  been  careless, 
faithless,  and  sensual,  and  yet  silently  bearing 
their  reproaches — a  man  with  a  passionate, 
impetuous  spirit,  enduring  their  daily  murmur- 
ings,  and,  after  giving  way  to  anger,  praying  for 
their  success,  till  worn  with  emotion  his  strength 
gave  way — a  man  enduring  constant,  ignorant, 
perverse  unthankfulness,  in  the  hope  of  leading 
the  people  into  their  own  land,  and  then  calmly 
surrendering  that  hope,  and  dying  with  it  unful- 
filled, you  can  form  some  idea  of  the  sublime 
meekness  that  characterized  the  leadership  of 
Moses. — Rev.  E.  Hull. 

[17391]  There  is  a  kind  of  gentleness  which 
belongs  to  men  whose  feelings  are  too  placid  to 
be  stirred  by  injustice,  and  who  maintain  a  mild 
calmness  even  in  the  presence  of  flagrant  wrong, 
— that  gentleness  was  not  his  who,  in  his  youth, 
fired  at  the  sight  of  the  oppression  of  his  people, 
struck  down  the  oppressor  at  the  peril  of  his  own 
life.  There  is  an  amiability  of  character  which 
springs  from  the  absence  of  powerful  feelings, 
and  which  is  seldom  disturbed— that  was  not 
characteristic  of  him  who,  roused  into  fury  at 
the  people's  murmurings,  smote  the  rock  in 
disobedience  to  his  Lord.  The  nobler  meek- 
ness is  that  which  comes  forth  victorious  from 
the  struggle  with  strong  emotion,  and  wins  a 
glory  from  the  passion  it  has  subdued. — Ibid. 

[17392]  Few  have  been  equally  tried,  and 
fewer  have  borne  trial  with  equal  patience. 
It  is  recorded  of  him  :  "  Now  the  man  Moses 
was  very  meek,  above  all  the  men  which  were 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth."  And  in  catechisms 
of  Scripture  characters,  which  we  teach  our 
children,  meekness  is  ascribed  to  him  as  his 
characteristic  quality.  And  surely,  what  is 
recorded  of  him  abundantly  justifies  the  en- 
comium. He  had  borne  provocations,  many 
and  various,  with  a  truly  wonderful  equanimity. 
The  wearying  waywardness  of  his  people, 
their  stupidity,  their  dulness,  their  cowardli- 
ness, their  ingratitude,  their  frequent  rebellions 
against  his  wise  and  rightful  rule,  their  vehement 
reproaches,  their  mistrust  of  his  motives,  or  his 
wisdom,  or  his  fidelity,  produced  in  him  no  dis- 
turbance of  temper,  availed  not  to  shake  his 
settled  self-control.— AVz/.  A'.  Hallam,  D.D. 

2  Chivalry. 

['7393]  Observe  him  in  defence  of  Jethro's 
daughters  at  the  well.  He  is  ever  the  champion 
of  the  oppressed.  The  shepherds  drive  the 
women  away.  Moses  says,  "Not  so;  this  is 
God's  well ;  you  shall  not  have  it.     By  the  law 


of  the  Most  High  God  might  is  not  right.  I 
stand  one  man  against  you  all." — Rev.  F. 
Robertson. 

3  Patience. 

[17394]  It  was  a  hard  thing  for  a  man  so 
earnest  to  fail  in  his  first  effort,  and  to  have  to 
wait  for  forty  years  in  solitude  before  God 
called  him  to  act.  It  was  a  hard  thing  ...  to 
go  alone  into  the  presence  of  a  stern  and  cruel 
king,  and  summon  him  to  obey  the  will  of  the 
Lord,  but  it  was  harder  for  him  to  guide  that 
slavish,  selfish  host,  and  receive  from  the  very 
people  for  whom  he  had  given  up  everything 
the  repeated  proofs  of  cowardly  distrust  and 
dark,  murmuring  ingratitude.  Now,  every  one 
will  admit  that  the  record  of  this  most  trying 
period  in  the  life  of  Moses  manifests  a  patience, 
meekness,  and  constancy  which  is  perhaps  the 
most  wonderful  ever  displayed  by  a  man.  This 
book,  indeed,  tells  us  of  occasional  outbursts  of 
wrath  that  bore  down  all  meekness  ;  and  men 
have  pointed  to  them  as  proofs  that  Moses  was 
not  so  wonderfully  patient ;  but  those  very  out- 
bursts of  anger  seem  to  be  the  strongest  proofs 
of  his  patience. — Rev.  E.  Hull. 

[17395]  To  Moses  was  entrusted  the  noblest, 
but  at  the  same  time  the  weariest,  life-task  ever 
committed  to  the  hand  of  man.  As  a  nurse 
with  a  sick  and  fractious  child,  he  had  borne 
through  the  life  of  a  long  generation  the  burden 
of  that  people's  follies  and  sins.  The  same 
sensual  cry,  "  What  shall  we  eat,  what  shall  we 
drink  ? "  was  ever,  with  a  few  bright  intervals, 
sounding  in  his  ears  ;  and  the  dread  fore- 
boding, that  the  Lord  in  righteous  anger  would 
break  forth  on  them  and  consume  them,  was 
ever  weighing  on  his  heart.  Moses  had 
fathomed  the  meaning  of  intercession.  He 
had  lived  for  yq3.rs  the  life  of  an  intercessor, 
standing  between  God  and  a  faithless  and 
sensual  race. — Rev.  J.  Brown. 

4  Diffidence. 

[17396]  Notwithstanding  the  solemnity  and 
emphasis  of  his  appointment,  he  could  not  feel 
that  he  was  the  man  for  such  a  vocation.  The 
most  self-confident  do  not  always  prove  the 
most  faithful.  When  the  Most  High  sent  the 
Prophet  Jeremiah  to  Israel  in  their  apostasy 
his  only  answer  was,  "  Ah,  Lord  God,  I  cannot 
speak,  for  I  am  a  child  !"  When  he  called  the 
heaven-born  Paul  to  be  the  apostle  to  the 
(ientiles,  he  could  not  refrain  from  exclaiming, 
"Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  !" — Rev.  G. 
spring,  D.D. 

[17397]  Moses  saw  at  a  glance  the  greatness 
of  the  enterprise  intrusted  to  him.  He  was  to 
treat  with  a  haughty  monarch,  expostulate  with 
an  ignorant  and  degraded  people,  and  confront 
a  learned  and  frowning  world.  He  anticipated 
scenes  of  trial  and  conflict,  and  his  answer  was, 
"  Who  am  I,  that  I  should  go  unto  Pharaoh, 
and  that  I  should  bring  forth  the  children  of 
Israel   out   of  Egypt?"     He  would  fain  have 


17397—17403] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS, 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[moses. 


said,  It  needs  a  more  consecrated  and  a  bolder 
heart  than  mine,  and  a  more  eloquent  tongue  to 
stand  in  such  a  presence,  and  a  mightier  arm 
than  mine  to  deliver  Israel.  More  than  once 
was  he  embarrassed  by  this  shrinking  diffi- 
dence ;  he  even  carried  it  so  far,  that  God's 
anger  was  kindled  against  him.  Mor.e  than 
once  did  he  bring  his  commission  back  and  lay 
it  at  God's  feet,  because  he  felt  himself  unequal 
to  its  fulfilment.  He  did  not  question  the  im- 
portance of  the  service  ;  it  was  a  view  of  its 
importance  that  overwhelmed  him.  He  would 
cheerfully  be  a  subaltern  in  such  a  campaign, 
but  he  could  not  consent  to  become  its  chief. 
He  seems  sometimes  to  complain  of  the  burden 
that  was  put  upon  him.  When  the  Israelites 
discouraged  him,  he  would  go  to  God,  and 
say,  "  Behold,  the  children  of  Israel  have  not 
hearkened  unto  me  ;  how  then  shall  Pharaoh 
hear  me  who  am  of  uncircumcised  lips  ? " — 
Ibid. 

5       Perseverance. 

[17398]  The  office  he  sustained  was  environed 
with  difficulties  ;  there  never  was  a  more  impor- 
tant or  a  more  difficult  office.  It  was  not  the 
promptness  and  ardour  which  he  brought  to 
this  service  which  so  much  distinguished  him, 
as  the  steadiness  and  energy  of  his  purpose, 
and  his  patient  and  indomitable  endurance. — 
Ibid. 

[17399]  History  records  instances,  not  a  few, 
in  which  precipitation  in  great  enterprises  was 
only  ominous  of  their  failure  ;  while  it  furnishes 
very  many  instructive  examples  in  which  the 
failure  would  have  been  complete  and  inevit- 
able but  for  the  unconquerable  perseverance  of 
a  single  man.  Never  was  this  truth  more  sig- 
nally verified  than  in  the  character  of  Israel's 
great  leader.  It  was  not  the  growth  of  a 
moment.  Very  early  did  his  thoughts  become 
habituated  to  solicitude,  to  obstacles  and 
danger  ;  while  by  slow  degrees  he  ascertained 
they  were  inseparable  from  every  step  of  his 
progress.  He  united  so  much  steadfast  in- 
tegrity with  such  heroic  enthusiasm,  that  his 
firmness  became  invincible.  His  moral  courage 
rose  in  sublimity,  and  was  the  more  invigorated 
w'ith  every  accumulated  burden.  There  were 
scenes  in  Egypt,  at  the  Red  Sea,  and  in  the 
wilderness,  which  would  have  disconcerted  the 
plans  of,  and  unnerved,  any  man  in  the  world 
who  had  not  the  bone  and  sinew  of  his  firm 
character.  Irresolution  might  have  been  looked 
for  under  such  circumstances ;  but  he  was  a 
stranger  to  everything  but  resoluteness.  The 
courage  of  Israel  might  fluctuate  ;  but  there 
was  no  fluctuation  with  him.  They  might 
despair  ;  but  despondency,  when  he  had  once 
entered  upon  his  work,  was  a  feeling  he  knew 
nothing  of.  It  was  not  a  beaten  path  that  he 
travelled,  nor  were  the  obstacles  such  as  had 
been  before  surmounted  ;  yet  he  went  forward 
without  distrust  or  apprehension. — Ibid. 

[17400]  A  life  of  wonderful  vicissitudes  and 


violent  contrasts,  of  stupendous  labours,  of  un- 
equalled trials,  of  faithfulness,  of  untiring, 
single-hearted,  unselfish  devotion  to  a  great 
end,  of  unshaken  faith  in  God,  of  unswerving 
benevolence  to  men. — Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

6  Self-denial. 

[17401]  Self  was  nothing;  God  and  Israel 
were  all  that  that  large  heart  thought  of.  That 
meek  spirit  covered  a  soul  of  the  most  exalted 
self-denial.  High  thoughts  had  a  dwelling  in 
his  lofty  mind.  He  might  have  been  the 
"  world-fiimed "  founder  of  an  empire;  but 
"he  chose  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the 
people  of  God."  He  might  have  been  the 
proudest  among  the  proud,  and  among  the 
rich  the  richest,  but  "  he  chose  rather  to  suffer 
affliction  with  the  people  of  Ciod."  He  might 
have  procured  aggrandizement,  office  and 
wealth  for  his  sons  ;  but  he  left  them  no  in- 
heritance save  the  tent  in  which  he  encamped 
in  the  wilderness,  because  "he  chose  rather  to 
suffer  affliction  with  the  people  of  God  than  to 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season." — Ibid. 

[17402]  We  do  not  know  of  such  an  example 
of  moral  excellence,  in  which  religious  principle 
gained  such  an  ascendency  over  secular  ad- 
vancement, and  the  man  of  God  over  the  man. 
He  was  the  same  devoted  servant  of  God  and 
his  people  to  the  last  ;  the  same  man  every- 
where, from  the  hour  when  he  took  his  shoes 
from  off  his  feet  at  Horeb,  to  the  hour  when  he 
went  up  to  the  top  of  l^isgah,  nobly  doing  and 
bravely  suffering  the  Divine  will.  Tempests 
beat  upon  him,  nor  did  they  cease  to  beat,  nor 
he  to  contend  manfully  with  the  storm.  It  is 
this  steady,  unbroken  self-denial  which  sheds 
increasing  light  and  brightening  honours  upon 
his  fair  name. — Ibid. 

7  Self-sacrifice. 

[17403]  Glance  at  the  godliness  of  their 
leader,  manifesting  itself  in  self-sacrificing 
sympathy:  "And  Moses  returned  unto  the 
Lord,  and  said.  Oh,  this  people  have  sinned  a 
great  sin,  and  have  made  them  gods  of  gold, 
yet  now,  if  Thou  wilt  forgive  their  sin — and  if 
not,  blot  me,  I  pray  Thee,  out  of  the  Book 
which  Thou  hast  written."  Some  men,  unable 
to  comprehend  the  sublime  self-devotion  of 
Moses,  have  thought  that  he  spake  these  words 
under  the  hasty  excitement  of  anger,  being 
chafed  and  indignant  at  such  slavish  debase- 
ment in  the  people.  But  I  cannot  conceive  it. 
His  first  anger  at  their  sin  had  passed  away. 
Could  he  be  angry  while  three  thousand  of  the 
people  were  lying  dead  ?  Could  he  speak 
thoughtlessly  and  hastily  in  the  presence  of 
Jehovah  .''  Impossible  !  He  must  have  measured 
his  words,  and  have  meant  what  he  said.  Front- 
ing death  and  its  mystery,  he  stood  sublimely, 
willing  even  to  be  cut  off  from  God  if  the  sin  of 
the  people  might  thereby  be  forgiven  !  But  the 
questions  still  arise,  How  could  he  thus  feel  for 
that  people  then  .'*  How  could  he  dare  to  oft'er 
himself  as   an  atonement   for  their   sin  ?     To 


126 

17403— 17409] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[MOSES. 


enter  into  this  we  must  remember  how  close 
his  connection  with  them  had  been.  They  had 
been  the  burden  of  his  thoughts  during  those 
years  in  the  desert.  He  had  battled  for  them 
with  Pharaoh.  To  lead  them  forth  into  free- 
dom had  been  the  great  purpose  of  his  life.  He 
was  one  with  them  in  all  things  ;  and  if  in  all 
ages  there  have  been  patriotic  men,  ready  to 
die,  if  need  be,  for  their  people  or  their  land, 
can  we  not  conceive  something  of  the  sublime 
self-sacrifice  of  this  mighty  patriot  of  old  ? — 
Rev.  E.  Hull . 

[17404]  A  Godlike  man  verily,  a  man  not 
afraid  of  suffering  for  men  ;  a  man  willing,  if 
he  might,  to  save  men  by  the  sacrifice  of  him- 
self.— Rev.  N.  Bro-un. 

[17405]  If  Moses  is  ever  to  be  held  as  one  of 
the  greatest  men  of  olden  times,  and  of  all 
times,  then  it  must  be  confessed  that  no  man 
ever  paid  a  heavier  penalty  for  his  greatness. 
Never  did  human  being  stand  so  completely 
solitary  and  alone  ;  never  were  motives  and 
actions  so  misconstrued  or  misunderstood  ; 
never  were  noble  and  generous  deeds  so  re- 
quited ;  never  were  charges  and  criminations 
so  unfounded  ;  never  were  labour  and  suffering 
so  depreciated  ;  never  was  heart  so  afflicted,  or 
life  so  embittered,  or  death  so  isolated  ;  and  all 
this  in  the  prosecution  of  an  object  which  in- 
volved a  nation's  freedom  and  a  world's  weal. 
Though  his  soul  was  filled  with  one  of  heaven's 
subiimest  purposes,  his  heart  was  all  but  broken 
by  the  ingratitude  and  rebellion — the  selfishness 
and  the  sensuousness  of  those  whose  cause  he 
had  made  his  own.  So  continued  was  the  cruci- 
fixion of  thought  and  feeling  to  which  he  was 
subject — such  was  the  total  immolation  of  self 
to  which  he  was  called,  that  his  life  was  more 
than  a  martyr's  death.  His  mental  anguish 
threw  all  physical  suffering  into  the  distance, 
and  the  outward  privation  was  as  nothing  in 
comparison  with  the  inward  affliction.  But 
under  the  crushing  pressure  of  all  that  was  laid 
upon  him,  he  still  stood  erect — manly  in  his 
attitude  and  heroic  in  his  mien. — R.  Ferguson, 

8       Acquiescence  in  the  will  of  God. 

Under  keen  disappointment. 

Moses  dies,  with  the  purpose  of  his  life  ap- 
parently unfulfilled. 

[17406]  If  we  reflect  on  his  circumstances  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  we  shall  find  that  they 
must  all  have  brought  before  him  the  mys- 
terious fact  that  the  grand  purpose  of  his  life 
was  never  to  be  realized.  One  thought  had 
given  meaning  to  his  history  for  eighty  years — 
the  thought  of  guiding  the  nation  into  the  land 
promised  to  his  forefathers— that  must  often 
have  cheered  him  through  many  a  desolate  day 
in  the  wilderness,  and  it  must  have  helped  him 
to  be  calm  when  the  people's  murmurings  grew 
loud.  The  difficulties  of  their  piogress,  and  the 
apparent  disappointment  of  their  hopes,  would 
react  on  him  in  new  power.  His  feelings 
towards  the  people,  too,  would  exert  on  that 


purpose  a  higher  and  a  holier  power.  Their 
welfare  had  become  part  of  his  life.  His  sym- 
pathy with  their  weakness,  their  ignorance, 
their  sorrow,  must  have  kindled  into  burning 
ardour  the  desire  to  bring  them  to  their  home. 
But  on  the  very  verge  of  its  accomplishment— 
on  the  very  border  of  the  land,  with  its  hills  in 
sight,  that  purpose  must  be  surrendered  and  he 
must  die. — Rev.  E.  Hicii. 

[17407]  The  mystery  did  not  lie  only  in  this, 
that  his  great  desire  must  remain  unreached, 
but  that  in  fact  all  his  life  must  have  appeared 
to  have  been  a  lost  discipline.  It  is  evident 
Moses  felt  this  as  one  of  the  saddest  aspects  of 
his  departure.  The  earnest  prayer  that  the 
Divine  sentence  should  be  recalled,  and  that, 
he  should  lead  his  people  into  their  own  land, 
shows  how  keenly  this  thought  pressed  upon 
him. — Ibid. 

[17408]  At  last  he  had  reached  the  goal,  so 
long  desired,  of  all  his  thoughts.  The  promised 
land  was  there  before  him,  and  the  waves  of 
Jordan  alone  separated  him  from  it.  The 
promised  land  !  Oh,  how  often  he  called  for 
and  comtemplated  it  beforehand  in  his  solitary 
dreams  during  the  long  nights  of  the  desert, 
when,  under  the  starry  heaven,  he  conversed 
with  Jehovah  !  It  was  there  that  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob  had  planted  their  tents  ;  it 
was  there  that  their  tombs  awaited  Israel ;  there 
the  reign  of  God  was  to  be  established  on  earth  ; 
there,  to  the  mind  of  Moses,  was  to  be  found 
repose,  the  realization  of  all  his  desires,  the 
recompense  of  all  his  fatigues.  It  is  then  that 
the  voice  of  the  Lord  is  addressed  to  him,  say- 
ing, "  Ascend  the  mountain,  behold  the  land  of 
thy  fathers,  but  thou  shalt  not  enter  it  !  "  From 
the  silent  summit  of  Mount  Nebo  the  over- 
worked old  man  directs  his  eager  looks  before 
him  and  in  every  direction  :  he  sees  all  the 
country  from  Gilead  to  Dan  ;  there  stretches 
out  Jericho,  the  city  of  palm  trees  ;  there  the 
rich  plains  of  Naphtali,  of  Ephraim,  and  of 
Manasseh  ;  there  Judah  ;  there,  beyond,  towards 
the  distant  horizon,  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Yes, 
it  is  certainly  the  promised  land,  but— he  is  for- 
bidden to  enter  it  !  For  a  moment  his  heart 
bends  under  its  load  of  anguish  ;  but,  losing 
sight  of  himself,  he  tliinks  of  the  future  of  Israel  ; 
he  contemplates  with  emotion  those  places  in 
which  God  will  establish  His  sanctuary,  those 
valleys  from  whence  there  will  issue  one  day 
the  salvation  of  the  world  ;  on  the  north  the 
distant  mountains  of  Galilee  ;  on  the  south, 
Bethlehem,  Moriah,  and  the  hill  where  the  cross 
in  which  we  glory  was  to  be  erected.  Then, 
having  embraced  with  one  last  look  that  land, 
so  long  desired,  Moses  bows  his  head  and  dies. 
— E.  Bersier. 

[17409]  In  judgment,  but  full  of  deep  tender- 
ness, his  Father  led  him  forth  from  the  camp 
which  he  was  to  guide  no  longer.  His  eye  was 
not  dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated,  as  he 
climbed  that  summit — his  eye  ranging  with  a 


17409— I74I3] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


127 

[moses. 


solemn  joy,  as  he  ascended,  over  fresh  breadths 
of  his  promised  land.  VVas  the  sunset  glow 
upon  it  when  he  reached  his  resting-place?  Was 
the  land,  in  that  splendid  transparent  air,  bathed 
in  the  lustrous  sunset  tones  of  which  we  have 
all  had  vision  sometimes,  and  dreamed  of  the 
glories  of  celestial  worlds  ?  We  know  not  ;  nor 
know  we  how,  as  the  gloom  settled  on  the  vision, 
a  darker,  colder  shadow  fell  around  his  spirit  ; 
but  this  we  know,  the  Angel  of  Death  who  met 
him  there  had  no  unwilling  follower  ;  the  spirits 
who  watched  for  the  spoils  of  mortality  had  not 
long  to  wait  for  their  prize.  Something  of  that 
longing  for  rest,  which  seizes  on  the  faithful 
servants  of  duty  when  their  work  is  well-nigh 
done,  he  bore  with  him  up  those  mountain  paths, 
where  the  steps  of  his  young  manhood  had  first 
learnt  strength  and  swiftness,  where  his  aged 
feet  were  now  bearing  him,  how  joyfully,  to  his 
rest.  And  some  deep  sense  of  the  tenderness 
of  His  hand  who  had  thus  ordained  for  him, 
the  perfect  love  of  the  Lord  whom  he  should  see 
at  length  in  His  glory  face  to  face,  inspired 
thanksgiving,  as  he  prepared  to  pass  from  the 
solemn  summits  of  that  mountain  world  which 
had  long  been  the  sanctuary  of  his  spirit,  and 
in  the  sublime  moment  of  vision,  to  that  land  of 
rest  of  which  the  Canaan  at  his  feet  was  but  the 
dmi  foreshining,  the  rest  where  all  the  faithful 
ones  are  at  home  with  God,  and  for  ever. — Rev. 
J.  Brown. 


V.  Traits  of  Character  displayed  in 
HIS  Position  as  Courtier. 

I       Unworldliness. 

[17410]  Behold  ancient  Egypt  at  the  time 
when  that  country  was  the  cradle  of  the  civili- 
zation of  the  world.  Arts  and  sciences  appeared 
there  for  the  first  time  on  our  globe,  and  at  the 
first  bound  Egypt  announced  her  great  destinies. 
To-day  even  the  mind  is  arrested  with  a  sort  of 
stupor  before  the  prodigious  monuments  built 
by  this  people  ;  we  ask  ourselves  by  what 
secrets,  unknown  to  our  engineers,  they  erected 
the  gigantic  pyramids,  and  m  our  universal  ex- 
hibitions I  have  seen  great  artists  contemplating 
with  admiration  the  delicate  work  of  thejewellers 
of  the  court  of  the  Pharaohs.  It  was  in  this 
centre  that  a  young  Israelite  grew  up,  called  by 
a  strange  concurrence  of  circumstances  to  the 
most  brilliant  future  which  has  ever  been  able 
to  flatter  the  ambition  of  man.  The  son  of  an 
exile,  he  can  attain  to  every  glory  ;  the  world 
tenders  its  most  intoxicating  cups  to  him  ;  he 
has  only  to  stoop  in  order  to  drink  long 
draughts.  If  he  is  eager  for  enjoyments,  where 
shall  he  find  them  more  exquisite  and  more  re- 
fined than  in  that  court  where  an  entire  people 
of  slaves  live  only  to  satisfy  the  caprices  of  its 
masters.''  If  knowledge  attracts  him,  how  can 
he  better  penetrate  its  secrets  than  in  gathenng 
round  him  all  the  sages,  all  the  investigators  of 
nature  who  crowd  into  the  schools  and  into  the 
mysterious  sanctuaries  of  this  privileged  country  ? 
If,  finally,  it  is  power  which  tempts  him,  if  he 


wishes  to  command  crowds,  to  direct  armies,  to 
behold  enthusiasm  break  out  as  he  passes,  to 
hear  his  name  cheered  by  thousands  of  voices, 
and  to  assist  while  alive  at  his  deification,  the 
throne  is  open  to  him.  Moses  saw  all  those 
dreams  and  all  those  splendours  pass  before 
him  ;  perhaps  some  day  his  heart  was  troubled 
by  those  seductive  visions  ;  but  other  thoughts 
pursue  him,  another  love,  another  ambition 
possess  him  and  leave  him  no  repose.  He 
thinks  of  his  people  and  of  his  God  ;  the 
people  is  enslaved,  (jod  is  disregarded  ;  Moses 
has  seen  his  brethren  struck  by  the  rod  of  the 
exactor,  bowed  down  under  the  burning  sun  of 
Africa,  and  loaded  with  ignominy  ;  he  has  seen 
in  the  palaces  of  kings  and  on  public  places  the 
monstrous  idols  before  which  I'^gypt  bent  the 
knee,  and,  like  St.  Paul,  at  a  later  period,  in  the 
streets  of  Athens,  his  believing  heart  is  filled 
with  an  intense  bitterness.  The  seductions  of 
riches,  of  pleasure,  and  of  visible  glory  may 
assail  him.  The  waves  of  that  sea  will  move 
him  no  more  than  a  rock. — E.  Bersier. 

2       Modesty. 

[17411]  He  gained  at  court  the  lighter  em- 
bellishments which  adorn  knowledge  and  too 
often  take  its  place,  or  are  valued  above  it. 
With  his  fair,  handsome  Hebrew  face,  an 
Egyptian  in  garb,  in  manners,  and  in  mode  of 
life,  he  played  his  part  among  the  dusky  sons  of 
Misraim,  their  admiration  and  their  envy,  but 
guarded  from  insult  and  from  harm  by  the 
mildness  and  modesty  of  his  nature,  and  by 
the  shield  of  Pharaoh's  authority. — Rev.  R. 
Hallam,  D.D. 

VI.  Traits  of  Character  displayed  in 
HIS  Position  as  Leader  and  Com- 
mander. 

Indefatigable  energy  and  promptitude. 

[17412]  History  records  no  such  achievements 
as  his,  who,  without  help  from  man,  struck  the 
fetters  off  a  million  and  more  of  slaves.  Placing 
himself  at  their  head,  he  led  them  forth  from 
the  land  of  bondage  ;  reducing  tliem  to  order, 
controlled  more  turbulent  and  subdued  more 
stubborn  elements  than  any  before  or  since  have 
had  to  deal  with  ;  formed  a  great  nation  out  of 
such  base  materials  ;  and,  casting  into  the 
shade  the  celebrated  retreat  of  the  ten  thousand 
Greeks,  conducted  to  a  successful  issue  the 
longest  and  hardest  march  on  record — a  march 
continued  for  forty  years  in  the  face  of  formid- 
able enemies,  through  howling  wildernesses  and 
desert  sands. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

VII.  Traits  OF  Character  displayed  in 
HIS  Position  as  Statesman. 

I       Wisdom. 

[174 1 3]  Look  at  the  sacred  and  secular  polity 
which  he  established  in  Israel  !  That  constitu- 
tion which  makes  our  country  the  envy  of  the 
world  has  been,  like  an  oak,  the  slow  growth  of 


128 

17413— I74I8] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[moses. 


ages  ;  and  it  was  often  only  after  long  and 
sometimes  bloody  struggles  that  right  here  pre- 
vailed over  might,  and  laws  were  established 
that  render  equal  justice  to  all  classes  of  the  com- 
munity. But,  event  unparalleled  in  any  other 
age  or  country,  Moses  established  in  Israel  a 
form  of  government  and  a  code  of  laws  which 
neither  time  nor  experience  has  been  able  to 
improve.  Like  the  goddess  fabled  to  have 
sprung,  full  grown  and  full  armed,  fiom  the  head 
of  Jupiter,  or  like  those  who  never  hung  on 
mother's  breast,  the  man  and  woman  whom 
Eden  received  to  its  blissful  bowers,  it  was 
mature  and  perfect  from  the  beginning.  What 
a  man  was  he  who,  in  that  rude  and  early  age, 
inculcated  laws  that  have  formed,  through 
all  succeeding  ages,  the  highest  standard  of 
morality  !  Since  his  long-distant  day  men  have 
run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  has  been  in- 
creased ;  the  boundaries  of  science  have  been 
vastly  extended,  but  not  those  of  morality  ;  nor 
has  one  new  duty  been  added  to  those  of  the 
two  tables  he  brought  down  from  Sinai.  A 
perfect  code  of  morals,  adapted  to  all  ages,  cir- 
cumstances, and  countries,  time  has  neither 
altered  nor  added  to  the  Ten  Commandments. 
—Ibid, 

[17414]  He  was  not  so  much  the  great  Hebrew 
warrior,  but  he  was  the  great  Hebrew  statesman. 
He  was  not  only  the  man  of  his  age,  but  we  are 
strongly  inclined  to  believe  the  greatest  man  of 
whom  we  have  any  account  in  sacred  or  profane 
history.  A  modern  historian  remarks  of  the 
elder  Pitt,  "that  he  made  himself  the  greatest 
man  in  England,  and  England  the  greatest 
country  in  the  world."  With  lar  stronger  em- 
phasis may  it  be  said  of  Moses  that,  under  God, 
he  made  himself  the  greatest  man  in  the  Hebrew 
nation,  and  the  HeL^rew  nation  the  greatest  in 
the  world.  The  poets  and  orators,  the  philoso- 
phers and  historians,  the  statesmen  and  warriors, 
the  princes  and  monarchs  of  this  world,  with  all 
their  talents  and  power  and  splendour,  never 
reached  the  summit  of  human  greatness  which 
was  occupied  by  the  man  whose  lifeless  body 
was  buried  by  his  Maker  in  the  land  of  Moab. — 
Rev.  G.  Sprin^i^,  D.D. 

2      Justice. 

[17415]  Moses  established  criminal  and  civil 
laws  which,  unless  in  so  far  as  they  were  specially 
adapted  to  the  circumstances  of  the  Israelites, 
our  senators  and  magistrates  would  do  well  to 
copy.  Inspired  with  the  profoundest  wisdom, 
they  are  patterns  to  all  ages  of  equity  and  justice. 
For  instance,  how  much  kinder  to  the  poor,  and 
less  burdensome  to  the  community,  than  ours, 
are  what  may  be  called  the  "  poor  laws "  of 
Moses.  How  much  more  wise  than  ours  those 
that  dealt  with  ilicft— thus  far  that,  requiring  the 
thief  to  restore  fourfold  the  value  of  what  hehad 
stolen,  and  work  till  he  had  done  so,  they  as- 
signed to  that  crime  a  punishment  which  at  once 
secured  reparation  to  the  plundered  and  the  re- 
formation of  the  plunderer.  Nor  less  wise,  I  may 
add,  those  sanitary  laws  of  which,  though  long 


neglected,  late  years  and  bitter  experience  have 
been  teaching  us  the  importance.  It  is  only  now, 
with  all  our  boasted  progress  in  arts  and  science, 
that  we  are  awaking  to  the  value  of  such  regu- 
lations as,  securing  cleanliness  in  the  habits  and 
in  the  homes  of  the  people,  promote  their  health 
and  preserve  their  lives.  Anticipating  the  dis- 
coveries of  the  nineteenth  century  and  the  plans 
of  our  modern  sanitary  reformers,  Moses  was 
four  thousand  years  ahead  of  his  age.  Judged, 
therefore,  either  by  the  civil  or  criminal  code  he 
enjoined,  or  by  those  Ten  Commandments  which 
lie  at  the  foundations  of  all  human  justice,  and 
shall  continue  the  supreme  standard  of  morals 
so  long  as  time  endures,  Moses  claims  prece- 
dence over  all  the  sovereigns  and  senators  and 
legislators  the  world  has  seen. — Rev.  T.  GtUhrie, 
D.D. 

3  Integrity. 

[174 1 6]  Devoutest  of  men,  he  aimed  at  the 
glory  of  God  ;  he  forgot  his  own  interests  in 
those  of  his  people.  These,  the  Divine  glory  and 
the  good  of  Israel,  were  his  aims,  and  their  at- 
tainment his  sufficient  reward— his  motives  as 
unselfish  as  the  man's  who  leaps  into  the  boiling 
flood  to  save  a  drowning  child  ;  and  whose  re- 
ward is,  not  the  plaudits  of  the  crowd  that  watch 
him  from  the  banks. — Ibid. 

4  Patriotism. 

[17417]  Unlike  many  who,  yielding  to  the 
generous  impulses  of  youth,  espouse  the  cause 
of  the  wronged,  and  fight  their  first  battles  under 
the  flag  of  liberty,  but  in  maturer  years,  or  old 
age,  live  to  desert  it,  Moses  never  swerved  from 
the  good  part  he  had  chosen.  He  pursued  it 
onward  to  his  grave  with  a  pure,  unselfish 
patriotism  no  time  could  weaken,  nor  injustice 
and  ingratitude  cool.  If  ever  man  was  tempted 
to  abandon  a  cause  which  he  had  undertaken,  it 
was  he.  Why  should  he  have  entered  on  it,  and 
left  his  happy  household,  and  the  quiet  hills  of 
Midian,  to  cast  himself  into  a  sea  of  troubles  ? 
Other  actors  have  been  hissed  from  the  stage 
where  they  were  once  applauded  ;  other  bene- 
factors have  had  to  complain  of  public  ingrati- 
tude ;  and  under  the  impulse  of  a  temporary 
madness,  other  nations  have  brought  their  truest 
patriots  to  the  scaffold.  But  for  forty  long  years 
what  reward,  else  than  abuse,  murmurs,  opposi- 
tion, unjust  suspicion,  and  repeated  attempts  on 
his  life,  did  Moses  receive  from  those  for  whom 
he  had  rejected  the  most  splendid  offers,  on 
whosebehalf  hehadmade  the  costliest  sacrifices.^ 
If  patriotism  is  to  be  measured  not  only  by  the 
wrongs  it  bears,  but  by  the  sacrifice  it  makes,  he 
stands  far  ahead  of  all  whose  deeds  grateful 
nations  have  commemorated  in  monumental 
marble,  or  poets  have  enshrined  in  song. — Ibid. 

[174 1 8]  Bred  in  a  palace,  he  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  people  :  nursed  on  the  lap  of  luxury, 
he  embraced  adversity  ;  reared  in  a  school  of 
despots,  he  became  the  brave  champion  of 
liberty ;  long  associated  with  oppressors,  he  took 
the  side  of  the  oppressed  :  educated  as  her  son, 


OLD 


17418—17424] 


TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


129 

[moses. 


he  forfeited  the  favour  of  a  princess  to  maintain 
the  rights  of  the  poor  :  with  a  crown  in  prospect, 
he  had  the  magnanimity  to  choose  a  cross  ;  and 
for  the  sake  of  his  God  and  Israel,  abandoned 
case,  refinement,  luxuries,  and  the  highest  earthly 
honours,  to  be  a  houseless  wanderer  ;  "  esteem- 
ing the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the 
treasures  of  Egypt,"  and  "choosing  rather  to 
sufifer  aftliction  with  the  people  of  God,  than  to 
enjcn'  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season." — Idid. 

[17419]  Presenting  a  noble  contrast  to  the 
proverb  long  common  in  Italy,  Dolce  fa?-  fiiente 
— "  It  is  sweet  to  indulge  in  idleness,"  the  old 
Roman  sang,  Diilce  et  decorinn  pro  patrfa  7iiori 
— "  It  is  sweet  and  graceful  to  die  for  one's 
country."  The  lofty  patriotism  of  the  poet  may 
be  only  the  sentimentalism  of  song,  and  the  hero 
of  the  gulf  only  such  a  fable  as  adorns  tradi- 
tionary lore.  But  Moses  was  a  patriot  of  that 
type. — Ibid. 


VIII. 


The  Great 
which    his 

POSED. 


Moral  Elements  of 
Character  was  Com- 


Faith  in  God. 


[17420]  Like  Noahand  Abraham,  he  believed 
God.  God's  word  of  command  and  promise  was 
the  starting-point  in  his  high  career,  and  his 
constant  support  and  stimulus.  When  he  knew 
that  God  had  spoken,  with  a  single-hearted  and 
whole-souled  confidence  he  believed  that  God 
was  true.  His  soul  rested  on  the  bare  word  and 
promise  of  God,  and,  in  so  doing,  not  only  en- 
joyed the  repose,  but  the  vigour  and  decision  of 
a  satisfied  assurance.  He  was  embarrassed  and 
agitated  until  he  heard  God's  voice  ;  then  all 
was  tranquil  and  determined.  He  had  crossed 
the  sea  of  doubt,  and  stood  on  solid  rock.  He 
was  not  weak  enough  to  be  credulous,  but  he  was 
strong  enough  to  be  believing. — Rev.  G.Spriiio;, 
D.D. 

[ 1 7421]  He  was  of  a  brave  and  resolute 
spirit,  a  man  of  mettle  and  of  faith.  He  did 
not  despair  of  a  cause  because  it  had  met 
with  a  reverse.  He  believed  that  the  cause 
was  God's.  He  believed  in  himself  as  God's 
instrument  to  make  it  victorious.  He  believed 
in  his  own  mission  as  having  in  it  such  clear 
marks  of  a  Divine  origin  that  he  dared  not 
question  or  distrust  them.  Why  God  thus 
seemed  to  falter  and  forsake  His  own  work  he 
could  not  tell.  But  he  knew  that  God  does  not 
change,  and  that  none  of  His  purposes  shall  fail. 
"  He  is  in  one  mind,  and  who  can  turn  Him? and 
what  His  soul  desireth  that  He  doeth."  Here 
was  a  rock  on  which  his  feet  might  stand  firmly. 
He  stood  upon  it,  and  it  did  not  fail  him.  Nay, 
in  the  questionings  which  arose  in  his  mind  he 
became  more  conscious  of  the  depth  of  his  con- 
victions, and  the  strength  of  his  purposes.  And 
in  the  exercise  they  gained  greater  depth  and 
strength.  And  so  he  arose  to  renew  his  struggle 
with  fresh  vigour  ;  and  with  renewed  evidences 
of  the  Divine  favour  and  assistance,  he  prose- 

VOL.    VI. 


cuted  it  to  an  illustrious  success.  The  people 
caught  his  resolution,  followed  his  guidance,  and 
grew  from  a  race  of  slaves  to  a  numerous  and 
powerful  nation.— Z;*^?^.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

2  Realization  of  the  Divine  presence. 
[17422]  At  first,  Moses  was  unwilling  to  goto 

Pharaoh.  He  had  learned  enough,  during  those 
strange  years,  to  feel  the  difficulty  of  that  task. 
Who  was  he,  that  he  should  face  the  king  and 
his  armies  1  Then  came  that  grand  revelation  of 
the  name  of  God,  which  was  to  abide  with  him 
until  his  work  was  done—"  I  am  that  I  am." 
There  is  an  awful  power  in  these  words  to  bring 
us  face  to  face  with  God,  conveying  as  they  do 
the  Reality  of  all  realities,  the  Mystery  of  all 
mysteries.  And  observe,  this  revelation  of  the 
name  of  God  made  him  feel  the  glory  of  the 
vision  as  an  e^'cr  present  power.  The  bush 
might  burn  no  more  ;  but  the  unchanging  Pre- 
sence would  still  be  with  him.  Under  that  con- 
sciousness, the  sense  of  his  own  insignificance 
faded.  His  terror  of  Pharaoh  passed  away. 
What  were  human  obstacles  to  him,  before 
whose  eye  was  ever  present  the  glories  he  had 
seen  in  the  desert,  and  to  whom  had  come  that 
revelation  of  the  Lord  ?  Should  the  people  sneer 
at,  and  reject  him  ;  should  he  have  to  stand 
alone  ;  should  he  seem  to  fail ;  and  should  he  die 
with  his  work  undone,  still,  that  mighty  vision 
had  given  him  a  grasp  on  eternity  which  would 
keep  him  strong  and  true  ! — Rev.  E.  Hull. 

[17423]  For  Moses  the  struggle  begins  anew 
every  day.  At  each  step  his  work  is  compro- 
mised. Food  is  wanting,  drought  makes  the 
people  languish,  insubordinations  are  multiplied, 
revolt  is  even  among  the  best,  among  those  on 
whom  he  counted  the  most  ;  in  decisive  hours 
Moses  is  alone  before  an  idolatrous  people.  At 
the  very  foot  of  Sinai,  where  the  holy  law  has 
just  been  proclaimed,  he  sees  them  making  a 
calf  of  gold  and  saying,  '*  These  be  thy  gods,  O 
Israel,  which  have  brought  thee  up  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt  ;''  he  sees  them  joining  in  the 
obscene  feasts  of  neighbouring  tribes,  or  tremb- 
ling like  a  leaf  on  learning  that  the  enemy  is 
making  ready  to  defend  Canaan.  At  moments 
also  his  soul  is  wearied  by  so  many  murmurings 
and  by  so  much  cowardice,  he  staggers  beneath 
the  weight.  What  is  it  that  then  lifts  him  up  .'' 
what  is  it  that  gives  him  a  new  impulse  and  an 
indomitable  courage  .''  It  is  that  he  sees  Hiin 
who  is  invisible,  Him  who  has  said,  "  Go,  I  will 
be  with  thee."  As  he  has  not  received  his 
investiture  from  men,  he  does  not  expect  his  re- 
ward from  them,  and  their  impatience,  their 
revolts,  their  ingratitude  will  not  succeed  in 
making  his  firmness  give  way. — E.  Bersier. 

3  Conviction   of  the  paramount  importance 
of  the  things  unseen  and  eternal. 

[17424]  Moses  was  a  fool  to  the  men  of  his 
time,  for  he  sacrificed  all  that  the  world  envies 
to  the  sublime  foolishness  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
in  an  lotknozijn  ftcture. — Ibid. 


I30 
17425- 


-1743°] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[MOSES. 


IX.  The  Grandeur   of  his   Character 
VIEWED  AS  A  Whole. 

[17435]  He  united  in  himself  the  warrior  and 
the  sage,  the  man  of  letters  and  the  man  of 
action.  He  was  lawgiver,  judge,  and  king  ;  the 
maker  of  a  nation,  its  historian  and  its  bard  ; 
its  leader  in  war,  its  teacher  in  religion,  its  guide 
and  director  in  the  arts  of  peace. — I^ev.  T. 
Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17426]  He  was  "  King  in  Jeshurun,  when  the 
heads  of  the  people  and  the  tribes  of  Israel  were 
gathered  together."  He  "  commanded  them  a 
law,  even  the  inheritance  of  the  congregation  of 
Jacob."  He  was  their  captain  in  war  and  their 
governor  in  peace.  His  words  came  to  them 
with  the  lively  impress  of  Divinity,  armed  with 
an  authority  that  none  dared  to  question  or  gain- 
say. He  was  their  champion,  their  advocate, 
their  guardian,  their  leader,  their  monitor,  their 
legislator,  their  protector,  their  sovereign.  Never 
did  man  sustain  to  people  so  complex  a  rela- 
tipn,  such  various  and  distinct  offices,  all  exe- 
cuted so  wisely,  so  beneficently,  so  efficiently, 
without  interference  or  confusion.  No  perils 
daunted  him,  no  suffering  unnerved  him,  no 
waywardness  and  ingratitude  of  the  people 
wearied  out  his  patience.  This  on  his  secular 
side  ;  and  even  secular  eyes,  looking  upon  it 
fairly,  must  own  him  surpassingly,  wonderfully 
grand,  and  see  that  the  great  ones  of  history  in 
whom  they  are  wont  to  glory  as  the  top  and 
flower  of  man,  pale  and  grow  dim  in  his  presence. 
Where  can  they  find  such  a  combination  of  ex- 
cellences, such  a  wealth  of  resources,  such  a 
variety  of  functions,  relations,  and  offices,  and 
all  so  wisely  and  justly  combined  and  balanced, 
employed  with  motives  so  pure  and  unselfish, 
for  ends  so  great  and  so  salutary,  exhibiting  ver- 
satility without  inconstancy,  and  variety  without 
contradiction  1 — Rev.  R.  Hallarn,  D.D. 

[17427]  If  the  rapid  march  of  scenes  and 
events,  of  things  done  and  suffered  by  a  great 
doer  in  a  great  cause,  with  manhood,  bravery, 
steadiness,  and  singleness  of  aim,  can  stamp  an 
epic  character  on  the  story  of  a  life,  the  life  of 
Moses  fulfils  the  conditions.  And  yet  it  is  not 
an  epic  in  any  embellishment  of  fictitious  or 
poetic  colouring,  but  only  an  epic  in  its  stern 
truthfulness,  and  in  the  solemn  grandeur  of  its 
hero,  the  loftiness  of  his  aims,  and  the  magni- 
tude of  his  achievements. — Ibid. 

X.  HOMILETICAL    HINTS. 

I       All    have    not  Moses'  career    to    sacrifice, 
but  all  may  imitate  him  in  his  choice. 

[17428]  All  have  not  a  crown  to  resign  :  but 
every  man  has  passions  to  conquer.  All  cannot 
reach  the  summit  of  a  hero's  fame  ;  but  all  may 
choose  the  lot  of  Moses.  They  may  be  desti- 
tute of  his  talents,  of  his  literature,  of  his  rank  ; 
but  they  may  adopt  his  decision  ;  and  in  this 
was  he  most  eminent,  and  most  glorious.  Here 
is   a  guiltless  field  for   the   noblest   ambition  ! 


And  here  is  a  lesson  for  the  proudest  heart  ! 
Behold  the  eulogy  of  the  greatest  man  that  ever 
lived  !  And  in  what  is  it  founded  ?  Not  on  his 
distinction  as  a  legislator— his  skill  as  a  general 
— his  elevation  asamonarch  — his  attainmentsas 
a  scholar — nor  even  his  superiority  as  a  prophet 
— these  are  all  waived — upon  this  alone  his 
character  rests — he  chooses  "  rather  to  suffer 
affliction  with  the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy 
the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season  !" — "Go,  and 
do  likewise  !  " — Rev.  R.  Bond. 

2  His   choice,  if  adopted,  will   never  be  re- 
gretted. 

[17429]  What  did  he  embrace?  A  life  of 
danger — a  sphere  of  humiliation — a  tract  of 
ignominy.  He  did  not  withdraw  to  spend  his 
days  in  ease,  and  in  elegant  retirement.  He 
neither  shrunk  from  the  painful  duties  of  life, 
nor  expected  exemption  from  its  troubles.  On 
the  contrary,  he  walked  along  its  most  thorny 
path.  He  chose  a  portion  which  necessarily 
invcvlved  in  it  affliction.  And  he  did  it  upon  the 
conviction  of  his  judgment,  and  the  decisions  of 
his  heart.  Had  he  been  expressly  called  to  it, 
we  might  have  wondered  less  :  but  it  was  his 
choice  :  and  he  obeyed  in  the  voice  of  God,  the 
impulse  of  his  own  great  mind.  To  such  an 
individual,  how  sweet  were  the  hours  of  retire- 
ment— of  reflection — of  repose  !  He  did  not 
meet,  like  Brutus,  an  apparition  in  his  tent, 
raised  by  the  accusations  of  conscience,  to  re- 
proach him  with  a  deed,  which  he  had  flattered 
himself  would  cover  him  with  immortal  glory. 
He  did  not,  in  casting  the  die,  and  taking  his 
final  resolution,  decree,  like  Ctesar,  the  ruin  of 
his  country's  liberties.  He  did  not,  like  Alex- 
ander, first  subdue  the  world,  and  then  weep 
that  he  had  not  another  world  to  conquer. 
These  all  had  something  to  tarnish  their  glory 
— something  to  disturb  their  repose  :  and  they 
felt  how  vain  and  how  unsatisfactory  is  human 
greatness.  They  often  repented  of  their  choice  : 
but  he  never. — Ibid. 

3  This  choice  involves  a  threefold  victory, 

[17430]  Of  all  Moses'  distinctions,  that  which 
the  apostle  seized  is  the  most  conspicuous  ;  of  all 
his  achievements,  it  is  the  most  noble  ;  of  all 
his  conquests,  it  is  the  most  brilliant.  It  was 
at  one  and  the  same  time  a  victory  over  the 
world,  a  victory  over  sin,  and  a  victory  over 
himself.  "  By  faith,  Moses,  when  he  was  come 
to  years,  refused  to  becalled  the  son  of  Pharaoh's 
daughter ;  esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ 
greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt.  By 
faith  he  forsook  Egypt,  not  fearing  the  wrath  of 
the  king  ;  for  he  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is 
invisible." — Ibid. 

N.B. — In  order  to  understand  the  lofty  nature 
of  Moses'  choice  it  is  necessary  to  vividly  realize 
the  self-sacrifice  involved  in  it.  He  gave  up  the 
comforts  of  civilization,  the  princely  honours  of 
a  world's  first-rate  power  ;  in  fine,  the  immediate, 
tangible,  and  fully  estimated  present  for  a  dis- 
tant, shadpwy,  and  precarious  future. — C.  N. 


I743T-I7438] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


i3» 

[AARON. 


AARON. 

I.  General  Estimate  OF  his  Character. 

[ 1 7431]  Judging  from  the  acts  of  his  hfe  we 
should  suppose  him  to  have  been,  Hke  many 
eloquent  men,  a  man  of  impulsive  and  com- 
paratively unstable  character,  leaning  almost 
wholly  on  his  brother  ;  incapable  of  that  en- 
durance of  loneliness  and  temptation  which  is 
an  element  of  real  greatness  ;  but  at  the  same 
time  earnest  in  his  devotion  to  God  and  man, 
and  therefore  capable  of  sacrifice  and  of  disci- 
pline by  trial. — Bp.  Barry. 


II.  His  Chief  Defects. 
1       W^ant  of  strength  of  mind. 

This  was  lamentably  displayed  in  the  matter 
of  the  goldeji  calf 

[17432]  Unhappily,  Aaron  possessed  but  little 
strength  of  mind  ;  a  sad  and  fatal  infirmity  of 
purpose  marred  his  natural  goodness  and  noble- 
ness of  disposition  :  indeed,  he  was  only  too 
easily  led  to  the  commission  of  acts  which  mili- 
tated greatly  to  his  discredit,  and  brought  the 
severest  after-consequences  in  their  train.  He 
displayed  a  fearful  weakness  of  character  in 
yielding,  on  the  very  first  appeal,  to  the  wilful 
yearnings  of  the  people  after  idol  worship. — 
/.  Mocatta. 

[17433]  So  long  as  Aaron  was  the  spokes- 
man of  Moses'  thought,  we  cannot  but  admire 
him  ;  but  when  he  was  left  to  himself,  the  elo- 
quent orator  became,  as  many  another  merely 
eloquent  orator  has  become,  the  willing  dupe  in 
the  hands  of  a  maddened  people,  and  the  very 
moulder  of  the  golden  calf  which  they  set  up  to 
worship. 

[17434]  We  are  struck  with  the  absence  of 
strength  and  point  in  Aaron's  character  ;  we 
might  almost  say  with  the  want  of  character 
altogether.  So  that  gifted  as  he  was  in  speech 
beyond  Moses,  yet  no  saying  of  wisdom  is  re- 
corded of  him  ;  and  though  he  bore  so  eminent 
a  part  in  the  most  important  history  of  the 
world,  and  the  miraculous  events  which  accom- 
panied the  establishment  of  the  Law,  yet  no 
memorable  action  is  mentioned  of  himself  alone  ; 
all  is  in  conjunction  with  Moses.  And  even  his 
sins  seem  to  have  been  owing  rather  to  a  want 
of  strength  in  his  character,  than  to  a  disposition 
to  evil  ;  his  making  the  golden  calf  was  in 
obedience  to  the  people  ;  his  contention  against 
Moses  appears  to  have  been  rather  at  the  insti- 
gation of  Miriam  than  his  own  ;  and  when 
Moses  himself  failed  in  faith  at  the  Rock,  Aaron 
was  combined  with  him  in  that  fall  ;  it  is  spoken 
of  as  the  sin  of  both  in  common  (Numb.  xx.  12). 
— Isaac  Williams. 

[17435]  Moses  having  been  called  up  to  the 
presence  of  God  on  Mount  Sinai,    Aaron  was 


left  without  a  colleague,  and,  like  a  substance 
released  from  chemical  combination,  exhibited 
his  uninfluenced  and  true  character.  How  im- 
mediately we  see  the  defects  which  naturally 
attend  upon  the  very  gift,  which  qualified  hiin 
for  partnership  in  ministry  with  Moses,  breaking 
forth,  when  no  longer  controlled  by  the  yoke  of 
fellowship!  We  see  a  melancholy  example  of 
the  common  fact,  that  he  who  has  an  aptitude 
to  persuade  others,  has  an  aptitude  to  yield  to 
the  persuasion  of  others,  and  that  he  who  exerts 
himself  to  influence  a  multitude  must  bow  to 
its  influence.  The  mind  that  will  weave  nets 
must  be  content  to  be  entangled  in  the  meshes, 
when  its  thoughts  are  driven  into  distraction 
by  the  urgent  pleading  of  the  tempter  without. 
— Bev.  R.  Evans,  B.D. 

2       Presumption. 

Evidejice  of  this  was  given  in  Ms  vtnr- 
nntring  with  Miriam  against  the  supreme 
authority  of  Moses. 

[17436]  The  only  occasion  on  which  his  in- 
dividual character  is  seen  is  one  of  presumption, 
prompted,  as  in  his  former  sin,  chiefly  by  another, 
and,  as  before,  speedily  repented  of.  The  mur- 
muring of  Aaron  and  Miriam  against  Moses 
clearly  proceeded  .from  their  trust,  the  one  in  his 
priesthood,  the  other  in  her  prophetic  inspira 
tion  as  equal  commissions  from  God  (Numb, 
xii.  2).  It  seems  to  have  vanished  at  once  be- 
fore the  declaration  of  Moses'  exaltation  above 
all  prophecy  and  priesthood,  except  that  One 
who  was  to  come  :  and,  if  we  may  judge  from 
the  direction  of  the  punishment,  to  have  origi 
nated  mainly  with  Miriam. — Bp.  Barry. 

III.  Reason  why  the  Defects  in  his 
Character  did  not  Unfit  him  for 
his  Office. 

By  reason  of  his  infirmity  he  was  the  better 
fitted  to  sympathize  with  the  weak  and 
erring. 

[17437]  It  has  been  well  observed  that  the 
very  defects  of  Aaron's  character,  and  especially 
his  sin  and  repentance  in  the  matter  of  tlie 
golden  calf,  fitted  him  the  more  for  the  ofiice  of 
high  priest  (Heb.  v.  2,  vii.  28).  And  he  could 
also  sympathize  with  deep  suft'ering,  such  as  he 
felt  when  his  sons  Nadab  and  Abihu  were  slain 
for  their  sacrilege  (Lev.  x.  3).  All  these  points 
are  placed  by  the  apostle  in  striking  contrast  to 
His  priesthood  whose  perfect  and  sinless  human 
nature  makes  them  have  sympathy  without  in- 
firmity (Heb.  v.-viii.). — Smitli's  Old  Testament 
History . 

IV.  The  Allowances  to  be  made  for 
his  Defects. 

I  A  long  life  of  slavery  had  crushed  his 
spirit. 

[17438]  Aaron  was  more  than  eighty  years  of 
age  when  he  quitted  the  land  of  bondage,  and 
though  he  could  for  a  time  rise  to  vigour  of  pur- 


132 

17438— 17443] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS, 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[aaron. 


pose  and  vigour  of  action  through  the  inter- 
position of  the  Deity,  his  spirit  was  so  cowed  by 
long,  long  years  of  slavery,  that  he  had  become 
weak  and  nerveless.  Weak  and  faulty  then,  as 
he  proved  himself  on  various  occasions,  we  have 
this  extenuating  circumstance  to  bear  in  mind 
when  considering  the  high  position  to  which  he 
rose. — /.  Mocatta. 

2  Overshadowed  by  his  brother's  greatness, 
only  misfortunes  bring  Aaron  into  promi- 
nent notice. 

[17439]  It  is  principally  through  his  misfor- 
tunes that  Aaron  is  known  to  us  ;  and  his  cha- 
racter, in  consequence,  does  not  meet  with  all 
the  regard  which  is  his  due,  as  holding  so  high 
a  station  in  the  Church  of  God,  as  founder  of 
such  a  splendid  line  of  typical  forerunners  of 
the  great  High  Priest.  His  very  position,  as 
second  in  command,  was  such  as  to  make  his 
defects  his  own,  but  transfer  his  merits  to  his 
superior. — R.  Evans. 

3  God  spake  not  to  him  face  to  face,  but 
he  was  dependent  upon  the  mediation  of 
a  younger  brother. 

[17440]  We  should  always  take  into  the 
account  that  Moses  had  to  rely  on  the  direct 
word  of  God  ;  but  Aaron  was  obliged  to  rely  on 
it  mediately  through  the  word  of  Moses,  and 
had  not,  therefore,  the  same  sureness  of  founda- 
tion for  the  confidence  of  faith.  Nor  should  we 
grudge  to  Aaron  the  fair  allowance  that  should 
be  made  for  him  in  consideration  that  he  was 
the  elder  brother,  and  was  therefore  subject  to 
continual  trial  when  put  under  the  orders  of 
the  younger. — Ibid. 

[The  writer  of  the  above,  though  ingenious 
and  suggestive,  indulges  somewhat  in  special 
pleading.  When  we  reflect  on  other  events  in 
the  lives  of  the  two  brothers,  all  the  foregoing 
statements  cannot  be  fully  sustained. — C.  N.~\ 

V.  The  Contrast  between  Moses  and 
Aaron. 

[17441]  In  point  of  natural  temperament 
Aaron  presents  a  contrast  to  his  brother.  In 
Moses  we  behold  a  man  of  innate  robustness  of 
mind — a  man  born  to  command — a  man  of  the 
same  heroic  type  with  such  later  saints  as  Elijah, 
Daniel,  and  Paul.  Aaron,  on  the  contrary,  falls 
to  be  classed  with  those  pliant  dependent 
characters  who,  unable  to  wage  the  battle  of  life 
single-handed,  inevitably  take  their  place,  not 
among  leaders,  but  among  the  led.  Aaron  is  an 
eloquent  man,  but  only  when  Moses  puts  words 
in  his  mouth.  Aaron  is  mighty  in  deeds  as  well 
as  in  words,  but  only  when  Moses  goes  before 
him  to  set  him  the  example.  If  Moses  may 
be  likened  to  the  sturdy  oak,  Aaron's  appropriate 
emblem  is  the  clinging  ivy. — y.  AVCulloch. 

[17442]  Moses  and  Aaron  lived  thousands  of 
years  ago,  and  it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  por- 
traits of  them  were  tlien  taken  or  thought  of  ; 
yet  see  how  the  conventional  portraits  of  these 


two  great  founders  of  an  immortal  school  agree 
with  the  description  of  their  characters  as 
handed  down  to  us.  Moses  had  intellect  ;  he 
had  executive  ability  ;  he  had  spirituality  and 
force;  he  had  the 'qualities  to  organize  and 
direct  ;  yet  with  all  his  great  and  wonderful 
powers  he  is  weak.  The  theological  world  says 
luimblc.  What  is  the  trouble  1  Aaron  is  made 
his  lieutenant,  and  supplies  the  needed  quality. 
It  is  not  firmness,  for  we  see  that  Moses  is  firm  ; 
it  is  not  intellect,  for  in  this  Aaron  is  inferior  to 
Moses  ;  it  is  not  spirituality  or  force,  for  Moses 
is  not  lacking  in  these  ;  it  is  not  steadfastness  of 
purpose,  for  in  this  Moses  is  a  most  superior 
character.  Moses  lacks  self-trust  ;  lacks  the 
power  to  use  his  great  ability  for  the  great  pur- 
pose of  developing  a  new  system.  Some  may 
think  it  a  want  of  language  ;  but  had  he  had 
self-esteem  well  developed  there  would  have 
been  no  trouble  on  account  of  language.  Moses 
had  great  ideas  ;  he  had  power  to  grasp  the 
right  and  to  reject  the  wrong  ;  wisdom  to  per- 
ceive that  which  was  best  for  his  people  and  to 
make  the  best  use  of  the  wisdom  of  the  age.  But 
the  mind  lacked  faith  in  itself  ;  it  lacked  control 
or  mastership  of  its  great  faculties  and  powers. 
The  world  is  full  of  such  men  ;  and  many  a 
Moses  has  sighed  for  an  Aaron,  and  many  an 
Aaron  has  been  lifted  up  above  the  plane  of 
mediocrity  by  some  unseen  power  directing  him 
to  unite  himself  with  a  Moses.  Moses  and 
Aaron  united,  to  use  a  forcible  yet  common 
phrase,  made  a  "  strong  combination."  Inde- 
pendent of  each  other,  they  were  weak. — Phreno- 
logical Journal. 


VI.  His  Death. 

[17443]  Behold  the  three  persons,  Aaron, 
Moses,  and  Eleazar,  going  up  the  mountain. 
The  first  is  distinguished  by  his  priestly  habit. 
He  is  clad  in  the  mitre,  the  ephod,  the  fine 
linen,  the  Urim  and  the  Thummim,  and  those 
bells,  which  formerly,  when  heard  within  the 
holy  of  holies,  told  of  his  life,  now  seem  sound- 
ing the  signal  for  Death  to  meet  him  on  the 
summit,  and  their  tinkle  lessening  up  the  moun- 
tain strikes  like  a  death-watch  in  the  ear  of  the 
people  of  the  great  congregation  assembled  be- 
fore their  tents  to  trace  the  progress  and  to 
witness  the  event,  not  a  murmur  or  groan  heard 
throughout  them  all,  but  millions,  it  may  be, 
weeping  in  silence.  See  with  what  calm,  majestic, 
uninterrupted,  and  unreverted  steps  the  three 
pursue  their  journey,  talking,  perhaps,  of  that 
promised  land  which  one  of  them  is  never  to 
see,  which  another  is  to  see  from  a  mountain  in 
Moab,  and  which  the  third  only  is  to  enter, 
or  talking  of  that  better  country  to  which  the 
first  is  so  near.  Mark  the  eager  look  cast  for- 
ward by  Aaron  toward  the  top  of  the  hill  as  if 
he  expected  the  Angel  of  Death  to  be  waiting 
for  him  there  ;  but  when  he  gains  the  summit, 
lo  !  all  is  empty  and  sternly  silent,  the  victim  is 
there,  but  no  wood  and  no  fire  for  the  oftering  ; 
one  mighty  sacrificer  has  arrived,  but  the  other 


17443— I744S] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


^33 

[AARON. 


is  not  yet  come  to  keep  the  dread  engagement. 
Mark  the  hist  glance  cast  by  Aaron  to  the  camp 
and  the  multitude  far  bek)\v,  a  glance  speaking  of 
sorrow  and  of  remorse  too,  since  it  is  owing  to 
his  sin  at  Menbah  that  he  is  dying  so  soon,  and 
dying  so  publicly,  but  speaking  still  more  of 
submission,  confidence,  and  hope  in  the  mercy 
of  God.  See  the  slow  and  solemn  manner  in 
which  the  hand  of  Moses,  although  the  younger 
brother,  tenderly,  like  a  mother  her  babe  at  even- 
tide, strips  Aaron  of  his  garments.  And  behold 
now  the  high  priest  clothed  only  with  his  long 
grey  hair,  as  is  that  ardent  sun  overhead  with 
his  old  beams,  laying  himself  down  upon  the 
hill,  watching  with  an  eye  of  love  and  pride  his 
son  Eleazar,  as  Moses  arrays  him  with  ephod, 
and  linen,  and  breastplate,  and  mitre  ;  and  as 
the  bright  rays  from  the  Urim  and  Thummim 
flash  lor  the  last  time  upon  his  dim  and  dying  eye, 
blessing  his  noble  son  whose  ornament  they  are 
henceforward  to  be,  and  blessing  the  brother 
with  whom  he  has  so  long  held  sweet  counsel 
and  united  in  marvellous  achievement  ;  and  then 
fixing  his  look  upward  as  if  waiting  for  the  ad- 
vent and  the  dart  of  his  adversary,  who  comes 
not  ;  but  instead  there  is  heard  a  "  still  small 
voice,"  saying,  "Come  up  hither,"  and  lo  !  a 
dead  body  lies  on  the  granite  of  Mount  Hor,  and 
a  living  soul,  suddenly  clothed  by  the  hands  of 
angels  with  robes  that  shall  never  be  stripped 
away,  has  joined  the  great  assembly  in  the 
heavens. — Rev.  G.  Giljillan. 

[17444]  With  trembling  hand 

He  hasted  to  unclasp  the  priestly  robe, 
And  cast  it  o'er  his  son,  and  on  his  head 
The  mitre  place  ;  while  with  a  feeble  voice 
He  bless'd,  and  bade  him  keep  his  garments 

pure 
From   blood  of  souls.      But   then,   as    Moses 

raised 
The  mystic  breastplate,  and  that  dying  eye 
Caught  the  radiance  of  tliose  precious  stones, 
By  whose  oracular  and  fearful  light 
Jehovah  had  so  oft  His  will  reveal'd, 
Unto  the  chosen  tribe  whom  Aaron  loved 
In  all   their   wandering — but   whose   promised 

land 
He  might  not  look  upon — he  sadly  laid 
His  head  upon  the  mountain's  turfy  breast, 
And  with  one  prayer,   half  wrapp'd  in   stifled 

groans. 
Gave  up  the  ghost. — Lydia  Sigourncy. 

[17445]  Though  aware  that  every  step  is  taking 
him  to  his  grave,  he  proceeds  with  firm  and 
unfaltering  tread.  Without  a  murmur  he  suffers 
himself  to  be  stripped  of  his  official  attire. 
Calmly,  though  not  unconcernedly,  he  witnesses 
the  investiture  of  his  son  and  successor.  And  that 
over,  he  awaits  "  the  shadow  feared  of  man." 
Draw  near  and  behold  the  venerable  saint  dur- 
ing this  interval  of  awful  suspense.  He  casts  a 
westward  glance  across  the  desert  towards  far- 
off  Sinai,  and  penitently  recalls  the  flagrant  sin 
which  he  committed  at  its  base.  He  takes  a 
farewell  look  of  the  goodly  tents  of  Israel  spread 


out  in  the  valley  beneath  him,  and  repents  anew 
of  his  guilty  compliance  with  the  people's  will. 
Upon  his  brother  too,  and  upon  his  son,  does  he 
look  for  the  last  time  with  inexpressible  emotion. 
And  then,  as  he  turns  his  eyes  from  them  to- 
wards heaven,  and  breathes  a  silent  prayer  to 
his  God,  a  change  passes  upon  his  countenance, 
and  he  falls  to  the  earth— a  corpse  !  How 
solemn  such  a  death  !  How  sublime  such 
resignation  in  the  prospect  of  it  !  Oh,  as  we  gaze 
upon  Aaron  thus  calmly  meeting  death,  we  for- 
get the  infirmities  of  his  life.  In  view  of  a  sun- 
set so  grandly  serene,  we  no  longer  remember 
the  murkv  clouds  which  blackened  the  noontide 
sky.— 7.  'M'Ciilloch. 

VII.  His  Priestly  Duties. 

[17446]  Let  me  distinguish  what  those  duties 
were  which  Aaron  was  consecrated  to  perform. 
They  resolve  themselves  into  these  three  :  first, 
to  otTer  gifts  and  sacrifices  for  sin  ;  secondly,  to 
burn  incense  before  the  Lord  ;  and  lastly,  to 
bless  the  people  in  His  name.  Accordin;;ly, 
with  regard  to  the  first  of  those  functions,  we 
read,  that  on  every  occasion,  whether  ordinary 
or  extraordinary,  where  sin-offerings  or  burnt- 
oft'erings  were  required  from  the  people,  it  was 
Aaron,  and  Aaron  only,  who  officiated  at  the 
ceremony  ;  presenting  the  animal  sacrificed  at 
the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation, 
and  afterwards  its  blood  within  the  holy  place. 
With  regard  to  the  second,  we  read  that  it  was 
he  likewise  who  offered  the  burning  incense  be- 
fore the  Lord  ;  of  which  his  exclusive  preroga- 
tive, the  punishment  which  befell  Korah  and 
his  company  for  usurping  the  same  privilege, 
was  an  awful  confirmation.  And  lastly,  with 
regard  to  the  ceremony  of  blessing  the  people, 
not  merely  was  it  commanded  that  Aaron  should 
be  the  organ  of  dispensing  the  Divine  benedic- 
tion, but  the  form  itself  also,  which  he  was  to 
use  for  this  purpose,  was  expressly  prescribed 
(Numb.  vi.  23-26). —  IV.  Creswell. 

VIII.  Lessons  Taught  by  the  Budding 
OF  Aaron's  Rod. 

No  limit  must  be  set  either  to  the  election  or 
the  power  of  the  Almighty. 

[17447]  Before  God's  calling,  all  men  arealike: 
every  name  is  alike  written  in  their  rod.  'i  here 
is  no  difference  in  the  letters,  in  the  wood  ; 
neither  the  characters  of  Aaron  are  fairer,  nor 
the  staff"  more  precious.  It  is  the  choice  of  Cod 
that  makes  the  distinction.  So  it  is  in  our 
calling  of  Christianity  ;  all  are  equally  devoid  of 
the  possibility  of  grace,  all  equally  lifeless  ; 
by  nature  we  all  are  sons  of  wrath.  If  we  be 
now  better  than  others,  who  separated  us  ?  We 
are  all  crab-stocks  in  this  orchard  of  God.  He 
may  graft  what  fruit  He  pleases  on  us,  only  the 
grace  and  effectual  calling  of  God  make  the 
difference. — Bp.  Hall. 

[17448]  That  a  rod  cut  off"  from  the  tree 
should  blossom,  it  was  strange  ;  but  that  in  one 


134 

17448—17454] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[JOSHUA. 


night  it  should  bear  buds,  blossom,  fruit,  and 
that  both  ripe  and  hard,  it  was  highly  miracu- 
lous. The  same  power  that  revives  the  dead 
plants  of  winter  in  the  spring,  doth  it  here 
without  earth,  without  time,  without  sun  ;  that 
Israel  might  see  and  grant,  it  was  no  reason  his 
choice  should  be  limited,  whose  power  is  un- 
limited.— J  bid. 

IX.  Aaron  viewed  as  a  Type  of  Christ. 

[17449]  Aaron  was  a  type  of  Christ: — I.  As 
high  priest,  offering  sacrifice.  2.  In  entering 
info  the  holy  place  on  the  great  day  of  atone- 
ment, and  reconciling  the  people  to  God  ;  in 
making  intercession  for  them,  and  pronouncing 
upon  them  the  blessing  of  Jehovah  at  the 
termination  of  solemn  services.  3.  In  being 
anointed  with  the  holy  oil  by  affusion,  which 
was  prefigurative  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with  which 
our  Lord  was  endowed.  4.  In  bearing  the 
names  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  upon  his  breast 
and  upon  his  shoulders,  thus  presenting  them 
always  before  God,  and  representing  them  to 
Him.  5.  In  being  the  medium  of  their  inquiring 
of  God  by  Urim  and  Thummim,  and  of  the 
communication  of  His  will  to  them.  But  though 
the  offices  of  Aaron  were  typical,  the  priesthood 
of  Christ  is  of  a  far  higher  order.  Aaron's 
priesthood  was  designed  as  "a  shadow  of 
heavenly  things,"  to  lead  the  Israelites  to  look 
forward  to  "  better  things  to  come,"  when 
"another  priest"  should  arise,  "after  the  order 
of  Melchizedek"  (Heb.  vi.  20),  and  should 
"  be  constituted  not  after  the  law  of  a  carnal 
commandment,  but  after  the  power  of  an  endless 
life." 

[17450]  The  importance  of  the  Aaronic  priest- 
hood lay  wholly  in  its  typical  character.  It  had 
no  value  save  in  so  far  as  it  directed  the  eye  of 
the  worshipper  to  the  death  of  Christ  on  Cal- 
vary, and  the  life  of  Christ  in  heaven,  and 
pointed  to  the  office  and  work  of  Him  who, 
having  suffered  once  for  all  upon  the  cross,  now 
ever  stands  within  the  veil,  in  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
pleading  ceaselessly  on  our  behalf.  .  .  .  Aaron 
and  his  sons  have  no  successors  in  their  office, 
for  when  the  triumphant  words,  "  It  is  finished," 
burst  from  the  lips  of  tlie  .Saviour  upon  Calvary, 
they  rang  the  death-knell  of  the  old  Levitical 
economy.  The  shadows  have  given  way  to  the 
substance.  "  The  law  came  by  Moses,  but  grace 
and  truth  by  Jesus  Christ." — C.  Bell. 

X.  Contrast    between   Christ's  Death 
AND  that  of  Aaron. 

[1745 1]  As  Aaron,  the  high  priest  of  Israel, 
was  the  type  of  a  greater  priest,  so  Aaron's 
death  may  fitly  remind  us  of  the  death  of  Christ. 
Yet  how  marked  is  the  contrast  between  the 
scene  at  Hor  and  the  scene  at  Calvary  !  Aaron 
goes  up  to  Mount  Hor  with  sympathising  friends 
beside  him,  and  a  regretful  nation  beliind  ;  but 
Christ  takes  the  dolorous  way  to  Calvary  amid 
all  but  universal  scorn  and  execration.     Aaron 


dies  between  two  beloved  friends  ;  Christ  dies 
between  two  convicted  felons.  Aaron's  death  is 
the  penalty  of  his  own  sin  ;  Christ's  is  the  ex- 
piation of  the  sins  of  the  world.  Aaron,  when 
about  to  die.  is  denuded  of  his  priestly  attire  and 
office;  Christ  by  dying  obtains  the  office  and 
honours  of  an  everlasting  and  unchangeable 
priesthood.  Ever  blessed  be  God  for  giving  us 
a  high  priest  so  pre  -  eminently  superior  to 
Aaron.— 7.  M.  iWCulloch. 

XI.  Homiletical  Reflections. 

1  The  comparative  valuelessness  of  facile 
speech  by  itself. 

[17452]  Speech  is  only  noble  when,  like  an 
honest  currency,  it  represents  the  gold  of 
thought  ;  but  when  it  is  merely  inflated  fluency, 
it  is  then  like  the  rags  of  a  dishonest  currency, 
which  is  the  symbol  of  poverty,  and  not  of 
wealth.— /^^t/.  VV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

2  The  mere  external  surroundings  of  a  life 
are  no  criterion  of  the  importance  or  non- 
importance  of  that  life's  work. 

[17453]  How  little  can  we  judge  of  the  im- 
portance of  a  life  or  character  merely  from  the 
scene  on  which  it  was  acted  I  The  pontificate 
of  Aaron  was  discharged  in  one  of  the  most 
obscure  corners  of  the  world,  it  was  hidden  in 
the  recesses  of  a  gloomy  wilderness.  And  yet 
how  does  it  exceed  in  dignity  and  importance, 
not  only  that  of  all  his  successors,  who  stood 
before  the  eyes  of  the  world  in  the  thoroughfare 
of  the  Holy  Land,  but  also  surpasses  the  ministry 
even  of  the  Christian  bishops,  who  were  con- 
spicuous in  the  patriarchal  chairs  of  Antioch, 
Alexandria,  and  Rome?  So  little  can  we  judge 
from  merely  outward  accidents.  What  then  ? 
but  that  every  minister  must  take  heed  to  him- 
self, how  he  reckons  his  responsibility  merely  in 
proportion  to  the  conspicuousness  of  his  charge. 
However  obscure  in  this  world,  it  is,  at  ail 
events,  fruitful  of  consequences  in  the  world  to 
come. — Rev.  R.  W.  Evans,  B.D. 


JOSHUA. 

I.  His  Simple  yet  Lofty  Character. 

[17454]  The  character  of  Moses'  successor, 
under  whose  leadership  Israel  entered  the  land 
of  promise,  is,  like  that  of  many  soldiers,  simple 
and  easily  understood.  He  was  strong  and  of 
a  good  courage  ;  a  man  fit  not  only  for  battle, 
but  for  tedious  campaigning  ;  full  of  resources, 
and  able  to  keep  up  the  heart  of  a  whole  people 
by  his  hopeful  bearing.  That  he  should  have 
been  able  to  fill  the  place  vacated  by  so  great  a 
man  as  Moses,  gives  us  the  highest  idea  of 
his  calibre.  That  Moses  was  missed  there 
can  be  little  doubt  ;  yet  not  Moses  himself 
could  have  led  the  people  more  skilfully  and 
successfully  from   victory  to  victory,  nor  have 


I74S4— I74S9] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JOSIIUA. 


in  the  full  tide  of  conquest  held  them  more 
thoroughly  in  hand,  and  Settled  them  more 
quietly  in  the  land.  It  was  one  of  the  most 
difficult  of  tasks  which  was  entrusted  to 
Joshua.  He  was  to  lead  the  people  through  a 
series  of  the  most  brilliant  and  exciting  miHtary 
successes,  and  then  to  turn  them  to  the  most 
peaceful  pursuits.  He  was  to  teach  them  to 
shed  blood  pitilessly,  to  harden  them  to  such 
sights  as  the  sacking  of  towns,  and  then  to 
enforce  laws  which  in  many  points  were  singu- 
larly humane. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17455]  Of  his  character  we  cannot  speak  too 
highly.  It  is  transparent  as  the  light  itself.  He 
was  indeed  "  strong  and  very  courageous."  He 
feared  no  danger  ;  he  shrunk  from  no  hardships  ; 
he  was  deterred  by  no  difficulties.  Arduous  was 
the  enterprise  he  was  called  to  undertake,  and, 
to  human  ap|)earance,  the  barriers  to  its  accom- 
plishment were  all  but  insurmountable.  But 
Joshua  had  faith  in  God.  Seldom,  if  ever,  did 
his  confidence  in  the  Divine  promises  give 
way  ;  and  if  it  did,  under  special  trials,  for  a 
moment  waver,  it  rose  again  and  took  hold  on 
the  arm  of  Omnipotence  afresh. — Rev.  Thornley 
Smith, 


II.  His  Particular  Excellences. 

I       Courage. 

//  zvas  both  physical  ajid  7no7-al. 

[17456]  Joshua's  courage  was  both  physical 
and  moral  ;  that  is,  it  was  courage  in  its  lower 
and  higher  manifestation.  Many  things  by 
which  we  are  surrounded,  perhaps  all  natural 
objects,  are  composed  of  two  distinct  parts,  that 
which  is  external,  enclosing  an  internal  sub- 
stance of  the  same  shape,  possibly,  but  distinct 
from  it.  The  nut  has  its  kernel  and  its  shell  ; 
the  orange  its  rind  and  its  pulp.  One  may  exist 
apart  from  the  other,  but  both  are  needed  to 
form  a  complete  whole.  We  are  made  up  of 
soul  and  body,  each  can  exist  apart  from  the 
other,  but  they  must  be  united  to  be  a  complete 
man.  So  it  is  with  physical  and  moral  courage  ; 
the  first  is  but  the  shell,  the  second  is  the  kernel, 
the  former  is  but  the  body  of  that  of  which  the 
latter  is  the  soul.  The  first  may,  and  often  does, 
exist  without  the  other,  but  a  perfect  man  pos- 
sesses both,  and  except  in  cases  of  defective 
bodily  organization,  moral  courage  always 
develops  physical.  Many  a  man,  alas  !  who 
would  face  ten  thousand  bodily  perils,  or  lead  a 
forlorn  hope  in  the  day  of  his  country's  need, 
would  not  dare  to  be  known  as  a  man  of  prayer, 
would  not  dare  to  stand  up  for  the  rights  of  his 
conscience  in  the  midst  of  scoffing  comrades. 
But  a  man  who  is  not  afraid  to  pray,  who  can 
bear  to  be  laughed  at  because  he  is  a  Christian, 
will  not  be  wanting  in  the  hour  of  bodily  danger. 
— Rev.  W.  Harris. 

[17457]  Joshua's  courage  was  sustained  by 
constant  meditation  on  the  Divine  precepts. 
"This  book  of  the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of 


thy  mouth  ;  but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein  day 
and  night,  that  thou  mayest  observe  to  do 
according  to  all  that  is  written  therein  :  for  then 
thou  shalt  make  thy  way  prosperous,  and  then 
thou  shalt  have  good  success"  (Josh.  i.  8). 
Just  as  the  bread  we  eat  from  day  to  day,  or  the 
lite-blood  that  courses  through  our  veins  is  not 
the  same  in  identity,  but  ever  the  same  in  nature 
and  in  its  end— the  sustaining  of  life  in  the 
human  body, — so  the  promises  and  precepts 
of  the  word  of  God,  various  in  form  as  the  cir- 
cumstances of  those  to  whom  they  were  first 
addressed,  have  the  same  effect  and  aim,  the 
nourishment  of  the  human  Spirit  by  begetting 
and  maintaining  faith  in  the  living  Father  and 
in  His  Son  Jesus  Christ. — Ibid. 

2       Piety. 

This  was  the  motive-power  which  prompted 
the  actiotis  of  his  life  from  first  to  last. 

a.  It  underlay  his  acts  of  courage  and  decision. 
[17458]    Piety   was    the    source   of    Joshua's 

courage  and  decision,  and  the  means  by  which 
they  were  sustained.  He  rested  on  the  promise 
of  God.  He  meditated  on  the  precept  of  God. 
The  Divine  promise  was,  "As  I  was  with  Moses, 
so  will  I  be  with  thee,"  and  with  such  a  leader 
Joshua  felt  he  could  go  anywhere  and  do  any- 
thing. If  men  have  confidence  in  their  captain 
they  will  always  follow  him  anywhere.  You 
know,  when  Frankim  set  out  on  his  expedition 
to  try  and  discover  the  North-West  passage, 
how  eager  the  seamen  were  to  sail  with  him. 
They  knew  their  leader,  and  were  assured  that, 
if  the  undertaking  could  be  successfully  carried 
through,  he  was  the  man  to  do  it.  Joshua  had 
seen  the  mighty  works  of  God  during  the  forty 
years'  sojourn  in  the  wilderness,  and  he  rested 
on  the  assurance  of  the  Captain  of  the  Lord's 
Host  that  He  would  not  fail  or  forsake  him. 
"  Fear  thou  not,  for  I  am  with  thee,"  is  the  great 
inspiration  of  all  true  courage  ;  "  The  Lord  of 
Hosts  is  with  us,"  has  been  the  battle-cry  that 
has  echoed  through  the  ages  from  rank  to  rank 
in  the  noble  army  of  witnesses  for  God's  truth, 
and  the  same  Angel-Jehovah  who  appeared  to 
Joshua  says  to  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
who  looks  to  Him  for  strength,  "  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway." — Ibid. 

b.  It  furnished  the  incentive  to  the  perfect 
discharge  of  the  fearful  commission  of  exter- 
mination entrusted  to  him. 

[17459]  When  God  commanded  Joshua  to 
execute  this  fearful  commission,  it  was  enough 
for  this  obedient  servant  of  the  .Most  High  that 
God  had  commanded  it.  Fearful  as  the  com- 
mission was  to  execute,  he  was  urged  to  execute 
it  by  all  the  principles  of  religion  and  all  that 
bound  him  to  his  Maker.  It  was  not  for  him 
to  sit  in  judgment  upon  the  wisdom  of  the  Divine 
procedure  ;  to  hesitate  where  God  had  decided, 
or  to  inquire  into  the  reasons  of  the  edict,  even 
were  they  ever  so  inexplicable  to  his  own  mind. 
God  had  already  told  him  that  one  reason  of  it 
was  that  the  Hebrews  might  be  tilled  with 
horror  at  the  character  and  vices  of  the  nations 


136 

17459—17466] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[JOSHUA. 


they  were  thus  required  to  exterminate  ;  another, 
that  he  designed  by  their  conquests  over  a  foe 
so  superior,  to  bring  "the  fear  of  them  and  the 
dread  of  them  "  upon  all  who  heard  the  report  of 
their  wondrous  triumphs  ;  and  more  than  all,  that 
they  were  nations  which,  for  their  seducing 
and  corrupting  wickedness,  must  no  longer  be 
tolerated  on  the  earth,  much  less  as  usurpers  of 
the  land  which  by  covenant  and  by  oath  had 
been  given  to  the  children  of  Israel.— /i^7A  G. 
Spring,  D.D. 

[17460]  Few  trials  could  have  furnished  more 
decisive  evidence  of  Joshua's  religious  character, 
or  of  his  fitness  to  be  Israel's  leader,  than  this 
command  of  extermination.  Leader  as  he  was, 
he  felt  himself  to  be  but  a  subaltern  under  the 
Great  Captain  of  their  salvation,  ready  to  un- 
derstand and  hearken  to  His  word,  and  prompt 
and  cheerful  to  do  His  bidding.  This  was  the 
first  and  motive-principle  of  his  conduct. — Ibid. 

c.  It  was  very  marked  in  his  last  address  to 
the  people  committed  to  his  charge. 

[17461]  Throughout  his  last  address  we  ob- 
serve this  zealous  and  faithful  servant  of  God 
anxiously  labouring  to  press  into  the  service  of 
his  Divine  Master  every  pure  feeling  which 
could  animate  their  bosoms  ;  and  to  touch  every 
chord  in  their  hearts  which  might  be  taught  to 
vibrate  to  the  praises  of  God,  and  tuned  into 
harmony  with  religion. — Rev.  J.  Hiffernan. 

3  Fidelity. 

[17462]  A  noticeable  trait  in  the  character  of 
Joshua  was  his  fidelity  to  the  trust  reposed  in 
him.  He  was  not  the  mere  patriot.  He  was 
the  servant  of  the  people  because  he  was  the 
servant  of  their  God.  He  felt  his  responsibility 
to  the  Lord  Jehovah,  who  had  appointed  him 
to  the  charge  of  the  hosts  of  Israel ;  and  whether 
he  pleased  the  Israelites  or  not,  please  the  Lord 
Jehovah  he  must.  Some  men,  through  cowardice 
or  through  fear,  are  no  sooner  placed  in  an 
eminent  position  in  society  by  the  providence 
of  God,  than,  to  keep  it,  they  have  recourse  to 
all  kinds  of  mean  and  dishonourable  plans. 
Instead  of  doing  their  duty,  whatever  it  may 
cost  them,  they  conform  to  custom  and  court 
the  favour  and  the  smiles  of  men.  There  was 
nothing  of  this  kind  in  the  conduct  of  Joshua. 
.  .  .  lie  thought  of  nothing  but  of  fulfilling  the 
task  assigned  to  him,  and  would  sooner  have 
laid  down  his  charge  and  retired  into  private 
life  than  have  proved  faithless  to  his  trust  as 
the  servant  of  the  Lord  his  God. — Rev.  I'hornlcy 
Stnilli. 

4  Thoroughness. 

[17463]  Of  Joshua  it  is  said,  that  "he  drew 
not  his  hand  back  wherewith  he  stretched  out 
the  spear,  until  he  had  utterly  destroyed  all  the 
inhabitants  of  Ai."  Intrepid  warrior  .  "As  if 
his  hand  had  been  fastened  to  the  spear,  he 
exhorts  the  soldiers  to  look  to  God  alone,  to 
whom  he  resigns  the  success  of  the  battle." 
There  was,  however,  no  mystical  power  in  the 


spear  of  Joshua,  as  there  was  in  the  elevation 
of  the  hands  of  Moses  during  the  battle  with 
the  Amalekites.  Rather  is  the  fact  mentioned 
as  illustrative  of  the  noble  spirit  of  perseverance 
displayed  by  Israel's  commander,  for  he  was  a 
man  who  feared  neither  toil  nor  danger  so  long 
as  duty  called  him  to  the  work. — Ibid. 

5  Self-effacement. 

[17464]  Joshua  lived,  not  for  himself,  but  for 
his  people.  Unlike  Alexander  and  other  con- 
querors of  the  East,  he  sought  no  glory,  was 
ambitious  of  no  greatness,  and  aimed  at  no 
sinister  purposes  or  ends.  There  is  not  a  cir- 
cumstance in  his  history  which  indicates  that 
he  had  any  personal  designs  to  gratify  ;  for, 
indeed,  he  was  too  great  a  man  for  this.  True 
greatness  consists  not  in  aspiring  to  place  and 
power,  not  in  the  carrying  out  of  ambitious  pro- 
jects, not  in  trying  to  be  great,  and  wishing  that 
the  world  may  think  us  great  ;  but  in  lowliness 
and  humbleness  of  mind,  and  in  self-forgetful- 
ness  for  the  common  good.  Hence  few  of  the 
conquerors  of  the  world— the  Alexanders,  the 
Csesars,  the  Attilas,  and  the  Napoleons,  of 
human  fame — were  truly  great,  but  miserably 
little.  But  Joshua  was  great — great  as  a  patriot, 
great  as  a  commander  ;  for  his  aim  was  one, 
that  of  promoting  to  the  utmost  of  his  power 
the  highest  interests  of  the  people  of  his  charge. 
Let  our  rulers,  our  statesmen,  our  military  com- 
manders, imbibe  the  spirit  of  the  noble-minded 
Joshua;  and,  instead  of  that  hunting  after  place 
which  is  now  so  common  for  the  sake  of  per- 
sonal or  family  aggrandizement,  there  would  be 
a  prevalent  desire  to  lose  sight  of  personal  ad- 
vantage for  the  sake  of  the  public  good.  Nor 
would  society  be  in  any  way  a  loser,  for  the 
most  disinterested  servant  of  the  State  is  always 
its  best  and  most  efficient  one. — Ibid. 

6  Tenderness. 

TJiis  was  displayed  in  his  bearing  towards 
.Lilian. 

[17465]  God  had  given  a  "perfect  lot,"  and 
there  could  be  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  Joshua 
of  Achan's  actual  guilt  ;  yet  he  addresses  him 
and  says,  "  My  son,  give,  I  pray  thee,  glory  to 
the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  and  make  confession 
unto  Him  ;  and  tell  me  what  thou  hast  done  ; 
hide  it  not  from  me."  How  gentle  are  these 
words  !  There  is  no  harshness,  no  severity, 
but  a  true  paternal  pity  for  the  man  who  has 
placed  himself  in  so  fearful  and  perilous  a  posi- 
tion. "  By  this  example,"  observes  Calvin, 
"judges  are  taught  that,  while  they  punish 
crimes,  they  ought  so  to  temper  their  severity 
as  not  to  lay  aside  the  feelings  of  humanity,  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  that  they  ought  to  be  merci- 
fid  without  being  reckless  and  remiss  ;  that,  in 
short,  they  ought  to  be  as  parents  to  those  they 
condemn,  without  substituting  undue  mildness 
for  the  sternness  of  justice. — Ibid. 

7  Personal  influence. 

[17466]  The  influence  of  Joshua's  example 
and  instructions  was  such   that   Israel   served 


17466— 17470] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


T37 

[JOSHUA. 


the  Lord  all  his  days,  and  all  the  days  of  the 
elders  that  overlived  him,  who  had  known  the 
works  of  the  Lord.  Like  every  good  man  who 
occupies  a  prominent  position  in  society,  he  left 
behind  him  a  bright  track  of  light,  in  wliich 
many  walked  long  after  his  departure. — Ibid. 

in.  Joshua  a  Type  of  Christ. 

1  In  his  name. 

[17467]  The  new  leader  of  Israel  received  a 
name,  which,  by  identifying  his  leadership  with 
God's,  gave  constant  promise  of  victory.  Ori- 
ginally called  Hoshea,  or  Salvation,  this  name 
was  changed,  when  he  led  the  spies,  to  Jehoshua, 
or  The  Lord  is  salvation.  And  it  has  never 
ceased  to  seem  significant  to  the  Christian  that 
this  name  of  Joshua  should  have  been  that  by 
which  our  Lord  was  called.  In  its  Greek  form, 
"Jesus,"  it  was  given  to  Him  because  He  was 
to  save  His  people  from  their  sins.  By  His 
distinctive  name  among  men  He  was  linked  to 
Joshua,  and  in  the  salvation  He  accomplishes 
for  His  people  we  are  therefore  led  to  expect 
the  same  leading  characteristics  as  distinguished 
the  salvation  of  Israel  by  Joshua. — Rev.  M. 
Bods,  D.D. 

[17468]  In  more  various  points,  and  with  a 
closer  similarity  of  outline  than  belongs,  perhaps, 
to  any  other  figure  in  the  Old  Testament,  is 
Joshua  the  type  of  Christ.  His  very  name 
begins  the  great  intimation.  Changed  by  Moses 
—doubtless  at  the  mouth  of  the  Lord— from 
Oshea,  "welfare,"  to  Jehoshua,  or  Jesus,  "  God 
the  Saviour  ; "  it  pointed  him  out  as  the  figure 
in  the  earthly  of  the  heavenly  deliverer.  Joshua 
is  pre-eminently  one  of  the  people  whom  he 
delivers;  he  has  worked  with  them  in  the  brick- 
kilns of  Egypt,  he  knows  their  hearts  ;  in  all 
their  afflictions  he  has  been  afflicted. — Anoit. 

2  In  his  life's  work  generally. 

[17469]  When  Joshua  has  entered  on  his 
leadership,  prophetic  acts,  full  of  typical  signi- 
ficance, begin  with  a  wonderful  minuteness  to 
repeat  themselves.  He,  and  not  the  great  law- 
giver, is  to  bring  the  people  into  Canaan  : 
Moses  must  depart  to  secure  his  every  word 
of  promise  being  fulfilled  to  Israel,  as  the  law 
must  pass  away  and  be  fulfilled  before  the  spi- 
ritual Israel  could  enter  on  that  kingdom.  At 
the  river  Jordan,  Joshua  is  shown  by  God  to 
Israel  as  their  appointed  leader  ;  there  God 
began  to  magnify  him.  As  Jesus  comes  up 
from  the  river  Jordan,  the  heavens  open,  the 
Holy  Ghost  descends,  and  the  voice  of  God 
declares,  "This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased."  From  Jordan's  bed  Joshua 
took  twelve  stones  to  be  for  evermore  a  witness 
to  the  people  of  their  great  deliverance  ;  from 
His  baptism  in  Jordan  Jesus  began  to  call  His 
twelve  apostles,  the  foundation-stones  of  that 
Church  which  witnesses  to  every  generation  of 
the  redemption  of  the  sons  of  Abraham  by 
Christ.    Twelve  stones  Joshua  buried  under  the 


returning  waters  of  Jordan  ;  and  over  the  first 
twelve  Jesus  let  the  stream  of  death  flow  as  over 
others.  .  .  .  Before  Joshua  departed,  he  called 
to  him  on  that  mountain  of  Timnath-Serah, 
which  he  was  about  to  leave,  all  the  heads  of 
the  tribes,  and  with  the  chant  of  a  prophetic 
voice  set  before  them  all  the  grand  future,  which, 
if  they  clave  steadfastly  to  (^od,  should  certainly 
be  theirs  ;  and  so  before  He  ascended  into  the 
heavens  did  the  great  Captain  of  God's  spiritual 
army  appoint  to  meet  upon  a  mountain  top  in 
Galilee  the  heads  of  all  the  tribes  into  which 
His  Church  should  multiply;  and  there,  looking 
with  them  over  the  far  outstretched  dominions 
of  the  earth,  utter  to  them,  Joshua-like,  the 
words  of  wonder  which  rang  for  ever  in  their 
ears,  "All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven 
and  on  earth  :  go  ye,  therefore,  and  evangelize 
all  nations."  Yea,  and  yet  again,  after  a  higher 
sort  than  belongs  to  this  present  world,  was 
Joshua  but  the  type  of  Jesus.  For  it  is  He  who, 
for  each  one  who  follows  Him,  the  true  High 
Priest,  divides  the  cold  waters  of  death,  setting 
against  their  utmost  flood,  even  when  that 
Jordan  overfloweth  his  banks,  as  he  doth  all  the 
harvest  time,  the  ark  of  the  body  which  He  took 
of  us,  and  in  which  God  dwelleth  evermore  ;  so 
making  a  way  for  His  ransomed  to  pass  over. 
It  is  He  who  hath  gone  before  to  prepare 
amongst  the  many  mansions  of  His  Father's 
house  the  place  which  the  golden  lot  marks  out 
for  us.  It  is  He  who  hath  trodden  down  all 
our  enemies.  It  is  He  who  hath  built  the  golden 
city  upon  the  "  twelve  foundation-stones  v^'hich 
bear  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the 
Lamb."— /^/^. 


IV.  Joshua  a  Type  of  the  Christian. 

The    wars     of    Joshua    suggest     three    facts 
concerning  the  Christian's  true  campaign. 

(i)  1)1  iJie  true  campaign  Cod  has  committed 
to  man  a  great  work. 

[17470]  It  is  an  onerous  work.  The  work  to 
which  God  called  Joshua  on  this  occasion  was  the 
utter  extermination  of  most  formidable  antago- 
nists. .  .  .  Our  work  in  the  moral  campaign  is 
still  more  onerous.  We  live  in  a  world  of  evil. 
Corrupt  principles,  the  mighty  "  powers  of  dark- 
ness," possess  the  world  we  live  in.  They  crowd 
our  spheres  of  action  ;  and,  alas  !  they  are  en- 
camped within  us  !  The  work  to  which  we  are 
called  is  their  entire  extermination,  both  from 
within  and  without.  It  is  a  righteous  work. 
.  .  .  The  man  who  consecrates  his  energies  to 
the  downfall  of  evil,  whose  life  is  one  earnest 
struggle  against  the  principalities  and  powers 
of  darkness,  is  acting  evermore  in  accordance 
with  the  eternal  law  of  rectitude.  He  is  fighting 
"  the  good  fight  of  faith,"  and  if  he  is  faithl'ul  he 
shall  receive  "  a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not 
away."  It  is  an  indispensable  work.  Never 
will  you  possess  the  Canaan  of  spiritual  har- 
mony, moral  approbation,  self  control,  uplifting 
thoughts,  heavenly  affections,  ever-brightening 
hopes,  and  free  and   blessed  intercourse  witii 


I7470— 174751 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[CALEB. 


the  infinite  Father  of  spirits,  without  the  expul- 
sion of  evil  from  your  soul.  He  only  that  over- 
cometh  shall  inherit. — D):  Thomas. 

(2)  In  the  true  catnpaign  God  blesses  matt  -with 
a  great  leader. 

[ 1 7471]  Taking  the  description  which  is  given 
of  Christ  as  a  figurative  representation  of  Him 
as  our  moral  chieftain,  three  facts  are  suggested 
concerning  Him  in  that  capacity  :  i.  He  is  ever 
present  luhen  needed.  Joshua  needed  some 
special  manifestation  to  reassure  him  of  his 
duty,  to  inspire  his  courage,  and  to  nerve  his 
arm  for  his  terrible  mission.  And  here  it  is. 
"  He  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  looked,  and.  behold, 
there  stood,"  &c.  So  it  ever  is.  "  The  Lord 
stood  with  me,  and  strengthened  me,"  said  Paul. 
2.  He  is  always  ready.  He  was  not  only  present 
in  the  hour  of  need,  but  prepared.  He  stood 
before  Joshua  "with  His  sword  drawn  in  His 
hand."  He  stands  by  our  side,  and  says,  "  All 
power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  earth." 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alvvay."  3.  He  is  all-siif- 
Jicie7it.  He  is  "  the  Captain  of  the  Lord's  hosts." 
He  is  the  controller  of  all  powers.  The  forces 
of  the  material  universe  are  at  His  command. 
.  .  .  Ail  the  forces  of  the  j//r///^rt/ universe  are 
at  His  command.  He  is  Captain  of  the  hosts 
of  heaven.  "  He  maketh  His  angels  spirits,  and 
His  ministers  a  flame  of  fire."  "  Him  hath  God 
exalted,"  &c.  With  such  a  chieftain  as  this, 
shall  we  fear  our  enemies,  or  can  we  fail  in 
battle  ? — Ibid. 

(3)  In  the  true  campaign  Cod  requires  a  great 
spirit. 

[  1 7472]  Joshua  displays  a  spirit  of  indomitable 
valour.  "  Art  thou  for  us,  or  for  our  adversa- 
ries ?  "  This  is  the  courage  which  we  want, 
which  we  honour,  and  which  we  must  have, 
before  wc  can  win  one  victory  in  the  battle  of 
life.  He  displays  the  spirit  of  reverent  inquiry. 
"  He  fell  on  his  face  to  the  earth,"  &c.  This  is 
the  true  spirit.  Paul  had  this  :  "  Lord,  what 
wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do.^"  With  this  spirit, 
victory  is  certain  ;  without  it,  defeat  is  inevit- 
able. He  displays  the  spirit  of  sole  11171  obedience. 
"  Loose  thy  shoe."  .  .  .  "And  Joshua  did  so." 
On  whatever  place  we  stand,  it  is  holy  ground, 
because  God  is  present.  .  .  .  Did  we  always 
feel  His  presence,  we  should  walk  this  earth 
with  reverent  and  solemn  step  ;  feel  that 

"  Life  is  real,  life  is  earnest  ;  " 

and  that  the  great  end  and  blessedness  of  our 
being  consists  in  working  out  the  will  of  the 
great  All  in  All.  .  ,  .  Would  you  be  a  hero  in 
the  strife .''  Then  put  yourself  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  Captain  of  the  Lord's  host.  He 
will  lead  you  on  from  victory  to  victory.  His 
victories  are  real.  They  are  not  over  the  body, 
which  is  the  mere  instrument  of  the  man  ;  they 
are  over  the  soul — over  the  man  himself.  He 
who  subdues  the  mind  is  the  only  true  con- 
queror. The  Lord's  victories  are  merciful.  It 
is  love  that  nerves  His  arm.  He  strikes  not  to 
wound,  but  to  heal  ;  not  against  life,  but  against 


its  evils  and  curses  ;  not  to  destroy,  but  to  save. 
Every  blow  He  gives  is  to  crush  an  evil  and  to 
save  a  soul. — Ibid. 

[17473I  The  character  of  Joshua  exemplifies 
the  conflicts  and  triumphs  of  individual  believers. 
Individual  believers  in  every  age  of  the  world 
have  their  own  personal  conflicts  ;  and  it  is  a 
severe  and  deadly  strife.  Every  true  Israelite 
finds  his  bitterest  foe  within  his  own  bosom. 
When  he  first  puts  on  the  armour  he  lays  his 
account  with  enemies  from  without  ;  but  let  him 
remain  on  the  field  of  battle  half  a  century,  and 
he  finds  that  he  has  another  sort  of  enemy  to 
deal  with  than  the  world  and  the  devil.  Suffi- 
ciently powerful  indeed  are  these  last,  demand- 
ing more  than  human  valour  to  overcome  them  ; 
but  they  are  not  the  covered,  wakeful,  deceiving, 
and  rabid  Canaanite  within.  Here  is  the  con- 
flict ;  and  hence  the  exhortation  so  often  re- 
peated, to  watch,  to  pray,  to  strive,  to  wrestle, 
to  run,  to  fight.  The  subjugation  of  his  sins  is 
the  great  business  of  the  Christian's  life.  This 
is  his  great  warfare  ;  and  but  for  the  strength 
that  is  made  perfect  in  his  weakness,  not  only 
might  he  well  be  cast  down,  but  must  be  de- 
stroyed. We  have  been  almost  tempted  to  smile 
when  we  have  recited  these  words  of  God  so 
often  repeated  to  Joshua,  "  Only  be  thou  strong 
and  of  a  good  courage  !  "  Oh,  there  is  a  fitness, 
a  beauty,  a  force  in  them  which  ye  may  one  day 
know.  Yes,  thou  sinning  and  thou  discouraged 
one,  "  only  be  thou  strong  and  of  a  good  cour- 
age," and  thou  shalt  have  the  victory. — Rev.  G. 
Sp?ing,  D.D. 

[17474]  Would  that  all  God's  servants  were 
like  him  1  But  how  many  are  there  who,  long 
before  the  battle  is  won,  draw  back  the  hand, 
and  sheathe  the  sword,  and  retire  from  the  con- 
flict, leaving  their  enemies  in  possession  of  the 
field  !  Called  to  contend  with  spiritual  adver- 
saries, let  us  buckle  on  the  armour,  and  take  the 
spear  or  the  sword,  and  resolve  never  to  lay  it 
down  until  the  victory  is  sure.  Joshua  is  a  noble 
example  for  the  Christian  warrior  ;  and  our  own 
national  history  presents  other  noble  examples 
which  we  shall  do  well  to  imitate.  Nelson, 
Wellington,  Havelock,  and  others  we  might 
name,  were  men  who  drew  not  back  their  hands, 
but  went  on  bravely,  in  spite  of  weariness  and 
pain.  Perseverance  was  their  motto.  Nil  des- 
pcra7idum  was  their  constant  watchword. — Rev. 
Tliornley  Smith. 


CALEB.  , 

I,  His  Chief  Traits  of  Character. 

I       Pious  fidelity. 

[  •  7475]  The  news  that  the  spies  are  returning, 
flies  like  wild-fire  through  the  tents,  and  calTs 
forth  all  the  people.  There  thev  come— browned 
with  the  sun  and  dust  of  travel.  They  bring 
proofs  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil  in  the  fruits  which 


I747S— I7478J 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[CALEB. 


they  hold  in  their  hands  ;  and  in  that  one  bunch 
of  grapes,  a  cluster  so  weighty  that  it  requires 
two  men  to  carry  it.  The  camp  is  full  of  joy  ; 
and  every  ear  intent  as,  addressing  Moses  in 
the  hearing  of  the  people,  the  spies  say — "  We 
came  into  the  land  whither  thou  sentest  us,  and 
surely  it  floweth  with  milk  and  honey  ;  and  this 
is  the  fruit  of  it."  Alas  !  their  joy  is  short-lived. 
How  are  their  hearts  struck  with  dread,  and  the 
hopes  they  have  cherished  changed  into  blank 
despair,  as  the  spies  go  on  to  sa) — "  Neverthe- 
less the  people  be  strong,  and  the  cities  are 
walled,  and  very  great  ;  "  adding,  with  voices 
that  trembled  at  the  recollection  of  their  gigantic 
forms,  "and  we  saw  the  children  of  Anaic  there  !" 
The  children  of  Anak?  At  this  news  the  whole 
congregation  grows  pale  with  terror.  Fear  sits 
on  every  face,  and  expresses  itself  in  a  low 
murmuring  wail  that,  unless  it  meets  a  timely 
check,  will  ere  long  break  out  into  open  mutiny. 
At  this  crisis  Caleb  interposes — not  to  deny  the 
statement  of  his  associates,  but  to  repudiate  the 
cowardly  conclusion  they  suggested,  and  the 
people  accepted.  Faithful  to  the  cause  of  God, 
he  rushes  to  the  front  to  deliver  himself  of  words 
full  of  faith  and  courage.  They  sound  like  a 
battle  trumpet.  No  doubt  the  Canaanites  are 
strong  ;  their  walls  are  high  ;  their  ranks  led 
on  by  giant  warriors,  the  formidable  sons  of 
Anak.  Nevertheless  as  one  who  knew  that  He 
who  was  with  them  was  greater  than  all  who 
could  be  against  them,  Caleb  cries  out,  "  Let  us 
go  up  at  once  and  possess  it  ;  we  are  well  able 
to  overcome  it." — Rev.  T.  Cieihrie,  D.D. 

[17476]  "  All  the  people  that  we  saw  in  it  are 
men  of  great  stature  ;   and  there  we  saw  the 
giants,  the  sons  of  Anak  ;  and  we  were  in  our 
own  sight  as  grasshoppers,  and  so  we  were  in 
theirs."     So  spake  the  spies.     At  their  words, 
as  if  a  thunderbolt  or  shell  had  dropped  among 
them,  the  multitude  suddenly  disperse.   Through 
the  livelong  night  weeping  fills  the  camp  ;  nor 
does   joy  come   in   the   morning.     They    have 
abandoned  themselves  to  despair.     Regretting 
that  they  had  ever  left  the  land  of  Egypt,  they 
resolve  to  retrace  their  steps.     They  cast  blame 
on  God,  and  give  way  to  such  grief,  and  rage, 
and  wild,  blind  fury  that  Moses  and  Aaron  are 
confounded.     Knowing  neither  what  to  do,  nor 
how  to  turn  the  people  from  their  mad  purpose, 
they  fall  on  their  faces  ;  and  lie  on  the  ground 
— as  if  they  said,  If  you  will  go  back  to  Egypt, 
it   is  over  our  bodies   you    shall   go  !     At  this 
moment,  though  it  was  like  laying  hands  on  the 
mane   of  a   raging    lion,  Caleb,  supported   by 
Joshua,  once  more  steps  forward  ;  and  regard- 
less of  a  life  the  people  had  armed  themselves 
with    stones   to   destroy,    he    reproaches   their 
cowardice,  saying,  "  Rebel  not  ye  against  the 
Lord,  neither  fear  ye   the  people  of  the  land  ; 
for  they  are  bread  to  us,  their  defence  is  de- 
parted from  them.     The  Lord  is  v/ith  us  ;  fear 
them  not  ! "     Another   moment,    and,    his   life 
battered  out   of  him   by  a   shower   of  stones, 
Caleb  had  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  his  own  fidelity, 
and  the  people's   fury.     But  suddenly,  in  the 


form  of  some  brilliant,  dazzling,  intolerable  light, 
the  well-known  symbol  of  the  Divine  presence, 
"  the  glory  of  the  Lord  appears  in  the  tabernacle 
before  all  the  children  of  Israel."  They,  not 
Caleb  and  Joshua,  nor  Moses  and  Aaron,  are 
in  peril  now.  God  is  ready  to  destroy  them  ; 
and  they  had  been  swept  from  the  face  of  the 
earth  but  for  Moses'  earnest  and  timely  inter- 
cession.— Ibid. 

2       Dauntless  courage. 

[17477]  For  that  courage,  true,  calm  courage, 
which  does  not  lie  in  insensibility  to  danger, 
nor  in  the  violent  animal  passion  which  may 
bear  a  coward  forward  as  a  whirlwind  docs  the 
dust,  or  a  wave  the  seaweed  on  its  foaming  crest, 
Caleb  presents  the  very  model  of  a  soldier. 
How  bravely  he  bears  himself  when  the  other 
spies  prove  traitors  !  With  fire  in  his  eye  and 
resolution  seated  on  his  brow,  he  steps  forth  to 
cry,  "  Let  us  go  up  at  once  and  possess  the  land  ! 
Away  with  these  coward  fears  !  "  The  speech 
this,  be  it  observed,  not  of  one  who  was  to  guard 
the  camp  or  bring  up  the  rear,  Judah's  place  is 
in  the  front  of  battle.  The  bloody  wave  breaks 
first  on  that  gallant  tribe  ;  and  of  all  its  warriors, 
first  on  Caleb — its  prince  and  head.  Nor  was 
this  bold  proposal  to  face  and  fight  the  sons  of 
Anak,  an  empty  boast,  a  mere  bravado.  Forty 
years  thereafter  his  courage  was  put  to  that  test 
— the  portion  of  the  land  assigned  him,  at  his 
own  request,  being  held  by  the  giant  race  whose 
descendant,  Goliath  of  Gath,  struck  terror  into 
the  boldest  hearts  in  Israel,  as  he  went  forth 
vapouring  before  their  host — till  he  fell  to  the 
shepherd's  sling,  defying  the  armies  of  the  living 
God.  It  was  from  the  hands  of  giants  Caleb 
wrung  his  inheritance.  Undaunted  by  their 
towering  stature,  he  met  them,  sword  to  sword, 
and  foot  to  foot,  in  the  bloody  field  ;  the  God 
in  whom  he  trusted  inspiring  his  heart  with  such 
courage,  and  endowing  his  arm  with  such 
strength,  that  they  succumbed  before  his  blows 
— their  armour  loudly  clashing,  and  the  very 
earth  shaking  in  their  fall. — Ibid. 


II.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I       God  can  forget  sin  against  Him,  but  not 
fidelity  to  Him. 

[17478]  The  rebellious  and  wicked  people  are 
but  doomed  for  their  sin  to  wander  forty  years 
in  the  wilderness,  until  the  carcases  of  all  who 
were  over  twenty  years  of  age  on  leaving  Egypt 
have  fallen  there.  God  forgives  them.  Merci- 
ful and  gracious,  He  forgets  their  offence,  but 
not  Caleb's  fidelity.  "  Surely,"  he  says,  "  they 
shall  not  see  the  land,  but  my  servant  Caleb, 
because  he  had  another  spirit  with  him  and  hath 
followed  me  fully,  him  will  I  bring  into  the  land 
whereunto  he  went  ;  and  his  seed  shall  possess 
it."  Even  so  shall  it  be  with  all  who,  faithful  to 
the  sacred  interests  of  their  Heavenly  Master, 
prove  themselves  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Remembering  their  fidelity  in  the  hour  of  trial, 
how  they  stood  by  His  cause,  resisted  tempta- 


I40 

17478- 


-I74"3] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA.  [the  JUDGES.— INTKODUCTION. 


tions,  by  faith  crucified  the  flesh,  by  the  blood 
of  the  covenant  overcame  the  world,  how  they 
denied  themselves  but  not  Him,  how  they  were 
of  "  another  spirit "  from  the  mass  of  mere  pro- 
fessors, and  how  in  purpose,  if  not  always  in 
practice,  they  "  followed  the  Lord  fully,"  them 
also  will  He  bring  into  the  land  whither  they  go 
—the  ransomed  of  the  Lord,  a  sacramental  host, 
pilgrims  to  the  heavenly  Canaan. — Ibid. 

2  Piety  is  the  root  and  support  of  the  highest 
type  of  courage. 
[17479]  The  source  of  Caleb's  courage,  of  a 
bravery  so  admirable  and  dauntless,  is  not  far 
to  seek.  In  him,  as  in  those  noble  Christian 
soldiers  whom  I  have  mentioned,  and  in  others 
also  who  have  maintained  their  religion  in  the 
camp,  courage,  if  it  did  not  spring  from,  was 
sustained  by  piety.  He  had  faith  in  God. 
Therefore  he  did  not  fear  the  face  of  man, 
though  that  man  were  a  giant ;  nor  of  death 
Itself.  From  the  same  lofty  source,  and  none 
other,  the  soldier  of  the  cross,  he  who  fights 
with  foes  more  formidable  than  giants — the 
devil,  the  world,  and  the  flesh,  that  trinity  of 
evil — is  to  draw  his  courage.  No  grace  more 
necessary  than  that  in  one  who  would  do  his 
duty  to  Jesus  and  to  Ilis  cause.  Courage  to 
speak  for  Christ  everywhere,  and  act  for  Christ 
alwavs,  is  a  grace  of  the  highest  value — yet  one 
in  which,  alas  !  many  a  good  man,  to  the  dis- 
honour of  his  Master,  and  the  loss  of  others, 
has  been  sadly  wanting.  The  Apostle  Paul 
possessed  it  :  and  what  he  himself  possessed  in 
a  degree  so  eminent,  he  enforced  on  his  con- 
verts, saying,  "  Add  to  your  faith  virtue,"  or, 
as  it  were  better  translated,  "  courage."  No 
greater  bravery,  indeed,  in  battle-fields  than 
what  the  Christian  may  require  !  More  of  it 
may  be  needed  to  face  the  jeers  of  an  ungodly 
world  than  a  blazing  battery  of  cannon. — Ibid. 

[17480]  "The  fear  of  man  bringeth  a  snare,"' 
but  the  fear  of  God  bringeth  Ireedom  from 
every  other  fear. — M.  J, 


THE  JUDGES.— INTRODUCTION. 

I  The  character  of  the  great  men  of  any 
period  of  history  is  to  a  great  extent  the 
character  of  that   period  itself. 

"  The  old  order  cham^et/i,  yielding'  place  to 
new,  and  God  fulfils  Himself  in  viatty  tmys." 

[17481]  Our  estimate  of  the  general  character 
of  any  period  of  history  must  to  a  great  extent 
regulate  our  estimate  of  its  leading  men  and  of 
their  actions.  One  of  the  difficulties  which  the 
student  of  any  historical  character  has  to  over- 
come, is  the  difficulty  of  ascertaining  the  exact 
stage  of  physical  and  moral  development  to 
which  that  character  belonged.  To  test  the 
antique  virtues  by  a  modern  standard  would  be 
as  fallricious  as  to  test  the  prowess  of  a  mailed 
warrior  by  exposing  him  to  the  tire  of  modern 


artillery  instead  of  to  the  clothyard  shafts  of 
his  own  times.  A  man  may  have  been  service- 
able and  admirable  in  his  own  day,  although  by 
the  side  of  Paul  he  would  seem  incongruous, 
formed  on  another  model,  and  useless.  The 
vigorous  physique  and  martial  qualities,  the 
muscular  strength  that  could  break  bows  of 
steel  in  pieces,  the  crafty  wiles  of  semi-civilized 
warriors  were  no  longer  the  subject  of  exulting 
songs  of  triumph,  when  the  work  given  to  God's 
servants  was  to  bring  all  men  to  the  meek  and 
lowly  spirit  of  Christ.  And  one  great  purpose 
which  is  served  by  the  long  course  of  Bible 
history  is  to  widen  our  minds  and  invite  us  to 
see  God's  purpose  growing  towards  accomplish- 
ment through  every  generation,  however  appar- 
ently rude  and  unfit  for  so  high  a  work,  and  by 
means  of  men  most  unlike  one  another.— 7?^z/. 
Af.  Dods,  D.D. 

2  The  dissimilarity  of  the  times  of  the  Judges 
to  our  own  days. 

"  Every  man  did  that  which  was  right  in  his 
own  eyes." 

[17482]  No  period  is  more  unlike  our  own 
times,  and  therefore  further  from  our  sympathies 
and  understanding,  than  the  period  of  the 
Judges  of  Israel.  As  our  conception  of  what  we 
do  not  perfectly  understand  is  materially  aided 
by  comparing  it  to  something  we  are  already  ac- 
quainted with,  this  period  may  perhaps  best  be 
apprehended  lay  comparing  it  to  that  of  the 
Hotneric  heroes  or  to  the  lawless  and  disturbed. 
—Ibid. 

3  The  Judges  were  moved  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  but  they  were  babes,  not  men,  in  the 
quality  of  their  faith. 

[17483]  It  was  on  men  who,  like  the  barons 
who  founded  the  liberties  of  our  own  country, 
could  not  read  nor  sign  their  own  names  ;  men 
whose  hands  one  day  held  the  plough  or  the 
pruning  knife,  and  the  next  day  the  sword  ;  it 
was  on  such  men  as  these,  we  read,  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  came,  impelling  them  to  rise  and 
do  battle  for  Israel.  And  it  strikes  every  reader 
of  this  book  that  while  in  it,  more  than  in  any 
other  book  of  the  Old  Testament,  reference  is 
made  to  the  Spirit  of  God  as  instigating  and 
empowering  rnen,the  deeds  to  which  He  impels 
them  are  anything  but  what  we  are  accustomed 
to  call  spiritual.  They  were  deeds  for  the  most 
part  of  martial  prowess.  Still,  it  was  deeds  of 
this  kind  which  were  then  needed  to  forward 
God's  purpose  with  the  world.  And  to  do  these 
deeds  the  Spirit  enabled  those  who  were  chosen 
for  the  work  ;  not  supernaturally  investing  them 
with  a  refinement  of  character  or  sanctity  of 
disposition  which  would  have  been  incongruous 
with  the  times  in  which  they  lived — times  in 
our  own  country  when  robber  chieftains  could 
hold  a  large  district  under  subjection.  Though 
many  of  the  practices  were  barbarous,  it  would 
be  a  mistake  to  think  of  the  Israelites  of  the 
period  as  mere  savages  ;  for  some  of  the  actions 
which  most  shock  a  modern  reader  of  the  nar- 


17483—17489] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


141 

[SHAMGAR. 


rative,  such  as  the  cutting  up  of  the  Levite's 
concubine,  and  distributing  the  pieces  among 
the  tribes  of  Israel,  as  well  as  the  horrible 
outrage  which  led  to  this,  seem  equally  to  have 
shocked  the  Israelites  themselves.  And  we 
must  also  bear  in  mind  that  although  there 
was  no  literature  by  which  the  people  might  be 
educated,  yet  there  was  stirring  among  them  all 
that  gives  promise  of  a  literature — love  of  song 
and  of  terse  and  witty  sayings,  a  knowledge  of 
the  art  of  writing,  as  well  as  of  those  arts  in 
which  the  mechanical  and  artistic  faculties  are 
both  employed. — Ibid. 

[17484]  We  do  not  rightly  apprehend  the 
period,  nor  what  was  required  to  be  done  in  it, 
unless  we  give  full  insight  to  its  roughness  and 
fierceness.  They  were  times  in  which  a  woman 
could  wile  a  man  to  sleep  under  her  roof,  and, 
while  he  slept,  drive  a  tent-pin  through  his 
temples.  Like  the  North  American  Indians, 
the  warriors  with  whom  the  Israelites  engaged 
called  themselves  after  the  lower  animals,  as  the 
wolf  and  the  raven,  that  the  qualities  which 
fitted  them  for  battle  might  be  recognized.  And 
that  the  Israelites  were  not  on  a  much  higher 
level  of  civilization  themselves  may  be  gathered 
from  their  treatment  of  Adoni-bezek,  whose 
thumbs  and  toes  they  cut  off.  They  were  times 
when  it  was  possible  for  a  man  to  maintain 
himself  by  heading  a  band  of  freebooters  ;  times 
when  human  sacrifices  were  not  yet  impossible. 
—Ibid. 

[17485]  The  Judges  went  to  their  work  in  the 
strength  of  Jehovah,  believing  in  Him  as  more 
powerful  than  all  that  could  be  against  them, 
and  believing  also  that  it  was  His  will  to  free 
His  people  from  all  oppression.  They  had, 
that  is  to  say,  faith  in  God,  and  what  they  did, 
as  we  are  told  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
they  did  by  faith.  It  was  this  belief  that  gave 
them  courage  and  success.  But  faith  is  the 
property  of  children  as  well  as,  or  indeed  much 
more  than,  of  men  of  mature  understanding  ; 
and  how  little  understanding  the  Israelites  yet 
had  of  the  God  who  had  adopted  them  is  suf- 
ficiently shown  by  the  story  of  Jephthah.  God 
does  not  supersede  nature  in  the  development 
of  the  character  of  individuals  or  of  nations. — 
Ibid. 


SHAMGAR. 

I.  Introductory. 

The    state   of   Israel   when    Shamgar  became 
Judge. 

[174S6]  Through  the  corrupting  influence  of 
their  neighbours  Israel  had  gone  after  other 
gods  to  serve  them,  and  God's  anger  was  kindled 
against  them.  The  land  was  desolate,  commerce 
of  all  kinds  was  abandoned,  and  even  govern- 
ment was  trodden  down  by  the  feet  of  injustice 
and  cruelty.     The  highways,  where  honest  men 


used  to  travel,  were  deserted  and  infested  with 
robbers  and  murderers  who  made  no  secret  of 
their  mission.  The  wells  and  the  fountains  were 
surrounded  by  them,  making  it  death  to  the 
Israelites  to  come  hither  to  draw.  Who  could 
imagine  a  more  terrible  state  of  things  ?  and 
all,  we  are  told,  brought  on  by  themselves.— 
Rev.  J.  Kelly. 

II.  Points  of  Character. 

1  Steady  energy. 

He  pursued  his  daily  avocations  in  the  midst 
of  sii?-roiinding  disturbances. 

[17487]  Shamgar  was  ploughing  in  his  field 
when  the  Philistines  came  upon  him.  It  speaks 
well  for  Shamgar  that  he  was  ploughing  in  such  a 
time  of  trouble,  for  the  country  was  in  a  state 
of  desolation.  Few  men,  I  presume,  had  eitlier 
the  courage  or  desire  to  plough.  I  learn  here, 
that  in  times  of  national  distress,  or  spiritual 
deadness  or  trouble  in  the  Church,  it  is  a 
great  blessing  to  have  a  Shamgar  here  and  there, 
driving  on  with  their  work  as  though  nothing 
had  happened.  Such  men  impart  a  new  impulse 
to  the  waning  energies  of  those  around  them  ; 
and  the  energy  and  hopefulness  they  get  at  the 
plough  fit  them  to  mow  down  the  Philistines 
when  they  come.  In  acquiring  an  education, 
or  fitting  yourself  for  any  honourable  profession, 
you  will  find  the  Philistines  of  discouragement 
pouring  in  upon  you,  and,  as  the  condition  of 
success,  you  must  grapple  with  and  overcome 
them.  The  road  of  advance  must  be  cut  right 
through  xhQVCi.—Ibia. 

2  Intrepid  valour. 

[17488]  Shamgar  was  ploughing  in  the  field, 
when  six  hundred  Philistines  either  went  in  the 
direction  of  his  house  or  came  upon  him. 
Burning  with  indignation  and  a  spirit  of  holy 
revenge,  he  sprang  upon  them,  single-handed 
and  alone,  with  no  weapon  but  his  ox  goad,  and 
never  halted  till  the  last  man  lay  dead  at  his 
feet.  To  my  mind  there  is  something  wonder- 
ful in  this  unique  battle.  I  wonder  that  he 
escaped  when  surrounded  by  such  a  multitude. 
And  I  wonder  the  Philistines  stood  their  ground 
till  the  last  man  was  slain.  In  a  higher  realm 
of  service  than  the  field  of  physical  conflict,  we 
are  told  that  "  one  shall  chase  a  thousand  ; " 
but  I  think  for  Shamgar  to  kill  "six  hundred 
with  an  ox  goad "  was  a  feat  of  daring  and 
valour  equally  marvellous. — Ibid. 

III.  The  Lesson  of  his  Brief  History. 

The  spirit  in  which  men  grapple  with  difificul. 
ties  in  pursuing  the  avocations  of  life  will 
shape  and  colour  their  future. 

[17489]  Shamgar  was  a  humble  labouring 
man  ;  but  his  conduct  at  a  crisis  in  the  history 
of  his  nation  raised  him  to  be  Judge  of  Israel. 
Learn  from  this,  that  the  meeting  of  present 
emergencies,  and  the  faithful  discharge  of  pre- 
sent duty,  is  the  true  road  to  advancement  and 


142 

17489—17494! 


OLD    TESTA.MEXT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[barak. 


honour.  Let  a  man  fill  the  place  where  he  is, 
to  overflowing  with  himself,  and  God  will  soon 
invite  him  to  a  broader  place. — Ji^id. 


BARAK. 

I.  His  Hesitating  Obedience  to  God's 
Command. 

[i749o]The  Israelites  were  "sold  into  the  hand 
of  Jabin,  the  king  of  Canaan,  that  reigned  in 
Ilazor  ;  the  captain  of  whose  host  was  Sisera." 
The  yoke  became  very  painful,  and  the  cry 
for  help  became  loud  and  perpetual.  Men  in 
adversity  are  driven  to  God.  At  that  time 
Deborah  the  prophetess  sent  and  called  for 
Earak,  to  whom  she  made  known  that  the  Lord 
was  about  to  deliver  Israel  from  the  hands  of 
Jabin  ;  and  she  conmianded  him  to  go  with  ten 
thousand  men  of  the  children  of  Naphtali  and 
of  the  children  of  Zebulun  to  Mount  Tabor. 
Barak  was  unwilling  to  execute  this  command 
unless  Deborah  promised  to  go  with  him  ;  this 
she  consented  to  do.  Wiien  the  hosts  met,  the 
Lord  discomfited  the  army  of  Sisera,  and  the 
captain  himself  was  slain  by  Jael,  the  wife  of 
Heber  the  Kenite. — Anon. 


IL  Lessons  Taught  by  his  Hesitancy. 

1  A  man  must  have  convincing  testimony 
that  the  work  is  of  God  before  he  can 
engage  in  it  with  all  his  heart. 

[17491]  Barak  seemed  to  hesitate  when  De- 
borah spoke  to  him  of  the  work  he  was  to  take 
in  hand  ;  questioned  whether  the  command  did 
come  from  God,  and  in  order  to  test  her 
veracity,  said,  "If  thou  wilt  go  with  me,  then  I 
will  go  :  but  if  thou  wilt  not  go  with  me,  then  I 
will  not  go."  Deborah  was  known  in  Israel  as 
a  prophetess  of  the  Lord  ;  and  if  she  staked 
her  reputation  and  her  life  in  the  undertaking, 
there  could  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  Lord  had 
spoken  unto  her,  and  that  it  was  His  will  this 
expedition  should  be  undertaken.  Moses 
desired  a  sign  before  he  went  down  to  Egypt 
to  deliver  his  brethren  out  of  the  oppressor's 
hand;  Gideon  also  wanted  a  proof  that  Ciod 
would  be  with  him  before  he  undertook  the 
work  of  delivering  the  people  from  under  the 
yoke  of  the  Midianites.  .Such  signs  are  not 
given  to-day,  but  there  are  testimonies  concern- 
ing God's  work  equally  convincing  if  men  were 
only  to  seek  the  truth  with  their  whole  heart. 
All  thoroughly  earnest  people  are  conscious  of 
being  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Most  High, 
and  that  they  are  seeking  to  carry  out  His  will  ; 
their  consciousness  is  stronger  than  any  argu- 
ment or  visible  sign.  Without  this  conviction 
it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  throw  his  whole 
energies  into  the  work,  whether  it  be  by  means 
of  the  press,  in  the  mission  field,  or  in  the 
pulpit.  The  inward  certitude  that  the  work  is 
Divine    will   rouse   the   soul's  enthusiasm,    all 


fears  and   doubts  will  be  banished   from  the 
mind. — Idid. 

2  Any  hesitation  on  the  part  of  man  to  carry 
out  the  Divine  command  will  involve  detri- 
ment and  loss. 

[17492]  When  the  command  was  given  to 
Barak  to  go  against  Sisera,  the  promise  was, 
"And  I  will  deliver  him  into  thine  hand  ;"  but 
when  he  demurred,  and  said  he  would  not  go 
unless  Deborah  went  with  him,  this  promise 
was  partially  withdrawn  :  he  would  gain  a 
glorious  victory,  but  the  honour  of  destroying 
Sisera  would  be  given  to  a  woman.  Owing  to 
his  reluctance  to  obey  the  word  of  God,  he  lost 
a  great  deal  of  the  honour  that  was  within  his 
reach  as  the  general  of  the  Jewish  army.  Jonah 
went  at  last  to  Nineveh,  and  preached  with 
great  success  ;  the  people  repented  and  were 
saved  ;  but  the  beauty  of  his  character  would 
have  been  far  greater  if  he  had  not  attempted 
to  flee  unto  Tarshish  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord.  Business  men  who  have  risen  to  a  posi- 
tion of  wealth  and  influence  have  done  so 
through  their  perseverance,  and  by  being  ever 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity 
which  presented  itself  to  extend  their  business 
transactions.  It  is  strange  there  should  be  so 
much  lukewarmness  in  connection  with  re- 
ligious matters— so  much  time  lost  in  deter- 
mining whose  duty  it  is  to  do  this,  that,  and 
the  other  thing,  when  the  voice  of  God  is  heard 
calling  all  persons  to  come  to  His  help  against 
the  enemy.  Thus  men  lose  many  opportunities 
of  doing  good,  and  the  honour  they  could  easily 
get  is  given  to  another. — Ibid. 

[17493]  Barak,  in  his  hesitating  obedience 
and  the  loss  of  honour  which  he  thereby  in- 
curred, is  the  Old  Testament  beacon  warning 
us  of  that  against  which  the  ascended  Saviour 
exhorts  us  from  heaven  :  "  Hold  that  fast  which 
thou  hast,  that  no  man  take  thy  crown  "  (Rev. 
in.  11).— M.y. 

3      Tokens    of   success    in    connection    with 
God's  work  will  fill  the  heart  with  praise. 

[17494]  Though  Barak  himself  had  not  the 
honour  of  taking  Sisera,  still  the  enemy  was 
thoroughly  beaten  and  Israel  liberated.  This 
token  of  success  was  a  cause  of  joy  to  every 
Jew  ;  and  every  heart  ought  to  have  been  filled  to 
overflowing  with  thankfulness  to  the  God  who 
had  come  to  their  deliverance.  One  of  the 
grandest  poems  ever  written  was  composed  on 
this  occasion,  and  the  name  of  Barak  will  be 
handed  down  to  posterity  in  connection  with  it. 
Deborah  and  Barak  sang  the  praise  of  the  God 
who  had  avenged  His  people.  It  is  man's  duty 
to  labour  on  in  the  vineyard  of  Christ,  though 
no  fruit  appear  ;  it  is  our  duty  to  remain  on  the 
battle-field,  though  no  signs  of  victory  be  given 
us  ;  but  when  the  fruit  begins  to  appear,  and 
when  the  forces  of  the  enemy  begin  to  waver 
and  retreat,  the  Christian's  hope  brightens,  his 
strength  is  renewed,  and  songs  of  praise  burst 
from  his  lips.     If  the  heart  of  the  merchant  is 


»7494— 17499] 


OLD    TESTAl^rENT   .SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JF.WISH   ERA. 


[GIDEON. 


filled  with  joy  when  his  speculations  succeed  ; 
if  the  heart  of  the  sailor  is  glad  when  he  beholds 
the  harbour,  after  having  battled  with  many  a 
storm  on  his  voyage  home,  surely  the  heart  of 
the  Christian  ought  to  rejoice  when  there  are 
any  signs  of  the  dawn  of  that  glorious  day  when 
righteousness  shall  be  established  on  the  earth, 
and  when  the  power  of  sin  shall  be  entirely  and 
for  ever  destroyed. — Anon. 


GIDEON. 

I.  Epitome  of  Character. 

[17495]  This  was  indeed  a  mighty  man  of 
valour,  humble,  and  yet  terrible  :  full  of  endur- 
ance, and  yet  unable  to  stir  without  the  Lord  ; 
full  of  natural  fears,  and  yet  shrinking  from 
nothing  that  the  Lord  commanded  ;  full  of  the 
sorrows  of  his  people,  refusing  the  kingdom  for 
himself,  while  his  very  countenance  marked  him 
for  a  king  ;  ready  for  any  deed  of  valour,  and  yet 
letting  others  take  the  glory  of  what  he  himself 
had  done.  There  were  faults  in  his  character, 
undoubtedly,  but,  from  the  day  he  threshed 
wheat  by  the  wine-press  to  the  day  he  refused 
the  kingdom,  he  is  a  man  from  whom  much 
may  be  learned.  Some  of  the  bravest  men  that 
(ver  lived  have  stained  their  valour  by  vainglory 
j^rid  self-exaltation.  Gideon  saved  Israel,  and 
took  nothing  of  theirs  except  to  make  what  he 
thought  would  be  a  means  of  communion  with 
Jehovah,  the  ephod,  that  became  a  snare  to 
Israel  and  to  Gideon  and  his  house. — Rev.  C. 
Waller. 

[17496]  He  was  a  man  who  felt  deeply  the 
degradation  of  his  people.  He  could  not  enjoy 
his  own  harvest  while  the  Midianites  were 
robbing  all  around  ;  he  had  the  patriot's 
wide  sympathy.  He  was  a  man,  also,  of  the 
strongest  common  sense,  accustomed  to  look 
through  words  to  things,  and  to  look  the  facts 
of  life  fair  in  the  face.  And,  above  all,  he  was 
a  man  of  abundant  personal  valour,  but  yet 
unwilling  to  move  a  step  until  he  was  sure 
God  was  with  him  ;  bold  to  risk  anything,  once 
he  was  convinced  God  would  stand  by  him,  but 
fearful  to  hazard  a  single  life  without  this  con- 
viction. This  was  brought  out  by  the  singular 
test  which  Gideon  audaciously  proposed  to  God, 
laying  out  a  fleece,  and  asking  (}od  to  show  His 
presence  and  His  power  by  causing  the  fleece 
to  be  soaked  with  dew  while  the  ground  was 
dry,  and  dry  when  the  ground  was  wet.  This 
he  did,  not  from  cowardice,  but  because  it  was 
not  his  nature  to  risk  anything  ;  he  was  a 
thoughtful  man,  who  had  difficulties  other  men 
had  not. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17497]  Gideon's  character  is  well  vindicated 
in  the  sign  of  the  fleece — cool  in  the  heat  of  all 
around,  dry  while  all  around  were  damped  by 
fear.     Throughout  we  see  three  great  qualities. 


decision 
Stanley. 


,    caution,    and     magnanimity.— Z>f(i« 


n.  Special  Distinguishing  Traits. 
I       Excellences. 

(l)  Fa/l/i  and  obedience. 

a.  As  exhibited  in  his  request  for  signs  of 
God's  approval  and  support. 

[1749.SJ  The  very  smoothness  and  prosperity 
of  everything  till  now  dismays  and  staggers 
him.  He  knows  that  however  flattering  "ap- 
pearances may  be  for  the  time,  all  will  come  to 
nothing  unless  God  be  with  hmi.  If  he  has  the 
assurance  of  the  Divine  presence,  he  can  go  on 
boldly  in  spite  of  his  mean  opinion  of  himself; 
but  he  cannot  go  on  without  it.  He  resorts, 
therefore,  again  to  God  ;  and  the  history  tells 
how  by  two  simple  but  impressive  signs  he 
reached  the  certainty  that  he  longed  for.  Both 
signs  were  miraculous.  The  latter  was  very 
strikingly  so.  That  a  fleece  which  naturally 
attracts  dew  should  remain  dry  when  the 
ground  was  wet,  was  so  plainly  supernatural 
that  even  Gideon,  self-distrustlul  as  he  was, 
could  no  longer  doubt  that  he  was  in  the  path 
of  duty.  We  are  apt  to  think,  and  we  should 
think  correctly,  if  we  judged  by  the  standard  of 
our  own  day,  that  Gideon  acted  with  great  pre- 
sumption in  thus  prescribing  signs  to  God. 
But  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  miracles  were 
in  some  degree  the  appointed  signs  of  that  day. 
It  is  different  now.  With  the  Saviour  has  come 
the  Spirit  ;  and  with  the  Spirit  has  come,  or 
should  have  come,  the  power  of  discerning 
spiritual  things,  and  being  guided  by  spiritual 
signs.  Each  age  and  each  phase  of  the 
Church's  work  has  its  appropriate  character- 
istics, and  to  seek  at  any  period  for  the  signs 
that  are  suited  for  it  is  not  presumption  ;  it  is 
{akh.—Rev.  IV.  Miller. 

b.  As  exemplified  in  his  tactics  in  the 
battle  with  the  Midianites. 

[17499]  In  his  strict  adherence  to  the  course 
marked  out  by  simple  faith  in  the  living  God, 
though  every  party  among  his  soldiers  must 
have  been  offended  and  must  have  doubted 
him — in  this  lay  what  remained  of  Gideon's 
long-continued  preparation.  He  had  trusted  in 
God  in  spite  of  the  o|)posilion  of  enemies  and 
the  indifference  of  all  men.  He  had  trusted  in 
God  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  outward  diffi- 
culty when  supported  by  the  sympathy  of  a 
gallant  host.  But  the  harder  lesson  was  still 
to  learn  of  trusting  in  God  alone,  in  spite  of 
the  opposition  of  those  who  not  only  professed 
to  be  God's  friends,  but  who  had  shown  by 
courage  displayed  and  sacrifice  endured  that 
they  were  His  friends  in  unquestionable  reality. 
The  first  step  commanded  was  that  Gideon 
should  put  in  force  the  old  rule  that  any  one 
who  was  fearful  or  dismayed  should  have  per- 
mission to  retire.  It  was  no  light  matter  for  a 
general,  so  well  acquainted  as  Gideon  with  all 
the  necessities  of  war,  to  issue  a  proclamation 


144 

17499— i7So6] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[GIDEON. 


that  might  denude  him  at  the  decisive  moment 
of  a  large  proportion  of  his  strength.  The  man 
who  could  so  set  natural  wisdom  at  defiance 
was  certainly  exercising,  and  so  strengthening, 
his  faith  in  the  Unseen  in  a  most  striking  way. 
^Ibid. 

[17500]  The  dismay  in  the  army  must  have 
been  great  when  it  was  found  that  there  was  to 
be  no  attack,  and  that  after  a  mere  empty 
parade,  as  it  would  be  deemed,  into  the  plain, 
they  were  ordered  back  to  their  old  position, 
as  if  the  nearer  sight  of  Midian  had  daunted 
all  their  courage.  And  the  dismay  must  have 
deepened  when  it  was  found  on  their  return 
that  their  general  was  ordering  home  all  except 
the  paltry  three  hundred  that  had  not  knelt  to 
drink.  Suspicions  of  his  treachery,  certainty  of 
his  folly,  must  have  been  rife  on  every  hand.  .  .  . 
He  was  rot  one  who  could  easily  set  his  face  as 
a  flint  against  misapprehension  and  abuse  ;  and 
he  knew  well  enough  that  not  one  of  his  country- 
men would  fully  understand  or  sympathise  with 
him  in  the  step  that  God  would  have  him  take. 
He  had  to  bear  his  burden  all  alone.  Yet  in 
spite  of  hindrances  so  great  he  obeyed— obeyed 
at  once  and  without  a  murmur.  So  carefully 
had  God  trained  His  servant  ;  so  greatly  had 
the  servant  profited  by  His  training.  The  man 
who  had  shrunk  back  at  first,  overwhelmed  by 
the  bare  idea  of  his  undertaking  such  a  duty, 
now  stands  alone  amidst  all  obloquy,  all  sus- 
picion, all  temptation,  all  weakness — alone, with 
God  only  on  his  side,  trusting  in  God  and  obey- 
ing Him  right  in  the  teeth  of  all  the  dictates  of 
natural  feeling  and  of  ordinary  worldly  wisdom. 
If  we  take  rightly  into  account  the  whole  circum- 
stances of  the  case  and  the  whole  character  of 
the  man,  I  question  if  the  Old  Testament  can 
afford  such  an  instance  of  the  power  of  living 
faith  as  Gideon  was  showing  at  this  moment 
when  his  preparation  reached  its  climax. — Ibid. 

(2)    Valour  and  heroism. 

a.  He  presents  a  noble  example  as  the  most 
heroic  of  the  judges. 

[ 1 7501]  Helps  says — "  The  heroic  example  of 
other  days  is  in  great  part  the  source  of  the 
courage  of  each  generation  ;  and  men  walk  up 
composedly  to  the  most  perilous  enterprizes, 
beckoned  onward  by  the  shades  of  the  brave 
that  were."  Gideon  is  the  most  heroic  of 
Israel's  judges.  He  stands  out  sublime  in 
ancient  story  ;  and  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews  mentions  his  name  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  power  of  faith.  His  shade  still  walks 
the  earth.  He  has  beckoned  men  onward  to 
heroic  enterprizes,  and  he  has  lessons  for  the 
men  of  the  nineteenth  century. — Rev.  IV. 
Burrows. 

b.  He  displays  the  nature  of  true  valour. 
[17502]   Valour   does  not  despise    lowly   but 

neeessary  occupations.  Gideon  threshed  wheat. 
He  was  ready  to  take  the  flail,  or  the  stick,  as 
well  as  the  weapons  of  reform,  or  the  sword  of 
the  warrior.     Greatness  is  not  shown  by  a  neg- 


lect of  common  necessary  duties.  Do  the  best 
thing  is  a  rule  of  life  for  all.  Those  who  fancy 
themselves  too  great  to  do  lowly  deeds  must  not 
expect  to  be  called  by  angel  voices  to  sublime 
deeds. — Ibid. 

[17503]  Valour  may  have  its  miss:;ivins^s. 
''  My  family  is  poor  in  Manasseh,  and  1  am  the 
least  in  my  father's  house."  A  sense  of  small- 
ness  may  be  at  the  first  crushing,  but  afterwards 
strengthening  as  it  leads  to  take  a  firmer  hold  of 
the  strength  of  the  Omnipotent.  Earth's  great- 
ness as  well  as  heaven's  have  come  from  unlikely 
quarters.  A  crowd  of  names  could  be  given 
as  illustrations  —  Columbus,  Moliere,  Homer, 
Hesiod,  Demosthenes, Howard, De  Foe,\Volsey, 
Cromwell,  Whitefield,  &c.  Gideon  was  the 
least  of  a  poor  family.  The  greatest  of  Israel's 
kings  and  the  sweetest  of  the  world's  minstrels 
came  from  the  sheepfold. — Ibid. 

[17504]  Valour  may  walk  in  the  darkness  of 
the  Divine  hidings.  "  If  the  Lord  be  with  us, 
why  then  is  all  this  befallen  us  ?"  asked  Gideon. 
So  "  many  a  poor  soul  is  ready  to  say,  If  God 
had  loved  me  He  would  never  have  let  me  fall 
into  so  gross  and  scandalous  a  sin,  or  He  would 
never  have  afflicted  me  nor  sulTer  me  to  be 
tempted  as  I  have  been." — Goodwin. 

(3)  Prudence  ajid  forethought. 

[17505]  It  was  in  no  degree  personal  fear  that 
led  to  Gideon's  breaking  down  the  altar  of  Baal 
by  night.  There  was  no  attempt  at  conceal- 
ment. When  men  began  to  ask,  "  Who  hath 
done  this  thing  ? "  they  were  told  at  once : 
"  Gideon  the  son  of  Joash  hath  done  this  thing." 
The  motive  simply  was  to  avoid  the  disturb- 
ance, and  perhaps  the  bloodshed,  that  would 
have  attended  the  removal  of  the  altar  by  day. 
The  work  could  be  best  done  by  night,  and 
therefore  night  was  waited  for.  So  it  is  always 
with  men  of  Gideon's  stamp,  with  men  who 
have  made  up  their  mind  fully  to  be  God's  ser- 
vants. Firm  as  they  are,  because  they  depend  on 
Almighty  strength  and  not  upon  their  own,  they 
can  afford  to  wait.  They  can  afford  to  watch 
for  and  to  use  the  opportunities  that  Providence 
affords.  It  is  those  who  have  some  secret  fear 
lest  their  resolution  change,  or  who  have  no 
deep  belief  that  the  world  and  all  that  it  con- 
tains is  guided  by  the  living  God,  who  rush 
without  consideration  to  put  in  hasty  execution 
their  ill-matured  designs. — liev.  l^V.  Miller. 

(4)  Humility  atid  sclf-distrttst. 

[17506]  Observe  his  answer  to  Him  who 
spake  to  him  :  "  O  my  Lord,  if  the  Lord  be 
with  us,  why  is  all  this  befallen  us  ?  and  where 
be  all  His  miracles  which  our  fathers  told  us  of, 
saying.  Did  not  the  Lord  bring  us  up  from 
Egypt .''  but  now  the  Lord  hath  forsaken  us, 
and  delivered  us  into  the  hands  of  the  Midian- 
ites."  Gideon's  first  thoughts  in  this  answer  are 
for  his  people  rather  than  himself.  Many  men 
would  have  taken  the  words  addressed  to  him 
vaingloriously,  as  a  compliment  to  themselves. 


17506—17512] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[giueon. 


"  The  Lord  is  with  thee^  thou  mighty  man." 
Gideon  rephes,  "  O  my  Lord,  if  the  Lord  be 
with  us,  why,"  &c.  He  has  no  thought  of 
setting  himself  above  others.  If  the  Lord  is 
not  with  His  people,  how  can  He  be  with  me  ? 
What  am  I,  that  I  should  be  more  under  His 
protection  than  others  .'' — Rev.  C.  Waller. 

[17507]  We  gather  that  though  Gideon  called 
his  family  "poor  in  Manasseh,"  and  himself 
"  the  least  in  his  father's  house,"  yet  there  was 
no  immediate  pressure  upon  them  at  this  time. 
Still  Gideon's  mind  was  full  of  the  distress  of 
his  people.  We  find  traces  of  humility,  unsel- 
fishness, and  true  patriotism  in  his  character 
from  the  first.  And  the  same  character  which 
appeared  in  this  answer  pervades  all  Gideon's 
work.  He  will  do  anything  that  God  commands 
him,  but  he  absolutely  refuses  to  act  for  himself. 
Sign  after  sign  he  asks  at  each  stage  of  his 
work  until  he  has  actually  met  the  enemy.  He 
will  be  sure  that  the  Lord  is  with  him  at  every 
turn.  This  is  not  cowardice  :  it  is  that  true 
discretion  which  is  the  best  part  of  valour — to 
attempt  nothing  without  the  Lord.  But  with 
the  Lord  Gideon  will  do  anything. — Ibid. 

[17508]  This  countryman  is  Gideon  —  the 
future  deliverer  and  judge  of  Israel  ;  and 
threshing  is  his  humble  task.  Fired  with  am- 
bition, it  might  have  been  natural  for  him  to 
leave  such  obscure  employments  to  others  ;  and, 
panting  to  deliver  his  country  and  also  dis- 
tinguish himself,  aim  at  something  better  suited 
to  his  talents  and  position.  "  What  manner  of 
men  were  they  whom  ye  slew  at  Tabor?"  was 
his  question  to  the  conquered  and  captive  kings, 
Zebah  and  Zalmunna.  "  As  thou  art,  so  were 
they  ;  each  one  resembled  the  children  of  a 
king,"  was  their  answer.  Now  this  answer, 
though  fatal  to  themselves  (for  their  victims 
were  Gideon's  brethren),  presents  his  case  as 
one  of  those  where  the  body  seems  to  take  form 
from  the  mind  it  lodges,  and  to  reveal,  by  a 
certain  nobleness  of  bearing  and  expression,  the 
greatness  of  the  soul  within.  Yet  Gideon, 
though  belonging,  if  we  may  judge  from  this,  to 
the  order  of  Nature's  nobility,  abandoned  him- 
self to  no  dreams  of  ambition  ;  but  was  called 
of  God  from  the  quiet,  diligent,  and  contented 
discharge  of  the  humblest  duties,  to  honours 
and  usefulness  he  never  dreamed  of.  If  God 
should  call  him  to  a  higher  place,  well  ;  if  not, 
also  well. — Anon. 

[17509]  History  offers  many  remarkable 
parallels  ;  but  none  perhaps  more  remarkable 
than  that  between  the  self-distrust  and  diffi- 
dence of  JMoses  and  the  self-distrust  and  diffi- 
dence of  Gideon.  In  this  they  present  a 
remarkable  and  instructive  contrast  to  the 
ready  confidence  with  which  the  disciples  of 
our  Lord — by  nature  very  inferior  inen — re- 
sponded to  His  call.  It  was  from  no  aversion 
to  the  work  that  both  Moses  the  leader,  and 
Gideon  the  deliverer,  of  Israel  shrunk  from  it  ; 
but  from  the  very  humble  estimate  they  had 

VOL.  VI. 


formed  of  their  own  powers.  The  disciples 
seem  to  have  been  troubled  with  no  such 
scruples  ;  but  the  contrary.  Their  mutual 
jealousies  and  unseemly  strifes  for  precedence 
argued  a  self-sufficient  spirit.  So  strong  was 
this  in  Simon  that  swelling  waves  and  roaring 
storm  were  not  formidable  enough  to  deter  him 
from  an  attempt  to  rival  his  Master,  and  also 
walk  upon  the  sea — in  Thomas,  that  when 
Jesus  by  repairing  to  Bethany  was  to  put  his 
life  in  jeopardy,  troubled  with  no  misgivings,  he 
said,  "  Let  us  go  also  and  die  with  him" — in  the 
whole  band,  that  amid  the  dangers  of  that  ever- 
memorable  night  in  which  our  Lord  was  be- 
trayed, they  made  professions  heroic  and  brave 
as  Peter's,  declaring,  "  We  will  die  with  Thee 
rather  than  deny  Thee." — Ibid. 

[175 10]  All  his  fears  sprang  from  no  want  of 
confidence  in  Jehovah,  but  from  doubt  whether 
Jehovah  could  possibly  have  chosen  him  to  be 
the  instrument  of  triumph.  With  the  profound 
modesty  and  self-distrust  that  accompany  the 
noblest  kind  of  greatness,  he  was  inclined  to 
think  humbly  of  himself,  not  only  absolutely  as 
in  the  sight  of  God,  but  even  as  compared  with 
other  men. — Rev.  VV.  Miller. 

(5)  Tcict  and  self-conima7td. 

[17511]  We  notice  the  admirable  self-com- 
mand and  tact  displayed  in  Gideon's  answer  to 
Ephraim.  He  is  flushed  with  victory  when 
Ephraim  ventures  to  chide  him  thus,  he  has  at 
his  back  his  three  hundred  invincibles,  he  knows 
himself  God's  chosen  chief:  what  would  most 
men  have  done  if  sharply  reprimanded  in  such 
circumstances  ?  Probably  not  made  the  exqui- 
sitely skilful  answer  of  this  most  sagacious  of 
commanders  :  "  What  have  I  done  now  in  com- 
parison of  you  ?  Is  not  the  gleaning  of  the 
grapes  of  Ephraim  better  than  the  vintag"e  of 
Abi-ezer  1 "  My  household  has  no  doubt  cut 
the  first-fruits,  but  what  is  our  harvest  in  com- 
parison with  these  rich  clusters,  the  heads  of 
Oreb  and  Zeeb,  the  princes  of  Midian  which 
you  have  gleaned .''  "  Then  their  anger  was 
abated  toward  him  when  he  had  said  that. — 
Rev.  M.  Dods. 

(6)  Thoroughness  and  perseverance. 

[175 1 2]  Gideon's  was  no  easy  work  in  this 
battle.  His  limbs  were  weary  running  ;  his 
hand  was  weary  slaying  ;  and  the  way  was  long, 
and  the  sun  high  and  hot,  when  he  arrived  with 
his  three  hundred  followers,  panting  and  ex- 
hausted, at  Jordan's  shore.  To  sit  down.?  No. 
It  had  been  sweet  to  lie  on  its  green  banks,  and, 
lulled  to  sleep  by  the  song  of  birds  and  murmur 
of  the  stream,  rest  under  its  cool  shades  awhile  ; 
but,  bent  on  their  purpose,  they  dashed  right 
into  the  waters,  and,  stemming  the  flood,  passed 
over,  "  he  and  the  three  hundred  men,  faint  yet 
pursuing."  "  Faint,  yet  pursuing,"  be  that  our 
chosen  motto.  Till  we  are  dead  to  sin,  and  sin 
is  dead  to  us,  be  it  our  daily  work  to  crucify  the 
flesh  with  its  affections  and  lusts  ;  and  while 
asking  that  the  God  of  hope  would  give  us  all 


146 

I75I2- 


■I75I8] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[GIDEON, 


joy  and  peace  in  believing,  be  the  prayer  we 
daily  offer  for  ourselves  that  of  St.  Paul  for  his 
Thessalonian  converts,  "  The  very  God  of  peace 
sanctify  you  wholly." — Anon. 

[175 13]  Gideon's  success  is  so  far  great,  and 
though  faint  he  can  still  pursue.  God's  past 
dealings  are  a  pledge  for  the  future.  Ebenezer 
is  a  strengthening  inscription.  'Ihere  is  a  sense 
in  which  the  things  that  are  behind  ought  not  to 
be  forgotten.  The  Church  and  the  individual 
may  be  faint,  but  perseverance  must  be  the 
motto  remembering  what  Cjod  hath  wrought. 
Gideon  considers  that  things  half  done  are  not 
well  done.  No  time  is  to  be  lost.  The  enemy 
must  be  pursued  while  the  panic  prevails.  To 
leave  off  now  would  be  to  give  an  opportunity  to 
the  return  in  greater  force  and  virulence,  and 
the  last  state  of  Israel  might  thus  be  worse  than 
the  first.  Half  a  victory  is  disastrous.  The 
Church  must  pursue.  To  stand  still  is  to  let 
the  enemy  gain  ground.  The  individual  must 
pursue.  Not  to  him  that  runs  a  little  way,  but 
to  him  that  continues  to  the  end  is  the  prize 
given.  The  perseveranceof  the  saints  must  be  a 
practical  article  of  belief. — Rev.  IV.  Burrows. 

(7)  Disinterestedness  and  self-denial. 

[175 14]  He  stood  on  the  pinnacle  of  glory. 
He  exhibited  as  prisoners  the  two  proudest 
monarchs  of  the  East,  and,  according  to 
the  ideas  of  his  time,  completed  his  triumph 
over  them  by  slaying  them  with  his  own  hand 
in  public.  His  countrymen  were  around  him, 
not  only  freed  but  er.riched  by  his  success.  For 
the  wealth  acquired  by  generations  of  wholesale 
plunder  had  been  in  tlie  tents  of  Midian,  and 
was  now  in  the  possession  of  their  conquerors. 
And  from  first  to  last  the  glory  was  all  his  own. 
He  was  no  mere  victorious  general  who  had 
brought  to  a  successful  issue  a  war  in  which  his 
country  had  been  long  engaged.  He  was  the 
sole  originator  and  organizer  of  the  war.  For 
every  step  from  its  commencement  to  its  un- 
exampled close  he  deserved  all  the  credit.  He 
was  at  once  the  Wallace  and  the  Bruce  of  his 
native  land.  And  his  very  modesty  in  claiming 
so  little  for  himself  made  his  glory  greater. 
None  in  that  assembly  would  be  more  disposed 
to  honour  him  than  the  chiefs  of  haughty 
Ephraim.  In  the  first  flush  of  their  humbled 
pride  they  had  needed  little  to  make  them  fall 
on  him.  But  his  soft  answer  had  turned  their 
wrath  away.  Now,  touched  by  his  nobility  and 
ashamed  of  their  own  petty  arrogance,  Ephraim 
was — I  should  think  certainly — the  very  loudest 
in  his  praises.  Vanquished  by  his  generosity 
as  much  as  Penuel  and  Succoth  had  been 
vanquished  by  his  arms,  Ephraim  probably 
took  the  lead  in  the  offer  of  kingly  authority 
that  was  made  to  him.  That  offer  was  the 
climax  of  his  natural  glory.  His  rejection  of  it 
was  the  climax  of  his  moral  and  spiritual  glory. 
—Rev.  W.  Miller. 

[175 1 5]  His  motive  was  not  any  mere  absence 
of  ambition,  still    less   any  slothfulness   indis- 


posing him  for  kingly  labours.  Had  he  felt 
that  duty  called,  he  would  certainly  have 
assumed  the  kingly  office,  and,  there  is  little 
doubt,  would  have  assumed  it  gladly.  But  that 
he  felt  such  assumption  of  royalty  not  to  be  his 
duty,  and  felt  to  some  extent  the  reasons  why  it 
was  not,  appears  from  his  reply  :  "  I  will  not 
rule  over  you,"  said  he  ;  "neither  shall  my  son 
rule  over  you.  The  Lord  shall  rule  over  you." 
Evidently  the  words  are"  but  the  conclusion 
and  the  summary  of  a  long  and  careful  speech 
in  which  the  reasons  for  refusal  are  set  forth 
at  large. — Ibid. 

[175 16]  Gideon  admits,  as  it  were,  that  de- 
liverance from  the  Midianites  was  a  sufficient 
ground  on  which  to  appoint  a  king,  only  he 
denies  that  the  credit  was  due  to  him.  Jehovah 
had  been  their  deliverer  ;  therefore,  on  their 
own  showing,  Jehovah  ought  to  be  their  king. 
He  saw  from  the  very  way  in  which  the  pro- 
posal was  made  to  him  that  Israel  was  not  yet 
fit  to  be  governed  by  a  human  king.  He  wished 
to  make  them  see  it  ;  and  it  is  well  that  we 
should  see  it  too.  Every  precaution  had  been 
taken  to  make  it  plain  that  the  victory  had 
come  from  God.  The  summoning  in  the  name 
of  Jehovah,  the  miraculous  signs,  the  disbanding 
of  most  of  the  army,  the  insignificant  number  of 
the  original  victors — all  had  been  intended  to 
make  it  plain  that  the  deliverance  was  not  of 
man,  but  direct  from  God.  Yet  the  nation  had 
so  completely  failed  to  learn  this  plainest  of 
lessons  that  here  they  were  giving  all  the  praise  to 
a  mere  instrument,  as  if  God  had  had  nothing  to 
do  with  the  affiiir  at  all.  Such  failure  to  under- 
stand the  lesson  made  it  plain  enough  that  it 
required  to  be  repeated. — Ibid. 

2      Defects. 

(i)  Despairing;  melancholy. 

[175 1 7]  When  the  angel  appeared  to  Gideon 
by  the  oak  at  Ophrah,  accosting  him  with  these 
hopeful  words,  "  The  Lord  is  with  thee,  thou 
mighty  man  of  valour,"  his  answer  e.xpressed 
the  deepest  disappointment.  Looking  around 
him  on  the  desolation  of  his  country,  and  at 
that  moment  in  terror  lest  the  Midianites  should 
appear  before  he  had  got  his  corn  threshed  and 
buried  out  of  their  sight,  he  returned  this  melan- 
choly reply,  "  O  my  Lord,  if  the  Lord  be  with 
us,  why  then  is  all  this  befallen  us  .? — the  Lord 
hath  forsaken  us,  and  delivered  us  into  the 
hands  of  the  Midianites." — Anon. 

(2)  Blindness  to  present  duty. 

[17518]  Gideon,  filled  with  a  sense  of  his 
people's  wrongs,  had  been  impatient  that  God 
did  not  manifest  Himself  in  some  striking 
deliverance  ;  but  how  could  God  come  to  a 
people  who  were  unprepared  to  receive  Him? 
His  path  was  choked  with  the  people's  idolatry. 
Gideon  was  waiting  for  God  to  work,  and 
beginning  to  speak  somewhat  bitterly  of  God's 
indifference,  whereas  the  delay  was  altogether 
caused  by  Gideon's  own  household.  God  was 
waiting  for  him  to  work.     God  could  not  come 


17518—17523] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[GIDEON. 


among  them  while  they  were  all  turned  away 
from  Him  to  Baal.  No  sooner  had  Gideon 
hewed  down  the  altar  of  Baal  than  he  received 
his  commission  against  Midian. — Rev.  M.  Dods. 

[175 19]  Gideon  was  wrong  in  not  seeing  what 
it  was  that  prevented  God  from  being  present 
with  His  people.  He  was  right  in  arguing, 
What  God  was,  He  is  ;  why  then  does  He  not 
do  for  us  what  He  did  for  our  fathers  ?  He  was 
right  in  debating  with  himself,  and  asking  :  Is 
this  what  it  means  to  be  (iod's  people  ?  What 
is  the  use  of  living  at  this  price.'*  But  he  was 
wrong  in  thinking  that  the  fault  lay  with  God, 
and  not  with  himself;  wrong  in  not  seeing  his 
very  obvious  duty,  which,  until  he  performed, 
God  could  not  be  expected  to  work  for  Israel. 
Just  so  we  are  right  in  refusing  to  accept  a 
religion  which  makes  no  practical  diflerence 
upon  us  ;  right  in  impatiently  throwing  aside 
the  mere  traditional  assurances  whereby  men 
soothe  sinners  and  promise  them  deliverance  ; 
right  in  looking  straight  at  the  facts  of  our  own 
experience,  and  testing  religion  by  its  power  on 
ourselves  ;  but  we  often  add  to  this  the  mistake 
of  Gideon,  and  fall  out  with  God  for  not  inter- 
fering more  powerfully  in  our  behalf,  when  it  is 
we  ourselves  who  are  preventing  Him  from 
interfering.  You  wait  for  God  to  do  something 
while  He  is  waiting  for  you. — Ibid. 

(3)  Impatience. 

[17520]  Gideon  grew  impatient  at  the  people's 
dulness,  and  at  the  slowness  of  the  evolution  of 
the  scheme  of  Providence.  He  had  done  much 
to  make  Israel  feel  the  nearness  of  the  God 
whom  he  trusted  in  and  loved  so  fervently. 
Might  he  not  now  take  a  further  and  more  in- 
fluential step.''  Might  not  means  be  devised  by 
which  this  wonderful  deliverance  could  be  effec- 
tually commemorated,  and  coming  generations 
be  made  really  to  feel  that  it  was  Jehovah  alone 
that  had  delivered  or  that  could  deliver  "^  Thus 
he  would  help  on  God's  plan  by  his  own  shrewd 
contrivance.  With  this  object  he  took  advan- 
tage of  the  enthusiasm  that  prevailed — an  en- 
thusiasm of  admiration  for  himself  that  was  only 
heightened  by  his  refusal  of  the  crown,  unwel- 
come though  that  refusal  was.  He  asked  for  a 
certain  portion  of  the  spoil,  and  it  was  placed 
at  once  at  his  disposal.  With  this  we  are  told 
that  he  made  an  ephod  and  placed  it  in  his  own 
city,  Ophrah.  An  ephod  was  a  mere  priestly 
garment,  and  the  sum  mentioned  is  far  too  large 
to  have  been  expended  on  that  alone.  It  seems 
that  some  special  religious  celebration  was  in- 
stituted, the  centre  point  of  which  was  an  ephod 
of  unusual  value.  The  ephod  and  its  accom- 
panying ceremonies,  of  whatever  kind  they 
were,  grew  in  course  of  time  into  a  centre  of 
spiritual  evil,  which  corrupted  in  some  degree 
the  whole  of  Israel,  and  especially  Gideon  and 
his  house  themselves.  So  it  has  always  been 
with  everything,  however  well  intended  and 
however  skilfully  contrived,  that  is  not  accord- 
ing to  the  plan  of  God.  lietter  far  to  wait  on 
that  and  to  bear  a  humble  part  in  it,  than  by 


making  haste  to  be  rich  even  in  spiritual  things 
to  fall  into  the  wiles  of  the  devil.  Gideon 
thought  to  hasten  the  evolution  of  God's  pur- 
poses, and  he  only  held  it  back. — Rev.  W. 
Miller. 

[17521]  His  natural  fondness  for  devices,  and 
his  skill  in  shrewd  contrivance,  kept  in  check 
till  now,  and  made  useful  by  his  living  faith  and 
strict  obedience,  had  led  him  at  last  astray. 
Forming  plans  of  his  own  without  being  in 
direct  communion  with  the  God  who  had 
guided  him  till  now,  he  failed  to  meet  the  wants 
of  his  time  ;  nay,  he  pandered  to  its  most  dan- 
gerous vices.  That  happened  here  which  hap- 
pens so  continually  in  the  Church's  tangled 
story.  Excessive  reverence  for  the  past  was 
made  a  substitute  for  walking  with  the  personal 
God  in  the  living  present. — Idid. 

III.  Lessons  from  his  Life. 

1  It  teaches  that  work  for  God  should  be 
done  in  a  way  that  will  bring  honour  to 
God. 

The  "soft  answer  tiiriieth  away  wrath" 
where  a  violent  reply  mio^ht  cause  "  the  enemies 
of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme ^'^ 

[17522]  As  Gideon  answered  the  men  of 
Ephraim,  so  let  us  answer  any  who  may  find 
fault  with  our  way  of  managing  God's  work  : 
let  us  answer  in  good  temper  and  self-com- 
mand ;  let  us  give  those  who  find  fault  their 
due,  and  point  them  to  the  rich  gleanings  that 
remain  to  be  gathered  ;  let  us,  like  Gideon,  be- 
ware of  allowing  some  good  work  we  are  en- 
gaged in  to  become  the  occasion  of  introducing 
wrangling,  envy,  and  unseemly  discord  among 
God's  people,  who  ought  to  be  bound  together 
against  the  common  foe. — Rev.  AI.  Dods. 

2  It  teaches  that  thorough  work  should  be 
made  of  what  belongs  to  deliverance  from 
the  powers  opposed  to  God. 

[17523]  In  closing  the  account  of  what  God 
did  for  him,  and  through  him  for  his  people, 
the  historian  says,  "  Thus  was  Midian  subdued 
before  the  children  of  Israel,  so  that  they  lifted 
up  their  heads  no  more."  And  how  was  this 
accomplished  .''  The  remarkable  victory  God 
wrought  for  Gideon,  without  any  efiFort  on  his 
part,  may  be  regarded  as  a  type  of  that  greater, 
better  victory  which,  without  any  effort  on  ours, 
God's  Son  wrought  for  us,  when  He  took  our 
nature  and  our  sins  upon  Him — dying,  the  just 
for  the  unjust,  that  we  might  be  saved.  Gideon 
followed  up  this  victory  by  calling  all  possible 
resources  to  his  aid.  He  summoned  the  whole 
country  to  arms,  as,  accompanied  by  his  famous 
three  hundred  men,  he  hung  on  the  skirts  of  the 
broken  host,  and  with  sword  bathed  in  their 
blood  cut  down  the  fugitives.  So  by  resolute 
self-denial,  by  constant  watchfulness,  by  earnest 
prayer,  by  the  diligent  use  of  every  means  of 
grace,  and  above  all  by  the  help  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  we  are  to  labour  to  cast  sin  out  of  our 
hearts— crucifying    it,    killing    it,    thrusting    it 


148 

17523—17529] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[abimelech. 


through  and  through  with  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  which  is  the  Word  of  God,  till  its  power 
is  broken,  and  there  is  no  more  life  in  it,  and 
it  becomes  hideous  and  hateful  as  a  rotting 
corpse  ;  and  it  can  be  said  of  the  sins  that  were 
once  our  cruel  masters  and  oppressors,  They  lift 
up  their  heads  no  more. — Anon. 

3  It  teaches  that  God's  rewards  are  not  for 
the  idle  and  the  careless. 

[17524]  Gideon's  was  no  easy  work.  And 
heaven  is  not  to  be  reached  by  easy-going 
people.  Like  a  beleaguered  city,  where  men 
scale  the  walls  and  swarm  in  at  the  deadly 
breach,  the  violent  take  it  by  force.  The  rest  it 
offers  is  for  the  weary.  The  crowns  it  confers 
are  for  warriors'  brows.  Its  rewards  are  be- 
stowed on  such  as,  cutting  off  a  right  hand  or 
plucking  out  a  right  eye  to  cast  it  away,  deem 
it  profitable  that  one  of  their  members  should 
perish,  than  that  their  whole  body  should  be 
cast  into  hell. — Ibid. 

4  It  teaches  that  "in   due   season  we   shall 
reap  if  we  faint  not." 

[17525]  No  doubt  you  may  often  feel  spent 
and  exhausted  like  Gideon's  men.  Indeed,  the 
words  in  which  he  reported  the  condition  of  his 
troops  have  become  one  of  the  favourite  mottoes 
of  the  Christian  life,  "  Faint,  yet  pursuing." 
The  motive,  the  impelling  power  seems  to  have 
died  down,  and  to  have  left  you  becalmed. 
The  good  works  you  have  engaged  in  become 
utterly  distasteful.  The  high  tone  you  have  been 
endeavouring  to  maintain  in  your  spirits,  you 
sink  from  with  weariness  and  loathing.  You 
ask,  Why  am  I  to  be  always  fighting  other 
people's  battles.^  "putting  right  the  numberless 
things  wrong  among  them,  supplying  their  de- 
ficiencies and  necessities,  doing  for  them  what 
tliey  ought  to  do  for  themselves,  and  apparently 
little  good  resulting  after  all.?"  It  is  so  weary 
to  go  through,  day  after  day,  the  same  resolu- 
tions, the  same  efforts,  the  same  failures,  the 
same  repentances.  Faint  we  all  of  us  must 
often  be  who  are  striving  with  any  earnestness 
against  sin,  and  who  are  concerned  for  the 
numberless  varieties  of  distress  exhibited  by 
our  fellow-men.  Faintness  is  the  lot  of  all  who 
undertake  laborious  and  difficult  tasks.  Eut 
while  we  experience  the  one  sensation  of 
Gideon's  men,  let  us  endeavour  to  imitate  them 
in  the  other  part  of  their  experience.  Faint, 
let  us  still  be  pursuing  ;  keeping  the  enemy  in 
sight  ;  not  yielding  to  our  natural  love  of  ease, 
nor  wearying  of  the  perpetual  labour  ;  but  re- 
membering our  duty,  that  these  wearisome  con- 
flicts and  efforts  ought  to  be  gone  through,  and 
must  be  gone  through,  if  we  are  to  be  and  do 
what  we  ought  ;  remembering  how  our  Lord 
endured  the  contradiction  of  sinners,and  resisted 
unto  blood,  striving  against  sin  ;  and  remem- 
bering the  promises  of  God,  which  assure  us 
that  in  due  time  we  shall  reap,  if  we  faint  not — 
that  every  effort,  every  sincere  renewal  of  our 
labour,  is  seed  sown,  which  may  for  the  time 


seem  to  have  gone  for  nothing,  but  which  is 
certainly  not  lost,  but  only  hidden,  to  spring  up 
and  reward  us  with  the  only  harvest  worthy  of 
a  human  life. — Rev.  M.  Dods. 


ABIMELECH. 

I.  The  Contrast  Presented  by  him  to 
HIS  Father. 

[17526]  Gideon,  who  kept  Midian  and  all 
other  enemies  in  awe  for  forty  years,  was  now 
dead.  Who  is  to  be  judge.?  Who  is  to  rule.? 
Who  is  to  be  the  head  of  Israel.?  He  has  left 
seventy  sons  ;  but  there  is  one  at  Shechem, 
called  Abimelech,  whose  name  suggests  some- 
thing of  royalty,  for  it  means,  "My  father  is 
king."  The  name  may  have  had  some  reference 
to  the  time  when  Gideon  was  offered  the  king- 
dom, and  nobly  declined  it  (Judg.  viii.  22,  23)  ; 
for  as  yet  there  was  no  king  in  Israel.  Abime- 
lech resolves  to  be  king. — Christian  Treasury. 

[17527]  Gideon  the  Great  being  offered  a 
crown  refused  it  ;  Abimelech  the  Little  not  only 
solicited  it  unasked,  but  dared  to  "  wade  through 
slaugluer  to  a  throne." — M.  J. 

II.  His  Argumentum  ad  Hominem. 

1  Its  well-chosen  nature. 

[17528]  His  manner  of  winning  the  men  of 
Shechem  to  his  purpose  is  remarkable.  We 
find  in  Judges  ix.  1-3,  that  he  knew  man's 
nature  well,  and  what  chords  to  touch.  He 
persuades  them  thus  :  "  Your  circumstances 
require  a  ruler,  a  king.  Your  old  foes  exist 
still,  and  others  will  soon  be  on  the  field  ;  you 
must  have  a  head.  Without  a  defender  your 
quiet  valley  would  soon  be  a  scene  of  desola- 
tion, and  none  could  draw  water  at  Jacob's 
well  in  peace.  You  could  never  think  of  having 
seventy  rulers,  the  sons  of  Gideon  ;  that  would 
distract  and  cause  petty  jealousies  without  end  ; 
you  must  have  one,  and  one  fit  for  the  office. 
Now,  my  sympat'nies  are  all  with  you.  A  son 
of  great  Gideon,  as  well  as  the  seventy,  I  am 
one  whose  mother  is  one  of  yourselves.  Who 
so  likely  as  I  to  care  for  your  interests  ?  '  Re- 
member, I  am  your  bone  and  your  flesh.'  " — 
Christian  Treasttry. 

2  Its  success, 

[17529]  His  argument  prevailed.  He  had 
judged  human  nature  right.  The  men  of 
Shechem  said  one  to  another,  "  He  is  our 
brother  ! "  They  at  once  felt  that  he  must 
have  interest  in  them— he  is  their  "  bone  and 
flesh."  They  felt  as  Judah  did  regarding 
Joseph  (Gen.  xxxvii.  27)  ;  or  Laban  (Gen.  xxix. 
14);  or  the  men  of  Judah  (2  Sam.  v.  i) ;  or 
David  (2  Sam.  xix.  13).  We  feel  for  him,  as 
well  as  fie  for  us. — Ibid. 


I7S30— 17534] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


149 

[JOTHAM. 


III.    HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

His  argument  respecting  the  claims  of  brother- 
hood spiritualised  and  applied  to  Christ, 

[17530]  O'T  human  nature  is  appealed  to  by 
Him  who  "knows  our  frame."  He  solicits  us 
by  this  argument.  We  are  in  need  of  a  ruler. 
No  creature  can  do  without  a  head.  We  must 
have  a  head  to  whom  we  look,  and  from  whom 
we  receive  ;  in  whom  we  confide  ;  from  whom 
we  get  counsel  ;  who  can  and  does  feel  as  well 
as  think  for  us.  And  who  so  fit  as  God-man  ? 
who  so  entirely  fit  as  God  manifest  in  the  flesh.'' 
"He  is  our  brother."  He  cannot  but  feel 
interest  in  earth,  for  His  body  is  of  earth.  The 
story  of  His  brotherhood  cannot  but  affect  us. 
Shall  not  the  Son  of  the  King  of  kings,  Himself 
God  of  gods,  who  stooped  to  put  on  our  hu- 
manity out  of  love  for  us — shall  not  He  prevail? 
"He  is  our  brother."  He  became  incarnate 
because  He  would  be  our  brother  (Heb.  ii.  14). 
He  wished  to  be  able  to  say,  and  to  enable  us  to 
say,  "  He  is  our  bone  and  our  flesh." — Ibid. 


JOTHAM. 

I.  His  Magnanimous  Character. 

[175.S1]  Jotham,  the  youngest  son  of  Gideon, 
who,  by  a  special  providence,  escaped  the  com- 
mon ruin  of  his  family,  dealt  plainly  with  the 
Shechemites  ;  and  his  speech  shows  him  to  be 
a  man  of  such  great  ingenuity  and  wisdom,  and 
really  such  an  accomplished  gentleman,  that  we 
cannot  but  the  more  lament  the  fall  of  Gideon's 
sons.  Jotham  did  not  go  about  to  raise  an 
army  out  of  the  cities  of  Israel,  in  which,  one 
would  think,  he  might  have  made  a  good  in- 
terest for  his  father's  sake,  to  avenge  his  breth- 
ren's death,  much  less  to  set  himself  up  in  com- 
petition with  Abimelech,  so  groundless  was  the 
usurper's  suggestion  that  the  sons  of  Gideon 
aimed  at  dominion  ;  but  he  contents  himself 
with  giving  a  faithful  reproof  to  the  Shechemites 
and  fair  warning  of  the  fatal  consequences. — 
AI alt  hew  Henry. 

II.  Force  of  his  Parable. 

[17532]  His  parable  is  very  ingenious,  that 
when  the  trees  were  disposed  to  choose  a  king, 
the  government  was  offered  to  those  valuable, 
noble  trees — the  olive,  the  fig-tree,  and  the  vine  ; 
but  they  refused  it,  choosing  rather  to  serve  than 
rule,  to  do  good  than  to  bear  sway.  But  the  same 
tender  being  made  to  the  bramble,  he  accepted 
it,  and  talked  big  upon  it.  .  .  .  He  hereby  ap- 
plauds the  generous  modesty  of  Gideon,  and 
the  other  judges  who  were  before  him,  and  per- 
haps of  the  sons  of  Gideon  who  had  declined 
accepting  the  state  and  power  of  kings  when 
they  might  have  had  it.  .  .  .  i.  There  was  no  oc- 
casion at  all  for  the  trees  to  choose  a  king  ;  they 
are  all  the  trees  of   the  Lord   which    He  has 


planted  (Psa.  civ.  6),  and  which,  therefore,  He 
will  protect.  Nor  was  there  any  occasion  for 
Israel  to  talk  of  setting  a  king  over  them,  for  the 
Lord  was  their  King.  2.  When  they  had  it  m 
their  thoughts  to  choose  a  king,  they  did  not 
offer  the  government  to  the  stately  cedar,  or  the 
lofty  pine,  which  are  only  for  show  and  shade, 
and  not  otherwise  useful  till  they  are  cut  down, 
but  to  the  fruit  trees  the  vine  and  the  olive. 
Those  that  bear  fruit  for  the  public  good  are 
justly  respected  and  honoured  by  all  that  are 
wise  more  than  they  that  affect  to  make  a  figure. 
For  a  good,  useful  man  some  would  even  dare 
to  die. — Ibid. 

[17533]  In  the  reason  which  all  these  fruit 
trees  gave  for  their  refusal,  it  is  intimated, y?rj-/, 
that  government  involves  a  man  in  a  great  deal 
both  of  toil  and  care  ;  he  that  is  promoted  over 
the  trees  must  go  up  and  down  for  them,  and 
make  himself  a  perfect  drudge  to  business. 
Secondly,  that  those  who  are  preferred  to 
places  of  public  trust  and  power  must  resolve 
to  forego  all  their  private  interests  and  advan- 
tages, and  sacrifice  them  to  the  good  of  the 
community.  The  fig-tree  must  lose  its  sweet- 
ness, its  sweet  retirement,  sweet  repose,  and 
sweet  conversation  and  contemplation,  if  it  go 
to  be  promoted  over  the  trees,  and  must  undergo 
a  constant  fatigue.  Thirdly,  that  those  who 
are  advanced  to  honour  and  dignity  are  in  great 
danger  of  losing  their  fatness  and  fruitfuiness. 
Preferment  is  apt  to  make  men  proud,  slothful, 
and  that  spoils  their  usefulness,  wherewith  in  a 
lower  sphere  they  honoured  God  and  man  ;  for 
which  reason  they  that  desire  to  do  good  are 
afraid  of  being  too  great. — Ibid. 

[17534]  He  hereby  exposes  the  ridiculous  am- 
bition of  Abimelech,  whom  he  compares  to  the 
bramble  or  thistle.  .  .  .  The  bramble,  a  worth- 
less plant,  not  to  be  numbered  among  the  trees, 
useless  and  fruitless,  nay,  hurtful  and  vexatious, 
scratching  and   tearing,  and   doing  mischief,  it 
began  with  the  curse,  and  its  end  is  to  be  burned. 
Such  an  one  was  Abimelech,  and  yet  chosen  to 
the  government  by  the  trees,  by  all  the  trees. 
Let  us  not  think  it  strange  if  we  see  folly  set  in 
great  dignity  (Eccles.  x.  6),  and  the  vilest  men 
exalted  (Psa.  xii.  8),  and  men  blind  to  their  own 
interest   in   the  choice    of   their   guides.       The 
bramble  being   chosen  to  the   government,  he 
takes  no  time  to  consider  whether  he  should  ac- 
cept it  or  not  ;  but  presently,  as  if  he  had  been 
born  and  bred  to  dominion,  hectors  and  assures 
them   that  they   should   find  him  as   he  found 
them  ...  A  goodly  shadow  to  trust  in  !     How 
unlike  to  the  "  shadow   of  a  great    rock   in    a 
weary  land,"  which  a  good  magistrate  is  com- 
pared to  ( Isa.  xxxii.  2).   Come  trust  in  his  shadow  ! 
More  likely  to  be  scratched  if  they  came  near 
him.     Thus  men  boast  of  a  false  gift.     Yet  he 
threatens    with    as    much     confidence     as    he 
promiseth.    "  If  ye  be  not  faithful,  let  fire  come 
out  of  the  bramble  ;"  a  very  unlikely  thing  to  spit 
fire,  and  devour  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  ;  more 
likely  to  catch  fire,  and  be  itself  devoured. — Ibid. 


I50 

17S3S- 


-I7S4I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEPHTHAH. 


JEPHTHAH. 

I.  His  General  Character. 

[17535]  The  various  incidents  of  Jephthah's 
life  give  ample  proof  that  want  of  discretion 
was  with  him  rather  the  exception  than  the  rule, 
and  that  he  generally  displayed  great  prudence 
combined  with  no  small  degree  of  judgment. 
This  is  especially  observable  in  his  embassy  to 
the  king  of  Ammon,  where  firmness  and  temper, 
sound  arguments  and  fair  dealings,  are  con- 
spicuous features. — /.  L.  Mocatta, 


II.  His  Rash  Vow. 

1       It  was   characteristic    of  the   age   and    of 
the  man. 

[17536]  The  fatal  vow  at  the  battle  of  Aroer 
belongs  naturally  to  the  spasmodic  efforts  of  the 
age  ;  like  the  vows  of  Samson  or  Saul  in  the 
Jewish  Church  of  this  period,  or  of  Clovis  or 
Bruno  in  the  middle  ages.  But  its  literal  exe- 
cution could  hardly  have  taken  place  had  it 
been  undertaken  by  any  one  more  under  the 
moral  restraints,  even  of  that  lawless  age,  than 
the  freebooter  Jephthah,  nor  in  any  other  part 
of  the  Holy  Land  than  that  separated  by  the 
Jordan  valley  from  the  more  regular  institutions 
of  the  country.  Moab  and  Ammon,  the  neigh- 
bouring tribes  to  Jephthah's  native  country, 
were  the  parts  of  Palestine  where  human  sac- 
rifice lingered  longest.  It  was  the  first  thought 
of  Balak  in  the  extremity  of  his  terror  (Micah 
vi.  7)  ;  it  was  the  last  expedient  of  Balak's  suc- 
cessor in  the  war  with  Jehoshaphat  (2  Kings 
iii.  27).  Moloch,  to  whom  even  before  they 
entered  Palestine  the  Israelites  had  offered 
human  sacrifices  (Ezek.  xx.  26),  and  who  is 
always  spoken  of  as  the  deity  who  was  thus 
honoured,  was  especially  the  God  of  Ammon. 
It  is  but  natural  that  a  desperate  soldier  like 
Jephthah,  breathing  the  same  atmosphere,  phy- 
sical and  social,  should  make  the  same  vow, 
and,  having  made  it,  adhere  to  it.  There  was 
no  high  priest  or  prophet  at  hand  to  rebuke  it. 
They  were  far  away  in  the  hostile  tribe  of 
Ephraim.  He  did  what  was  right  in  his  own 
eyes,  and  as  such  the  transaction  is  described. — 
Dean  Stanley. 

[17537]  Jephthah's  sin  was  a  sin  of  ignorance. 
He  lived  in  a  time  of  great  religious  degeneracy. 
The  priesthood  was  powerless  for  good,  and  the 
people  had  become  familiar  with  the  gods  of 
Moab  and  Ammon,  who  were  worshipped  with 
hunian  sacrifices.  He  was  separated  by  the 
misfortune  of  his  birth  from  the  congregation  of 
the  Lord,  and  had  been  driven  from  his  own 
home,  living  amid  scenes  of  plunder  and  blood- 
shed. Much  charitable  allowance  must  be 
made  for  such  a  man,  and  for  the  strong  but 
mistaken  sense  of  rigiit,  which  led  him,'  after 
having  made  a  rash  vow,  to  consider  it  his  ter- 
rible duty  to  perform  it. — Luke  H.  Wiseman. 


2  It  was  inspired  by  no  low  motive. 
[17538]  He  knew  enough  of  war  to  under- 
stand that  the  undertaking  he  had  entered  into 
against  the  Ammonites  would  either  make  or 
mar  him.  It  was  the  golden  opportunity  that 
comes  once  in  a  man's  life.  Through  all  his 
nature  he  was  moved  in  prospect  of  the  ap- 
proaching battle.  It  made  him  thoughtful,  con- 
centrated, grave.  He  felt  more  than  usually 
thrown  back  upon  God's  help  ;  he  wished  to  feel 
sure  of  God,  and  so,  according  to  his  light,  vowed 
his  \o\\.—Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17539]  Though  not  positively  unlawful,  the 
vow  betrayed  reminders  of  doubt  and  weak- 
ness of  faith.  Though  the  Spirit  had  come 
on  him,  whose  presence  might  have  sufficed  to 
assure  him  of  victory  without  bargain  on  his 
part,  he  suffered  the  flesh  to  suggest  the  thought, 
that  by  promising  some  great  sacrifice  to  God 
he  could  ensure  it. — A.  Fausset. 

3  It  was  redeemed  from  the  charge  of  being 
a  gross  human  sacrifice  by  the  filial  obe- 
dience and  love  which  it  evoked. 

[17540]  The  sacrifice  of  Jephthah's  daughter, 
taking  it  at  its  worst,  was  not  a  human  sacrifice 
in  the  gross  sense  of  the  word — not  a  slaughter 
of  an  unwilling  victim,  as  when  the  Gaul  and 
Greek  were  buried  alive  in  the  Roman  Forum, 
but  the  willing  oftering  of  a  devoted  heart,  to 
free,  as  she  supposed,  her  father  and  her  country 
from  a  terrible  obligation.  It  was  indeed,  as 
Josephus  says,  an  act  in  itself  hateful  to  God. 
But,  nevertheless,  it  contained  just  that  one 
redeeming  feature  of  pure  obedience  and  love, 
which  is  the  distinguishing  mark  of  all  true 
sacrifice,  and  which  communicates  to  the  whole 
story  the  elements  of  tenderness  and  nobleness. 
— Dean  Stanley. 


III.  Question  as  to  the  Morality  of 
HIS  Vow. 

[17 541]  Was  it  right  of  Jephthah  to  make  a 
vow  ?  We  know  he  was  wrong  in  the  terms  of 
it,  but  was  he  wrong  in  making  any  vow  in  the 
circumstances  ?  It  is  open  to  any  one  to  say 
that  he  had  a  merely  heathen  idea  of  God,  as  a 
Being  to  be  bribed,  to  be  secured  by  gifts  and 
promises.  It  was  very  common  with  heathen 
generals  to  record  such  a  vow  before  engaging  ; 
and  it  is  common  still  to  see  men  who  wish  to 
acknowledge  God  in  some  way,  but  don't  know 
how  to  do  it.  They  wish  to  be  religious,  think 
it  a  good  and  right  thing,  but  neither  knowing 
nor  loving  God,  they  are  pitiably  awkward  in 
their  demonstrations  of  religious  feeling.  But 
as  we  have  no  distinct  evidence  regarding 
Jephthah's  state  of  mind  in  making  this  vow,  it 
is  the  part  of  charity  to  believe  that  though  he 
was  incomprehensibly  rash  in  the  terms  of  his 
vow,  yet  he  was  justified  in  vowing  to  make 
some  offering  to  God  should  He  deliver  the 
Ammonites  into  his  hand. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 


17542—17546] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEPHTHAH- 


IV.  Question  as  to  the  Obligation  of 
HIS  Vow's  Fulfilment. 

[17542]  Supposing  Jephthah  to  have  been 
right  in  making  his  vow,  was  he  right  in  keeping 
it  ?  Might  he  or  might  he  not  have  broken  his 
promise  to  God  when  he  saw  what  it  had  in- 
volved him  in?  Some  persons  seem  to  confound 
a  promise  made  to  God  and  a  promise  to  man, 
and  to  apply  to  the  one  the  same  rule  as  to  the 
other.  They  argue  that  as  you  cannot  break  a 
promise  to  man,  even  though  you  find  you  have 
sworn  to  your  own  hurt,  so  neither  can  you 
break  a  vow  made  to  God.  Luther,  e.g.,  has 
been  freely  blamed  on  this  ground  for  breaking 
his  monastic  vow  and  marrying.  But  the  dis- 
tinction between  a  promise  to  man  and  a  vow 
to  God  is  sufficiently  obvious.  When  you  have 
made  a  promise  or  entered  into  an  engagement 
or  contract  with  a  man,  and  it  turns  out  to  be 
to  your  disadvantage  to  keep  it,  it  may  still  be 
to  the  other  party's  advantage,  and  you  are  not 
entitled  to  defraud  him  of  his  interest  in  the 
transaction.  However  much  you  dislike  fulfill- 
ing the  agreement,  you  cannot  break  faith  with 
him,  unless  it  is  positively  sinful  to  fulfil  it.  But 
the  case  often  happens  that  both  parties  to  a 
contract  eventually  see  it  to  be  wise  to  fall  from 
it  ;  and  when  both  parties  honestly  and  heartily 
wish  it  cancelled,  to  fulfil  it  ceases  to  be  a  duty. 
Now  this  is  precisely  the  case  in  which  a  man 
finds  himself  who  has  vowed  to  God  what  turns 
out  to  be  sinful,  for  God  can  never  wish  him  to 
fulfil  a  contract  which,  he  now  sees,  involves 
sin.  A  man  swears  to  do  a  certain  thing  because 
he  thinks  it  will  be  pleasing  to  God,  but  if  he 
discovers  that,  instead  of  being  pleasing,  it  will 
be  hateful  to  God  to  perform  his  vow,  to  do 
that  vowed  but  hateful  thing,  is  to  insult  God. 
By  the  very  discovery  of  the  sinfulness  of  a  vow, 
the  maker  of  it  is  absolved  from  performing  it. 
God  shrinks  much  more  than  he  can  do  from 
the  perpetration  of  sin.  Both  parties  fall  from 
the  agreement. — Ibid. 

[17543]  To  keep  a  vow  to  God  merely  as  we 
would  keep  a  human  contract,  even  though  we 
regret  it  and  reproach  ourselves  with  making  it  ; 
to  deal  with  Him  as  Jephthah  did  when  he 
promised  to  sacrifice  the  first  living  thing  that 
met  him  on  his  return  home  ;  to  treat  Him  as  a 
Being  who  expects  us  to  keep  our  bargains 
literally,  even  when  we  recognize  that  such  bar- 
gains were  rash  and  evil,  is  to  think  of  God  as 
a  heathen  deity,  who  lives  outside  us,  and  neither 
knows  nor  cares  what  judgment  we  pass  upon 
ourselves  for  having  made  such  a  bargain  ; 
whereas  He  is  really  at  the  very  centre  of  the 
thought  which  condemns  the  bargain,  and  it  is 
His  Spirit,  not  our  own,  which  tells  us  it  was 
rash  and  wrong. — Spectator. 

V.  Question  as  to  the  Manner  of  his 
Vow's  Observance. 

[17544]  It  has  often  been  urged  that  Jephthah 
did  not   keep   his  vow,  but  compromised   the 


matter  by  causing  her  to  take  a  vow  of  virginity 
— to  become  a  nun,  in  fact.  In  a  question  thus 
debated  one  can,  of  course,  only  give  his  own 
opinion,  but  this  supposition  does  seem  to  me 
to  sacrifice  the  plain  and  obvious  interpretation 
of  the  narrative.  It  is  distinctly  said  that 
Jephthah's  vow  ran  in  these  terms  :  "  Whatso- 
ever Cometh  forth  of  the  doors  of  my  house  to 
meet  me  shall  surely  be  the  Lord's,  and  I  will  offer 
it  up  for  a  burnt  offering."  In  Judges  .xi.  39  we 
are  as  plainly  informed  that  her  father  did  witli 
her  according  to  the  vow  which  he  had  vowed. 
If  he  did  not  offer  her  as  a  burnt  offering,  then 
he  did  not  do  with  her  according  to  the  vow. 
Moreover,  why  all  this  wailing  and  anguish  if, 
after  all,  all  that  was  going  to  happen  to  her  is 
what  happens  to  thousands  who  seem  to  stand 
in  little  need  of  compassion  .''  Then,  again,  why 
did  she  ask  for  the  one  favour  of  a  respite  of  two 
months  to  bewail  her  virginity,  if  she  was  to  have 
thirty  or  forty  years  with  leisure  for  that  pur- 
pose ?  And,  lastly,  if  the  mere  fact  of  her 
remaining  unmarried  fulfilled  even  that  part  of 
the  vow  which  specified  that  she  was  to  be  the 
Lord's,  then  what  objection  can  we  make  to 
other  young  women  giving  themselves  to  the 
Lord  in  the  same  way  .''  If  Jephthah's  daughter 
became  a  nun,  and  if  this  was  judged  a  fulfil- 
ment of  his  vow,  if  by  being  a  virgin  she  was 
somehow  more  the  Lord's  than  by  being  a 
married  woman,  a  stronger  foundation  need  not 
be  sought  for  the  establishment  of  nunneries. — 
Kev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[No  doubt  persons  driven  to  desperation  to 
find  in  Holy  Writ  any  countenance  given  to  the 
system  of  nunneries  in  their  objectionable 
features  were  led  to  adopt  the  non-natural  in- 
terpretation of  Jephthah's  manner  of  fulfilling 
his  rash  vow.  The  age,  on  account  of  its  semi- 
barbarous  character,  would  feel  no  shock  at  this 
terrible  deed  of  their  warrior  judge.] 

VI,  Moral  suggested  by  his  Vow. 

Beware  of  bargaining  with  God. 

[17545]  Perhaps  it  has  been  your  lot  to  hear 
the  grossly  selfish  promises  some  sick  men 
make,  fancying  this  to  be  religion  ;  their  greedy 
lust  of  the  world  and  life  prompts  them  to 
promise  God  anything  if  only  they  get  well,  and 
they  think  this  a  good  state  of  spirit.  And  there 
are  more  subtle  and  disguised  ways  in  which 
the  same  superstitious  vowing  goes  on.  Have 
you  never  found  yourself  seeking  success  in 
something,  and  endeavouring  to  get  God  on 
your  side  to  secure  it  by  the  unworded  tacit 
promise  to  live  better  ?  'V'ou  feel  encouraged  to 
hope  for  God's  help,  because  you  will  conform 
your  life  more  to  His  will— as  if  you  could  live 
better  without  getting  God's  help  for  this  also  ; 
as  if  everything  with  which  you  propose  to  coax 
or  bribe  God  into  aiding  you  must  not  itself 
be  taken  from  God's  own  treasury. — Ibid. 

[17546]  Our  vows  ought  not  to  be  in  order  to 
purchase  God's  favour,  but  to  testify  our  grati- 
tude.— A.  R.  Fausset. 


152 

17547—1/553] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SAMSON. 


SAMSON. 

I.  Kis  Complex  Character. 
Its  contrasts  and  contradictions. 

[17547]  Samson,  when  strong  and  brave, 
strangled  a  lion,  but  he  could  not  strangle  his 
own  loves.  He  burst  the  fetters  of  his  foes,  but 
not  the  cords  of  his  own  lusts.  He  burned  up 
the  crops  of  others,  and  lost  the  fruit  of  his  own 
valour  when  burning  with  the  flame  enkindled 
by  a  single  woman. — Ambrose. 

[17548]  Ushered  into  the  world  by  an  angelic 
herald,  we  expect  that  he  will  inaugurate  some 
great  movement,  or  accomplish  some  glorious 
reformation.  But  he  inspired  no  enthusiasm, 
secured  no  confidence,  organized  no  army, 
wrought  no  great  deliverance,  and  he  failed  in 
all  these  things,  not  because  he  lacked  ability, 
but  because  that  ability  was  neutralized  by  sin. 
He  is  a  signal  instance  of  a  man  who,  with  the 
finest  opportunities  and  the  fairest  prospects, 
mars  both  by  his  own  folly  and  sin.  Physical 
vigour  is  of  little  value  without  moral  firmness. 
.Samson  could  slay  a  thousand  Philistines  with 
no  other  weapon  than  the  jawbone  of  an  ass, 
but  he  could  not  slay  his  own  lusts,  and  so  at 
length  we  find  him  a  poor  blind  slave,  whose 
very  strength  was  turned  to  account  by  his 
oppressors,  as  they  set  him  to  grind  for  their 
advantage,  and  wrestle  for  their  sport.  Pmt  with 
all  his  sinfulness  we  must  not  forget  his  peni- 
tence, or  fail  to  note  the  pity  of  God  for  him, 
when,  with  earnest  entreaty,  he  sought  the 
Divine  favour  ;  for,  as  we  read  the  record,  we 
feel  sure  that  he  obtained  at  last  acceptance 
with  God,  and  this  impression  is  confirmed  by 
the  fact  that  his  name  is  introduced  by  the 
author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  into  the 
catalogue  of  the  elders  who  ''  by  faith  obtained 
a  good  report."  Hence  we  may  conclude  that 
at  length  he  sought  the  Lord,  and  we  may 
regard  his  death,  not  as  the  suicide  of  a  de- 
spairing sinner,  but  as  the  self-sacrifice  of  one 
who  was  willing  to  devote  himself  for  the  welfare 
of  his  country  and  the  glory  of  his  God.  On 
the  whole,  therefore,  we  ascribe  it  to  his  faith 
in  God  that  he  did  so  much,  while  we  trace  it 
to  the  feebleness  of  that  faith  that  he  did  no 
more.  Had  he  been  as  powerful  spiritually  as 
he  was  physically,  his  life  would  have  been  one 
of  the  grandest  in  the  annals  of  humanity  ;  but 
as  it  was,  a  man  outwardly  weaker,  but  pos- 
sessed of  firmness  of  character,  would  have 
accomplished  more  than  he  effected. — Rev.  E. 
Chaplin. 

[17549]  .Samson  was  a  strange  compound  of 
good  and  bad,  and,  in  some  respects,  he  is  a 
complete  enigma.  He  was  certainly  com- 
missioned by  the  Almi<;hty  to  be  a  deliverer 
and  judge  for  His  people,  and  he  accomplished 
very  much  for  their  good.  Possessing  a  vigorous 
and  powerful  mind,  he  showed  wonderful  deter- 
mination of  purpose,  and  yet  he  manifests,  at 


the  same  time,  all  the  simplicity  of  a  child. 
He  was  not  the  first  person  of  large  mental 
endowments  who  has  become  a  slave  to  inferior 
influences,  and  it  is  pitiable  to  see  him  bowing 
his  haughty  head  in  degrading  subjection  to  his 
intriguing  wife. — Rev.  J.  Norto?2,  D.D. 

[17550]  Samson  was  a  judge  in  Israel  for 
twenty  years,  and  was  less  than  forty  when  he 
perished  by  a  sort  of  self-martyrdom  amidst  the 
ruins  of  the  temple  of  Dagon.  In  the  life  of 
Samson  we  have  both  an  example  and  a  beacon. 
He  lived,  laboured,  and  suffered  as  a  public 
servant  of  God  ;  he  was  candid,  generous,  and 
noble-hearted,  and,  in  these  respects,  he  may 
well  be  regarded  as  a  pattern.  The  same  man, 
however,  who  possessed  these  excellent  qualities, 
and  who  was  really  distinguished  for  the  ser- 
vices rendered  to  his  country,  was  also  the 
victim  of  sensual  passions,  and  his  history  is 
deformed  by  many  unfortunate  blemishes.  For 
this  reason  he  must  also  be  held  up  as  a  warn- 
ing. His  irreligious  marriage,  which  was  the 
cause  of  so  much  of  his  wretchedness,  gives 
point  to  the  apostle's  warning,  "  Be  not  un- 
equally yoked  together  with  unbelievers"  (2  Cor. 
vi.  14). — Ibid. 

[17551]  In  Samson  we  have  the  spectacle  of 
a  man  in  whom  faith  was  mighty,  but  who, 
nevertheless,  failed  to  subdue  his  own  passions, 
and  to  keep  his  body  under  subjection.  We 
see  in  him  a  living  illustration  of  the  warning  of 
our  Lord,  that  it  is  possible  to  cast  out  devils 
and  to  do  many  wonderful  works  in  His  name, 
and  yet  be  strangers  to  His  love. — L.  IViscvum. 

[17552]  The  story  of  Samson  is  a  sunny  page, 
but  it  has  a  dark  ending.  The  glorious  twenty 
years  which  ensued  closed  in  the  awful  gloom 
of  a  terrible  and  ignominious  fall.  Terribly  and 
ignominiously  as  he  fell,  he  did  not  fall  un- 
warned. The  young  lion  which  roared  against 
him  in  the  vineyards  of  Timnath  he  had  rent  in 
the  mighty  power  of  God,  and  the  strong  passion 
of  his  lower  nature,  like  a  wild  beast  of  sin 
crouching  at  the  door  of  his  heart,  might  have 
been,  like  that,  vanquished  and  made  the 
minister  of  blessing  and  refreshment  in  days  to 
come.  But  the  strong  man  who  slew  the  lion 
could  not  overcome  ■s.^i.— Sunday  Alusings. 

II.  His  Ruling  Spirit. 

[17553]  His  name,  Samson,  refers  not  to  his 
strength,  but  to  his  temper.  It  means  "  Sunny." 
This  was  what  the  people  saw  in  him — an  inex- 
haustible joyousness  of  disposition  that  buoyed 
him  up  in  danger  and  difficulty,  and  made  him 
seem  to  the  down-trodden  people,  whose  future 
was  clouded  and  gloomy,  as  the  sun  rising  upon 
and  cheering  them.  This  joyousness  comes  out 
in  the  lightheartedness  with  which  he  fights 
against  countless  odds  ;  in  his  taste  for  witty 
sayings  and  riddles  ;  and  in  the  gigantic  prac- 
tical jokes  he  perpetrated  in  carrying  off  the 
gates  of  Gaza,  and  in  tying  the  foxes  tail  to  tail, 


I75S3— I75S9] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[SAMSON. 


and  sending  them  through  the  standing  cornwith 
burning  brands.  Nothing  could  have  been  better 
calculated  to  reanimate  Israel,  when  oppressed 
by  the  Philistines,  than  a  spirit  like  this  which 
could  treat  them  with  such  contempt.  And  in 
sending  this  judge  to  Israel  God  meant  the 
people  to  admire  and  catch  His  spirit ;  He  meant 
them  to  see  that  He  expects  His  people  to  be 
"  sunny,"  to  overflow  with  health  and  vivacity 
even  under  protracted  misfortune  and  strife. 
And  this  God  produced  in  them,  not  by  giving 
His  Spirit,  as  a  spirit  of  joy  and  vigour,  to  all, 
but  to  one  man  only. — Rev.  M.  Boifs,  D.D. 

[17554]  He  was  full  of  the  spirits  and  the 
pranks,  no  less  than  of  the  strength,  of  a  giant. 
His  name,  which  Josephus  interprets  in  the 
sense  of  "strong,"  was  still  more  characteristic. 
He  was  the  "  Sunny" — the  bright  and  beaming, 
though  wayward  likeness  of  the  great  luminary 
which  the  Hebrews  delighted  to  compare  to  a 
"  giant  rejoicing  to  run  his  course,"  "a  bride- 
groom coming  forth  out  of  his  chamber."  No- 
thirtg  can  disturb  his  radiant  good-humour.  His 
most  valiant,  his  most  cruel  actions,  are  done 
with  a  smile  on  his  face,  and  a  jest  in  his  mouth. 
It  relieves  his  character  from  the  sternness  of 
Phoenician  fanaticism.  As  a  peal  of  hearty 
laughter  breaks  in  upon  the  despondency  of  in- 
dividual sorrow,  so  the  joviality  of  Samson 
becomes  a  pledge  of  the  revival  of  the  greatness 
of  his  nation.  It  is  brought  out  in  the  strongest 
contrast  with  the  brute  coarseness  and  stupidity 
of  his  Philistine  enemies,  here,  as  throughout 
the  sacred  history,  the  butt  of  Israelitish  wit  and 
Israelitish  craft. — Dean  Stanley. 

['7555]  Looking  at  his  successive  acts  in  the 
light  ot  his  ruling  spirit  they  assume  a  fresh 
significance.  Out  of  his  first  achievement  he 
draws  the  materials  for  his  playful  riddle.  His 
second  and  third  achievements  are  practical 
jests  on  the  largest  scale.  The  mischievousness 
of  the  conflagration  of  the  cornfields,  by  means 
of  the  jackals,  is  subordinate  to  the  ludicrous 
aspect  of  the  adventure,  as,  from  the  hill  of 
Zorah,  the  contriver  of  the  scheme  watched  the 
streams  of  fire  spreading  through  cornfields  and 
orchards  in  the  plain  below.  The  whole  point 
of  the  massacre  of  the  thousand  Philistines  lies 
in  the  cleverness  with  which  their  clumsy  triumph 
is  suddenly  turned  into  discomfiture,  and  their 
discomfiture  is  celebrated  by  the  punning  turn 
of  the  hero,  not  forgotten  even  in  the  exaltation 
or  the  weariness  of  victory  :  "  With  the  jawbone 
of  an  ass  have  I  slain  one  mass,  two  masses; 
with  the  jawbone  of  an  ass  I  have  slain  an  o.r- 
load  of  men."  The  carrying  off  the  gates  of 
Gaza  derives  all  its  force  from  the  neatness  with 
which  the  Philistine  watchmen  are  outdone,  on 
the  very  spot  where  they  thought  themselves 
secure.  The  answers  with  which  he  puts  off  the 
inquisitiveness  of  Delilah  derive  their  vivacity 
from  the  quaintness  of  the  devices  which  he 
suggests,  and  the  ease  with  which  his  foolish 
enemies  fall  into  trap  after  trap  as  if  only  to  give 
their  conqueror  amusement.— //;iV/. 


['7556]  The  closing  scenes  of  his  life  breathe 
throughout  the  same  terrible,  yet  grotesque, 
irony.  When  the  captive  warrior  is  called  forth, 
in  the  merrimentof  his  persecutors,  to  exercise 
for  the  last  time  the  well-known  raillery  of  his 
character  he  appears  as  the  great  jester  or  buf- 
foon of  the  nation  ;  the  word  employed  expresses 
alike  tiie  roars  of  laughter  and  the  wild  gambols 
by  which  he  "made  them  sport;"  and  as  he 
puts  forth  the  last  energy  of  his  vengeance,  it  is 
in  a  stroke  of  broad  and  savage  humour  that 
his  indignant  spirit  passes  away.  "O  Lord 
Jehovah,  remember  me  now  ;  and  strengthen 
me  now,  only  this  once,  O  God,  that  I  may  be 
avenged  of  the  Philistines"  [not  for  both  of  my 
lost  eyes,  but]  "for  one  of  my  two  eyes."  That 
grim  playfulness,  strong  in  death,  lends  its  para- 
dox even  to  the  act  of  destruction  itself,  and  over- 
flows into  the  touch  of  triumphant  satire,  with 
which  the  pleased  historian  clo^,es  his  story.  "The 
dead  which  he  slew  at  his  death  were  more  than 
they  which  he  slew  in  his  life." — Ibid. 

III.  His  Radical  Defect. 

[17557]  There  was  in  Samson  one  great  defect 
that  left  him  exposed  to  all  his  special  tempta- 
tions—his lack  of  any  devout  regard  for  his 
Divine  endowment.  He  must  have  known  of  its 
miraculous  character.  He  should  have  felt  an 
awe  of  God's  indwelling  might.  He  should  have 
felt  an  awe  even  of  that  man,  promised  of  Jeho- 
vah, whom  he  found  himself  to  be.  Yet  at  every 
step  he  was  himself  traitor  to  his  Divine  com- 
mission.— Rev.  H.  Ganse. 

[17558]  Sometimes  he  rose  up  to  a  just  appre- 
hension of  his  glorious  mission.  But — and  here 
we  come  upon  the  great  lesson  of  his  history — 
he  did  not  keep  that  sense  of  his  calling,  and 
those  godly  desires  for  its  fulfilment,  habitually 
in  view.  Instead  of  ruling  his  dispositions  he 
gave  way  to  them.  He  brought  himself  under 
the  condemnation  of  sad  unfaithfulness,  as  well 
as  inflicted  the  most  serious  injuries  on  his  own 
spirit,  by  his  desultory,  self-indulgent,  and  often 
infamous  pursuits.  How  fearful  the  retribution 
which  came  upon  him  is  known  to  every  reader 
of  the  Bible.  It  was  an  example  and  illustration 
of  a  law  of  heaven,  which,  in  some  form  or  other, 
will  surely  take  effect  in  every  unfaithful  man's 
experience. — Rev.  G.  Drew. 

IV.  The  Secret  of  his  Strength. 

I       It  did  not    lie  in    the  mere  possession    of 
a  powerful  bodily  frame. 

[17559]  What  was  it  that  constituted  Samson's 
strength  1  And  in  answer  to  this,  Samson's 
life  says  :  First  of  all,  his  strength  was  not 
the  natural  physical  strength  that  accom- 
panies a  powerful  frame  and  well-developed 
muscle.  It  was  not  this,  because  it  vanished 
when  his  hair  was  cut  off,  and  grew  again  with 
his  hair.  That  his  strength  was,  strictly  speaking, 
supernatural,  you  would  conclude  also  from  the 
manifestations  of  it,  which  were  not  merely  ex- 


154 

17559- 


-17565] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[SAMSON. 


traordinary,  but  superhuman.  But  the  fact  that 
it  disappeared  when  he  lost  his  hair,  which  has 
no  such  Hcitural  connection  with  a  man's  strength 
that  in  other  cases  a  similar  result  follows,  this 
is  the  final  proof  that  his  strength  was  super- 
natural. Probably  he  had  a  powerful  frame  by 
nature,  just  as  a  powerful  engine  needs  a  sub- 
stantial frame,  but  this  frame  was  not  his  strength. 
—Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

2  It  did  not  consist  in  the  choice,  or  skilful 
use,  of  effective  weapons. 

[17560]  His  strength  or  success  did  not  con- 
sist in  his  skill  in  the  use  of  his  weapons,  or 
choice  of  the  most  eftective  weapons.  On  the 
contrary,  the  greatest  slaughter  he  ever  made 
with  a  weapon  was  when  he  flew  upon  the  well- 
armed  Philistines  with  the  jawbone  of  an  ass  he 
had  hastily  picked  up.  This  struck  Samson 
himself  so  much,  that  he  called  the  scene  of  the 
achievement  "  Lehi,"  or  tlie  Jawbo7ii\  and  com- 
posed a  witty  epigram  on  the  subject,  the  point 
of  which,  however,  is  lost  in  our  translation. — 
Ibid. 

3  It  was  closely  connected  with,  and  indeed 
wholly  depended  upon,  his  fidelity  to  God. 

[17561]  The  grand  idea  of  Samson's  life  is 
that  his  strength  abode  with  him  so  long  as  he 
was  faithful  to  his  Nazarite  vow,  and  departed 
as  soon  as,  for  the  sake  of  a  fleshly  lust,  he  tam- 
pered with  that  vow,  and  put  himself  into  the 
power  of  Delilah  and  the  enemies  of  the  God 
of  Israel. 

[17562]  Before  his  birth  he  was  consecrated 
to  God  :  his  parents  dedicated  him  to  the  work 
God  meant  him  to  do  upon  earth,  and  he  him- 
self accepted  the  vows  they  had  made  for  him. 
With  some  right  feeling  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
call  of  God  he  had  listened  to  it,  and  allowed 
his  hair  to  grow  as  the  visible  pledge  that  he 
was  under  vow  to  God.  When  a  Nazarite  cut 
his  hair  it  was  understood  that  his  vow  was  at 
an  end,  and  that  he  no  longer  was  God's  servant. 
This  Samson  would  never  have  done  with  his 
own  hand  :  but,  overcome  by  sensual  indulgence, 
and  giving  way  to  the  solicitation  of  a  harlot, 
whom  he  knew  to  be  also  in  league  with  his 
enemies,  and  a  traitress,  he  recklessly  put  him- 
self into  her  hands.  Had  she  cut  otf  his  hair 
without  any  connivance  of  his  own,  this  would, 
of  course,  have  wrought  no  alteration  in  his 
spiritual  state,  nor  any  diminution  of  his 
strength.  But  the  loss  of  his  hair  being  due  to 
his  own  recklessness,  to  his  almost  deliberate 
sale  of  God's  favour  for  this  harlot's  endear- 
ments, to  his  want  of  zeal  or  even  of  ordinary 
prudence  in  guarding  the  Divine  gift — for  he 
knew  he  was  in  danger,  and  at  first  scrupled  to 
tell  her  his  secret — the  loss  of  his  hair  thus  re- 
presenting a  loss  of  spiritual  life,  a  loss  of  a  fit 
apprehension  of  the  sacredness  of  his  person  as 
one  vowed  to  God — was  immediately  followed  by 
loss  of  strength.  It  was  a  simple  struggle  of 
flesh  and  spirit,  and  flesh  won,  and  the  spirit  left 
the  field  to  the  conqueror. — Rev,  M.  Dods,  D.D. 


V.  His  Fall, 

1  It   was    marked    by    the    pathos    of   self- 
deception. 

[17563]  Especially  touching  is  it  to  read  that 
when  he  awoke  on  Delilah's  lap  he  said,  "  I  will 
go  out,  as  at  other  times,  and  shake  myself.  And 
he  wist  not  that  the  Lord  was  departed  from 
him."  The  Spirit  had  been  wont  to  come  upon 
him  in  gusts,  impelling  him  as  in  a  kind  of 
frenzy,  and  he  thought  he  could  now  be  the 
same — thought  he  could  shake  oft' this  unwonted 
lassitude  he  felt,  and  imitate  the  mighty  inspira- 
tion of  the  Spirit  of  God.  In  every  previous 
case,  when  occasion  had  presented  itself  to  at- 
tack the  Philistines,  and  when  his  own  spirit 
urged  him  to  battle,  it  was  because  "  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  had  come  mightily  upon  him."  He 
expected  the  same  backing  now.  He  did  not 
know  the  extent  of  the  damage  ;  he  wist  not 
that  the  Lord  was  departed  from  him. — Ibid. 

2  It  was  not  sudden,  but  the  natural  issue 
of  a  gradual  decline. 

[17564]  Such  falls  as  that  of  Samson  sound 
like  some  sudden  catastrophe,  which  comes  upon 
the  victim  of  it  unawares,  with  swift,  unwarning 
violence.  But  the  truth  is,  that  little  by  little 
the  subtle  enemy  was  making  headway  against 
the  soul.  The  few  verses  which  tell  us  of  the 
fearful  ascendency  which  Delilah  gained  over 
Samson,  clearly  show  that,  not  all  at  once,  but 
by  insidious  arts,  patiently  practised,  half  play- 
fulness, half  petulance,  combined  with  un- 
divided treachery,  she  worked  cautiously  and 
untiringly  towards  the  hideous  end.  Again 
and  again  the  witching  eyes  of  that  Philistine 
woman  drew  the  son  of  Manoah  down  to  the 
fair  luxuries  of  her  flowery  valley,  and  every 
time  the  charm  grew  stronger,  and  the  terrible 
end  more  sure.  The  single  act  of  sin,  like  the 
solitary  seed,  unfolds  itself  in  ever-branching 
stems  of  wickedness,  which  tyrannize  over  the 
soul,  and  terrify  the  drowsy  conscience  into 
silence  : 

"  Sow  an  act,  reap  a  habit ; 

Sow  a  habit,  reap  a  character  ; 

Sow  a  character,  reap  a  destiny." 

— Sunday  Musitigs. 

3       It  was  not  irremediable. 

[17565]  Observe  how  God  returned  to  Sam- 
son, and  gave  him  back  his  strength.  There  is 
no  better  instance  of  the  use  God  can  make  of 
the  wreck  of  an  ill-spent  life.  He  had  ruined 
himself  beyond  repair  for  this  life  ;  he  could 
never  be  the  man  he  was  ;  but  in  those  lonely 
days  in  the  Philistine  prison-house,  when  his 
blindness  cut  him  off  from  converse  with  out- 
ward things,  his  own  humbling,  remorseful 
thoughts  were  his  company,  his  own  past  life 
his  only  view.  He  saw  the  ruinous  folly  he  had 
been  guilty  of,  saw  his  betrayal  of  the  trust  God 
had  reposed  in  him,  saw  that  out  of  the  best 
material  for  a  life  of  glory  that  any  man  of  that 
period  had  received  he  had  wrought  for  himself 
a  life  of  shame  and  a  degrading  end.    His  heart 


17565—17569] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SAMSON. 


was  broken  ;  the  strong  man  was  crushed,  and 
had,  like  the  weakest  sinner,  to  cry  to  God,  to 
seek  that  last  comfort  that  abides  when  all 
others  are  gone,  and  that  more  than  makes  up 
for  the  loss  of  all  others— to  seek  that  light,  the 
light  of  God's  own  presence,  that  restores  bright- 
ness to  the  most  darkened  life,  and  that  docs 
not  refuse  to  shine  on  the  most  benighted  soul. 
And  what  he  sought,  he  found.  Slowly  his  hair 
grew,  and  with  it  slowly  returned  his  strergth  : 
as  health  comes  slowly  back  to  the  man  that 
has  been  shattered  by  disease  or  accident — as 
spiritual  vigour  slowly  returns  to  him  who  by 
one  rash  act  has  let  his  soul  be  trodden  in  the 
dust.— AVc/.  Af.  Dods,  D.D. 


VI.  Principles  of  Divine  Deliverance 
Illustrated  by  his  Life. 

1  In  a  state  of  universal  depression  all 
must  ultimately  depend  on  the  indomit- 
able strength  which  is  aroused  in  indi- 
viduals. 

[17566]  God  loves  to  deliver  His  people  from 
the  multitudes  of  their  enemies  by  single  cham- 
pions. This  was  never  brought  so  prominently 
out  as  in  the  life  of  Samson.  The  other  judges 
were  backed  by  the  people  :  the  movement  for 
freedom  began  with  them  individually,  but  the 
mass  of  the  people  rose  at  their  call.  But 
Samson,  throughout,  fought  the  Philistines 
single-handed.  He  despised  their  whole  col- 
lected armies,  went  down  alone  into  their 
strongest  cities,  and  when  they  would  shut  him 
in,  carried  away  gates  and  bars  in  the  grim 
satiric  mood  that  was  his  fighting  humour  ;  and 
that  was  the  nearest  approach  to  seriousness 
the  presence  of  armed  enemies  could  induce. 
Samson  was  qualified  by  his  natural  gifts  thus 
to  stand  alone  and  to  hearten  the  people,  and 
give  them  more  courageous  and  hopeful 
thoughts. — Ibid. 

2  God  has  often  to  deliver  His  people  in 
spite  of  themselves. 

[17567]  This  was  impressed  on  the  minds  of 
all  observant  persons  by  the  fact  that  the 
Israelites,  instead  of  flocking  to  Samson's 
standard  and  seconding  his  effort  to  throw  off 
the  Philistian  yoke,  bound  him  and  gave  him 
into  the  hands  of  the  Philistines,  complaining 
bitterly  that  he  had  brought  them  into  trouble 
with  their  masters,  and  willing  to  buy  peace  at 
the  price  of  Samson's  life.  Just  as  the  Phari- 
sees said  of  our  Lord  :  If  we  let  Him  thus  alone 
the  Romans  will  come  and  take  away  our  place 
and  nation  ;  and  subsequently  gave  Him  up 
bound  to  the  Romans.  They  would  not  strike 
a  blow  in  defence  of  their  own  liberty,  still  less 
in  defence  of  their  champion.  These  3,000 
men  of  judah,  armed  and  equipped,  stood  by 
as  idle  spectators  whilst  Samson  burst  the 
bonds  they  had  bound  upon  him,  and,  snatch- 
ing up  the  only  weapon  he  could  see,  the  jaw- 
bone of  an  ass,  fell  upon  the  common  enemy, 


and  slaughtered  as  many  as  did  not  flee.  Put 
yourself  into  the  position  of  these  abject  and 
cowardly  men  of  Judah,  and  you  will  see  that 
they  must  have  been  deeply  ashamed  of  their 
pusillanimity  and  treachery  to  themselves  in 
delivering  up  Samson  ;  and  must  have  seen 
that  God  meant  to  deliver  them,  and  had 
delivered  them  iw  spite  of  themselves.— /^J/V/. 

3       The  greatest  deliverances  are  wrought  by 
self-sacrifice. 

[1756S]  Through  mere  love  of  fighting,  and  in 
thejoy  of  battle,  which  is  a  selfish  gratification  to 
a  strong  man,  he  had  slain  many  :  in  the  mere 
overflow  of  physical  vigour  and  exuberance  of 
his  own  spirits,  he  had  borne  down  the  enemies 
of  God  ;  but  his  greatest  victory,  the  most  over- 
whelming and  appalling  blow  he  struck,  was 
when  he  himself  was  humbled  to  the  dust,  when 
life  had  lost  its  charm,  when  no  joy  for  himself 
was  thought  of,  and  when  his  only  motive  was  to 
assert  the  miyht  of  Jehovah  against  the  boastful 
worshippers  of  Dagon.  It  cost  him  his  own  life, 
but  his  life  could  not  have  been  better  spent. 
Those  former  victories,  in  which  he  sustained 
no  hurt,  displayed  no  devotion,  no  character, 
scarcely  any  daring — for  he  trusted  in  his  talis- 
man of  hair,  and  knew  he  could  overpower  all 
opposition.  But  in  his  death  his  heroism  first 
appears  ;  and  we  understand  how  he  should  be 
enrolled  among  the  glorious  names  of  history  ; 
we  forget  all  his  faults  in  his  noble  disregard  of 
his  own  life,  in  his  magnanimous  scorn  of  those 
Philistines  and  their  god.  In  this  one  moment, 
as  he  bows  his  mighty  frame  between  the  two 
pillars,  a  new  light  shines  upon  him,  and  we  see 
that  he  is  indeed  a  saviour  worthy  of  Israel  and 
worthy  of  God.  Would  not  every  one  go 
with  his  brethren  and  gather  out  the  mangled 
remains  of  the  hero,  and  tenderly  separate  them 
from  the  carcases  of  his  enemies,  and  carry  them 
up  to  the  burial-place  of  his  fathers,  in  pledge 
that  his  spirit  too  had  been  gathered  to  the 
assembly  of  the  faithful  who  "loved  not  their 
lives  unto  the  death,  but  laid  them  down  for  the 
brethren  "  .'' — Ibid. 

[17569]  As  in  his  death  Samson  slewmorethan 
in  his  life,  so  the  manner  of  that  death  may  have 
been  more  effective  to  the  great  ends  in  view 
than  his  own  living  efforts.  The  very  weak- 
ness of  the  strong  man,  conducing  to  his  fall, 
may  have  led  to  a  greater  victory — to  the  fame 
of  the  hero  lending  the  inspiration  of  the 
martyr.  Humanity  gathers  its  grandest  ener- 
gies and  its  final  triumphs  not  from  occasions  of 
splendid  success,  but  from  the  sad  memories  of 
great  men,  and  the  most  mournful  tragedies  of 
history.  There  is  no  such  inspiration  in  Aus- 
terlitz  as  in  Thermopylae.  The  fervour  of 
patriotism  is  kindled  quicker  by  the  bloody 
snows  of  Valley  Forge  than  by  the  triumphant 
cannon  of  Yorktown.  In  her  slow  procession 
around  the  world,  Liberty  bears  not  laurel- 
wreaths  and  flags  of  victory,  but  the  pale  and 
bleeding  effigies  of  her  martyrs. — Ation. 


156 

I7570— 175751 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[SAMSON. 


VI.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 

I  The  strength  by  which  alone  evil  can  be 
overcome  is  to  be  obtained  from  the 
Spirit  of  God. 

[17570]  Samson  did  not  realize  that  his 
strength  was  from  God.  This  is  the  sad,  fatal 
mistake  so  many  are  making.  Oh,  think  not 
that  you  can  be  sober,  honest,  virtuous,  without 
the  help  that  cometh  from  above.  It  is  sad  ex- 
perience that  teaches  men  what  Philip  Melanch- 
thon  learned  at  last,  "  that  Satan  was  stronger 
than  Philip."— Tt-fz/.  H.  Wiles,  D.D. 

[1757 1]  Repeatedly  do  we  read  that  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  came  upon  Samson,  and  invariably 
we  find  in  connection  with  that  expression  that 
some  exploit  was  done  by  him  ;  while,  again,  m 
the  text  the  loss  of  his  accustomed  power  is 
thus  accounted  for,  "  The  Lord  was  depaitel 
from  him."  It  is  precisely  so  with  us  in 
spiritual  things.  Let  a  man  try  to  conquer 
self,  or  to  vanquish  temptation  in  his  own 
strength,  and  he  will  be  surely  worsted  ;  but  if 
he  obtain  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  will  be 
more  than  a  conqueror.  The  soul  of  the  uncon- 
verted man  is  held  by  Satan  and  his  own  lusts, 
even  as  the  land  of  Israel  was  possessed  by  the 
Philistines ;  andhecannotexpel  theseunhallowed 
intruders,  or  enter  into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
sons  of  God,  save  by  the  grace  of  God's  Spirit. 
It  is,  therefore,  a  vital  question  how  that  is  to  be 
obtained  ;  and  here,  also,  the  narrative  before 
us  may  give  us  light,  for  it  was  on  Samson,  the 
Nazarite,  specially  consecrated  to  God  and  His 
service,  that  the  Divine  influence  rested,  and 
now,  through  Jesus  Christ,  if  we  unite  ourselves 
in  holy  covenant  with  God,  the  Spirit  will  be 
imparted  to  us,  and  we  shall  be  mighty  through 
Him  to  the  pulling  down  of  Satan's  strongholds 
within  us  and  around  us.  lie  this,  therefore, 
your  constant  prayer,  that  God  would  grant 
you  to  be  strengthened  with  all  might  by  His 
Spirit  in  the  inner  man. — Rev.  E.  Chaplin. 

2       Spiritual   strength   is    lost   in    yielding   to 
sin. 

[17572]  So  long  as  Samson  was  true  to  his 
Nazarite  vow,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  remained 
with  him,  but  when  he  allowed  himself  to  be 
beguiled  by  Delilah,  he  gave  over  to  her  that 
which  ought  to  have  been  kept  for  God,  and  so 
his  power  went  from  him.  He  departed  from 
God,  and  so  God  departed  from  him.  That  is 
God's  way  of  dealing  with  men  still,  and  it  is  of 
the  greatest  consequence  that  this  principle  of 
His  government  should  be  considered  by  us.  We 
have  no  security  that  God  will  strengthen  us  to 
overcome  evil  or  to  perform  duty,  unless  we  set 
ourselves  rigidly  to  keep  away  from  all  iniquity 
and  devote  ourselves  to  His  service.  It  may 
seem  as  if  such  a  statement  were  inconsistent 
with  the  truth,  that  they  who  are  truly  God's 
are  kept  by  Him  in  all  emergencies  ;  but  it  is 
not  so,  for  the  efforts  which  they  make  to  resist 
evil  are  the  means  by  which  He  preserves  them, 
and   it  is  in   the   forth-putting  of  these  efforts 


that  the  Divine  energy  works  through  their 
souls.  A  man  is  strengthened  to  overcome  his 
spiritual  enemies  only  in  the  measure  in  which 
he  sets  himself  to  oppose  them  ;  and  if  he  cease 
to  strive  against  them,  the  Divine  help  will  dry 
up  within  him,  and  he  may  become  "  a  cast- 
away." Sin  always  separates  from  God.  It 
puts  you  out  of  sympathy  with  Him.  It  breaks 
the  connection  between  you  and  Him,  and  even 
as  the  machine  stands  still  when  the  belt  which 
joins  it  to  the  engine  is  snapped  in  twain,  so  you 
will  be  spiritually  powerless  when  you  yield 
yourself  to  iniquity.  Beware,  therefore,  how 
you  let  yourself  be  entangled  with  the  Delilahs 
of  ungodliness,  and  dread  them  most  when  they 
seem  to  smile. — Ibid. 

3       Spiritual   strength   may    be    lost    without 
consciousness  of  privation  at  the  moment. 

[17573]  Samson  "wist  not  that  the  Lord  was 
departed  from  him.''  He  arose  as  before,  feel- 
ing nothing  unusual  or  strange,  but  when  he 
tried  to  put  forth  his  might,  he  could  do  no- 
thing. That  was  melancholy  enough,  but  its 
spiritual  antitype  infinitely  more  so,  for  it  is 
terribly  true  that  one  may  become  most  feeble 
through  habitual  indulgence  in  sin,  and  yet  at 
the  time  be  unaware  of  the  change  that  has 
passed  upon  him. — Ibid. 

[17574]  Some  of  you  may  have  had  an  experi- 
ence which  puts  you  into  sympathy  with,  and  en- 
ables you  to  interpret  easily,  that  part  of  Sam- 
son's history  which  deals  with  his  fall.  You  may 
at  one  time  have  had  grace,  you  may  have  been 
equal  to  duty,  you  may  have  found  it  easy  to 
pray,  easy  to  engage  in  religious  conversation, 
easy  to  do  service  among  your  fellows  that  not 
every  one  can  do  ;  but  through  carelessness, 
through  want  of  considerate  prizing  of  this  as 
God's  grace  bestowed  in  trust  upon  you, 
through  sensual  indulgence,  you  have  quenched 
the  Spirit,  and  now  you  in  vain  seek  to  stir  up 
the  grace  of  God  that  was  once  in  you  ;  you 
imitate  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  you  try  to 
exert  and  move  yourself,  but  it  will  not  do. 
You  say,  "  I  will  go  out,  as  at  other  times,  and 
shake  myself;"  but  the  Lord  has  departed 
from  you.  .  .  .  Your  efforts,  consequently,  are 
thwarted  ;  you  find  that  your  spiritual  strength  is 
gone,  that  there  is  now  hollowness,  feebleness, 
and  a  blank  where  once  was  the  Almighty 
Spirit.  He  that  has  vowed  his  strength  to  God, 
he  that  has  received  some  grace  from  God,  some 
godliness  of  feeling  and  aim,  and  yet  yields  to 
a  wretched  lust,  fancying  that  afterwards  he 
will  shake  himself  as  at  other  times,  and  be  as 
fit  for  duty  as  ever,  will  find  himself  most 
disastrously  deceived.— y?t'7/.  !\r.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17575]  In  an  unfounded  conviction  that  at 
any  time  a  little  effort  will  restore  us  to  the 
position  which  we  wantonly  abandon,  we  do 
wantonly  abandon  it  and  slumber  unconscious 
of  our  loss,  until  at  last,  like  Samson,  awakened 
out  of  sleep,  we  say,  "  I  will  go  out,  as  at  other 
times  before,  and  shake  myself,"  not  knowing 


I7S7S— 17532] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


157 

[eli. 


that  "  the  Lord  is  departed  from  us."  Through 
his  own  fault,  Samson  lost  that  in  which  his 
strength  lay. — Rev.  J.  Coghlan,  D.D. 

4      Spiritual    strength    once    lost    cannot    be 
quickly  regained. 

[17576]  If  you  have  fallen  into  sin,  you  must 
not  expect  your  soul  to  recover  its  tone  quickly  ; 
it  is  like  the  growth  of  hair,  you  cannot  hasten 
it,  can  only  let  repentance  slowly  work  its  per- 
fect work,  thankful  that  even  thus  you  may  get 
back  to  God.— ye<?t/.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 


ELI. 

I.  His  Chief  Virtues. 
I       Godliness  and  kindness. 

[17577]  He  is  a  godly  man,  and  as  kind  as  he 
is  godly.  The  brief  notices  of  his  connection 
with  Samuel  are  singularly  affecting.  He  seems 
never  to  have  forgotten  the  little  injustice  he 
had  inadvertently  done  to  his  mother,  Hannah, 
when  he  mistook  her  unwonted  fervency  in 
prayer  for  a  sign  of  intoxication. — Rev.  R. 
C and  I  is  k. 

[17578]  With  what  affectionate  tenderness 
does  Eli  initiate  Samuel  in  the  right  manner  of 
receiving  the  word  of  the  Lord  !  Eli,  old  and 
well-nigh  blind,  is  "  laid  down  in  his  place  ; " 
and  Samuel,  hearing  himself  called  by  name, 
naturally  starts  up  to  see  what  service  his  now 
almost  helpless  friend  may  be  requiring  from 
him  :  "  Here  am  I,  for  thou  didst  call  me."  "I 
called  not,  my  son  ;  lie  down  again,"  is  the 
simple  reply — until  the  third  repetition  of  the 
incident  awakens  Eli  to  its  real  meaning  :  "  Eli 
perceived  that  the  Lord  had  called  the  child" 
(l  Sam.  iii.  8).  Nor  is  there  any  grudging  in 
the  old  man's  bosom  that  he  should  be  passed 
by,  and  another,  a  mere  child,  chosen  to  receive 
one  of  those  Divine  communications  which  in 
these  degenerate  days  had  become  so  precious, 
because  so  rare  (ver.  i).  On  the  contrary,  we  al- 
most seem  to  see  the  lighting  up  of  his  dim  eye, 
and  to  feel  the  throbbing  of  his  heart,  as  with  ten- 
derest  interest  he  tells  the  favoured  youth  how  to 
demean  himself  under  so  high  an  honour:  "Go, 
lie  down  :  and  it  shall  be,  if  He  call  thee,  that 
thou  shalt  say,  Speak,  Lord  ;  for  Thy  servant 
heareth  ; "  and  then  quietly  composes  himself 
to  await  the  issue  of  the  scene. — Ibid. 

[17579]  Eli  was  a  man  of  extraordinary^  mag- 
nanimity, never  resenting  that  God  should  speak 
to  him,  the  aged  priest,  through  a  prattling  child 
that  did  not  know  God's  voice  when  he  heard 
it.  He  was  a  man  not  only  mild  and  kindly 
when  it  cost  him  nothing  to  be  so,  as  in  the 
case  of  Hannah,  but  able  to  cherish  one  who 
was  destined  to  supplant  his  own  family,  and 
who,  to  a  smaller  man  than  Eli  was,  must  have 
seemed  like  the  evil  genius  of  his  house. — Rev. 
M.  Dods,  D.D. 


2       Meekness  and  resignation. 

[17580]  "It  is  the  Lord;  let  Him  do  what 
seemeth  Him  good."  What  acquiescence  is 
here — what  patience — what  faith  !  There  is  no 
justifying  of  himself— nothing  like  charging  God 
foolishly.  The  old  man's  "  sin  is  ever  before 
him."  He  acknowledges  it  all  to  the  Lord.  He 
owns  the  perfect  righteousness  of  the  sentence. 
God  is  just  in  judging.  Eli's  mouth  is  stopped. 
He  is  verily  guilty.  That  he  should  be  thus  re- 
buked and  chastened  is  no  more  than  he  de- 
serves ;  nay,  it  may  even  be  fitting  that  the 
stroke  should  come  through  that  dear  child,  in 
whose  opening  and  expanding  graciousness  of 
character  he  has  been  apt,  perhaps,  too  readily 
to  find  comfort  aud  compensation  for  the  un- 
bridled license  of  his  own  sons.  For  it  could 
not  but  be  a  more  congenial  task  to  Eli  to 
train  the  docile  Samuel  than  to  restrain  unruly 
Phinehas  and  Hophni  ;  and  there  might  be 
something  of  retribution  in  the  arrangement, 
that  the  very  first  act  of  Samuel's  ministry,  in 
the  prophetic  office  for  which  Eli  had,  with  so 
fond  and  deep  an  interest,  been  preparing  him, 
should  be,  to  denounce  the  parent's  neglect  of 
parental  discipline  and  duty,  and  open  his  eyes 
to  all  its  inexcusable  guilt  !  At  all  events,  Eli 
makes  no  complaint.  There  is  no  feeling  of 
even  momentary  resentment,  either  against  God 
or  against  Samuel.  He  sees  nothing  amiss, 
either  in  the  dreadful  message  or  in  the  chan- 
nel through  which  it  comes.  He  blames  only 
himself.  Samuel  is  as  dear  to  him  as  ever, 
although  reluctantly  the  bringer  of  evil  tidings. 
And  God  is  honoured  by  the  exercise,  not  of  a 
mere  stern  and  stubborn  bravery,  submitting 
sullenly  to  an  irrevocable  and  irresistible  decree, 
but  of  meek  faith  ; — faith  accepting  judgment, 
and  yet  clinging  to  and  confiding  in  the  very 
judge  himself  ;  faith,  in  short,  still  seeing,  even 
in  the  God  of  judgment,  a  pacified  and  recon- 
ciled God — a  father,  and  a  friend  ! — Rev.  R. 
Candlish. 

[17581]  It  would  have  been  no  wonder  if,  on 
hearing  such  a  message  through  such  a  messen- 
ger as  the  child  Samuel,  some  little  of  the  irrita- 
tion of  wounded  love  had  ruffled  Eli's  spirit, 
and  some  impatient  words  had  escaped  from  his 
mouth.  But  nothing  of  the  kind  appears.  The 
grey-haired  saint  of  God  is  as  a  little  child,  and 
meekly  takes  rebuke  from  the  little  child  he  has 
himself  nursed.  Reversing  the  prophecy,  "The 
child  shall  die  a  hundred  years  old," — the  man 
all  but  a  hundred  years  old  is  to  die  a  child ;  for 
it  is  the  "  cjuiet  spirit  and  mild  "  of  a  little  child 
that  breathes  in  the  simple  utterance,  "It  is  the 
Lord  ;  let  Him  do  what  seemeth  Him  good." — 
Ibid. 

[17582]  His  one  exclamation  when  the  terrible 
message  was  delivered  by  Samuel,  "It  is  the 
Lord  ;  let  Him  do  what  seemeth  Him  good,"  re- 
veals an  enviable  state  of  mind,  a  submissive- 
ness  which  could  not  be  picked  up  on  a  sudden, 
but  must  have  been  wrought  in  him  by  a  long 


158 

17582- 17586] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELI. 


thoughtfulness   about    God's  ways,  and  a  real 
godliness  of  disposition. — Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

II.  His  Great  Defect. 
Moral  weakness  and  indecision. 

(i)  As  displayed  in  his  character  generally. 

[17583]  He  was  a  good  man  of  the  easy  type; 
the  kind  of  man  vviio  makes  an  admirable  ser- 
vant, who  does  his  duty  to  perfection  so  long  as 
his  duty  merely  troubles  himself,  but  who  has 
not  force  of  character  to  interfere  with  others  ; 
to  command,  to  regulate  the  conduct  of  others, 
to  incur  the  ill-will  of  others.  He  had  no  wicked 
intentions,  no  godless  practices  like  his  sons  ; 
he  was  a  pure-minded,  amiable,  sincere,  gentle, 
well-disposed  man  ;  but  it  was  his  misfortune 
to  be  in  a  position  which  required  other  qualities 
besides  these,  and  which  he  had  not.  He  could 
control  himself,  but  not  others.  He  would  grieve 
over  his  sons,  but  not  correct  them.  He  could 
speak  seriously  to  them,  but  could  not  enforce 
his  words.  He  recognized  the  abuses  which 
were  being  introduced  into  God's  worship,  but 
he  continued  day  by  day  to  delay  cleansing  the 
house  of  God,  trusting  to  circumstances,  or 
time,  or  chance,  or  anything,  to  do  what  he 
himself  could  not  find  nerve  to  do.  An  amiable 
mdolence  overspread  his  whole  nature ;  he  would 
be  a  delightful  man  to  talk  with,  but  most  dis- 
appointing to  have  to  do  with  :  a  man  ever  ready 
to  do  pleasant  things,  but  never  able  to  do  dis- 
agreeable things.  He  was  one  of  the  men 
who  have  great  faith  in  the  power  of  things  to 
right  themselves,  in  the  virtue  of  leaving  things 
alone,  of  letting  nature  take  its  course. — Ibid. 

(2)  As  displayed  in  his  capacity  as  head  of 
the  state. 

[175S4]  As  a  judge,  then,  in  his  capacity  of 
civil  governor,  Eli  evidently  saw  the  affairs  of 
the  commonwealth  brought  to  the  lowest  ebb 
of  fortune.  It  is  true,  that  little  or  nothing  is 
recorded  of  his  administration  ;  but  in  the  last 
act  of  it,  the  war  waged  with  the  Philistines,  and 
in  the  way  in  which  that  war  is  conducted,  we  see 
indications  of  imbecility  not  to  be  mistaken. 
There  is  an  evident  want  of  due  consideration 
and  concert.  The  contest  is  obviously  begun 
rashly,  without  a  previous  appeal  to  God  ;  and 
the  army  marches  without  the  Divine  sanction  ; 
for  the  first  clause  in  i  Samuel  iv.  i  is  evidently 
connected  with  the  previous  chapter,  indicating 
the  general  acceptance  of  Samuel  in  his  pro°- 
phetic  character,  and  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  Philistian  war.  The  expedition,  then,  wants 
that  symbol  of  the  Divine  presence,  which  of 
old  was  wont  to  strike  terror  into  the  foe,  and 
inspire  every  heart  in  the  host  of  Israel  with 
holy  zeal  ;  according  to  the  usage  described  in 
the  Book  of  Numbers:  "And  it  came  to  pass, 
when  the  ark  set  forward,  that  Moses  said,  Rise 
up,  Lord,  and  let  Thine  enemies  be  scattered  ; 
and  let  them  that  hate  Thee  fiee  before  Thee.' 
And  when  it  rested,  he  said,  Return,  O  Lord, 
unto  the  many  thousands  of  Israel  "  (Numb,  x.' 


35,  36).  No  such  ringing  battle-cry.  Rise  up. 
Lord,  is  heard  on  this  occasion  ;  and  no  glad 
note  of  peace  concludes  the  fight.  The  sudden 
expedient  or  afterthought  of  remodelling  the 
ark  to  help  in  retrieving  the  disaster  only  brings 
out  more  sadly  the  absence  of  all  sound  and 
godly  counsel  in  the  whole  aftair  at  the  first,  and 
the  conduct  of  Eli  is  throughout  that  of  a  habitual 
waverer.  One  thing  is  clear — as  a  ruler  he  left 
the  state  on  the  very  brink  of  ruin. — Rev.  R. 
Candlish. 

(3)  As  displayed  in  his  capacity  as  high 
priest. 

[175S5]  As  high  priest,  set  over  the  affairs  of 
the  house  of  God,  he  lets  his  weakness  shame- 
fully get  the  better  of  him.  The  scandalous 
outrages  and  excesses  committed  by  his  two 
sons  when  they  were  associated  with  him  in  the 
priesthood,  never  could  have  taken  place  had 
"things  been  done  decently  and  in  order."  The 
law  as  to  offerings,  and  the  shares  which  the 
altar,  the  priesthood,  and  the  worshippers  were 
to  have  in  them  respectively,  was  clear  enough, 
if  due  authority  had  been  put  forth  to  enforce  it ; 
nor,  with  all  their  greed,  could  Hophni  and 
Phinehas  have  so  used  their  flesh-hooks  as  to 
make  "men  abhor  the  offering  of  the  Lord,"  if 
there  had  not  been  prevalent  already  a  grievous 
laxity  in  the  mere  routine  of  the  tabernacle  ser- 
vice, which  Eli  must  have  tolerated,  or  at  least 
wanted  firmness  to  repress  (i  Sam.  li.  12-19). 
.  .  .  We  do  not  speak  of  the  actual  misconduct 
of  the  miserable  young  men  themselves  who 
prostituted  to  vile  purposes  their  priestly  charac- 
ter and  office  ;  we  found  rather  on  the  mere 
fact,  that  misconduct  like  theirs  was  possible,  as 
proving  that  the  reins  of  spiritual  government 
must  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  one  himself 
either  very  wicked  or  very  weak.  And  as,  in 
the  case  of  Eli,  the  former  side  of  the  alternative 
is  out  of  the  question — for  he  was  a  holy  man, 
and  hated  sin — we  are  forced  to  conclude,  that 
in  his  capacity  of  priest,  as  well  as  in  that  of 
judge,  he  was  the  victim  of  indecision  and  in- 
firmity.— Ibid. 

(4)  As  displayed  in  his  capacity  as  a  parent. 
[17586]  It  is  as  a  parent  that  Eli  chiefly  shows 

his  weakness  ;  and  it  is  in  that  character  that 
he  is  especially  reproved  and  judged.  "  Thou 
honourest  thy  sons  above  Me,"  is  the  charge 
which  the  Lord  brings  against  him  (i  Sam.  ii.  29). 
And  yet  Eli  feared  God",  and  had  no  sympathy 
with  his  sons  in  their  vile  crimes.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  remonstrated  with  them  faithfully  : 
"  Why  do  ye  such  things  1  for  I  hear  of  your 
evil  dealings  by  all  this  people.  Nay,  my  sons  ; 
for  It  is  no  good  report  that  I  hear  :  ye  make 
the  Lord's  people  to  transgress.  If  one  man  sin 
against  another,  the  judge  shall  judge  him  ;  but 
if  a  man  sin  against  the  Lord,  who  shall  entreat 
for  him  1 "  (chap.  ii.  23-25.)  What  more  could 
he  do.?  Instruction,  admonition,  expostulation, 
persuasion,  are  all  in  vain.  The  resources  of  his 
parental  influence  are  exhausted.  What  farther 
remains  to  be  tried  .?     Ah  !  he  forgets  that  he  is 


17586— 1759°] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


159 

[eli. 


invested  with  parental  authority — authority,  in 
his  case,  bacl<ed  and  seconded  by  all  the  powers 
of  laws  and  all  the  terrors  of  reli;4ion.  Nay,  it 
is  not  so  much  that  he  forgets  this,  as  that  he 
has  not  nerve  to  act  upon  the  recollection  of  it. 
He  knows  his  right  and  duty  as  a  father  ;  but 
he  weakly  shrinks  from  enforcing  his  right  and 
performing  his  duty,  out  of  false  tenderness  and 
pity  to  his  sons. — Ibid. 

[17587]  Nothing  falsifies  the  character  like 
softness  ;  the  want  of  power  to  say  No,  when  it 
would  give  pain.  Eli  was  not  a  bad  man,  but 
there  was  a  softness  and  feebleness  of  character 
which  left  him  powerless  to  say  No  to  his  sons. 
— Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

[17588]  Eli  restrained  not  his  sons.  At  first 
he  might  have  restrained  them  with  compara- 
tively a  very  gentle  hand  :  a  firm  voice,  a 
decided  look,  might  have  been  enough  ;  a  few 
instances  of  patient,  persevering  determination, 
with  an  absence  of  all  angry  passion  provoking 
them  to  wrath,  might  have  taught  the  little 
rebels  how  hopeless  it  was  to  think  of  making 
their  father  yield  to  them  ;  judicious  kindness, 
not  being  bitter  against  them,  would  make  them 
feel  the  relief  and  gladness  of  yielding  to  him  ; 
and  thereafter  he  might  have  guided  them  with 
his  eye.  Failing  at  that  first  stage  to  form  in 
them  the  habit  of  obedience,  Eli's  task  became  of 
course  more  difficult  as  his  sons  grew  in  strength 
and  stature,  as  well  as  in  force  of  will.  The 
waywardness  and  impetuosity  of  early  youth, 
succeeding  to  the  insubordination  of  spoiled  and 
fondled  childhood,  presented  a  stouter  aspect 
of  resistance  or  defiance.  Still  he  might  have 
restrained  them  ;  his  parental  resources  were 
not  yet  exhausted  ;  they  had  not  yet  outgi'own 
the  power  of  the  parental  arm  ;  nor  could  they 
yet  dispense  with  the  support  of  parental  love. 
He  has  a  hold  over  them  still  by  many  ties,  if 
only  he  will  summon  resolution  for  the  task  of 
first  thoroughly  studying  their  characters,  and 
then  vigorously  and  wisely  using  bit  and  bridle, 
if  need  be,  to  keep  them  in.  It  may  be  a 
struggle  ;  but  calm  consistency  will  gain  the 
day.  For  a  parent's  rule  commends  itself  to 
the  conscience,  as  a  parent's  kindness  touches 
the  heart  ;  and  an  effort  put  forth  even  at  the 
last  hour,  in  faith  and  prayer,  to  resume  the 
reins  of  parental  disciphne,  will  have  God's 
countenance,  and  will  not  fail  of  success.  But, 
alas  for  Eli  !  This  second  opportunity  also  is 
allowed  to  pass.  His  sons  have  become  men  ; 
*  they  have  left  the  parental  roof ;  they  have 
families  of  their  own  ;  they  take  rank  on  their 
own  account  in  the  world  ;  they  hold  office  in 
the  Church.  They  are  their  own  masters  now, 
and,  availing  themselves  of  their  liberty,  they  let 
loose  their  unruly  passions,  and  make  them- 
selves vile.  Still  Eli  should  have  restrained 
them  ;  for  it  is  expressly  mentioned  that  his 
restraining  them  not  even  then,  was  his  sin. 
He  had  power  to  restrain  them.  He  had  the 
power  every  parent  has  when  his  children  make 
themselves   incurably  vile.      He  could  disown 


them,  discountenance  them,  solemnly  renounce 
their  fellowship,  and  cast  them  off.  He  had 
power  also  as  their  ruler  in  the  state,  and  their 
superior  in  the  priesthood.  .  .  .  But  he  had  not 
the  heart  ;  he  could  not  bring  himself  to  be 
severe.  Even  (iod's  highest  honour  must  give 
place  to  the  indulgence  of  his  fond  and  feeble 
dotage. — Rev.  R.  Cundlish. 

ni.  His  Manifold  Disgrace  and  Pun- 

ISHMKNT. 

"  I  have  told  him  that  I  will  judge  his  house 
for  ever  for  the  iniquity  which  he 
knoweth  ;  because  his  sons  made  them- 
selves vile,  and  he  restrained  them  not. 
And  therefore  I  have  sworn  unto  the  house 
of  Eli  that  the  iniquity  of  Eli's  house 
shall  not  be  purged  with  sacrifice  nor 
offering  for  ever"   (1   Sam.  iii.  13,  14). 

[17589]  Of  the  utter  ruin  of  Eli's  household 
we  need  not  speak.  The  priesthood  passes 
away  from  his  family;  the  government  is  upon 
other  shoulders  ;  his  seed  are  a  beggared  race. 
The  last  incident  recorded  concerning  his 
children  is  most  profoundly  touching  ;  it  is  the 
birth  of  his  grandson,  the  child  of  his  son 
Phinehas.  The  unhappy  mother  hears  of  her 
husband  Phinehas,  fallen  in  the  disastrous  fight, 
and  of  her  father-in-law  Eli,  suddenly  dead. 
She  cannot  stand  the  shock.  She  bows  her 
head  and  travails.  But  though  the  women 
about  her  say,  "  Fear  not,  for  thou  hast  borne  a 
son" — there  is  no  joy  for  her  because  a  man- 
child  is  born  into  the  world.  She  is  a  godly 
woman,  broken-hearted  by  the  sin  and  fate  of 
an  ungodly  husband.  She  is  like-minded  with 
her  husband's  godly  father,  Eli.  When  the 
women  tell  her  of  the  son  she  has  borne,  "  she 
answers  not,  neither  regards  it."  But  with  her 
dying  breath  she  names  the  child  "  Ichabod  ;" 
for  she  says  "the  glory  is  departed  from  Israel, 
because  the  ark  of  God  is  taken."  The  whole 
house  is  a  ruin  ; — the  priesthood  degraded  ; 
the  nation  defeated  ;  the  ark  taken  ;  and  amid 
the  wreck  his  own  family  broken  up,  and  the 
sole  survivor  launched  on  the  stream  of  time 
with  an  ominous  name,  and  under  a  heavy 
curse.  And  all  this  in  connection  with  .one  of 
the  meekest  and  holiest  of  the  saints  of  God  ! — 
Ibid. 

[17590]  The  messenger  of  evil  delivered  his 
tidmgs  ;  and  his  hearer  could  stand  the  ac- 
cumulation of  horrors — Israel  fled  before  the 
Philistines — a  great  slaughter  among  the  people 
— ay,  and  his  two  sons,  Hophni  and  Phinehas, 
dead  also.  But  when  the  crowning  calamity 
burst  upon  him — "  the  ark  of  God  is  taken  " — 
Eli  could  bear  up  no  longer.  Bending  under 
the  weight  of  ninety  and  eight  years,  and 
crushed  by  the  stunning  blow  of  this  disastrous 
intelligence,  "  he  fell  from  off  the  seat  backward 
by  the  side  of  the  gate,  and  his  neck  brake,  and 
he  died  ;  for  he  was  an  old  man,  and  heavy.'' 
No  words  could  add  to  the  pathos  of  this  simple 
and    summary   announcement.      It    is   all    the 


i6o 

17590—17593] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[eli. 


epitaph  Scripture  has  for  one  who  had  spent 
nearly  a  century  beside  the  altar,  and  for  some- 
what less  than  half  that  time  had  occupied  the 
seat  of  power — for  "he  had  judged  Israel  forty 
years."  Such  was  the  end  of  so  protracted  a 
life  ;  thus  miserably  died  this  man  of  God. — 

IV.  Eli  and  Moses  Contrasted. 

['759']  The  conduct  of  Eli  at  a  crisis  may  be 
contrasted  with  that  of  Moses  on  a  similar 
occasion.  When  the  Israelites,  discouraged  by 
the  report  of  the  spies,  refused  to  go  up  and 
take  possession  of  the  promised  land,  and  were 
condemned,  in  consequence,  to  wander  for  forty 
years  in  the  wilderness— stung  with  remorse, 
they  resolved  hastily  to  repair  their  fatal  fault  ; 
"  They  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  gat 
them  up  into  the  top  of  the  mountain,  saying, 
Lo  we  be  here,  and  we  will  go  up  unto  the  place 
which  the  Lord  hath  promised  :  for  we  have 
sinned."'  Moses  not  only  opposed  their  resolu- 
tion— "  It  shall  not  prosper  ;  go  not  up,  for  the 
Lord  is  not  among  you  ;  that  ye  be  not  smitten 
before  your  enemies  ;  "  but  peremptorily  refused, 
either  to  lead  them  himself,  or  to  let  the  ark  of 
God  go  with  them  : — "  They  presumed  to  go  up 
unto  the  hill-top  :  nevertheless  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  of  the  Lord,  and  Moses,  departed  not 
out  of  the  camp."  The  issue  of  the  engage- 
ment was  disastrous  to  the  Israelites  ;  for  "  the 
Amalekites  came  down,  and  the  Canaanites 
which  dwelt  in  that  hill,  and  smote  them,  and 
discomfited  them,  even  unto  Hormah."  But, 
by  the  moral  courage  of  Moses,  the  ark  of  God 
was  safe  (Numb.  xiv.  40-45).  Eli  is  placed 
in  circumstances  not  unlike  those  in  which 
Moses  acted  so  nobly.  The  army  of  Israel  is 
smarting  under  a  defeat  sustained  at  the  hands 
of  the  Philistines.  It  is  proposed  to  send  for 
the  ark  of  God  :  "  Let  us  fetch  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  of  the  Lord  out  of  Shiloh  unto  us, 
that,  when  it  cometh  among  us,  it  may  save  us 
out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies  "  (i  Sam.  iv.  3). 
Eli  being  both  high  priest  and  chief  magistrate — 
for  he  is  at  the  head  of  civil  affairs  as  well  as 
ecclesiastical— has  of  course  the  custody  of  the 
ark  ;  and  has  in  fact,  in  virtue  of  his  double 
office,  more  power  over  it  than  even  Moses 
himself  could  possess.  Evidently  he  has  mis- 
givings as  to  the  step  about  to  be  taken  ;  and 
well  he  may,  considering  all  things.  A  heavy 
cloud  of  judgment  overhangs  himself  and  his 
household.  If  the  ark  is  to  accompany  the 
army,  it  must  be  under  the  custody  of  his  sons. 
Are  they  fit  keepers  of  it,  vile  as  they  have  made 
themselves,  and  doomed  to  perish  miserably  } 
Is  the  army  itself  engaged  in  so  righteous  a 
warfare,  and  animated  by  so  good  a  si)irit,  as 
to  warrant  their  carrying  with  them  what,  in 
better  times,  was  wont  to  be  the  pledge  of 
victory?  Eli  may  well  hesitate  ;  and,  when  the 
message  from  the  army  reaches  him,  it  must 
cause  him  deep  di:itress.  Is  he  to  consent  ? 
Hophni  and  Phinehas  are  ready  to  run  every 
risk  ;  not  unwilling,  perhaps,  to  seize  the  op- 


portunity of  somewhat  recovering  their  cha- 
racter, and  gaining  a  little  credit  with  their 
countrymen.  The  elders  and  people  are  im- 
portunate. The  old  man  does  not  resist,  though 
in  the  very  act  of  yielding  his  mind  misgives 
him,  and  his  heart  cannot  but  tremble  for  the 
ark  of  God. — Ibid. 

V.   HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

1  "Add  to  your  faith  virtue"  (2  Pet.  i.  5), 

[17592]  Let  individual  Christians  ponder  the 
lesson  of  Eli's  character.  Much,  very  much,  is 
there  in  it  to  be  admired  and  imitated,  especially 
the  grace  and  godliness  of  his  walk,  the  tender- 
ness of  his  affections,  and  the  way  in  which  he 
takes  the  Divine  rebuke.  But  his  defects — or, 
shall  we  say  at  once,  his  sins? — are  recorded  for 
our  especial  warning.  His  want  of  firmness  is 
very  sad  ;  it  mars  and  hinders  the  exercise  of 
every  other  grace,  and  stamps  upon  the  whole 
man  the  character  of  one  like  a  wave  of  the  sea, 
driven  by  the  winds  and  tossed.  "Add  to  your 
faith  virtue,"  or  moral  courage,  is  a  precept  to 
be  again  and  again  repeated  and  pondered 
well. — Rev.  R.  Catidlish. 

2  The  evil  of  mere  passivity  and  softness, 

['7593]  Eli's  life  is  an  instance  in  which  we 
may  read  the  calamitous  result  of  a  merely  pas- 
sive life,  of  refusing  to  arrest  or  mend  the  evil 
practices  around  us,  of  conniving  at  sin  which 
it  is  our  business  to  put  an  end  to  ;  of  content- 
ing ourselves  with  keeping  our  own  hands  clean. 
For  the  fact  is  that  not  interfering  when  we 
ought  to  interfere  is  the  surest  way  to  be  en- 
tangled with  the  results  of  those  very  sins,  and 
the  fate  of  those  very  sinners  from  whom  we 
wish  to  keep  separate — a  lesson  which  our  own 
country  is  now  learning  from  its  past  treatment 
of  Ireland.  By  many  natural  ties  men  are 
bound  to  us,  and  while  we  take  the  benefit  of 
their  service,  or  the  pleasure  of  their  affection,  or 
any  advantage  their  society  brings,  it  is  cowardly 
and  unjust,  and  besides  impossible,  to  shake  off 
any  responsibility  regarding  their  conduct. 
Parents  who,  like  Eli,  are  afraid  to  lose  the 
affection  of  their  children,  and  who  pretend  not 
to  see  their  growing  faults,  must  know  that  this 
can  only  end  badly.  Eli  did  not  see  his  life 
written  out,  a  completed  story  ;  after  the  retri- 
bution fell,  he  had  no  time  to  revise  and  remodel 
it— as  God  said,  "  When  I  begin,  I  will  also 
make  an  end."  We  also  are  living  out  our 
lives  day  by  day,  and  each  day  are  coming" 
nearer  to  that  sudden  retribution  which  will 
finish  all,  and  reveal  the  completeness  and  at 
once  show  the  value  of  our  life.  It  will  show 
the  pitiful  and  utter  incompetence  of  all  mere 
resolutions  of  amendment,  the  barrenness  of 
mere  good  intentions  and  amiable  dispositions  ; 
it  will  show  how  diametrically  different  are  the 
veritable  things  we  do,  have  done,  and  go  on 
dohig,  from  all  that  we  have  merely  thought  of 
doing  and  known  to  be  right  to  do.— Rev.  M. 
Dods,  D.D. 


I7S94— I7S98] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


i6i 
[eli. 


[17594]  The  character  of  Eli  is  far  from  un- 
common, and  a  far  lar^^er  amoimt  of  disaster  is 
produced  in  the  world  by  such  softness  than  by 
deliberate  wickedness.  There  can  be  no  more 
fatal  guide  to  a  man  setting  out  in  life  than  the 
instinct  which  chooses  what  is  agreeable,  and 
avoids  everything  that  is  harsh  and  difficult. 
Many  a  graceful,  amiable,  and  well-intentioned 
youth  has  thus  reached  an  end  of  infamy.  The 
character  which  shrinks  from  all  collision  with 
other  men,  which  cannot  face  obloquy,  which 
shrinks  from  inflicting  pain,  not  because  it  hurts 
other  people  so  much  as  because  it  shakes  their 
own  nerves,  which  does  all  in  its  power  to  pre- 
serve the  belief  that  this  life  is  before  all  else  for 
comfort  and  pleasure — this  character  is  one  of 
the  most  dangerous  that  wanders  over  this  earth 
— dangerous  for  itself  and  dangerous  for  others 
also.  Its  apparent  gentleness  and  goodness  in 
the  beginning,  arise  mainly  from  the  gaiety  and 
good  spirits  of  youth,  and  from  the  desire  to 
stand  well  with  everybody,  which  very  desire 
will  ultimately  entangle  him  with  sin,  and 
devastate  his  life.  There  are  times  in  most 
lives  when  the  current  of  circumstances  sets 
strongly  towards  sin,  and  when  a  man  will  cer- 
tainly sin  if  his  rule  of  life  has  been  to  avoid  all 
that  is  painful,  and  to  choose  what  will  for  the 
time  give  him  security  and  ease.  The  life  of 
such  a  man,  however  promising  it  seems  in 
youth,  becomes  weighted  and  entangled  by  a 
constantly  accumulating  burden  of  difficulties 
and  sorrowful  remembrances,  and  unavailing 
regrets,  until  at  last  he  is,  like  Eli,  almost  glad 
to  hear  that  what  he  has  so  long  seen  must  be  a 
losing  gaine  is  over,  and  that  his  doom  is  immi- 
nent. Times  have  been  given  him  when,  by  a 
little  effort,  and  by  some  self-denial,  he  might 
have  recovered  himself  and  started  afresh,  with 
possibly  a  sullied  fame  among  men,  but  with  a 
conscience  cleansed  from  offence,  and  with  the 
strength  which  comes  from  the  consciousness  of 
having  for  once  acted  nobly  and  with  energy  : 
but  these  times  are  all  gone  by,  and  he  now 
merely  awaits  the  end,  heartless  and  without 
hope. — Ibid. 

3       A  warning  to  parents. 

[17595]  How  offensive  to  God  must  be  a 
parent's  want  of  firmness  in  enforcing  his 
authority  !  For  what,  in  fact,  is  that  authority 
but  the  authority  of  God  Himself.''  God  has 
delegated  His  ovv'n  authority  to  the  parent  ; 
and  so  far  as  the  parent  has  any  right  of  rule  at 
all  over  his  child,  he  has  it  as  representing  God. 
In  the  exercise  of  it,  therefore,  he  has  properly 
no  discretion  ;  if  he  rule  as  God,  he  must  rule 
for  God  ;  and  to  let  any  partial  leaning  of  the 
natural  heart  towards  his  child  tempt  him  to  act 
as  if  it  were  otherwise,  as  if  he  ruled  in  his  own 
right  and  for  himself,  and  not  in  God's  right 
and  for  God — and  might,  in  consequence,  please 
himself  or  his  child  as  he  sees  fit — this  is  evi- 
dently to  usurp  a  power  independent  of  that  of 
God  ;  it  is  to  dishonour  the  Lord  of  all. — Rev. 
R.  Candlish. 

VOL.   VI. 


[17596]  It  is  a  most  emphatic  warning  that 
the  fate  of  Eli  gives  to  parents  ;  and  not  to 
parents  only,  but  to  all  who  have  influence  or 
authority  of  any  sort  in  families.  Whoever  in 
a  family  has  any  power  at  all  to  restrain  evil, 
and  fails  to  use  that  power  to  the  uttermost,  in- 
curs a  responsibility  from  which  a  thoughtful 
man  would  shrink.  The  power  may  be  of  various 
kinds  ;  it  may  be  superior  strength,  or  superior 
station,  or  weight  of  character,  or  example,  or 
that  control  which  seasonable  and  tender  affec- 
tion wields,  and  gratitude  gladly  owns.  But 
whatever  it  be,  let  it  be  faithfully  and  fully  used. 
The  positive  duty  lying  upon  all  heads  and 
members  of  households  to  seek  one  another's 
good  in  the  highest  and  most  spiritual  sense,  is 
not  more  binding,  and  scarcely  more  important, 
than  the  negative  duty  of  restraining  one  an- 
other's evil.  Nor  is  this  a  harsh  or  invidious 
task.  It  may  be  done  with  all  the  meekness  and 
gentleness  of  Christ.  And  the  secret  of  its 
being  rightly  and  effectively  done  is  this  :  Let 
no  one,  let  nothing,  be  honoured  above  God — 
let  God  be  honoured  above  all.  Let  your  inter- 
course with  children,  or  brothers,  or  sisters,  or 
domestics,  or  any  with  whom  you  dwell  together 
in  families,  be  upon  this  principle.  Honour 
God  —  honour  God  supremely— honour  God 
alone.  Consider  not  merely  what  may  be  best 
for  them,  but  what,  in  every  instance,  is  due  to 
God.  This  will  prevent  compromise,  conces- 
sion, and  fond  indulgence  on  your  part  ;  while 
it  will  place  your  power  of  restraining  evil  on 
the  highest  of  all  grounds  of  advantage — the 
law  and  the  will  of  God  Himself. — Ibid. 

4      A  warning  to  the  ungodly. 

[17597]  Let  the  ungodly  tremble.  Let  them 
look  on,  and  see  how  God  deals  with  sin  in  His 
own  people.  Does  He  spare  sin  in  them  'i 
Does  He  spare  them  in  their  sins?  Behold  the 
severity  of  God  in  His  treatment  of  the  good  and 
gracious  Eli,  and  tremble  at  the  thought  of  what 
may  be  His  treatment  of  you  !  "If  the  righteous 
scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and 
sinners  appear .''  "  Or  as  a  greater  than  Eli 
reasoned,  when,  bearing  the  cross  up  the  hill  ol 
Calvary,  He  pointed  to  His  own  sufterings  for 
sin  as  a  pledge  and  presage  of  judgment 
against  sinners — "  If  these  things  be  done  in 
the  green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry.'" 
—Ibid. 

[17598]  Let  all  lay  to  heart  the  irrevocable 
decree  and  determination  of  God,  that  sin  shall 
not  pass  unpunished  ;  let  them  look  and  see  the 
end  of  the  wicked,  while  they  stand  in  awe  at 
the  chastisement  of  the  just.  Whatever  excuse 
the  wicked  may  frame  out  of  the  weakness  of 
those  who  should  have  restrained  them  ;  and 
whatever  promise  the  just  may  plead  as  warrant- 
ing assurance  and  good  hope  through  grace  ; 
the  law  of  the  Divine  procedure  is  fixed,  as 
announced  to  Eli  and  his  sons — "  I  said  indeed 
that  thy  house,  and  the  house  of  thy  father, 
should  walk  before  Me  for  ever  ;  but  now  the 
Lord  saith.  Be  it  far  from  Me  ;  for  them  that 


l62 

I  17598- 


17604] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SAMUEL. 


honour  Me  I  will  honour,  and  they  that  despise 
Me  shall  be  lightly  esteemed"  (i  Sam.  ii.  30).— 
Ibid. 

5       Ad  clerum. 

[17599]  This  is  perhaps  the  greatest  responsi- 
bility the  clergy  of  any  country  have  to  bear, 
that  they  are  taken  as  samples  of  what  the  re- 
ligion they  profess  is  worth — and  it  is  perhaps  the 
greatest  ditticulty  whigh  we  in  our  own  time  have 
to  solve,  viz.,  how  to  live  a  really  unworldly  life 
in  an  age  and  society  which  will  not  suffer  any 
marked  external  separation  from  the  world, 
which  hates,  and  very  justly  hates,  all  those  old 
modes  of  separation  by  celibacy,  monasticism, 
priestly  separation  from  social  intercourse.  It 
is  an  age  which  says  to  its  clergy.  You  must  do 
all  that  we  do,  and  yet  be  quite  different  from 
us,  you  must  move  about  in  society,  buy  and  sell, 
marry  and  bring  up  families  just  like  the  rest  of 
us,  but  you  must  be  throughout  superior  to  the 
world,  and  to  all  the  temptations  these  connec- 
tions with  the  world  bring.  This  age,  I  say,  sets 
this  task  to  its  clergy,  and  then  stands  by  and 
notes,  not  without  triumph,  how  they  fall  short  of 
\X.—Rev.  M.  Dods,  D.D. 

[17600]  The  vices  which  Eli  suffered  in  his 
sons  did  not  terminate  m  themselves,  but  had 
the  effect  of  making  the  worship  of  God  abhor- 
rent and  despicable  in  the  country.  This  may 
be  done  not  only  by  the  sensuality  and  greed  of 
the  clergy,  but  in  other  ways  as  well.  These 
sins  are  very  apparent,  and  the  world  is  very 
.quick  to  detect  and  resent  in  the  clergy  the 
grasping  spirit  and  keen  eye  to  worldly  interests 
which  it  counts  meritorious,  or  at  least  very 
pardonable,  in  other  men.  But  other  sins  work 
more  unobservedly,  but  not  less  certainly,  to  the 
same  end  of  deadening  the  spirit  of  worship, 
and  bringing  God's  service  into  contempt.  The 
carelessness  about  truth,  which  merely  preaches 
traditionary  opinions,  does  so  :  the  indolent  for- 
mality which  accepts  stereotyped  phrases  of 
devotion  or  of  sentiment,  and  puts  no  meaning 
or  spirit  into  them  ;  the  wrangling  and  hastiness 
in  discussion  which  show  that  love  of  party  is 
stronger  than  love  of  truth  ;  the  preaching  of 
doctrine  which  lowers  men's  ideas  of  God  and 
of  righteousness — these  and  many  such  things 
make  the  worship  of  God  contemptible. — Ibid. 

[17601]  In  God's  message  to  Eli,  He  traces 
the  sins  of  the  priesthood  to  their  root.  "  I 
chose  you  to  be  priests,  to  serve  Me,  and  ye 
have  made  yourselves  fat  with  the  offerings  of 
My  people."  To  be  truly  servants  of  God,  this 
is  the  difficulty  ;  to  put  aside  as  illegitimate 
everything  which  merely  forv/ards  our  own 
interests  ;  to  abstain  from  cherishing  purely 
personal  hopes  ;  to  sink  our  own  cause,  and 
prospects,  and  will  in  the  cause  of  God  ;  to  be 
truly  in  God's  hand,  to  be  used  as  He  wills  ;  to 
rome  back  day  by  day  and  wait  for  orders  from 
Him  ;  toacquire  thus  the  understanding  of  what 
He  seeks  to  do  in  the  world,  and  gradually  to 
abjure  every  other  thought  than  how  to  accom- 


plish this  ;  to  be  consecrated  and  to  be  faithful— 
this  is  what  God  requires  of  us  all  ;  this  is  what 
no  man  who  knows  God  will  rest  without  doing  ; 
but  this  is  what  needs  the  discipline  of  a  life  to 
accomplish.  —Ibid, 


SAMUEL. 

I.  Introductory. 

The    influence    of    Hannah    in    forming    his 
character. 

[17602J  There  are  several  strong  points  in 
the  character  of  Samuel  to  which  it  would  be 
interesting  and  profitable  to  direct  our  thoughts, 
while  we  may  perhaps  illustrate  and  impress 
them  all  by  dwelling  on  one  feature  of  his 
character.  The  one  fact  in  his  history  which 
throws  brightness  over  his  whole  course — which 
demands  a  memorial — which  makes  his  charac- 
ter just  such  a  one  as  ought  to  be  drawn — which 
gives  it  all  its  excellence,  and  which  may  well 
be  engraven  especially  on  the  tablet  of  the 
youthful  mind,  is  that  his  piety,  like  that  of 
thousands,  goes  back  to  the  prayers  of  a  pious 
mother.  She  was  no  sceptic,  no  formalist,  and 
no  distrustful  suppliant.  She  had  great  strength 
of  religious  principle,  great  hope  and  confidence 
in  God,  and  great  peace  in  believing. — Rev.  G. 
Spring.,  D.D. 

[17603]  His  parents  left  him,  even  when  a 
child,  within  the  precincts  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
under  the  fostering  care  of  its  teachers  and  its 
service.  And  God  accepted  their  offering,  and 
bestowed  upon  their  child  the  "prophet's  re- 
ward "  and  the  blessings  of  his  covenant.  He 
was  not  left  in  ignorance  of  his  mother's  wishes 
and  prayers  and  renewed  acts  of  consecration, 
nor  of  tlie  object  for  which  he  was  left  at  Shiloh  ; 
for  though  a  child,  we  read  ofno  grief  on  his  part 
that  he  was  thus  early  separated  from  those  he 
loved,  and  no  reluctance  at  the  service  to  which 
he  was  devoted.  His  religious  devotement  to 
the  sanctuary  was  a  lesson  he  learned  from  his 
mother's  lips  while  she  dandled  him  upon  her 
knees  ;  nor  is  it  probable  that  the  thought  ever 
entered  his  mind,  that  it  was  a  possible  thing  for 
him  to  be  otherwise  employed. — Ibid. 

II.  General  View  of  his  Character. 

[17604]  The  character  of  Samuel  is,  in  ever)' 
stage  of  his  career,  one  of  the  grandest  in  the 
Old  Testament.  Standing  at  the  meeting-point 
of  two  diverging  eras  in  the  national  life  of 
Israel — the  last  of  the  Judges  and  the  first  of 
the  Prophets— the  inaugurator  of  the  monarchy 
— no  figure  occupies  a  more  prominent  place  in 
Jewish  iiistory.  Nor  is  there  one  that  challenges 
a  more  unqualified  adtniration.  The  exquisite 
beauty  of  his  holy  childhood,  the  vigour  and 
wisdom  of  his  administration  as  judge  ;  the 
calm  dignity  with  which  he  yields  to  the  demands 


17604 — 17609] 


OLD    TESTAMEXT  SCR/PTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


163 

[SAMUEI.. 


of  the  people,  and  bows  to  what  he  feels  to  be 
the  Divine  will  ;  the  energy  with  which  he 
throws  himself  into  the  new  system,  alien  as  it 
was  to  his  own  personal  feelings  and  cherished 
convictions  ;  the  self-forgetting  zeal  with  which 
he  devotes  the  whole  of  his  powers  to  the  efficient 
carrying  out  of  its  requirements  ;  his  warmth  of 
affection  for  the  youthful  monarch  who  has  sup- 
planted him  in  the  popular  favour  ;  the  depth  of 
his  sorrow  at  the  repeated  failure  of  the  chosen 
one  whom  he  had  been  the  instrument  of  raising 
to  his  high  office  ;  the  reluctance  with  which  he 
regards  the  breach  as  final,  and  seals  Saul's 
rejection  byanointing  a  successor  ; — all  combine 
to  make  up  a  portrait  of  no  ordinary  attractive- 
ness, on  which  the  mind  rests  with  more  complete 
satisfaction  than  on  most  of  the  heroes  of  the 
earlier  and  less  perfect  dispensation.  —  E. 
Venables. 

[17605]  His  character  has  a  singular  elevation 
and  purity.  His  life  is  rounded  to  an  unusual 
completeness.  He  lived  long  enough  to  become 
the  Nestor  of  the  nation,  pre-eminent  in  wisdom, 
sanctity,  and  devoutness.  In  their  difficulties 
the  people  sought  him  ;  and  in  their  feebleness 
they  leaned  upon  him  ;  and  in  their  sins  and 
penitences  they  sought  his  prayers. — Christian 
Globe. 

in.  His  Chief  Excellences. 
X       Conspicuous  piety. 

( 1 )  By  this  he  ivas  distinguished  very  early  in 
life  from  his  contemporaries. 

[17606]  How  early  he  became  pious,  the  Scrip- 
tures do  not  inform  us ;  that  it  was  during  his 
childhood  is  apparent  from  the  whole  scriptural 
narrative.  We  are  told  that  "  he  ministered 
before  the  Lord,  being  a  child."  It  is  recorded 
of  him  also  that  "he  grew,  and  was  in  favour 
with  the  Lord  and  also  with  men."  God  more- 
over spake  to  him  upon  his  pillow;  He  had 
frequent  interviews  with  him  in  the  night- 
watches,  and  made  him,  even  when  he  was  a 
child, themedium  of  communicating  His  designs, 
and  truth,  and  will  to  the  venerable  priesthood 
which  had  so  long  been  established  at  Shiloh. 
He  was  not  merely  a  godly  youth,  but  a  godly 
child.  Unassuming  and  childlike  as  his  piety 
was,  for  a  child  it  was  rich  and  matured,  undis- 
sembling  and  unfeigned,  well-proportioned  and 
harmonious,  dignified  and  lovely.  It  was  this 
his  early  piety  which  so  distinguished  him  from 
the  young  and  the  old  of  his  times. — Rev.  G. 
Spring,  D.D. 

(2)  By  this  he  was  protected  from  the  perni- 
cious influence  of  many  very  perilous  surround- 
ings. 

[17607]  Samuel  began  his  career  in  an  evil 
day.  Moses  and  Joshua,  the  great  lights  of  the 
Hebrew  nation,  were  dead.  The  Israelites  had 
taken  possession  of  the  promised  land  ;  the 
law  of  property  was  established  ;  each  estate 
was  held  on  the  tenure  of  military  service,  and 
"  all  Israel  was  one  standing  army."  The 
government  had  long  been  in  the  hands  of  men 


distinguished  for  military  activity  and  daring, 
and  not  a  few  of  them  of  so  corrupt  a  character 
that  the  nation  was  on  the  verge  of  apostasy. 
There  was  little  to  retard  the  progress  of  the 
Philistine  conquests  ;  Eli,  the  high  priest  and 
judge  of  the  nation,  had  become  an  old  man  ; 
while  his  sons  had  introduced  disorder  and 
licentiousness  into  the  sacred  office  that  threa- 
tened to  degrade  the  worship  of  God  at  Shiloh 
to  the  gross  impurities  of  idolatrous  lands.  In 
this  critical  period  of  the  nation's  history,  and 
amid  this  depravation  of  public  morals,  young 
Samuel  was  growing  into  power  within  the  very 
precincts  of  the  sacred  but  polluted  tabernacle. 
A  single  false  step  and  he  was  ruined  ;  all  his 
future  usefulness  was  eclipsed  by  an  impene- 
trable cloud.  He  stood  on  an  eminence  where 
a  doubtful  character  or  even  an  ungenerous 
suspicion  might  have  been  his  ruin.  Difficult 
and  perilous  as  young  Samuel's  condition  was, 
his  mind  was  imbued  with  the  teachings  of 
heavenly  wisdom,  the  law  of  his  God  was  in  his 
heart,  and  the  great  torchlight  upon  his  path. — 
Ibid. 

(3)  By  this  he  obtained  many  plain  tokens  of 
the  Divine  favour. 

[17608]  It  is  recorded  of  the  child  Samuel, 
that  "the  Lord  was  with  him."  He  heard  the 
beatings  of  that  young  heart  when  it  throbbed 
at  midnight  because  He  had  called  the  child. 
From  that  hour  he  was  God's  special  care.  He 
kept  him  as  the  apple  of  His  eye,  and  watched 
over  him  with  more  than  a  mother's  tenderness. 
God  was  his  helper,  and  made  him  strong  in 
weakness,  resolute  and  faithful  in  duty,  bold  and 
successful  in  his  high  vocation.  God  was  his 
comforter,  and  gave  him  tranquillity  in  the  midst 
of  confusion,  peace  in  the  midst  of  war,  light  in 
darkness  and  embarrassment,  hope  in  despon- 
dency, and  promised  grace  in  every  time  of  need. 
God  never  lost  sight  of  his  first  love,  his  early 
vows  and  devotements.  God  never  does  lose 
sight  of  thQ.SG.—lbid. 

(4)  By  this  he  was  led  to  a  long  life  of  great 
usefulness. 

[17609]  The  great  beauty  of  his  usefulness 
was,  that  it  began  so  early  and  was  continued 
so  long.  The  prime  of  his  youth,  the  vigour  of 
his  manhood,  and  the  experience  of  age  were 
also  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  Israel.  His 
entire  life  aimed  at  making  this  people  a  better 
and  happier  nation.  There  is  a  vast  difference 
between  the  bright  and  illumined  career  on 
which  he  so  early  entered,  and  the  flickering 
dead  light  of  that  religion  which  is  first  kindled 
in  a  dusky  old  age.  It  is  the  morning  bright- 
ness that  shines  clear,  that  waxes  in  the  strength 
of  noon,  and  which,  though  sometimes  obscured 
by  clouds,  sweeps  its  strong  and  steady  course 
to  the  western  sky.  The  gracious  God,  indeed, 
rejects  not  those  who  come  into  His  vineyard  at 
the  eleventh  hour  ;  even  the  wretched  remnant 
of  a  life,  jaded  with  toil  and  pleasure,  and  worn 
out  in  sin,  that  is  truly  devoted  to  Him,  shall  not 
meet  the  discouragement  of  His  refusing  frown. 


164 

17609—17616] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[SAMUEL. 


Yet  should  the  fact  never  be  lost  sight  of,  that 
for  one  veteran  enemy  of  God  that  finds  access 
to  His  family  and  service,  a  thousand  youthful 
offenders  set  their  faces  toward  Him  with 
penitence  and  hope. — Ibid. 

(5)  By  this  he  prepared  for  himself  a  happy 
old  age  and  a  peaceful  death. 

[176 10]  The  fountains  of  Samuel's  joy  were 
not  broken  cisterns  ;  nor  was  the  stream 
poisoned  ;  nor  did  it  provoke  the  thirst  it  could 
not  assuage.  His  religious  enjoyments  began 
in  early  life,  and  were  subsequently  associated 
with  his  earliest  and  happiest  remembrances. — 
Ibid. 

[17611]  The  fearful  consequences  of  early 
wickedness  did  not  visit  him  ;  he  had  no  youth- 
ful infidelity,  no  vicious  and  ensnaring  com- 
panionships, no  corrupting  vices  to  look  back 
upon  ;  nor  was  his  mind  fascinated  by  the  re- 
curring and  lingering  power  of  those  early 
habits  which  are  so  fatal  to  cheerful  piety. 
His  childhood,  his  youth,  his  manhood  received 
the  delightful  and  the  progressive  tokens  of 
God's  favour.  The  seal  of  his  early  adoption 
into  the  Divine  family  was  never  obliterated, 
and  never  faint.  Not  only  had  he  God's  testi- 
mony, but  the  testimony  of  his  own  con- 
science, and  the  testimony  of  all  Israel,  that 
both  in  his  private  and  public  character  he  was 
without  reproach. — Ibid. 

[176 1 2]  He  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-eight  years  ;  and  though  he  had  been  a 
wanderer  and  oppressed  with  public  cares,  his 
old  age  was  tranquil  and  happy.  It  was  a  rich 
and  green  old  age.  The  spring  of  life  extended 
itself  into  the  brown,  luxuriant  autumn,  and 
showered  its  blossoms  upon  the  snow-clad  clods 
of  winter.  And  when  the  winter  of  his  long 
life  broke  up,  and  his  rigid  frame  was  laid  in 
the  dust,  it  slept  in  his  father's  sepulchres,  and 
l)y  the  side  of  those  beloved  and  venerated 
parents  who  early  consecrated  him  to  God. 
Precious  spot  to  be  consecrated  as  the  last 
earthly  rest  of  such  a  man  !  And  is  it  not 
something  more  than  a  picture  of  the  imagina- 
tion when  we  say,  there  was  one  sepulchral 
stone  there,  bearing  this  short  inscription,  "The 
mother  of  Samuel  "  }  There,  by  the  side  of 
Klkanah  and  Hannah,  he  "rests  in  the  grave 
until  the  resurrection."- — Ibid. 

2       Lofty  patriotism. 

[17613]  A  finer  contrast  to  the  general 
character  of  the  princes  and  statesmen,  and, 
whether  they  occupied  a  high  or  a  low  place,  of 
the  rulers  of  this  world,  we  cannot  imagine  than 
that  which  Samuel  presents.  Place,  honour, 
and  power  sought  him  ;  not  he  them.  He 
became  the  judge  of  Israel,  or  its  ruler,  at  the 
call  of  God  ;  and  when,  without  respect  to  his 
grey  hairs  and  long  years  of  honourable,  suc- 
cessful service,  an  ungrateful  country  called 
him  to  resign  his  office,  like  the  sun  which  looks 
largest  at  its  setting,  he  never  seems  so  great, 
so  grand,  as  in  the  last  scenes  of  his  public  life. 


It  had  been  a  sublime,  though  painful,  spectacle 
to  see  this  great  man,  wounded  by  ingratitude 
and  smarting  under  the  stings  of  those  he  had 
nursed  in  his  bosom,  uncomplainingly,  simply, 
cheerfully  lay  down  his  office.  He  did  more 
than  that.  Remonstrating  with  the  people,  he 
warned  them  of  the  evils  a  king  would  bring  in 
his  train  ;  and  thereby  exposed  himself  to  un- 
just suspicions,  and  the  foul  tongues  of  many 
who  would  represent  him  as  clinging  to  the 
possession  of  power  rather  than  seeking  the 
good  of  his  country.  And  when  Saul  at  length 
was  fixed  on  as  his  successor,  see  how  nobly  he 
bore  himself  to  the  man  who  was  to  thrust  him 
from  his  seat  !  There  is  no  more  magnanimous 
thing  in  history. — Rev.  T.  Gidhrie,  D.D. 

[17614]  His  object  was  not  the  possession  of 
power — that  for  which  so  many  kings  and 
statesmen  have  had  recourse  to  the  meanest 
devices  ;  have  trodden  the  foulest  paths  ;  and, 
casting  all  honour  to  the  winds,  have  abandoned 
the  principles,  and  betrayed  the  friends  of  their 
\\{^.—Ibid. 

3      Entire  disinterestedness. 

[17615]  A  rare  example  of  such  virtues,  in 
these  days  especially,  Samuel's  hands  were  as 
clear  of  bribes  as  of  blood.  The  public  good 
his  only  object,  he  neither  aimed  at  political 
ascendency  nor  pecuniary  aggrandisement. 
Neither  animated  with  the  love  of  power,  nor, 
like  Herod  of  worms,  eaten  up  with  the  love  of 
money,  he  made  no  use  of  the  opportunities  his 
office  afforded  to  enrich  himself ;  and  very 
probably  retired  from  his  post  a  poorer  man 
than  he  entered  on  it. — Ibid. 

[176 1 6]  His  hands  were  clean.  No  stain 
tarnished  the  brightness  of  the  old  man's 
name  ;  nor,  though  feeling,  no  doubt,  all  the 
partialities  of  a  father  for  his  children,  did  he 
attempt  to  palliate  their  crimes,  or  screen  them 
from  public  indignation.  Walking  in  his  in- 
tegrity ;  fearing  God,  but  no  man's  face  ;  up- 
right ;  the  soul  of  honour  ;  his  bosom  glowing 
with  the  purest  patriotism,  how  grand  is  his 
last  appearance  on  the  stage  of  public  life  ! — 
grander  far  than  all  the  pomp  and  lustre  which, 
amid  the  blaze  of  beauty,  the  blare  of  trumpets, 
and  the  roar  of  cannon,  surrounds  the  coronation 
of  a  king.  The  sun  never  looked  down  on  a 
more  touching  and  impressive  spectacle  than 
the  scene  of  his  justification  of  himself.  With 
Saul,  their  anointed  king,  towering  head  and 
shoulders,  in  royal  vestments,  above  the  crowd 
of  nobles,  the  tribes  of  Israel  are  met  ;  and 
Samuel,  bent  with  age  and  dismissed  from 
office,  is  there  to  meet  them.  Conscious  of 
rectitude,  not  fearing  the  face  of  any  man,  he 
comes  to  challenge  them.  They  had  rejected 
him  ;  he  is  there  to  ask  them  what  grounds 
they  had  for  doing  so.  Treated  as  one  who  had 
betrayed  his  trust,  he  calls  on  them  to  allege  it 
openly  if  they  dare,  and  to  prove  it  if  they  could. 
Long  years  of  service,  now  forgotten,  they  had 
repaid  with  base  ingratitude  ;  and  he  is  here, 


I76I6 — 17623] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SAMUEL. 


old  and  grey-headed,  to  ask  them  what  he  had 
done  to  suffer  such  an  ignominious  fate. — Jbid. 

[17617]  UnHke  those  statesmen  who  are 
driven  from  place  only  to  brood  over  their 
wrongs  and  stir  up  the  people  to  recall  them, 
he  lamented  the  errors  and  bewailed  the  fate  of 
him  to  make  way  for  whom  he  himself  had 
been  thrust  from  power  and  honour.  I  cannot 
fancy  a  nobler  or  more  touching  picture  than 
this  venerable,  grand  old  man  who  had  been 
the  safety  and  honour  of  the  commonwealth, 
sitting  in  his  house  forgetting  all  his  personal 
wrongs  in  grief  for  the  public  calamity,  and 
allowing  the  evening  of  his  days  to  be  darkened 
with  sorrow  for  the  crimes  and  misfortunes  of 
Saul.  If  ever  breast  was  pure  of  selfish  ambi- 
tion and  the  love  of  power,  it  was  his  who 
exposed  himself  to  this  honourable  reproach — 
to  whom  the  Lord  appeared,  saying,  "  How 
long  wilt  thou  mourn  for  Saul,  seeing  I  have 
rejected  him  }  " — /^/c/. 

4    *  Unwavering  consistency. 

[17618]  In  the  character  of  most  other  good 
men  of  whom  we  have  an  account  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, there  is  some  visible  blemish,  some  draw- 
back upon  their  great  excellences  ;  but  there 
is  no  recorded  blemish  in  the  life  of  Samuel. 
Though  he  lived  to  be  an  old  man,  he  was 
without  reproach  from  youth  to  old  age.  The 
piety  which  so  early  budded  in  the  house  of 
God,  and  which  blossomed  on  the  head  of  the 
child  in  Shiloh,  remained  unwithered  by  the 
corruptions  of  a  degenerate  world,  a  degenerate 
church,  and  a  degenerate  priesthood  ;  nor,  as 
the  seasons  of  human  life  followed,  did  it  wilt 
under  the  summer's  sun,  nor  was  it  blighted  by 
the  wintry  blast. — J^ev.  G.  Spring;  D.D. 

[17619]  Some  men  die  better  than  they  live. 
England's  great  dramatist  says  of  one  who  made 
a  good  end,  that  "nothing  in  life  became  him 
so  much  as  the  leaving  it."  But  more  may  be 
said  of  Samuel's  career — its  close  was  not  better, 
but  in  perfect  harmony  with  its  whole  course.— 
Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17620]  Unlike  those  days  the  hues  of  whose 
bright  and  gorgeous  dawn  are  succeeded  by  a 
gloomy  change — clouds  that,  gathering  like  foes 
around  him,  close  in  upon  the  sun,  and  spread, 
and  thicken,  and  burst  out  at  length  into  lashing 
rain  and  roaring  tempest,  making  the  day, 
down  to  its  close,  belie  all  the  promises  of  the 
morning  ■ —  the  close,  and  indeed  the  whole 
course  of  Samuel's  public  life,  were  in  beautiful 
harmony  with  its  commencement.  He  fulfilled 
all  a  fond  and  pious  mother's  hopes.  He  disap- 
pointed none.  God  was  the  centre  around 
which  he,  as  well  as  heaven,  turned.  In  all  his 
difficulties  he  repaired  to  God  for  counsel.  The 
laws  which  governed  his  acts  as  a  statesman 
and  his  decisions  as  a  judge  were  those  of  God's 
Word  ;  and,  unlike  this  world's  statesmen,  never 
turned  aside  by  considerations  of  expediency, 
of  this  or  that  present  advantage,  he  steered  his 


course  by  those  principles  of  eternal  truth  and 
justice  which  give  consistency  to  conduct  ;  be- 
cause fixed  as  the  pole  star  that,  changing 
neither  with  seasons  nor  circumstances,  abides 
immovable  in  the  sky — sure  guide  of  the  mari- 
ner, both  in  calm  and  tempest,  along  the  rocky 
shore  and  out  on  the  open  sea. — Ibid. 

[17621]  Samuel  forms  one  of  the  noble  trio 
concerning  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  has  recorded 
no  actual  transgression  in  the  Scriptures.  As 
partakers  of  the  taint  of  Adam's  sin,  they  must 
have  erred  at  least  in  thought,  but  the  fact 
remains  that  of  Joseph,  Samuel,  and  Daniel,  the 
faithful  Scriptures  record  no  fault. — M.  J. 

IV.  His  Position  in  the  Theocracy. 

[17622]  Samuel  was  clearly  one  of  those  great 
men  of  manifold  gifts  and  functions  whom  God 
raises  up  in  great  crises  and  for  great  services. 
He  was  not  like  Moses,  the  founder  of  the 
economy,  not  like  Elijah,  its  restorer.  But  he 
was  its  preserver  through  a  revolution  that  had 
become  inevitable,  which  he  opposed  as  long  as 
he  could,  which  he  reluctantly  accepted  when 
he  could  oppose  it  no  longer,  and  which,  by 
sheer  force  of  character,  he  regulated  and 
moulded  so  as  to  prevent  national  disorganiza- 
tion. Like  Luther,  he  built  the  new  upon  the 
foundations  of  the  old.  As  far  as  circumstances 
permitted  he  reformed  his  age  ;  and  by  his 
genius,  his  piety,  and  his  wisdom,  he  powerfully 
controlled  the  turbulent  elements  of  national 
life. — Christian  Globe. 

V.  The    Moral   of    his    Life    for  our 
OWN  Day. 

[17623]  What  an  example  Samuel  presents 
to  our  magistrates,  our  judges,  our  members  of 
Parliament  —  to  all  entrusted  with  authority, 
from  the  Queen  to  the  humblest  parent  whose 
kingdom  is  the  narrow  walls  of  a  household  : 
and  how  should  all  who  love  their  God  and 
country  pray  that  every  post  of  honour  and  of 
public  trust  may  be  filled  with  a  man  of  the 
type  of  Samuel  !  The  fear  of  man  bringeth  a 
snare  ;  but  who,  like  Samuel,  has  the  fear  of 
God  is  raised  above  it.  The  favour  of  God  is 
life  ;  and  who,  like  Samuel,  seeks  it  will  not  be 
drawn  aside  by  that  of  man.  God  is  the  judge 
of  all,  both  of  the  quick  and  of  the  dead  ;  and 
who,  like  Samuel,  carries  a  sense  of  that  to  the 
bench  of  justice  will  keep  the  ermine  of  his 
robes  unstained,  and  give  righteous  judgment  ; 
who,  like  Samuel,  takes  the  word  of  God  for 
his  rule,  and  looks  to  the  recompense  of  reward, 
may  meet  with  the  ingratitude,  but  will  never 
betray  the  interests  of  the  crown  or  of  his 
country.  I  put  unlimited  confidence,  indeed, 
in  no  man — "  How  have  the  mighty  fallen ;  and 
the  weapons  of  war,  how  have  they  perished  !  " 
But  I  put  little  confidence  of  any  kind  in  that 
man,  whatever  his  office  be,  who  has  not  the 
fear  of  God  before  his  eyes,  and  higher  motives 
of  action  than  belong  to  earth  and  end  with 


i66 

17623— 17627] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[BOAZ. 


time.  Religion  is  the  root  of  honour;  piety  the 
only  true  foundation  of  patriotism  ;  and  the  best 
defence  of  a  country,  a  people  nursed  up  in 
godliness  —  of  such  virtue,  energy,  and  high 
morale,  animated  with  a  courage  which  raises 
them  above  the  fear  of  death. — Rev.  T.  Cui/uie, 
D.D. 

VI.  HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

1  The  character  of  Samuel  strongly  empha- 
sizes the  importance  of  youthful  piety. 

[17624]  Thousands  never  seek  the  Lord 
because  they  do  not  seek  Him  while  they  are 
young,  and  because  they  allow  this  seedtime  of 
human  life  to  run  to  waste,  and  become  over- 
grown with  tares.  "  Childhood  and  youth  are 
vanity  ; "  but  they  are  the  season  of  hope. 
Middle  life  is  the  season  of  peril  to  the  soul 
because  it  is  then  that  she  intrenches  herself 
within  the  strongholds  of  sin  and  boasts  of 
the  impregnable  strength  of  her  citadel. 
Old  age  is  the  season  of  discouragement, 
of  despondency,  and  not  unfrequently  of 
despair.  You  who  are  young  our  subject 
counsels.  Take  heed  lest  you  shut  this  door  of 
hope  1  Let  Samuel's  piety  mingle  its  light  and 
hopes  with  your  young  years,  and  illumine  all 
the  dark  passages  of  your  pilgrimage.  Saul 
and  Samuel — how  great  the  contrast !  In  life, 
in  death,  in  eternity,  how  great  the  contrast  ! 
Yet  is  every  youth  pursuing  a  course  that  will 
terminate  either  in  this  mournful  or  this  joyous 
c-nd.  Most  affecting  is  it  to  see  how  early  the 
tokens  of  reprobation  sometimes  show  them- 
selves in  those  youthful  minds  that  are  lovers 
of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God  !  Thus  it 
is  that  many  a  young  man  lives.  He  is  wise, 
and  has  a  strong  will  to  do  evil  ;  but  "  to  do 
good  he  has  no  knowledge."  He  lives  fast  and 
he  dies  soon  ;  the  grief  of  his  parents,  the  pity 
of  angels,  he  lives  and  dies  without  God  and 
without  hope.  You  may  "  sow  the  wind  and 
reap  the  whirlwind  ; "  or  you  may  sow  under  the 
mild  sun  and  dropping  rain  of  the  opening  year, 
and  reap  the  ripe,  mellow  harvest.  There  is 
but  one  day  of  grace,  and  one  bright  morning 
to  that  day.  In  a  little  while — who  can  tell  but 
It  may  be  to-morrow  1 — and  the  light  of  that 
morning  will  fade  ;  a  sickly  cloud  will  over- 
shadow it  ;  it  will  fade  away  in  the  night  of  the 
grave. — Rev.  G.  Spritig,  D.D. 

2  The  character  of  Samuel  strongly  urges 
the  devotion  of  young  men  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry. 

[17625]  Although  we  cannot  go  back  and 
enter  with  the  young  around  us  into  all  the 
emotions  and  hopes  of  youth,  we  can  better 
understand  than  we  once  could  that  they  are 
tlie  flower  of  the  world  and  the  hope  of  the 
Church.  We  are  greatly  desirous  to  see  them 
more  truly  dedicated  to  God,  and  nurtured  in 
His  fear.  The  time  was  in  this  land  when,  at 
the  close  of  the  last  century,  we  heard  our 
fathers   express  the   fear  that  the  ministry  of 


reconciliation  was  being  so  diminished  in  num- 
bers that  the  Church  knew  not  where  to  look 
for  an  adequate  supply  of  religious  teachers. 
There  were  not  a  few  Elkanahs  and  Hannahs 
among  them  who  felt  it  to  be  a  dark  day,  and 
who,  with  one  accord  and  great  earnestness, 
besought  the  God  of  Zion  not  to  forget  the 
children  of  His  covenant.  He  heard  their 
prayers  ;  and  when,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century.  He  poured  out  His  Spirit  upon 
the  American  churches,  that  blessed  work  of 
grace,  which  continued  more  than  thirty  years, 
was  distinguished  for  nothing  so  much  as  the 
conversion  of  great  multitudes  of  the  children 
of  His  people,  and  the  early  consecration  of 
their  sons  to  God  in  the  gospel  of  His  Son.  The 
active  and  full-grown  Christianity  which  now 
prevails  in  this  land,  and  the  missionary  spirit 
which  is  its  glory,  were  chiefly  the  fruits  of  those 
visits  of  heavenly  grace. — Ibid. 

[17626]  It  is  a  dark  day  which  now  over- 
shadows us,  and  one  of  the  alarming  indications 
of  the  age  in  which  we  live,  not  simply  that 
there  is  a  dearth  of  youthful  piety,  but  that,  of 
the  fair  youth  who  become  pious,  so  few  are 
devoted  to  the  service  of  the  sanctuary.  Old 
ministers  are  dying  off,  and  few  among  the 
young  step  forward  to  occupy  their  places. 
Never  was  the  demand  for  ministerial  labour 
so  urgent,  and  never  were  the  minds  of  young 
men,  fitted  for  this  service,  so  diverted  from  it 
to  other  and  more  lucrative  vocations.  From 
causes,  some  of  which  are  obvious,  the  ministry 
of  reconciliation  in  the  minds  of  the  intelligent 
and  honoured  seemg  to  be  a  profession  from 
which  their  sons  are  proscribed.  The  mother 
of  Samuel  did  not  reason,  and  did  not  feel,  as 
the  mothers  of  the  present  day  feel  and  reason. 
.  .  .  Where  is  the  Lord  God  of  Hannah  and 
Samuel  ?  What  Christian  parent  ...  is  not 
filled  with  earnest  desires  that  his  children  may 
live  to  some  purpose  .''  And  what  nobler  purpose 
than  to  serve  God  as  young  Samuel  served 
Him  1—Jdid. 


BOAZ. 

I.  A  Diligent  Farmer. 

[17627]  Boaz  was  not  one  whom  necessity 
compelled  to  labour.  He  was  rich  ;  and  is  in- 
deed called  "a  mighty  man  of  wealth."  Yet 
he  made  that  no  reason  for  wasting  his  life  in 
ease  and  idleness.  Nor  though,  as  appears 
from  the  Scripture  narrative,  he  employed  over- 
seers— men  no  doubt  of  character  and  integrity 
— did  he  consider  it  right  to  commit  his  business 
entirely  into  their  hands.  Here  is  a  lesson  for 
us.  In  the  first  place,  such  irresponsibility  is 
not  good  for  servants.  It  places  them  in  cir- 
cumstances of  temptation  to  act  dishonestly  ; 
and  yielding  to  temptations  to  which  no  man  is 
justified  in  unnecessarily  exposing  others,  many 
a  good  servant  has  had  his  ruin  to  lav  at  the 


17627—17631] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


167 

[boaz. 


door  of  a  too  easy  and  confiding  master. 
Neither  is  it,  in  the  second  place,  for  the  master's 
interests.  "  The  eye  of  the  master  maketh  a  fat 
horse,"  says  an  English  proverb.  "  The  farmer 
ploughs  best  with  his  feet,"  says  a  Scotch  one — 
his  success  turning  on  the  attention  he  personally 
gives  to  the  superintendence  of  his  servants  and 
the  different  interests  of  his  farm.  Boaz  in  the 
field  among  his  reapers,  or  at  the  winnowing 
season  foregoing  the  luxury  of  a  bed  to  sleep  at 
the  back  of  a  heap  of  corn,  that,  losing  no  time 
in  travelling  between  his  house  and  the  distant 
threshing-floor,  he  might  resume  his  work  by 
the  break  of  day,  is  an  example  of  these  old, 
wise  adages  ;  and  how,  pattern  to  others  as 
well  as  farmers,  a  Christian  should  be — as  the 
apostle  says,  and  Jesus  was — "not  slothful  in 
business,"  while  "  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the 
Lord."  Religion,  sanctifying  the  secularities  of 
life,  does  not  teach  us  to  neglect  our  business  ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  to  attend  to  it— making  it 
as  much  our  duty  to  repair  to  our  farm,  or  shop, 
or  counting-house,  during  the  week,  as  turning 
our  back  on  them  and  dismissing  their  cares 
from  our  minds,  to  repair  to  church  on  the 
Lord's  Day. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

IL  A  Chivalrous  Yeoman. 

[17628]  What  true  Christian  chivalry  born  of 
faith  there  was  in  the  heart  of  this  Bethlehem 
yeoman  !  Boaz  was  not  only  sternly  honest, 
but  sensitively  honourable,  bearing  his  escutch- 
eon without  a  sinister  brand  on  it.  We  trace 
the  same  quality  in  some  of  the  most  memorable 
passages  in  the  early  life  of  his  illustrious  de- 
scendant, the  greatest  of  Israel's  kings.  David 
knew  from  the  prophet  Samuel  that  he  was 
divinely  selected  for  the  throne  of  the  Hebrew 
commonwealth.  The  life  of  Saul  was  more 
than  once  in  his  power,  and  the  unrelenting 
persecution  with  which  he  pursued  him  and 
sought  to  destroy  him,  would  have  seemed  to  a 
conscience  that  was  less  informed  and  scrupu- 
lous, almost  to  warrant  his  taking  his  life,  and 
seizing  the  sceptre  as  it  fell  from  his  hands. 
But  he  will  not  so  much  as  lift  up  his  finger 
"  against  the  Lord's  anointed,"  or  ascend  to  a 
throne  by  steps  that  are  stained  with  blood. 
He  dare  not  force  Providence,  or  enjoy  a  bless- 
ing while  sitting  on  the  grave  of  a  murdered 
duty.  To  wait  God's  time  is  to  prove  that 
"  we  believe  in  God"  is  not  only  an  article  in 
our  creed,  but  an  active  principle  in  our  Christian 
life. — Thomson. 


IIL  A  Courteous  Gentleman. 

[17629]  "Be  ye  courteous"  is  a  duty  which 
Paul — himself  a  fine  example  of  it — enjoins  on 
Christians.  He  who  began  his  defence  before 
Agrippa  in  this  graceful  fashion — "  I  think  my- 
self happy,  King  Agrippa,  because  I  shall  answer 
for  myself  this  day  before  thee  touching  all  the 
things  whereof  I  am  accused  of  the  Jews  ; 
especially  because  I  know  thee  to  be  expert  in 


all  customs  and  questions  which  are  among  the 
Jevvs  :  wherefore  I  beseech  thee  to  hear  me 
patiently  " — was  no  rude,  coarse,  vulgar  man. 
His  was  courtesy  to  a  superior  ;  but  a  still  finer 
ornament  of  manners,  and  of  religion  also,  is 
courtesy  to  inferiors.  And  what  a  fine  example 
of  that  is  Boaz  !  It  is  with  no  cold  looks,  nor 
distant  air,  nor  rough  speech,  nor  haughty 
bearing,  making  his  reapers  painfully  sensible 
of  their  inferiority— that  they  are  servants  and 
he  their  master — Boaz  enters  the  harvest  field. 
"The  master  !  "  spoken  by  one  who  has  espied 
him  approaching— words  that  strike  with  dread 
the  noisy  urchins  of  a  school — neither  turns 
their  mirth  into  silence,  nor  makes  them  start  to 
reluctant  labours.  Benevolence  beams  forth  in 
his  looks  ;  and  as  the  children  who  have  at- 
tended their  mothers  to  the  field,  won  of  old  by 
his  gifts  and  ready  smile,  run  to  meet  him,  he 
approaches  with  kindness  on  his  lips.  These 
are  not  sealed  in  cold  silence,  or  opened  but  to 
find  fault  with  his  servants,  and  address  them 
roughly.  "  The  Lord  be  with  you,"  is  his  salu- 
tation. They,  dropping  work,  face  round, 
sickles  in  hand,  health  in  their  ruddy  cheeks, 
and  the  sweat  of  honest  labour  on  their  brows, 
to  welcome  their  master,  and,  his  inferiors  in 
rank,  but  his  equals  in  pious  courtesy,  to  reply, 
"The  Lord  bless  thee  !"  More  beautiful  than  the 
morning,  with  its  dews  sparkling  like  diamonds 
on  the  grass,  and  its  golden  beams  tipping  the 
surrounding  hills  of  Bethlehem,  these  morning 
salutations  between  master  and  servants  ! 
Loving  him,  they  esteemed  his  interests  their 
own. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17630]  Walking  his  farm  as  a  little  kingdom 
— as  the  captain  of  a  man-of-war  his  quarter- 
deck— and  surrounded  only  by  servants  and 
inferiors,  the  circumstances  of  a  farmer  are  not 
the  most  conducive  to  the  acquisition  of  very 
courteous  manners.  Yet  what  he,  as  well  as 
all  other  masters,  may  and  should  be  is  seen  in 
Boaz.  A  farmer,  he  was  in  the  old,  true  sense 
of  the  word,  every  inch  a  gentleman  ;  pious, 
yet  of  polished  manners  ;  wealthy,  yet  gracious 
to  the  poor,  and  esteeming  virtue  above  rank  or 
riches  :  with  dependents,  yet  treating  the  hum- 
blest of  them  with  respectful  courtesy  ;  one  in 
whom  were  beautifully  blended  the  politeness 
of  a  court  and  the  simple  virtues  of  a  country 
life.— /^/^. 

IV.  A  Pious  Master. 

[17631]  Boaz  in  his  own  life  set  an  example  of 
piety  to  his  servants  which  could  hardly  fail  to 
produce  a  favourable  impression  on  their  minds. 
Some  are  content  to  get  work  out  of  their 
servants  :  they  take  no  interest  in  their  souls- 
no  more  than  if,  like  the  cattle  they  tend,  they 
had  no  souls  at  all.  Unlike  these,  Boaz  spoke 
to  his  servants  as  a  God-fearing  man.  One 
who  felt  himself  responsible  to  God  and  to  their 
parents  also,  he  charged  himself  with  the  care 
of  their  morals.  This  appears  in  the  warnings 
and  kind  instructions  he  gave,  both  to  them  and 


i68 

17631— 17636] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA.  [KORAH,    DATHAN,    AND    ABIRAM. 


to  Ruth.  So  soon  as  he  found  her  in  his  fields 
she  became  the  object,  not  of  his  compassion 
only,  but  of  his  pious  regards  ;  and  though  but  a 
poor  gleaner,  no  servant  of  his  at  all,  he  took  as 
much  pains  to  protect  her  from  contamination 
or  insult  as  if  she  had  been  his  own  daughter. 
—JbU. 

[17632]  "The  Lord  be  with  you" — his  address 
to  the  reapers  on  entering  the  harvest  held  has 
the  ring  of  sterling  metal.  What  a  contrast 
Eoaz  offers  to  many  farmers  now  by  whose 
lips  God's  name  is  frequently  profaned,  but 
never  honoured — their  servants,  like  their  dogs 
and  horses,  being  often  cursed,  but  never  once 
blessed  !  And  in  accordance  with  the  apoph- 
thegm, "  Like  master  like  man,"  what  shock- 
ing oaths  have  we  heard,  volleying  as  it  were 
out  of  the  mouth  of  hell,  from  the  lips  of  coarse, 
animal,  sensual  farm-servants !  I5oaz  almost 
never  opens  his  mouth  but  pearls  drop  out. 
His  speech  breathes  forth  pious  utterances.  All 
his  conversation  is  seasoned  with  grace  ;  and, 
though  the  result  of  a  Divine  change  of  heart, 
how  natural  his  religion  seems  ! — not  like  a 
gala-dress  assumed  for  the  occasion — not  like 
gum-flowers  worn  for  ornament,  but  such  as 
spring  living  from  the  sward — not  like  an  arti- 
ficial perfume  that  imparts  a  passing  odour  to  a 
thing  tliat  is  dead,  but  the  odours  exhaled  by 
roses  or  lilies  bathed  in  the  dews  of  heaven. 
One  who  could  say,  "  I  have  set  the  Lord  al- 
ways before  me."  God  is  in  all  the  good  man's 
thoughts  ;  and  His  holy  name  as  often  in  his 
inouth  to  be  honoured  as  it  is  in  others  to  be 
profaned. — J/iid. 

[17633]  It  was  not  only  in  the  language  of 
piety  that  his  piety  expressed  itself  It  did  not 
evaporate  in  words.  We  hear  him  speak,  but 
we  also  see  him  act  !  One  night,  sleeping  by  a 
heap  of  corn  alone,  as  he  supposed,  he  wakes 
to  find  a  woman  lying  at  his  feet.  It  is  Ruth. 
Instructed  by  Naomi,  she  takes  this  strange 
Jewish  fashion  to  seek  her  rights  and  commit 
her  fortunes  into  his  hands.  There  is  not  in  all 
history  a  passage  more  honourable  to  true  re- 
ligion than  the  story  of  that  midnight  meeting. 
Silver  seven  times  purified  never  shone  brighter 
as  it  flowed  from  the  glowing  furnace  than 
Boaz's  high  principles  then  and  theie — not 
purer  or  brighter  the  stars  that  looked  down  on 
the  scene  of  such  a  trial,  and  such  a  triumph. 
The  house  of  God,  the  holy  table  where,  by  the 
symbols  of  Christ's  bloody  death,  saints  have 
held  high  intercourse  with  heaven,  never  begot 
purer  thoughts  than  this  threshing-floor  that 
night.  A  noble  contrast  to  such  as,  disgracing 
tlieir  profession,  have  received  women  beneath 
their  roof  to  undermine  their  virtue  and  work 
their  ruin,  Boaz,  in  his  fear  of  God  and  sacred 
regard  to  a  poor  gleaner's  good  name,  is  a 
pattern  to  all  men.  Ruling  his  own  spirit,  he 
stands  there  "better  than  he  that  taketh  a  city." 
He  is  enrolled  among  the  progenitors  of  the 
Messiah  ;  nor,  take  him  for  all  in  all,  was  there 


one  in  the  list  of  whom  Christ  had  less  cause  to 
be  ashamed  ;  more  wortliy  to  be  the  ancestor 
of  an  incarnate  God,  of  Him  who  was  "holy, 
harmless,  and  undefiled,  separate  from  sinners." 
—Jt>id. 

V.  A  Simple  Man. 

[17634]  There  seems  in  Boaz  a  certain  fear- 
lessness of  disposition  that  would  have  pre- 
vented his  holding  back  the  truth  under  any 
circumstances,  whether  addressing  the  day- 
labourer,  the  attractive  young  female,  or  the  elder 
in  the  gate.  I  could  not  dovetail  the  character 
of  Boaz  into  any  plan  of  expediency,  so  much  in 
vogue  amongst  us;  nor  fancy  him  shrinking  from 
the  straight  course  in  any  matter,  on  a  com- 
parison of  the  probable  numbers  who  might  be 
with  him  or  against  him  in  the  path.  Simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity  mark  the  man  •  they  do  not 
abound  among  us  as  might  be  wished. — Church 
of  England  Magazine. 


KORAH,    DATHAN,  AND  ABIRAM. 

I.  Their  Rebellion. 

[17635]  The  rebellion  is  the  most  important 
event  recorded  in  connection  with  the  thirty- 
eight  years'  wandering  in  the  desert,  and  it  prob- 
ably took  place  at  Kadesh.  The  ringleaders 
were  Korah,  a  Levite  (perhaps  a  near  relative 
of  Moses  and  Aaron),  and  Dathan,  Abiram,  ami 
On  (the  last-named  appears  to  have  prudently 
withdrawn  from  the  conspiracy).  Korah  seems 
to  have  been  the  moving  spirit  ;  hence  St.  Jude 
omits  the  names  of  his  confederates.  On  ac- 
count of  the  camp  arrangements,  these  persons 
would  be  in  close  proximity  on  the  south  side 
of  the  tabernacle  (Numb.  i.  10),  and  thus  had 
the  necessary  facilities  for  secretly  organizing 
their  plans  (two  hundred  and  fifty  leading 
personages  were  won  over,  xvi.  2). — C.  N. 

II.  Their  Aims. 

[17636]  Korah  wanted  J(i(r^r^i?/«/ preferment, 
and  raised  a  popular  church  cry,  viz.,  that 
Aaron's  supremacy  was  inconsistent  with  the 
universal  priesthood  of  the  people  (Numb.  xvi. 
3).  Dathan  and  Abiram  aimed  at  civil  power, 
with  a  political  cry,  that  Moses'  leadership 
proved  disastrous,  and  his  promises  fallacious 
(13,  14).  The  real  motives  which  actuated 
these  rebels  were  jealousy,  discontent,  personal 
vanity,  and  self-aggrandisement.  The  sympathy 
and  support  given  to  them  by  the  great  bulk 
of  the  people  was  due  to  the  doomed  generation 
wishing  to  vent  their  spite  upon  their  leader  for 
exclusion  from  the  promised  land  ;  hence  doubt- 
less the  severity  of  the  Divine  judgment,  when 
14,700  died  of  the  plague  (xvi.  49). — Ibid. 


17637— 17644] 


OLD    -^ESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


169 

[nadab  and  abihu. 


III.  Modern  Parallels. 

1  In  our  national  government. 

[17637]  I.  Those  who  needlessly  interfere 
with  present  arrangements  when  circumstances 
clearly  indicate  their  continuance  being  for  the 
common  weal  and  the  glory  of  God,  present  a 
parallel  with  the  sin  of  Korah  and  his  company. 
It  is  not  wrong,  however,  to  seek  change  in  the 
constitution  of  states,  in  order  to  adapt  them  to 
altered  circumstances  of  modern  life.  2.  Those 
who  effect  even  necessary  reforms  by  illegitimate 
and  premature  steps,  or  by  unlawful  organiza- 
tions and  secret  agencies  which  are  now, 
Korah  -  like,  honeycombing  modern  society 
everywhere.  Yet  it  is  not  wrong,  however, 
to  effect  readjustment  of  political  privileges. 
In  these  days  special  rights,  indeed,  can  only  be 
permanently  maintained  when  their  possessors 
exercise  them  for  the  public  welfare.  3.  Those, 
too,  resemble  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram  who 
allow  pride,  personal  vanity,  jealousy,  pre- 
sumption, and  self-seeking  to  influence  them  in 
proposed  remedial  measures.  Let  all  reformers 
ask,  in  every  step  they  take,  what  is  the  mind 
and  will  of  God. — Ibid. 

2  In  our  ecclesiastical  polity. 

(i)  As  regards  priestly  assumption. 

[17638]  Any  claims  of  ministers  as  to  their 
office  and  mode  of  administering  the  sacrament, 
which  encroach  upon  or  obscure  the  dignity 
of  Christ,  the  antitypical  High  Priest,  are  here 
condemned.  Not,  as  some  suppose,  those  who 
differ  concerning  the  threefold  order  of  the 
ministry.  In  Scripture,  while  this  is  indicated, 
yet  there  are  no  definite  injunctions  ;  in  fact, 
the  distinction  between  these  grew  up  gradually. 
While,  therefore,  highly  valuing  our  own  church 
government,  we  dare  not  unchurch  non-episcopal 
reformed  churches,  or  accuse  them  of  "  the  gain- 
saying of  Core."  To  take  enlarged  views  of  the 
relations  between  the  clergy  is  by  no  means  to 
fall  into  the  error  of  Korah.  So  long  as  the 
clergy  do  not  claim  to  be  alone  the  Church, 
nor  the  laity  intrude  upon  strictly  ministerial 
functions,  there  is  no  reason  against  the  process 
of  continual  and  friendly  readjustments  ;  e.g..,  as 
in  lay  preaching,  the  House  of  Laymen,  &c. — 
Ibid. 

(2)  As  regards  exxessive  value  placed  upon 
ritual. 

[17639]  Any  return  to  Judaistic  liturgical 
principles  of  Divine  worship  is  unscriptural 
and  reprehensible  (see  Gal.  iii.  3,  iv.  9-1 1, 
V.  2-if).—lbid. 

(3)  As  regards  slights  offered  to  Divine  ap- 
pointments. 

[17640]  The  desecration  of,  or  dishonouring 
the  Sunday,  the  despising  Christian  sacraments 
rightly  administered,  or  the  Christian  ministry 
in  its  due  position,  and  also  the  substitution 
of  man-made  doctrines  for  Divine  teaching, 
respecting  the  Atonement  or  other  fundamental 


verities,  prepare  the  way  for  Divine  judgments. 
—Ibid. 


IV,   HOMILETICAL  APPLIC.\TION. 

[17641]  Though  possibly  we  may  not  rebel 
after  the  form  of  Korah,  yet  all  are  guilty  before 
God  (Eccles.  vii.  29),  and  in  danger  of  a  spiritual 
death,  from  which  they  can  alone  be  delivered 
by  a  Divine  Intercessor,  of  whom  Aaron  was 
the  type  (Numb.  xvi.  48). — Ibid. 


NADAB  AND  ABIHU, 

I.  Their  Sin. 

1  It    sprang    from    the     presumption    of    a 
novitiate  but  just  entered  upon. 

[17642]  It  doth  not  appear  that  they  had  any 
orders  to  burn  incense  at  all  at  this  time.  It  is 
true  their  consecration  was  completed  the  day 
before,  and  as  priests  it  was  part  of  their  work 
to  serve  at  the  altar  of  incense ;  but  it  should 
seem  the  whole  service  of  this  solemn  day  of 
inauguration  was  to  be  performed  by  Aaron 
himself,  for  he  "  slew  the  sacrifices  "  (Lev.  ix.  8, 
15,  18),  and  his  sons  were  only  to  attend  him 
(vers.  9,  12,  18),  therefore  Moses  and  Aaron 
only  "  went  into  the  tabernacle  "  (ver.  23).  But 
Nadab  and  Abihu  were  so  proud  of  the  honour 
they  were  newly  advanced  to,  and  so  ambitious 
of  doing  the  highest  and  most  honourable  part 
of  their  work  presently,  that,  though  the  service 
of  this  day  was  extraordinary,  and  all  done  by 
particular  direction  from  Moses,  yet  without 
receiving  orders,  or  so  much  as  asking  leave 
from  him,  they  took  their  censers,  and  they 
would  enter  into  the  tabernacle  at  the  door  of 
which  they  thought  they  had  attended  long 
enough,  and  would  burn  incense. — Matthew 
Henry. 

2  It  was  one  of  profanity  and  disobedience. 
[17643]  Their  offering  strange  fire  is  the  same 

with  offering  strange  incense,  which  is  ex- 
pressly forbidden  (Exod.  xxx.  9).  Moses,  we 
may  suppose,  had  the  custody  of  the  incense 
which  was  prepared  for  this  purpose  (Exod. 
xxxix.  38)  ;  and  they,  doing  this  without  his 
leave,  had  none  of  the  incense  which  should 
have  been  offered,  but  common  incense,  so  that 
the  smoke  of  their  incense  came  from  a  strange 
fire.  God  had  indeed  required  the  priests  to 
burn  incense,  but  at  this  time  it  was  what  He 
commanded  them  not.  The  priests  were  to 
burn  incense  only  when  it  was  their  lot  (Luke 
i.  9),  and  at  this  time  it  was  not  theirs. — Ibid. 

[17644]  Instead  of  taking  the  fire  from  the 
altar,  which  was  newly  kindled  "from  before  the 
Lord,"  and  which  henceforward  must  be  used  in 
offering  both  sacrifice  and  incense  (Rev.  viii.  5), 


170 
17644— I765I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[UZZAH. 


they  took  common  fire,  probably  from  that  with 
which  the  flesh  of  the  peace-ofterings  was  boiled, 
and  tiiis  they  made  use  of  in  burning  incense. 
Not  being  holy  fire  it  is  called  "strange  fire"; 
and  though  not  expressly  forbidden,  it  was 
crime  enough  that  God  commanded  it  not ;  for, 
as  Bishop  Hall  well  observes  here,  "  It  is  a 
dangerous  thing  in  the  service  of  God  to  de- 
cline from  His  own  institutions  ;  we  have  to  do 
with  a  God  who  is  wise  to  prescribe  His  own 
worship,  just  to  require  what  He  has  prescribed, 
and  powerful  to  revenge  what  He  has  not 
prescribed.— Ibid. 

3       It    was     very    possibly    the     outcome    of 
intemperance. 

[17645]  There  is  reason  to  suspect  they 
were  drunk  when  they  thus  acted,  because  of 
the  law  which  was  given  upon  this  occasion 
(Lev.  X.  8).  They  had  been  feasting  upon  the 
peace-offerings,  and  the  drink-offerings  that 
attended  them,  and  so  their  heads  were  light, 
or  at  least  their  hearts  were  merry,  with  wine, 
they  drank  and  forgot  the  law  (Prov.  xxxi.  5), 
and  were  guilty  of  this  fatal  miscarriage. — Ibid. 


II.  Their  Punishment. 

1  It  was  sudden  and  overwhelming. 

[17646]  "They  died."  Might  it  not  have 
sufficed  if  they  had  been  only  struck  with 
leprosy,  as  Uzziah  ;  or  struck  dumb,  as  Zacha- 
rias,  and  both  by  the  altar  of  incense?  No, 
they  were  both  struck  dead.  The  wages  of  this 
sin  was  death. — Ibid. 

[17647]  They  died  suddenly  in  the  very  act 
of  their  sin,  and  had  not  time  so  much  as  to 
cry,  "  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  us  1 "  Though 
God  is  long-suffering  to  us-ward,  yet  sometimes 
He  makes  quick  work  with  sinners  ;  sentence 
is  executed  speedily  ;  presumptuous  sinners 
"  bring  upon  themselves  a  swift  destruction," 
and  are  justly  denied  even  space  to  repent. — 
Ibid. 

2  It  was  markedly  retributive. 

[17648]  "  They  died  before  the  Lord,"  that  is, 
before  the  veil  that  covered  the  mercy-seat,  for 
even  mercy  itself  will  not  suffer  its  own  glory  to 
be  aff'ronted.  They  that  had  sinned  before  the 
Lord,  died  before  Him.  Damned  sinners  are 
said  to  be  tormented  "  in  the  presence  of  the 
Lamb,"  intimating  that  He  doth  not  interpose 
on  their  behalf  (Rev.  xiv.  10).— Ibid. 

[17649]  They  died  "by  fire,"  as  by  fire  they 
sinned.  They  slighted  the  fire  that  came  from 
before  the  Lord  to  consume  the  sacrifices,  and 
thought  other  fire  would  do  every  jot  as  well  ; 
and  now  God  justly  made  them  feel  the  power 
of  that  fire  which  they  did  not  reverence.  Thus 
they  that  hate  to  be  refined  by  the  fire  of  Divine 
grace,  will  undoubtedly  be  ruined  by  the  fire 
of  Divine  wrath.— /i^zrt'. 


III.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

The  fate  of  Nadab  and  Abihu  reminds  us 
that  the  Lord  our  God  is  a  "jealous 
God." 
[17650]  The  sudden  and  overwhelming  doom 
which  fell  upon  the  sons  of  Aaron  clearly 
enough  displays  to  us  the  heinous  nature  of 
their  offence  in  the  eyes  of  God.  Pie  is  a 
jealous  God,  and  will  not  give  His  honour  to 
another.  Even  the  sons  of  the  high  priest 
cannot  be  permitted  to  act  with  irreverence 
towards  the  God  in  whose  worship  they  engage. 
There  is  a  danger  arising  from  familiarity  with 
sacred  things,  and  against  this  it  is  necessary 
to  guard.  "The  temple  mouse  fears  not  the 
temple  idol,"  says  the  proverb  ;  and  those 
especially  who  minister  in  holy  things  need  to 
be  careful,  on  the  one  hand,  not  to  arrogate  to 
themselves  any  of  the  glory  which  belongs  only 
to  God  ;  and,  on  the  other,  to  keep  ever  before 
them  the  sacred  nature  and  importance  of  all 
the  acts  of  that  service  in  which  they  are  con- 
tinually occupied. — M.J. 


UZZAH. 

I.  His  Offence. 

It   might    appear  to   be    little,  but   in    reality 
must  have  been  great. 

[17651]  Uzzah's  offence  seemed  very  small. 
He  and  his  brother  Ahio,  the  sons  of  Abinadab, 
in  whose  house  the  ark  had  long  been  lodged, 
having  been  used  to  attend  it  to  show  their 
willingness  to  prefer  the  public  benefit  before 
their  own  private  honour  and  advantage,  under- 
took to  drive  the  cart  in  which  the  ark  was 
carried  ;  this  being  perhaps  the  last  service  they 
were  likely  to  do  for  it,  for  others  would  be 
employed  about  it  when  it  came  to  the  city  of 
David.  Ahio  went  before  to  clear  the  way,  and, 
if  need  were,  to  lead  the  oxen.  Uzzah  followed 
close  to  the  side  of  the  cart  ;  it  happened  "the 
oxen  shook  it."  The  critics  are  not  agreed 
about  the  signification  of  the  original  word  ; 
"they  stumbled,"  so  our  margin;  "they 
kicked,"  so  some,  perhaps  against  the  goad 
with  which  Uzzah  drove  them  ;  "  they  stuck  in 
the  mire,"  so  some.  By  some  accident  the  ark 
was  in  danger  of  being  overthrown  :  Uzzah 
thereupon  laid  hold  on  it  to  save  it  from  falling, 
we  have  reason  to  think  with  a  very  good  in- 
tention, to  preserve  the  reputation  of  the  ark, 
and  to  prevent  an  ill  omen  :  yet  this  was  his 
crime.  Uzzah  was  a  Levite,  but  priests  only 
might  touch  the  ark.  The  law  was  express 
concerning  the  Kohathites,  that  though  they 
were  to  carry  the  ark  by  .the  staves,  yet  "they 
must  not  touch  any  holy  thing,  lest  they  die  " 
(Numb.  iv.  15);  and  yet  Uzzah's  long  familiarity 
with  the  ark,  and  the  constant  attendance  he 


17651—17657! 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


171 

[PHARAOH. 


had  given  to  it,  might  occasion  his  presumption, 
but  would  not  excuse  it. — Matthew  Henry. 

II.  His  Punishment. 

It  might  appear  to  have  been  unduly  severe, 
but  in  reality  must  have  been  just. 

[17652]  His  punishment  for  this  offence  seems 
very  great ;  "the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled 
against  him  ;  for  in  sacred  things  He  is  a  jealous 
God  ;  and  He  "  smote  him  there  for  his  rash- 
ness," as  the  word  is,  and  struck  him  dead  upon 
the  spot.  There  he  sinned,  and  there  he  died, 
"  by  the  ark  of  God  ; "  even  the  mercy-seat 
would  not  save  him.  Why  was  God  thus  severe 
with  him?  i.  The  touching  of  the  ark  was  for- 
bidden to  the  Levites  expressly  under  pain  of 
death,  "  lest  they  die."  2.  God  saw  Uzzah's 
heart,  and  the  presumption  and  irreverence  of 
that  ;  perhaps  he  affected  to  show  before  this 
great  assembly  how  bold  he  could  make  with 
the  ark,  having  been  so  long  acquainted  with  it. 
Familiarity  even  with  that  which  is  most  awful 
is  apt  to  breed  contempt. — Ibid. 

III.  HOMILETICAL    HINTS. 

1  The  fate  of  Uzzah  demonstrates  that  God 
jealously  guards  His  own  honour. 

[17653]  To  lay  a  hand  on  the  sacred  ark  was 
a  sign  and  an  action  of  irreverence  of  which 
none  would  have  dared  to  be  guilty  in  Israel's 
earlier  days.  For,  since  the  ark  was  the  ac- 
knowledged representation  of  God's  presence 
with  His  people,  for  a  man  to  lay  a  hand  on 
the  ark  was  for  him  to  make  as  though  he  would 
lay  a  hand  upon  God  Himself.  But  prompted 
by  that  contempt  which  is  bred  of  long  fami- 
liarity, Uzzah  hesitated  not  for  a  moment  to  do 
even  this.  God  jealously  guards  His  own  honour, 
and  for  Israel's  sake  rather  than  His  own  must 
punish  for  this  slight  put  upon  His  majesty. 
The  same  God  is  still  the  same,  being  the  Un- 
changeable, and  knows  now,  as  then,  how  to 
maintain  men's  reverence  for  Him,  and  to 
avenge  an  insult  offered  to  the  honour  of  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth. — M.  y. 

2  The  fate  of  Uzzah  demonstrates  that  the 
end  may  not  justify  the  means. 

[17654]  God  would  hereby  teach  us  that  a 
good  intention  will  not  justify  a  bad  action  :  it 
will  not  suffice  to  say  of  tliat  which  is  ill  done 
that  it  was  well  meant.  He  will  let  us  know 
that  He  can,  and  will,  secure  His  ark,  and  needs 
not  any  man's  sin  to  help  Him  to  do  it.  If  it 
were  so  great  a  crime  for  one  to  lay  hold  on  the 
ark  of  the  covenant  that  had  no  right  to  do  so, 
what  is  it  for  those  to  lay  claim  to  the  privileges 
of  the  covenant  that  come  not  up  to  the  terms 
of  it  ?  To  the  wicked  God  saith,  "  What  hast 
thou  to  do  to  take  My  covenant  in  thy  mouth .'"' 
(Psa.  1.  16.)  ''Friend,  how  camest  thou  in 
hither?"  If  the  ark  was  so  sacred,  and  not  to 
be  touched  irreverently,  what  is  the  blood  of  the 
covenant  ? — Matthew  He?iry. 


PHARAOH, 

I.  His  Ruling  Spirit, 

Unbounded  pride. 

[17655]  One  figure,  a  figure  of  giant  stature, 
so  to  speak,  stands  up,  like  King  Saul,  above  the 
crowd,  and  is  so  prominent  in  the  early  chap- 
ters of  Exodus,  so  that  none  can  ever  forget  his 
daring  presumption,  his  dogged  pertinacity,  or 
his  miserable  end.  In  the  whole  range  of  human 
character  we  know  of  nothing  to  equal  Pharaoh's 
towering  pride,  his  prolonged  resistance  in  the 
face  of  appalling  judgments,  or  the  unappeasable 
enmity  which  made  him  gather  his  armies  for  a 
fresh  encounter  on  the  morrow,  after  his  palace 
and  his  kingdom  had  resounded  with  the  cry 
for  the  first-born. — Rev.  J.  Gurney. 

[17656]  "  Who  is  the  Lord  that  I  should  obey 
His  voice  ? "  has  a  sound  of  hellish  impiety 
about  it  ;  and  verily  we  must  look  beyond  the 
sphere  of  human  action,  and  call  to  mind  what 
Scripture  tells  us  of  "  the  Prince  of  the  power 
of  the  air,"  before  we  can  find  anything  to 
match  the  heathen  monarch  before  whom  God 
made  bare  His  arm,  and  who  said,  almost  in 
words,  "Smite,"  till  the  blow  fell,  and  his 
power  was  crushed,  though  his  name  survives 
as  a  lesson  and  a  warning  for  all  time. — Ibid. 


II.  His  Policy  towards  Israel. 

Dictated  by  fear,  it  was  at  first  that  of 
attempted  extermination,  and  afterwards 
that  of  selfish  and  determined  cruelty. 

[17657]  The  rapid  increase  of  the  Israelites^ — 
quite  unexampled  in  its  way — by  which  God's 
promises  to  Abraham  were  strikingly  fulfilled, 
makes  Pharaoh's  heart  beat  with  solicitude. 
What  if  those  strangers,  should  a  war  break 
out,  join  with  the  enemy  1 — or,  in  a  time  of 
peace,  when  they  grow  strong  and  arrogant, 
expel  those  who  at  first  inhabited  the  fertile 
valley  of  the  Nile?  The  tree  is  now  toostrongly 
rooted  in  the  soil  to  be  destroyed,  both  root  and 
branch,  without  great  danger  every  way  ;  but  it 
will  be  enough  to  stop  the  growth  of  new  fruit- 
bearing  branches,  and  thus  let  it  die,  stripped 
of  its  leaves  and  fruit.  The  burden  laid  on 
Israel  increases  every  day  ;  some  say  that  even 
the  pyramids,  those  palaces  made  for  the  dead, 
that  still  continue  to  excite  the  wonder  of  the 
living,  must  in  part  have  been  erected  by  those 
Jewish  hands.  Next  is  matured  the  secret  plot, 
by  which  the  innocents  are  doomed  to  cruel 
death  just  at  their  birth  ;  and  when  even  that  is 
frustrated,  cold-blooded  tyranny  is  not  ashamed 
even  to  order  publicly  that  ail  male  children 
shall  be  cast  into  the  Nile.  If  the  elders  have 
no  heart  to  carry  out  the  ordinance,  there  must 
be  had  a  multitude  of  executioners.  Hark  ! 
there  resounds  a  voice  in  (ioshen,  lamentation, 
and  weeping,  and  great  mourning  ;  and  the 
waters,  in  their  detestation  of  the  horrid  cruelty, 


I?: 


17657— 176621 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


fPHARAOn. 


blush  crimson  with  the  blood  of  innocence  ! — 
Van  Oosterzee,  D.D. 

[17658I  Pharaoh,  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of 
losing  so  large  a  number  of  useful  servants, 
attributed,  or  affected  to  attribute,  their  discon- 
tent of  the  Israelites  to  idleness.  He  increased 
their  burdens  to  crush  out  the  rising  spirit  of 
resistance,  while  he  characterized  the  brothers 
as  the  fomenters  of  dissatisfaction  and  disorder. 
"  Wherefore  do  ye,  Moses  and  Aaron,  let  the 
people  from  their  work?"  "  Let  there  more  work 
be  laid  upon  the  men,  that  they  may  labour 
therein,  and  let  them  not  regard  vain  words." — 
Anon. 

III.  His  Test  by  God. 

1  He  was  tested  as  to  his  faith  in  God. 
[17659]  To  Pharaoh,  in  the  call  to  let  Israel 

go  into  the  wilderness  to  serve  God,  there  was 
a  test  of  faith,  and  of  that  obedience  in  which 
all  real  faith  finds  its  true  expression.  God  came 
forth  from  His  obscurity  and  spoke  to  him. 
Would  he  hear  that  voice,  recognize  it  as  the 
voice  of  Him  who  is  "King  of  kings,"  "by 
whom  princes  reign,"  and  before  whose  supreme 
greatness  the  sons  of  men,  "high  and  low,  one 
with  another,"  stand  on  the  same  level .?  Would 
he  acknowledge  himself  a  dependent  and  sub- 
ject creature,  and  bow  to  the  Divine  behest  ? 
True,  he  was  a  heathen,  and  prided  himself  on 
being  the  child  of  the  sun.  But  heathenism,  in 
all  but  its  most  abject  forms,  does  not  obliterate 
the  sense  of  a  supreme  Divinity.  In  humanity 
there  is  a  chord  that  ever  vibrates  to  God's 
touch,  and  an  ear  that  hears  His  voice.  Not  in 
vain  was  God's  message  sent  to  another  heathen 
monarch.  At  Jonah's  call  the  king  of  Nineveh 
arose  from  his  throne  and  put  on  sackcloth  ; 
and  a  threatening  danger  was  averted.  Would 
Pharaoh  recognize  in  the  God,  whose  message 
Moses  brought  to  him,  a  Divinity  greater  than 
the  deities  of  his  country,  the  "  gods  many  and 
lords  many  "  to  which  civilized  and  enlightened 
Egypt  offered  their  unworthy  homage,  a  Divinity 
whose  very  conception  proved  itself  true,  ask- 
ing such  a  service  as  an  intelligent  being  can 
alone  fitly  render  1—Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

2  He  was  tested  as    to  his   compassion  to- 
wards man. 

[17660]  The  call  was  an  appeal  to  his  human- 
ity. Relief  was  asked  for  a  large  body  of  useful 
slaves,  a  brief  respite  from  their  wearing  toil, 
and  for  the  holiest  of  purposes,  even  to  afford 
them  an  opportunity  to  worship  their  national 
deity.  Was  there  any  chord  in  Pharaoh's  heart 
that  would  respond  to  the  appeal,  that  would 
vibrate  to  the  touch  of  human  sorrow  and 
suffering,  and  prompt  concession  to  their 
claims  ?  Or  had  the  soul  of  the  pampered 
king,  in  affluence  and  splendour  and  sensuality, 
in  unlimited  indulgence  and  the  wantonness  of 
despotic  power,  grown  callous  to  all  such  pleas, 
and  in  the  self-idolatry  which  a  solitary  exalta- 
tion too  often  begets,  come  to  think  the  toil  and 


pain  of  unthanked  and  uncompensated  vassals 
but  a  fit  oftering  to  its  greatness  and  its  plea- 
sure ? — Ibid. 

3  He  was  found  wanting  when  thus  put  to 
the  proof. 
[  1 7661]  To  the  Divine  claim  he  returns  only 
an  insolent  defiance  :  "  Who  is  the  Lord,  that  I 
should  obey  His  voice  to  let  Israel  go?  I  know 
not  the  Lord,  neither  will  I  let  Israel  go."  To 
the  human  yearning  he  gives  only  the  harsh 
requital  of  an  increased  severity  :  "  Let  there 
more  work  be  laid  upon  the  men,  that  they 
may  labour  therein,  and  let  them  not  regard 
vain  words."  Pharaoh  failed  under  the  test. 
"Weighed  in  the  balances,  he  was  found  want- 
ing," by  moral  weight  "  altogether  lighter  than 
vanity  itself"  And  this  critical  failure  was  the 
prelude  of  that  long  series  of  downward  steps 
which  ended  in  the  fatal  disaster  of  the  Red 
Sea,  and  the  passage  of  his  disembodied  spirit 
unprepared  into  the  presence  of  its  Maker.  Had 
his  answer  been  different,  how  different,  also, 
might  have  been  the  result  to  himself  and  to  his 
kingdom  !  Israel,  by  what  steps  it  is  useless  to 
conjecture,  might  have  gained  their  liberty  and 
leave  to  depart  peaceably,  the  land  been 
saved  from  impoverishment  and  deadly  dis- 
grace, Pharaoh  have  found  an  honourable  place 
among  the  benefactors  of  the  Church,  and 
Egypt  have  obtained  in  spiritual  advantages 
far  more  than  an  equivalent  for  her  material 
loss.  How  much  often  depends  for  the  indi- 
vidual and  for  others  upon  his  single  determi- 
nation !  How  often  a  step  fixes  a  man's 
subsequent  progress  to  good  or  evil,  to  salva- 
tion or  perdition  ! — Ibid. 

IV.  His  Punishment. 

His  heart  was  hardened. 

[17662]  It  is  after  the  sixth  plague  that  God 
says,  "  And  in  very  deed  for  this  cause  have  1 
raised  thee  up,  brought  thee  to  this  high  estate, 
and  sustained  thee  in  it  ;  for  to  show  in  thee 
My  power,  and  that  My  name  may  be  declared 
throughout  the  earth."  There  is  a  change  of 
regimen  at  this  point,  and  it  is  judicial  and 
penal.  But  what  is  this  change  of  regimen  ? 
Siniply  leaving  Pharaoh  to  himself,  ceasing  to 
resist  his  determination,  leaving  him  to  "go  on 
still  in  his  wickedness,"  withdrawing  those 
checks  which,  hitherto,  had  operated  to  retard 
his  downward  progress.  It  was  simply  a  fulfil- 
ment of  the  threat,  "  My  Spirit  shall  not  always 
strive  with  man  ;"  simply  saying  of  him  what 
the  prophet  represents  God  as  saying  of 
Ephraim,  "He  is  joined  to  idols,  let  him 
alone."  All  along  through  this  hardening  pro- 
cess up  to  this  time,  in  addition  to  ouTward 
means,  the  miracles  and  the  words  of  God, 
there  had  been  inward  influences  secretly 
operating  on  the  soul  of  Pharaoh,  appealing  to 
his  conscience  and  his  will,  and  seeking  to  draw 
him  back  from  a  course  of  self-destruction. 
Now  they  cease  to  operate.  He  is  left  to 
nature  ;  and  the  condition  of  that  man  who  is 


17662 — 17666] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[PHAKAOH. 


left  to  nature  is  hopeless.  This  is  reprobation. 
The  human  will  is  not  free  to  do  good  without 
Divine  help  ;  and,  when  Divine  help  is  with- 
drawn, its  bondage  to  evil  is  complete.  This  is 
the  clear  teaching  of  the  gospel,  but  even  the 
heathen  have  dimly  seen  it.  These  influences 
had  been  given,  and  had  been  ineffectual. 
They  did  not  overbear  Pharaoh's  will,  and 
force  him  to  compliance  ;  for  God  made  us  all 
free  agents,  and  He  will  treat  us  as  free  agents. 
He  will  help  us,  but  He  will  never  compel  us. 
But  there  is  a  stage  of  help  beyond  which  men 
may  pass,  and  then  it  ceases.  Pharaoh  had 
passed  beyond  it,  and  it  had  ceased  with  him. 
Then  the  man  goes  on  his  evil  course  without 
counteraction,  "  as  the  horse  rushes  to  the 
battle;"  and  the  bent  of  the  will  to  evil  un- 
checked rushes,  with  ever  accelerating  force  as 
the  currents  that  are  running  to  the  cataract,  to 
its  final  plunge  into  the  abyss  of  perdition. — 
Ibid. 

[17663]  Not  till  after  the  sixth  plague  is  God 
said  to  have  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart.  Seven 
several  times  had  God  distinctly  announced  His 
will  to  him,  accompanying  the  demand  with 
supernatural  demonstrations  of  His  power,  and 
with  solemn  expostulations  and  threatenings. 
Pharaoh's  heart  had  been  growing  hard  through 
all  this  lengthened  process,  more  obstinate, 
more  unfeeling,  more  unimpressible.  Yet,  up 
to  this  point,  it  is  not  said  that  God  hardened 
his  heart.  This  seems  to  indicate  a  change  of 
dealing,  a  second  stage  in  this  dreadful  process. 
Doubtless  it  does.  It  is  indeed  said,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  preliminary  miracle  of  turning  the 
rod  into  a  serpent,  as  it  stands  in  our  English 
version,  that  "  He  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart," 
leaving  the  agent  in  this  hardening  somewhat 
doubtful.  But  there  is  little  reason  to  doubt 
that  this  is  a  mistranslation.  The  true  render- 
ing is,  The  heart  of  Pharaoh  was  hard  and  did 
not  yield. — Il?id. 

[17664]  The  hardening  on  the  part  of  God 

was  not  arbitrary,  Pharaoh  was  not  foredoomed. 
He  was  a  free  agent,  and  his  free  agency  was 
carefully  respected.  At  no  point  were  his  right 
and  his  power  of  choice  infringed.  Motives  and 
influences  from  opposite  quarters  were  brought 
to  bear  upon  him,  and  the  question  of  yielding 
to  the  one  or  the  other  was  left  to  the  determi- 
nation of  his  own  will.  There  was  never  any 
force  employed  to  prevent  his  consenting  to  the 
departure  of  the  Israelites,  or  any  power  exerted 
to  render  his  heart  insensible  to  the  appeals  in 
their  behalf.  The  soul  of  the  man  was  left  open 
for  all  the  influences  that  were  at  work  upon  it 
to  have  free  access  to  it  and  unfettered  operation 
upon  it.  Would  he  obey  God,  or  would  he  follow 
the  dictates  of  his  own  pride  and  the  instigation 
of  the  devil  ?  Never  was  man  freer  than  Pharaoh 
to  listen  to  God's  call.  No  bondage  whatever 
upon  him,  but  that  bondage  which  sin  creates, 
according  to  that  law  which  runs,  "He  that 
committeth  sin  is  the  servant  of  sin  ;"  nor  were 
there,  at  least  at  first,  any  stint  of  those  gracious 


influences  by  which  this  servitude  is  counter- 
acted and  overcome.  His  hardness  was  not 
decreed  nor  created  by  God.  He  made  it  him- 
self, just  as  every  soul  makes  it  that  refuses  to 
hear  (jod's  voice,  and  "  goeth  on  still  in  his 
wickedness."  He  is  no  victim  of  an  arbitrary 
decree  that  first  ordains  him  to  be  obstinate, 
then  works  the  obstinacy  in  him,  and  then 
punishes  him  for  persisting  in  it— a  decree 
which  Calvin  himself,  while  he  coolly  propounds 
it,  calls  a  horrible  decree.  God  only  did  not 
bring  such  overpowering  influences  to  bear  upon 
his  will  as  would  have  virtually  annulled  his 
freedom,  and  forced  him  into  an  obedience 
which,  for  the  very  reason  that  it  was  forced, 
would  have  been  no  true  obedience,  and  been 
robbed  of  all  moral  value  and  commendable- 
ness.  Under  this  state  of  things  he  grew  hard, 
just  as  every  man  grows  hard  who  sees  duty 
and  will  not  do  it,  who  feels  motions  to  good 
and  will  not  follow  their  guidance. — Ibid. 

[17665]  When  Pharaoh  hardens  his  heart, 
God  is  said  to  harden  it,  because  He  allows 
him  to  harden  it,  in  order,  thereby,  more  effec- 
tively and  splendidly  to  accomplish  the  benefi- 
cent designs  of  His  holy  government  towards 
His  people.  And  thus  the  difficulty  in  regard 
to  Pharaoh  at  once  vanishes,  and  his  case  loses 
all  peculiarity.  It  immediately  falls  into  the 
common  order  and  routine  of  God's  providence. 
Nothing  befalls  him  but  that  which  is  common 
unto  men.  His  heart  is  hardened  just  as  the 
hearts  of  men  around  us  now  are  hardened  ; 
just  as,  alas  I  a  hardening  process  may  be  going 
on  in  our  own  hearts.  There  is  a  similar  con- 
junction of  the  Divine  and  devilish  when  it  is 
said,  "  Then  was  Jesus  led  up  of  the  Spirit  into 
the  wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil," 
while  yet  it  is  unimpeachably  true  that  '*  God 
cannot  be  tempted  of  evil,  neither  tempteth  He 
any  man."  And  the  fact  of  such  temptation, 
and  of  such  permission,  and  even  of  providential 
arrangements  apparently  looking  to  it,  is  patent 
and  palpable  in  our  ordinary  experience  and 
observation.- — Ibid. 


V.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 
I       The  case  of  Pharaoh  does  not  stand  alone. 

[17666]  Pharaoh's  case  is  not  exceptional  ;  it 
conforms  itself  to  the  ordinary  laws  of  our 
spiritual  constitution  and  of  God's  moral  govern- 
ment. He  is  no  solitary  monster  in  the  pages 
of  history,  nor  were  (jod's  dealings  with  him 
strange  and  unexampled,  or  capricious  and 
tyrannical.  It  is  just  a  piece  of  human  life, 
remarkable  for  nothing  but  the  exalted  sphere 
in  which  it  was  exhibited,  and  the  important 
results  that  attended  upon  it.  What  Pharaoh 
was  doing,  multitudes  are  doing  ;  what  God  was 
doing  then.  He  is  doing  continually.  To  these 
results  no  conspicuous  station  is  needful,  nor 
grossly  wicked  lives.  And,  therefore,  we  may 
not  flatter  our  souls  that  we  are  safe  from 
them  because  we  are  obscure  and  are  not  vile 


174 

17666— 17671] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[BALAAM. 


criminals.  Just  such  awful  misciiiefs  are  being 
wrought  in  very  quiet  hves,  and  with  just  such 
terrible  consequences.  God  lays  His  commands 
upon  us,  and  we  know  them  to  be  His  com- 
mands, and  we  will  not  do  them.  God  forbids 
our  doing  certain  things,  and  we  do  them,  while 
we  know  that  we  ought  not  to  do  them.  We 
leave  undone  the  things  that  we  ought  to  do, 
and  we  do  the  things  that  we  ought  not  to  do. — 
Ibid. 

2  God  hardens  men's  hearts  by  allowing 
them  to  persist  in  hardening  their  own 
hearts. 

[17667]  It  seems  fair  to  infer  from  the  case  of 
Pharaoh  that  God  hardens  men's  hearts,  or 
withdraws  those  influences  by  which  the  process 
of  hardening  the  heart  is  counteracted  and  op- 
posed, only  when  they  obstinately  resist  those 
influences,  and  persist  in  hardening  their  own 
hearts.  God,  in  the  language  of  Scripture,  is 
said  to  do  that  which  He  permits  another  to  do, 
who  in  so  doing  accomplishes,  whether  de- 
signedly or  not,  some  end  of  His  just  and  holy 
government.  A  remarkable  instance  of  this  way 
of  speaking  may  be  seen  in  the  case  of  David's 
numbering  the  people.  The  author  of  the 
•Second  Book  of  Samuel  says,  "And  again  the 
anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Israel, 
and  He  moved  David  against  them  to  say.  Go, 
number  Israel  and  Judah  ;"  while  the  writer  of 
the  First  Book  of  Chronicles  says,  "  And  Satan 
stood  up  against  Israel,  and  provoked  David  to 
number  Israel."  The  contradiction  is  only 
verbal  and  superficial. — Ibid. 

3  There  are  recognizable  signs  of  a  har- 
dened or  hardening  heart. 

[17668]  There  have  been  inward  remon- 
strances, twinges  of  conscience,  inclinations  in 
the  soul  from  time  to  time  for  a  different  course. 
And  this  is  God's  voice  in  you,  the  presence  of 
His  Spirit  in  your  soul,  calling  you,  enabling 
you  to  turn  from  your  evil  way  and  live.  Grace 
has  come  to  you.  You  are  not  waiting  for  it  ; 
it  is  here.  Do  you  think  that  your  baptism  was 
nothing,  and  that  it  has  brought  you  no  help 
from  on  high  ?  Or,  if  you  are  not  baptized,  do 
you  think  tliat  it  is  for  nothing  that  you  are  in- 
cluded in  the  scope  of  redeeming  mercy  .''  No  ; 
it  will  not  do.  You  have  ''  grieved  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God,  whereby  you  were  sealed  unto 
the  day  of  redemption."  You  have  "  quenched 
the  Spirit."  You  have  "  done  despite  to  the 
Spirit  of  grace."  We  may  say  to  you,  as  St. 
Stephen  said  to  the  persecuting  Jews,  "Ye  do 
always  resist  the  Holy  Ghost."  You  might  re- 
nounce sin,  and  resolve  to  serve  God  at  any 
time  if  you  would,  and  that,  not  in  your  own 
strength,  but  in  God's,  which  has  been  freely 
imparted  to  you.  And  now,  have  these  inward 
remonstrances  grown  feebler  .?  Do  you  sin  with 
more  ease,  with  less  reluctance,  with  less  dis- 
comfort ?  Do  you  lead  a  worldly  life  with  less 
sense  of  its  wickedness,  with  less  fear  of  its 
results  ?     Then  you  are  being  hardened,  you 


are  hardening  yourselves,  "the  god  of  this 
world"  is  hardening  you,  you  are  letting  him 
harden  you.  And  have  these  remonstrances 
ceased  altogether.?  I  trust  not  ;  but  there  may 
be  too  close  approximations  to  it.  Do  you  live 
on  without  compunction  and  without  fear  .?  Ah, 
then,  God  is  hardening  you.  He  has  given  you 
up.  Beware!  "To-day  if  ye  will  hear  His 
voice,  harden  not  your  hearts." — Ibid. 

4       The  judgments  of  God,  whilst  they  harden 
some,  soften  others. 

[17669]  Now  it  is  not  incorrect  to  say  that 
the  sun,  by  one  and  the  same  power  of  its  heat, 
melts  wax  indeed,  but  dries  up  and  hardens 
mud  ;  not  that  its  power  operates  one  way  upon 
mud  and  in  another  way  upon  wax,  but  that  the 
qualities  of  mud  and  wax  are  different,  although 
according  to  nature  they  are  one  thing,  both 
being  from  the  earth.  'In  this  way,  then,  one 
and  the  same  working  upon  the  part  of  God, 
which  was  administered  by  Moses  in  signs 
and  wonders,  made  manifest  the  hardness  of 
Pharaoh,  which  he  had  conceived  in  the  in- 
tensity of  his  wickedness,  but  exhibited  the 
obedience  of  those  other  Egyptians  who  were 
intermingled  with  the  Israelites,  and  who  are 
recorded  to  have  quitted  Egypt  at  the  same, 
time  with  the  Hebrews. — Origen. 


BALAAM. 

I.  His  Character. 
I       He  was  inordinately  selfish  and  covetous. 

[17670]  The  features  of  his  besetting  sin  are 
plainly  marked.  The  first  description  of  Balak's 
embassy  suggests  it  ;  the  messengers  set  forth 
to  win  the  prophet  to  their  side  with  "  the  re- 
wards of  divination  in  their  hands."  The  power 
of  money  over  him  seems  to  have  been  known  ; 
and  so,  when  he  refused  to  come,  Balak  hoped 
to  overpower  his  scruples  by  the  bribe  of  great 
promotion.  And  the  prophet's  conduct  well 
justified  these  expectations.  God  appeared  to 
him  in  the  visions  of  the  night  when  first  the 
messengers  of  Moab  were  lodged  within  his 
house,  and  distinctly  told  him  that  he  should 
not  go  ;  that  he  should  not  curse  the  people,  for 
that  they  were  blessed.  Had  Balaam's  heart 
been  right,  this  would  have  settled  the  question 
for  ever  ;  and,  when  the  messengers  returned, 
he  would  at  once  have  refused  them.  The 
faltering  answer,  "  Tarry  ye  here  also  this  night," 
betrayed  all.  He  did  not  dare  to  go  in  the  face 
of  a  refusal,  but  he  hoped  to  win  permission. 
He  longed  for  the  gifts,  and  he  thought  that 
perhaps,  at  the  last,  he  might  extract  such  a 
license  as  would  allow  him  to  earn  them. — Bp. 
Wilberforce. 

[1767 1]  Balak  struck  the  keynote  of  Balaam's 
character  when  he  said,  "Am  I  not  able  to  pro- 
mote thee  unto  honour  ?"  Herein,  then,  lies  the 
first  perversion  of  glorious  gifts— that  Balaam 


I767I— 17675] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[BALAAM. 


sought  not  God's  honour  but  his  own  by  making 
those  gifts  subservient  to  his  own  greed.  It  is 
evident  that  Balaam  half  suspected  his  own 
failing.  Otherwise  what  mean  those  vaunts, 
"  If  Balak  would  give  me  his  house  full  of  silver 
and  gold".?  Brave  men  do  not  vaunt  their 
courage,  nor  honourable  men  their  honesty,  nor 
do  the  truly  noble  boast  of  high  birth.  All  who 
understand  the  human  heart  perceive  a  secret 
sense  of  weakness  in  these  loud  boasts  of  im- 
maculate purity.  Silver  and  gold,  these  were 
the  things  he  loved,  and  so,  not  content  with 
communion  with  God,  with  the  possession  of 
sublime  gifts,  he  thought  these  only  valuable  so 
far  as  they  were  means  of  putting  himself  in 
possession  of  riches.  Thus  spiritual  powers 
were  degraded  to  make  himself  a  vulgar  man  of 
wealth. — Rev.  F.  Robertson. 


2      He  was  distinguished  by  his  religious  and 
moral  sentimentalism. 

[17672]  He  not  only  appears  to  be  a  religious 
man,  but  a  very  religious  man.  He  had  spiritual 
visions  and  ecstasies,  and  gave  utterance  to  some 
of  the  most  beautiful  and  precious  truths  ever 
uttered  by  human  lips.  No  true  prophet  and  no 
divinely  commissioned  apostle  could  say  more 
than  he  when  he  uttered  the  words,  "  Hearken 
unto  me,  thou  son  of  Zippor  :  God  is  not  a  man 
that  He  should  lie,  nor  the  son  of  man  that  He 
should  repent  :  hath  He  said,  and  shall  He  not 
do  it  ?  or  hath  He  spoken,  and  shall  He  not 
make  it  good.'"'  His  mind  is  tixed,  and  his 
thoughts  are  arrested  and  borne  away  by  visions 
of  heavenly  truth  :  ''  He  hath  not  beheld  iniquity 
in  Jacob  ;  neither  hath  He  seen  perverseness  in 
Israel."  There  is  enthusiasm  and  rapture  in  his 
emotions  :  '"  How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  O  Jacob  ! 
and  thy  tabernacles,  O  Israel  !  As  the  valleys 
are  they  spread  forth,  as  gardens  by  the  rivers' 
side,  as  trees  of  lign-aloes  which  the  Lord  hath 
planted,  and  as  cedar-trees  beside  the  waters. 
There  shall  come  a  star  out  of  Jacob,  and  a 
sceptre  shall  rise  out  of  Israel!"  There  is 
great  elevation  of  thought,  and  great  tenderness, 
not  only  when  he  thinks  of  Israel,  but  when,  in 
such  hallowed  words,  he  speaks  of  himself: 
"  From  the  top  of  the  rocks  I  see  him,  and 
from  the  top  of  the  hills  I  behold  him.  Who 
can  count  the  dust  of  Jacob,  and  the  number  of 
the  fourth  part  of  Israel  ?  Let  me  die  the  death 
of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like 
his  !  "  Such  things  as  these,  to  the  eye  of  man, 
are  indications  of  piety,  but  with  all  these  exalted 
spiritual  sentiments,  and  this  desire  to  die  the 
death  of  the  righteous,  ...  we  inspect  his 
character  more  closely,  and  .  .  .  see  its  rotten- 
ness.— Rev.  G.  Spring,  JJ.D. 

3       He  was  remarkable  for  his  doubleminded- 
ness  and  inconsistency. 

(i)  T/iis  was  exhibited  in  the  wide  variation 
between  his  deeds  and  his  words. 

\M^Ti\  There  are  two  parallel  lines  in  the 
history  of  Balaam,  which,  unfortunately  for  him, 


were  like  parallel  lines  in  this  also,  that  they 
never  met,  and  though  produced  to  infinity,  never 
can  meet.  These  are  his  conduct  and  his  words  ; 
how  he  acted  and  what  he  said.  His  conduct 
was  of  the  meanest  ;  his  words  were  of  the 
nol)lest  that  ever  came  from  mortal  lips.  Alas  ! 
how  often  do  these  two— noble  words  and  ignoble 
conduct— run  on  alongside  eachotherinthelifeof 
man,  and  never  meet.  The  words  abide  ;  the 
man,  identified  not  with  his  words,  which  were 
from  him  but  not  of  him,  but  with  his  conduct, 
which  was  the  true  expression  of  himself, 
perishes  for  ever. — Anoti. 

[17674]  We  observe  in  Balaam  perfect  ver- 
acity with  utter  want  of  truth.  Balaam  was 
veracious.  He  will  not  deceive  Balak.  And  yet 
there  was  utter  truthlessness  of  heart.  Balaam 
will  not  utter  what  is  not  true  ;  but  he  will  blind 
himself  so  that  he  may  not  see  the  truth,  and  so 
speak  a  lie,  believing  it  to  be  the  truth.  He 
will  only  speak  the  thing  he  feels  ;  but  he  is  not 
careful  to  feel  all  that  is  true.  He  goes  to  another 
place,  where  the  whole  truth  may  not  force  it- 
self upon  his  mind — to  a  hill  where  he  shall  not 
see  the  whole  of  Israel  :  from  hill  to  hill  for  the 
chance  of  getting  to  a  place  where  the  truth 
may  disappear.  But  there  stands  the  stul)born 
fact — Israel  is  blessed  ;  and  he  will  look  at  the 
fact  in  every  way,  to  see  if  he  cannot  get  it  into 
a  position  where  it  shall  be  seen  no  longer. 
Ostrich  like  ! — Rev  F.  Robertson. 

(2)  This  was  exemplified  in  the  fact  that  he 
tried  to  serve  two  masters. 

[17675]  Balaam  wanted  to  please  himself 
without  displeasing  God.  The  problem  was 
how  to  go  to  Balak,  and  yet  not  oftend  God. 
He  would  have  given  worlds  to  get  rid  of  his 
duties,  and  he  sacrificed,  not  to  learn  what  his 
duty  was,  but  to  get  his  duty  altered.  Now  see 
the  feeling  that  lay  at  the  root  of  all  this— that 
God  is  mutable.  Yet  of  all  men  one  would 
have  thought  Balaam  knew  better,  for  had  he 
not  said,  ''God  is  not  a  man,  that  He  should 
lie  ;  neither  the  son  of  man,  that  He  should  re- 
pent :  hath  He  said,  and  shall  He  not  do  it.""' 
But  when  we  look  upon  it,  we  see  Balaam  had 
scarcely  any  feeling  higlier  than  this — God  is 
more  inflexible  than  man.  Probably  had  he 
expressed  the  exact  shade  of  feeling,  he 
would  have  said,  more  obstinate.  He  thought 
that  God  had  set  His  heart  upon  Israel,  and 
that  it  was  hard,  yet  not  impossible,  to  alter  this 
partiality.  Hence  he  tries  sacrifices  to  bribe, 
and  prayers  to  coax  God.  How  deeply  rooted 
this  feeling  is  in  human  nature^ — this  belief  in 
God's  mutability — you  may  see  iVom  tlie  Romish 
doctrine  of  indulgences  and  atonements.  The 
Romish  Church  permits  crime  for  certain  con- 
siderations. For  certain  considerations  it 
teaches  that  God  will  forgive  crimes.  Atone- 
ments after,  and  indulgences  before  sin,  are  the 
same.  But  this  Romish  doctrine  never  could 
have  succeeded,  if  the  belief  in  God's  muta- 
bility and  the  desire  that  He  should  be  mutable, 
were  not  in  man  already. — Ibid. 


176 

17676 — 17680] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   EKA. 


[BALAAM. 


[17676]  What  Balaam  was  doing  in  these 
parables,  and  enchantments,  and  sacrifices,  was 
simply  purchasing  an  indulgence  to  sin  ;  in 
other  words,  it  was  an  attempt  to  make  the 
Eternal  Mind  change.  What  was  wanting  to 
Balaam  to  feel  was  this — God  cannot  change. 
What  he  did  feel  was  this— God  will  not  change. 
There  are  many  writers  that  teach  that  this  and 
that  is  right  because  God  has  willed  it.  All 
discussion  is  cut  short  by  the  reply,  God  has 
determined  it,  therefore  it  is  right.  Now,  there 
is  exceeding  danger  in  this  mode  of  thought, 
for  a  thing  is  not  right  because  God  has  willed 
it,  but  God  wills  it  because  it  is  right.  It  is  in 
this  tone  the  Bible  always  speaks.  Never, 
except  in  one  obscure  passage,  does  the  Bible 
seem  to  refer  right  and  wrong  to  the  sovereignty 
of  God,  and  declare  it  a  matter  of  will  :  never 
does  it  imply  that  if  He  so  choose.  He  could 
reverse  evil  and  good.  It  says,  "Is  not  My 
word  equal.'  are  not  your  ways  unequal?''  "Shall 
not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ?  "  was 
Abraham's  exclamation  in  a  kind  of  hideous 
doubt  whether  the  Creator  might  not  be  on  the 
eve  of  doing  injustice.  So  the  Bible  justifies 
the  ways  of  God  to  man.  But  it  could  not  do 
so  unless  it  admitted  eternal  laws,  with  which 
no  will  can  interfere.  Nay  more,  see  what 
ensues  from  this  mode  of  thought.  If  right 
is  right  because  God  wills  it,  then,  if  God  chose, 
He  could  make  injustice,  and  cruelty,  and  lying 
to  be  right.  This  is  exactly  what  Balaam 
thought.  If  God  could  but  be  prevailed  on  to  hate 
Israel,  then  for  him  to  curse  them  would  be 
right.  And  again  :  if  power  and  sovereignty 
make  right,  then,  supposing  that  the  Ruler 
were  a  demon,  devilish  hatred  would  be  as 
right  as  now  it  is  wrong.  There  is  great 
danger  in  some  of  our  present  modes  of  think- 
ing. It  is  a  common  thought  that  might  makes 
right,  but  for  us  there  is  no  rest,  no  rock,  no 
sure  footing,  as  long  as  we  feel  right  and  wrong 
are  mere  matters  of  will  and  decree.  There  is 
no  safety,  then,  from  those  hankering  feelings 
and  wishes  to  alter  God's  decree.— Ibid. 

[17677]  Balaam  wished  to  go  with  Balak's 
messengers,  only  he  felt  he  ought  not  to  go  ; 
and  the  problem  which  he  attempted  to  solve 
was,  how  to  go  and  yet  not  offend  God.  He 
was  quite  resolved  he  would,  anyhow,  act  re- 
ligiously and  conscientiously  ;  he  was  too 
honourable  a  man  to  break  any  of  his  engage- 
ments ;  if  he  had  given  his  word,  it  was  sacred  ; 
if  he  had  duties,  they  were  imperative  ;  he  had 
a  character  to  maintain,  and  an  inward  sense 
of  propriety  to  satisfy  ;  but  he  would  have  given 
the  world  to  have  got  rid  of  his  duties  ;  and  the 
question  was,  how  to  do  so  without  violence  ; 
and  he  did  not  care  about  walking  on  the  very 
brink  of  transgression,  so  that  he  could  keep 
from  falling  over.  Accordingly,  he  was  not 
content  with  ascertaining  God's  will,  but  he 
attempted  to  change  it. — Canlinal  Newnian. 

[17678]  The  object  we  have  now  before  us  is 
the  most  astonishing  in  the  world  ;  a  very  wicked 


man,  under  a  deep  sense  of  God  and  religion, 
p  jrsisting  still  in  his  wickedness,  and  preferring 
the  wages  of  unrighteousness  even  when  he  had 
before  him  a  lively  view  of  death,  and  that  ap- 
proaching period  of  his  days,  which  should 
deprive  him  of  all  those  advantages  for  which 
he  was  prostituting  himself;  and  likewise  a 
prospect,  whether  certain  or  uncertain,  of  a 
future  state  of  retribution  ;  all  this  joined  with 
an  explicit  ardent  wish,  that,  when  he  was  to 
leave  this  world,  he  might  be  in  the  condition 
of  a  righteous  man.  Good  God,  what  incon- 
sistency, what  perplexity  is  here  !  With  what 
different  views  of  things,  with  what  contradic- 
tory principles  of  action  must  such  a  mind  be 
torn  and  distracted  !  It  was  not  unthinking 
carelessness  by  which  he  run  on  headlong  in 
vice  and  folly,  without  ever  making  a  stand  to 
ask  himself  what  he  was  doing  :  no  ;  he  acted 
upon  the  cool  motives  of  interest  and  advantage. 
Neither  was  he  totally  hard  and  callous  to  im- 
pressions of  religion,  what  we  call  abandoned  ; 
for  he  absolutely  denied  to  curse  Israel.  When 
reason  assumes  her  place,  when  convinced  of 
his  duty,  when  he  owns  and  feels,  and  is  actually 
under  the  influence  of  the  Divine  authority  ; 
whilst  he  is  carrying  on  his  views  to  the  grave, 
the  end  of  all  temporal  greatness  ;  under  this 
sense  of  things,  with  the  better  character  and 
more  desirable  state  present — full  before  him — 
in  his  thoughts,  in  his  wishes,  voluntarily  to 
choose  the  worse — what  fatality  is  here  1  Or 
how  otherwise  can  such  a  character  be  ex- 
plained }  And  yet  strange  as  it  may  appear, 
it  is  not  altogether  an  uncommon  one  ;  nay, 
with  some  small  alterationSj  and  put  a  little 
lower,  it  is  applicable  to  a  very  considerable 
part  of  the  world.  For  if  the  reasonable  choice 
be  seen  and  acknowledged,  and  yet  men  make 
the  unreasonable  one,  is  not  this  the  same  con- 
tradiction ;  that  very  inconsistency  which  ap- 
peared so  unaccountable  ? — Bp.  Butler. 

[17679]  Although  the  power  of  conscience 
is  greatly  impaired  by  sin,  and  has  lost  its 
mastery,  it  has  not  lost  its  rod.  Men  are  some- 
times whipped  into  courses  of  conduct  which 
look  like  piety,  when  true  piety  itself  has  no 
attractions  for  them.  Balaam  well  knev/  that 
he  was  treading  a  doubtful  path  ;  the  experi- 
ment was  a  hazardous  one  to  curse  a  people 
whom  God  had  not  cursed.  That  he  was  deeply 
conscious  of  his  inconsistency  and  embarrass- 
ment, is  most  obvious  from  his  management 
and  contrivance  to  get  round  the  Divine  com- 
mand. He  was  pursuing  a  course  in  defiance 
of  conscience  ;  and  the  best  thing  he  could  do 
to  alleviate  her  reproaches  was  to  put  on  the 
semblance  of  religion. — Bp.  Wilberforce. 

II.  His  Departure  from  God. 

I  It  flowed  directly  from  his  first  false  step, 
which  was  prophetic  of  his  whole  down- 
ward course. 

[17680]  Balaam  replied  to  all  the  king  of 
Moab's  tempting  offers,  "  If  Balak  would  give 


17680 — 17684] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


177 

[BALAAM. 


me  his  house  full  of  silver  and  gold,  I  cannot  go 
beyond  the  word  of  the  Lord  my  God,  to  do 
less  or  more."  But  then  he  added,  "  Now, 
therefore,  I  pray  thee,  tarry  ye  also  here  this 
night,  that  I  may  know  what  the  Lord  will  say 
to  me  more."  Now,  it  is  just  here  that  lialaam 
failed  first.  He  ought  not  to  have  inquired  a 
second  time.  God  had  said,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
go  with  them,"  and  this  ought  to  have  been 
sufficient.  When  God  has  once  revealed  His 
will,  it  is  sinful  to  make  further  inquiry,  as  if  it 
were  not  revealed,  or  as  if  circumstances  would 
change  it.  This  it  was  that  Balaam  secretly 
wished.  He  did  not  dare  to  go  without  God's 
permission  ;  but  notwithstanding  all  his  profes- 
sions, he  could  not  quietly  resign  all  Balak's 
offers  of  promotion  and  gold.  We  take  this, 
then,  to  be  the  great  crisis  in  Balaam's  life. 
We  take  this  act,  which  to  many  appears  so 
excellent,  to  be  ihe.  first  step  in  his  downward 
course.  It  was  a  solemn  moment  for  Balaam, 
the  turning-point  in  his  history  ;  but  he  knew  it 
not.  It  was  not  only  the  day  of  God's  power 
towards  Israel,  but  a  day  of  grace  to  Balaam; 
but,  alas  !  he  kne^u  it  not.  The  precious  moment 
on  which  so  much  depended  was  lost  and  per- 
verted ;  henceforth  his  downward  course  was 
rapid  and  fearful.  He  perished  in  the  rejection 
of  grace  and  mercy.  How  full  of  solemn  warn- 
ing is  this  period  of  Balaam's  history  ! — G. 
Wagner. 

2       It  was   diabolical   in   the    ingenuity  of  its 
final  crime. 

[17681]  He  recommends  Balak  to  use  the 
fascination  of  the  daughters  of  Moab  to  entice 
the  Israelites  into  idolatry  (Numb.  xxxi.  15,  16  ; 
Rev.  ii.  14).  He  has  tried  enchantments  and 
sacrifices  in  vain  to  reverse  God's  will.  He 
has  tried  in  vain  to  think  that  will  is  reversed. 
It  will  not  do.  He  feels  at  last  that  God  has 
not  beheld  iniquity  in  Jacob,  neither  hath  He 
seen  perverseness  in  Israel.  Now,  therefore,  he 
tries  to  reverse  the  character  of  these  favourites, 
and  so  to  reverse  God's  will.  God  will  not 
curse  the  good  ;  therefore  Balaam  tries  to  make 
them  wicked  ;  he  tries  to  make  the  good  curse 
themselves,  and  so  exasperate  God.  A  more 
diabolical  wickedness  we  can  scarcely  conceive. 
Yet  Balaam  was  an  honourable  man  and  a 
veracious  man  ;  nay,  a  man  of  delicate  con- 
scientiousness and  unconquerable  scruples — a 
man  of  lofty  religious  professions,  highly  re- 
spectable and  respected.  The  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth  has  said  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
"  straining  at  a  gnat,  and  swallowing  a  camel." 
— Rev.  F.  IV.  Robertson. 


III.  His  Punishment. 

Z       It   was  begun  in  his  being  allowed  to  do 
according    to    his    own  will  and  pleasure. 

[17682]  The  permission  which  God  gave 
to  Balaam  to  go  with  the  princes  of  Moab  is 
certainly  difficult  and  perplexing,  especially 
when    taken    in  connection  with   what  follows. 

VOL.  VI.  I 


If  God  gave  him  permission  to  go  with  them, 
why  was  an  angel  sent  to  arrest  his  progress  .? 
and  why  was  God  angry  }  We  should  answer 
to  questions  of  this  kind  :  The  great  crisis  of 
Balaam's  life  was  now  past.  He  had  shown  his 
insincerity.  Though  he  would  not  outwardly 
break  away  from  God,  he  had  really  chosen 
evil — his  heart  upon  gold.  The  permission, 
therefore,  on  (iod's  part  was  really  a  punish- 
ment. It  was  as  if  God  had  said  to' him,  "  You 
wish  to  go  with  the  princes  of  Moab.  Notwith- 
standing all  your  professions,  your  heart  is  set 
upon  it.  Go  then,  but  know  this,  that  your 
sin  shall  find  you  out." — G.  Wagner. 

2  It  was  in  strict  conformity  with  his  whole 
career,  and  culminated  in  the  total  loss 
of  both  the  opposite  objects  which  he 
had  striven  to  obtain. 

[17683]  A  bad  man  prophesies  under  the  fear 
of  God,  restrained  by  conscience,  full  of  poetry 
and  sublime  feelings,  with  a  full  clear  view  of 
death  as  dwarfing  life,  and  the  blessedness  of 
righteousness  as  compared  with  wealth.  And 
yet  we  find  him  striving  to  disobey  God,  hollow 
and  unsound  at  heart ;  using  for  the  devil 
wisdom  and  gifts  bestowed  by  God,  sacrificing 
all  with  a  gambler's  desperation,  for  name  and 
wealth  :  tempting  a  nation  to  sin,  and  crime, 
and  ruin  ;  separated  in  selfish  isolation  from  all 
mankind  ;  superior  to  Balak,  and  yet  feeling 
that  Balak  knew  him  to  be  a  man  that  had  his 
price  ;  with  the  bitter  anguish  of  being  despised 
by  the  men  who  were  inferior  to  himself  ;  forced 
to  conceive  of  a  grandeur  in  which  he  had  no 
share,  and  a  righteousness  in  which  he  had  no 
part.  Can  you  not  conceive  the  end  of  one  with 
a  mind  so  torn  and  distracted  .^ — the  death  in 
battle  ;  the  insane  frenzy  with  which  he  would 
rush  into  the  field,  and  findings  all  go  against 
him,  and  that  lost  for  which  he  had  bartered 
heaven,  after  having  died  a  thousand  worse  than 
deaths,  find  death  at  last  upon  the  spears  of  the 
Israelites.'' — Rev.  F.  W.  Robertson. 

[17684]  He  thought  to  secure  this  world  and 
the  next  ;  he  lost  both  :  he  had  too  much  truth 
to  secure  the  rewards  of  Balak,  he  had  too 
little  truth  to  escape  the  wrath  of  God.  Not 
that  he  was  what  we  commonly  describe  by  the 
appellation,  hypocrite  :  he  did  not  study  to 
appear  one  character  whilst  he  was  another  : 
he  did  fear  God,  but  he  did  not  fear  Him  in  the 
right  way  ;  it  was  the  fear  of  a  slave,  not  of  a 
son  ;  the  fear  bred  by  the  thought  of  punish- 
ment, not  the  fear  of  awe — he  did  not  love  God 
at  all  ;  he  was  weak  and  irresolute  in  purpose  ; 
his  reason  approved  of  God's  service,  but  the 
low  cravings  of  a  covetous  temper  were  not  cast 
out  of  his  heart  by  a  true  spirit  of  love,  and  so 
in  time  they  stifled  all  its  higher  aspirations. 
It  was  in  vain  that  he  knew  the  blessedness  of 
being  on  God's  side  ;  in  vain  that  the  Spirit  of 
the  Highest  rested  on  him  ;  in  vain  that  his 
eyes  were  opened,  and  that  visions  of  God's 
glory,  such  as  man  knows  not,  passed  in  un- 
veiled majesty  before  him  ;  he  was  failing  in  the 


17684— 17688] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[BALAAM. 


great  trial  of  his  own  moral  being,  and  so  he 
fell  at  last,  and  fell  hopelessly. — Bp.  Wilbcr- 
fofce. 

IV.  Question  as  to  the  True  or  False 
Nature  of  his  Prophetic  Office 
AND  Gifts. 

[17685]  Balaam  was  blessed  with  God's 
special  favour.  You  will  ask  at  once,  How 
could  so  bad  a  man  be  in  God's  favour?  But  I 
wish  you  to  put  aside  reasonings,  and  contem- 
plate facts.  J  say  he  was  specially  favoured  by 
(jod.  God  has  a  store  of  favours  in  His  treasure- 
house,  and  of  various  kinds — some  for  a  time, 
some  for  ever  ;  some  implying  His  approbation, 
others  not.  He  showers  favours  even  on  the 
bad.  He  makes  His  sun  to  rise  on  the  unjust 
as  well  as  on  the  just.  He  willeth  not  the  death 
of  a  sinner.  He  is  said  to  have  loved  the  young 
ruler,  whose  heart,  notwithstanding,  was  upon 
the  world.  His  loving  mercy  extends  over  all 
His  works.  How  He  separates,  in  His  own 
Divine  thought,  kindness  from  approbation, 
time  from  eternity  ;  what  He  does  from  what 
He  foresees,  we  know  not,  and  need  not  inquire. 
At  present  He  is  loving  to  all  men,  as  if  He  did 
not  foresee  that  some  are  to  be  saints,  others 
reprobates  to  all  eternity.  He  dispenses  His 
favours  variously— gifts,  graces,  rewards,  facul- 
ties, circumstances,  being  indefinitely  diversified, 
nor  admitting  of  discrimmation  or  numbering  on 
our  part.  Balaam,  I  say,  was  in  His  favour  ; 
not  indeed  for  his  holiness'  sake,  not  for  ever  ; 
but  in  a  certain  sense,  according  to  His  in- 
scrutable purpose  who  chooses  whom  He  will 
choose,  and  exalts  whom  He  will  e.xalt,  without 
destroying  man's  secret  responsibilities,  or  His 
own  governance,  and  the  triumph  of  truth  and 
holiness,  and  His  own  strict  impartiality  in  the 
end.  Balaam  was  favoured  in  an  especial  way 
above  the  mere  heathen.  Not  only  had  he  the 
grant  of  inspiration,  and  the  knowledge  of  God's 
will,  an  insight  into  the  truths  of  morality,  clear 
and  enlarged,  such  as  we  Christians  even  cannot 
surpass,  but  he  was  even  admitted  to  conscious 
intercourse  with  God,  such  as  even  Christians 
have  not. — Cardinal  New/nan. 

[17686]  The  probability  is  that  he  was  in 
many  respects  a  superior  man,  with  illumination 
enough  to  seize  and  present  not  a  little  of  that 
common  heritage  of  truth  which  had  survived 
the  several  stages  of  corruption  ;  and  quite 
possibly  he  was  used  of  God  for  the  purpose  of 
doing  good  among  the  ignorant  and  degraded 
people  around  him.  Indeed,  his  subsequent 
utterances  .  .  .  give  evidence  of  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  some  of  the  most 
important  parts  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  so 
that  we  may  without  improbability  regard  him 
as  a  worshipper  of  the  true  God  in  that  far-off 
land,  and  yet  one  who  had  by  no  means  siiaken 
himself  free  from  the  corrupt  influences  around 
him,  as  is  evident  from  his  subsequent  career. — 
Anon. 


V.  Reflective    Summary    of    General 
Character. 

[17687]  The  narrative  in  Numbers,  though 
brief  according  to  the  spun-out  biographies  of 
modern  times,  makes  us  feel  that  Balaam  was 
no  ordinary  personage.  He  was  one  of  those 
poets,  prophets,  geniuses,  who  exercise  for  good 
or  evil  immense  power  over  their  fellows.  A 
century,  usually,  only  can  boast  of  a  handful  of 
such  richly  gifted  men.  Balaam,  the  son  of 
Beor,  combined  high  intellectual  with  high 
moral  and  spiritual  culture.  As  there  are  some 
men  who  have  quicker  mental  perception,  so 
there  are  others  who  have  keener  moral  suscep- 
tibilities. The  majority  of  mankind  have  not 
too  large  an  outfit  of  intellectual  and  moral  gifts. 
Ordinary  men  are  usually  slow  to  discern  good 
and  evil,  right  and  wrong,  in  any  but  the  simplest 
and  most  obvious  forms.  The  longer  I  live  the 
more  I  feel  that  there  is  a  limited  responsibility 
— yet  a  responsibility — with  numbers  of  the 
human  family.  Masses  of  men  sin  ignorantly 
and  in  unbelief  It  is  not  so,  however,  with  men 
of  Balaam's  stamp.  They  intuitively  see  the 
right  and  the  wrong,  and  it  is  very  painful  to 
their  elevated  nature  to  act  shabbily,  meanly, 
and  dishonestly.  They  cannot  sin  without  the 
semblance  of  acting  rightly,  and  resort  to  the  aid 
of  sophistry  and  a  masterly  ingenuity  in  order  to 
mystify  the  truth. — C.  N. 

[17688]  From  the  record  of  this  dweller  in 
Aram,  we  learn  that  something  more  than  noble 
traits  of  character,  moral  sensibility,  high  ideals, 
prophetical  lore,  theological  knowledge  are 
necessary  for  a  virtuous  and  a  godly  career. 
We  may  have  the  gifts  without  the  graces  ; 
prophecy,  religious  knowledge  without  the  self- 
denial,  devoted  spirit  of  holy  teachers  who  use 
that  knowledge  solely  for  the  glory  of  God. 
Avarice,  ambition,  or  any  one  master  passion, 
whether  in  a  refined  or  religious,  or  in  an  unre- 
fined or  irreligious  kind,  will  with  cancerous 
eftect  destroy  the  true  life  within.  Balaam 
loved  the  wages  of  unrighteousness,  he  loved 
supremely  money,  or  what  money  could  obtain 
or  sustain,  rank,  station,  and  position.  He 
loved  indeed,  but  only  secondarily,  honesty, 
truth,  and  rectitude.  The  fierceness  of  the 
struggle  between  the  good  and  evil  elements  in 
this  man  of  many  parts,  explains  the  incon- 
sistencies and  the  enigmas  of  his  history.  Nor 
did  his  spiritual  knowledge  and  intellectual 
endowments  prove  real  advantages  to  him  in 
the  conflict.  In  short,  they  only  seem  to  have 
made  his  case  the  more  absolutely  hopeless. 
A  less  gifted  man  would  not  have  been  so  per- 
fectly blind  as  he  at  last  became.  A  less  skilled 
casuist  would  not  have  been  able  to  persuade 
himself  that  he  could  please  himself  and  not 
displease  God,  that  he  could  get  God  to  alter 
His  laws  and  plans,  and  that  obligations  could 
be  relaxed,  and  duties  relieved  of  their  plain 
character,  to  suit  the  wishes  of  a  mere  mortal 
man  however  gifted  and  favoured.  Never  was 
it  more  clearly  shown  that  the  wages  of  sin  is 


17688 — 17692] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[BALAAM. 


death  than  in  Balaam's  perversion  of  great 
gifts,  the  prostituting  of  extraordinary  talents 
until  he  ended  his  career,  being  one  of  the 
accursed  race  of  panderers  and  pimps  de- 
servedly being  destroyed  with  the  sword  of  the 
I  sraelites. — Ibid. 

VI.  Similarity  between  the  Characters 
OF  Balaam  and  Judas. 

[17689]  The  figure  of  Balaam  stands  out  alone 
in  the  history  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  only 
counterpart  to  it  is  that  of  Judas,  the  traitor. 
Balaam  represented  the  opposition  of  heathen- 
ism ;  Judas  that  of  Judaism.  Both  went  some 
length  in  following  the  truth  ;  Balaam  honestly 
acknowledged  the  God  of  Israel,  and  followed 
His  directions  ;  Judas  owned  the  Messianic 
appearance  in  Jesus,  and  joined  His  disciples. 
But  in  the  crisis  of  their  inner  history,  when 
that  came  which,  in  one  form  or  another,  must 
be  to  every  one  the  decisive  question  —  each 
failed.  Both  had  stood  at  the  meeting  and 
parting  of  the  two  ways,  and  both  chose  that 
course  which  rapidly  ended  in  their  destruction. 
Balaam  had  expected  the  service  of  Jehovah  to 
be  quite  other  from  what  he  found  it  ;  and, 
trying  to  make  it  such  as  he  imagined  and 
wished,  he  not  only  failed,  but  stumbled,  fell, 
and  was  broken.  Judas,  also,  if  we  may  be 
allowed  the  suggestion,  had  expected  the  Mes- 
siah to  be  quite  other  than  he  found  Him  ;  dis- 
appointment, perhaps  failure  in  the  attempt  to 
induce  Him  to  alter  His  course,  and  an  in- 
creasingly widening  gulf  of  distance  between 
them,  drove  him,  step  by  step,  to  ruin.  Even 
the  besetting  sins  of  Balaam  and  of  Judas — 
covetousness  and  ambition  —  are  the  same. 
And  as,  when  Balaam  failed  in  turning  Jehovah 
from  Israel,  he  sought— only  too  successfully — 
to  turn  Israel  from  the  Lord  ;  so  when  Judas 
could  not  turn  the  Christ  from  His  purpose 
towards  His  people,  he  also  succeeded  in 
turning  Israel,  as  a  nation,  from  their  King. 
In  both  instances,  also,  for  a  moment  a  light 
more  bright  than  before  was  cast  upon  the 
scene.  In  the  case  of  Balaam  we  have  the 
remarkable  prophetic  utterances,  reaching  far 
beyond  the  ordinary  range  of  prophetic  vision  ; 
at  the  betrayal  by  Judas  we  hear  the  prophetic 
saying  of  the  High  Priest  going  far  beyond  the 
knowledge  of  the  time,  that  Jesus  should  die, 
not  only  for  His  own  people,  but  for  a  ruined 
world.  And,  lastly,  in  their  terrible  end,  they 
each  present  to  us  most  solemn  warning  of  the 
danger  of  missing  the  right  answer  to  the  great 
question — that  of  absolute  and  implicit  submis- 
sion of  mind,  heart,  and  life  to  the  revealed 
covenant  will  of  God. — Rev.  A.  Edersheim, 
D.D. 

[The  type  of  character  which  these  two  men 
represent  is  no  uncommon  one.  It  should  be 
carefully  studied  ;  for  although  in  few  instances 
do  we  see  such  ripened  fruits  of  sin,  yet  the 
ambitious  and  covetous  spirit,  if  unchecked  in 
religious  professors,  is  sure  to  tend  to  an  alarm- 
ing moral  catastrophe. — C.  A'.] 


VII.  His   Life's   Lesson   for  our  own 
Times. 

1  It  declaims  against  the  love  of  money. 
[17690]  There  never  was  an  age  when  men 

needed  more  to  be  warned  against  avarice  ;  not 
against  money,  but  the  love  of  it.  Mere  de- 
nunciations of  money  are  always  foolish,  and 
nearly  always  insincere  ;  but  warnings  against 
the  love  of  it  are  perpetually  needful  (i  Tim. 
yi.  9-19).  No  vice  lays  hold  of  the  soul  more 
imperceptibly,  acquires  power  over  it  more 
rapidly,  debases  it  more  completely,  or  cleaves 
to  it  so  long.  Therefore  let  us  guard  against 
its  beginnings.  (Krummacher's  "  Parable  of  the 
Crocodile.")  If  we  are  prospering  in  the  world, 
we  must  take  care  not  to  let  the  vice  of  avarice 
come  to  life  in  the  soul.  We  can  prevent  this  : 
(i)  By  setting  our  affection  on  things  above 
(Col.  iii.  I,  2).  If  we  truly  apprehend  the  fact 
that  our  "  conversation  "  (our  citizenship)  is  in 
heaven,  we  shall  not  be  too  powerfully  attracted 
by  the  baubles  of  earth.  (2)  By  causing  our 
benevolence  to  keep  pace  with  our  prosperity. 
A  habit  of  benevolence  is  the  best  safeguard 
against  avarice.  The  philanthropist  has  joys 
far  exceeding  any  the  miser  ever  knows  (Acts 
XX.  35).  Such  a  man's  wealth  is  a  blessing,  not 
only  to  others,  but  to  himself.  In  this  life  it 
procures  for  him  happiness  of  the  best,  because 
of  the  most  God-like  kind.  After  death  it  secures 
for  him  an  honoured  memory,  and  loving  wel- 
come to  the  heavenly  mansions  (Luke  xvi.  9). 
In  the  day  of  judgment,  when  the  covetous 
man's  gold  shall  sink  him  down  to  hell,  the 
wealth  of  the  man  who  went  about  doing  good 
shall  purchase  for  him  welcome  from  the  Judge 
of  all  (Matt.  xxv.  34-36).— /(^/^. 

2  It  emphasizes  the  meanness,  dishonesty, 
and  consequent  disaster  of  attempting  to 
serve  "  God  and  Mammon." 

[17691]  The  one  great  lesson  of  Balaam's 
career  is  that  which  has  been  enforced  with 
great  spirit  and  power  by  Bishop  Butler  :  that 
he  who  counts  the  cost  of  honesty  is  dishonest. 
He  who  sets  a  price  upon  his  religious  convic- 
tions has  no  true  religious  principle.  Either 
Christianity  is  worthy  of  our  whole  heart,  or  its 
claims  are  worthless.  The  most  pitiable  class 
in  Christian  lands  consists  of  those  who  clearly 
see  the  excellence  of  Christ,  but  who  love  the 
wages  of  unrighteousness,  and  are  for  ever  at- 
tempting to  compromise  both  with  the  Lord  and 
with  the  devil. — Ibid. 

3  It  displays  the  disastrous  impotence  of  a 
merely  intellectual  hold  upon  sacred  truth. 

[17692]  Alas  for  the  deadly  gift  of  cleverness  ! 
alas  for  the  danger  of  that  sharpness  of  wit 
which  leads  us  to  endeavour  to  compass  our 
ends  by  indirect  and  circuitous  means  !  The 
politician,  who  could  not  forego  true  words,  tried 
his  craft.  He  succeeded,  and  he  failed.  He 
succeeded  against  man  ;  he  failed  against  God. 
The  evil  that  he  planned,  by  means  of  other 
men's   sins    he  brought   about.     The   personal 


i8o 

17692 — 17696] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[adoni-bezek. 


advancement  that  he  sought  was  overthrown  by 
a  miserable  death,  and  a  name  blasted  to  all 
generations  in  the  inspired  oracles  of  God.  Oh, 
let  us  turn  our  eyes  upon  ourselves  !  Can  we 
not  read  ourselves  in  much,  at  least,  of  this 
history.?  How  apt  we  are  to  totter  thus  and 
stagger  upon  the  edge  of  truth  and  duty  !  Not 
indeed  visibly,  intentionally,  distinctly  giving  it 
up  and  forsaking  it  ,  but  trying  to  hold  it  to- 
gether with  as  much  of  worldly  indulgence  and 
prosperity  as  we  can  ;  trying  to  serve  God  and 
mammon,  God  and  our  own  heart's  lusts  ;  trying 
by  all  sorts  of  cunning  self-deceit  to  keep  truth 
(so  at  least  as  not  to  abandon  it)  and  be  pros- 
perous, to  keep  truth  and  be  rich,  to  keep  truth 
4ind  be  popular,  to  keep  truth  and  be  comfort- 
able. But  if  a  man  does  thus  allow  himself  to 
palter  with  that  which  ought  to  be  the  founda- 
tion and  basis  of  all  else  ;  if  he  divides  his  aim 
between  two  objects  in  his  life  ;  if  he  goes  on 
so,  venturing  to  the  very  edge  of  duty  and  truth 
continually— going,  so  to  say,  as  near  to  the 
wind  on  every  occasion  as  he  possibly  can, 
without  actually  disowning  and  forfeiting  the 
truth  which  he  believes,  and  thinks  that  he  is 
holding  fast — do  you  suppose  that  that  conflict 
will  continue  long  ?  do  you  imagine  that  so 
painful  a  balance  and  inward  battle  can  last  ? 
No  ;  by  no  means  :  that  which  the  intellect 
holds  will  yield  and  give  way  ;  that  which  the 
heart  loves  will  gain  strength  and  have  victory. 
At  last  it  must  needs  be  so,  whether  the  ultimate 
condition  of  the  man  be  produced  by  the  gradual 
•dying  away  of  the  intellectual  hold  of  truth,  or 
by  some  sudden  device  of  cleverness,  like  the 
•counsel  of  Balaam,  designed,  by  a  stroke  of 
policy  and  skill,  to  gain  both  objects  at  once. 
One  way  or  the  other,  the  worldly  heart  will 
have  its  way.  It  smothers  the  intellectual  faith. 
It  necessarily  kills  it.  The  world  cannot  be 
taken  in  to  share  the  empire  of  the  heart  with- 
out becoming  ere  long  the  ruler  of  it, — Bp. 
Moberley, 


ADONI-BEZEK. 

I.  His  Crukl  Practice. 

[17693]  Probably  it  was  to  brand  men  as 
cowards  that  Adoni-bezek  carried  on  such  a 
cruel  practice  as  that  of  cutting  off  their  thumbs. 
This  method  of  branding  afforded  a  certain 
malign  gratification  to  those  who  had  the  power 
thus  to  punish  others,  while  it  did  something 
towards  crippling  the  power  of  revolt.  The  ex- 
cision must  have  been  performed  in  a  particular 
way — which  would  be  most  painful — otherwise 
death  would  have  speedily  ensued.  Doubtless 
many  would,  even  with  this  precaution,  die  from 
the  infliction.  It  seems,  however,  to  have  af- 
forded amusement  to  those  who  were  onlookers. 
It  is  strange  how  men  can  behold  such  things 
without,  mentally,  placing  themselves  in  the 
position  of  those  compelled  to  submit  to  such 
cruelty.     But  men  get,  by  education,  gradually 


accustomed  to  such  sights.  Frequently  the 
process  of  education  in  evil  begins  very  early. 
A  child  forms  the  habit  of  tormenting  insects 
and  mute  creatures.  That  is  the  preparatory 
process.  Doubtless  the  education  of  Adoni- 
bezek  began  early.  Certamly  if  he  had  others 
to  help  him  he  was  an  apt  pupil.  He  had  evi- 
dently delighted  in  practising  as  much  cruelty 
as  possible.  It  had  been  his  boast  at  one  time 
that  so  many  kings  had  not  only  suffered  by 
excision  of  their  thumbs,  but  had  been  reduced 
also  to  the  position  of  dogs.  "  To  gather  meat 
under  a  table,"  was  the  proverbial  expression 
for  such  a  position.  If  he  had  thus  treated 
seventy-two  kings  it  is  probable  that  he  had 
maltreated,  or  caused  to  be  tormented,  many 
others  of  inferior  rank.— i^.  Hastiiigs. 

II.  His  Righteous  Retributive  Punish- 
ment. 

I  He  observed  in  it  a  remarkable  corre- 
spondence between  past  barbarity  and  pre- 
sent suffering. 

[17694]  The  victorious  Israelites  advance,  and 
Adoni-bezek  has  to  fight  a  battle  in  which,  in- 
stead of  being  the  victor,  he  is  the  vanquished. 
He  is  taken  and  led,  a  prisoner,  into  the  pre- 
sence of  his  conqueror.  Never  had  he  antici- 
pated this  :  much  less  that  he  himself  would 
have  to  suffer  as  others  had  done  through  him. 
The  Israelites  knew  of  this  horrible  practice. 
It  had  been  a  matter  of  common  report  how 
cruelly  he  treated  the  vanquished.  To  punish 
him  they  inflict  the  same  penalty.  With  hands 
and  feet  writhing  from  the  recent  excision,  he 
makes  this  acknowledgment  :  "  As  I  have  done, 
so  God  hath  requited  me." — Ibid. 

[17695]  When  men  suffer  they  look  back  and 
ask  themselves  why  such  a  trial  has  come  upon 
them — what  action  of  their  own  has  caused  it  ? 
Men  are  never  willing  at  first  to  blame  them- 
selves for  any  evil  that  may  befall  them.  But 
the  nature  of  the  punishment  in  this  case 
compels  Adoni-bezek  to  trace  his  suffering  to 
his  own  act.  Had  he  suffered  from  a  wound  in 
battle,  or  fallen  as  he  led  his  army,  or  had  he 
been  simply  imprisoned  or  had  his  eyes  put  out, 
as  were  those  of  one  of  the  kings  of  Judah,  he 
would  not  so  readily  have  connected  his  mis- 
fortune with  his  previous  wrong-doings.  There 
is,  however,  in  his  sufferings  something  so 
forcibly  recalling  his  own  misdeeds  that  he 
himself  calls  his  torture  a  requital.  He  sees  a 
similarity  between  his  own  sin  and  that  which 
had  fallen  upon  him.  He  takes  it  in  the  -jense 
of  retribution.  Why  ?  Because  conscience  told 
him  he  had  done  evil. — Ibid. 

[17696]  It  was  the  conscience  of  Adoni-bezek 
which  led  him  thus  to  tremble  at  what  he  under- 
stood as  the  consequence  of  his  own  sin.  Had 
he  suffered  the  same  treatment,  never  having 
injured  others  in  the  same  way,  it  is  not  pro- 
bable that  he  would  have  seen  in  it  a  requital 
of  his  own  sin.     That  he  should  so  see  it  shows 


17696 — I770I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


ISI 

[adoni-bezek. 


that  when  he  had  thus  cruelly  used  the  seventy- 
two  kings  one  after  the  other,  the  voice  of  con- 
science had  protested  against  it.  It  had  been 
for  some  long  time  silent.  Now,  however,  its 
power  returns,  and  with  fearfully  startling  em- 
phasis asserts,  "  Thou  didst  this  to  others,  now 
it  comes  upon  thyself.  Thou  didst  mock  at  the 
calamity  of  others,  now  it  comes  upon  thee,  and 
thou  shrinkest."  He  sees  that  he  had  acted 
proudly  and  wantonly.  He  has  to  suffer,  but 
it  would  be  far  more  easy  to  bear  his  sufferings 
if  conscience  would  not  so  bitterly  remind  him 
of  the  correspondence  between  previous  per- 
formances and  present  pains. — Ibid. 

2      He  ascribed  it  to  a  Divine  hand. 

[17697]  The  recognition  of  the  correspondence 
between  past  acts  and  his  present  misfortune 
leads  Adoni-bezek  to  ascribe  it  to  a  Divine 
hand.  "  God  has  requited  me."  He  was  not 
an  Israelite,  but  was  probably  an  idolater,  and 
he  may  have  trusted  in  false  gods  for  a  long 
time.  He  had  ascribed  to  their  power  his 
success  in  previous  campaigns,  but  at  last, 
finding  himself  beaten,  he  acknowledges  the 
superior  power  of  the  God  of  the  Israelites.  It 
was  a  dread  of  that  God  which  compelled  the 
confession.  He  had  heard  of  God,  and  what  He 
had  done  to  other  nations  ;  now  he  finds  him- 
self conquered,  and  is  led  to  attribute  his  per- 
sonal sufferings  to  the  God  of  the  Israelites. 
The  God  of  Israel  was  known  as  a  holy  and 
just  God.  Hence  he  tacitly  recognizes  the 
justice  of  the  punishment  which  had  fallen  upon 
him.     It  is  a  righteous  and  Divine  requital. 


III.   HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 
I       Retribution  dogs  the  feet  of  sin. 

[17698]  God  has  so  arranged  natural  law  that 
it  works  in  harmony  with  eternal  justice.  There 
is  a  subtle  connection  between  our  acts  and  our 
sufferings.  We  may  see  illustrations  of  this 
every  day.  A  man  may  act  in  a  certain  loose 
and  careless  way  and  prepare  for  himself  con- 
sequences the  most  terrible  and  unlooked  for. 
Another  gives  way  to  fierce  and  ungoverned 
passions,  and  makes  himself,  thereby,  wretched. 
Another  chooses  to  spend  his  time  only  in  the 
pursuits  of  pleasure,  and  to  squander  his  money 
on  every  foolish  thing  that  pleases  his  eye  ;  he 
soon  finds  himself  without  either  the  power  to 
enjoy,  or  the  money  to  procure  enjoyment. 
Another  gives  way  to  pilfering,  and  soon  finds 
himself  discharged  characterless.  Or  a  youth 
may  have  kind  parents,  and  every  opportunity  of 
making  his  way  in  the  world,  but  he  gives  way 
to  dissipated  habits,  and  finally,  when  character 
is  gone  and  friends  are  dead,  is  glad  to  earn  the 
most  trifling  sum  under  men  whom  he  once 
despised.  A  just  retribution  in  all  such  cases 
certainly  follows  the  sin.  Like  Adoni-bezek, 
such  must  confess  that  "God  hath  requited" 
the  wrong-doing. — Ibid. 


[17699]  Many  trees  around  have  fallen,  but 
one  tree  still  stands.  You  say,  "  It  will  stand 
for  ever  !  "  One  night,  however,  a  storm,  less 
severe  perhaps  than  many  that  have  preceded 
It,  sweeps  over  the  land.  The  morning  breaks, 
and  men  look  out  to  see  the  damage  done,  and 
the  very  tree  that  seemed  as  though  it  would 
stand  for  ever  is  the  only  one  fallen.  How  is 
this  ?  Some  slight  gash  with  a  knife  when  it 
was  a  sapling,  just  above  some  branch,  has  let 
the  rain  soak  in.  Gradually  the  heart  rotted 
out,  and  a  mere  shell  of  bark  has  been  left. 
The  appearance  was  good,  but  it  had  no  solidity. 
Hence  its  fall.  Thus  with  many  whose  sin  is 
prolonged  and  whose  punishment  seems  delayed. 
It  will  come  by  and  by.  Then,  writhing  under 
the  bitter  consequences,  the  transgressor  is  com- 
pelled to  say,  "  As  I  have  done,  so  God  hath  re- 
quited me." — Ibid. 

2  The  natural  sequence  of  punishment  to 
sin  will  be  discovered  hereafter  if  it  is 
not  perceived  now. 

[17700]  We  shall  see  in  another  world  that 
each  punishment  is  natural,  that  God  does  not 
go  out  of  His  way  to  punish,  but  that  it  grows 
out  of  our  sin.  It  is  not  an  arbitrary  appoint- 
ment. Death  has  been  aforetime  the  appointed 
penalty  for  stealing.  That  was  not  a  natural 
but  an  arbitrary  consequence.  Man  appointed 
it.  Death  following  upon  the  wilful  leap  from  a 
lofty  precipice  is  a  natural  consequence.  All 
will  see  clearly  hereafter  that  ruin  is  the  natural 
effect  of  folly.  We  have  thrown  ourselves  from 
a  high  vocation  into  the  deep  abyss  of  sin,  and, 
if  without  Divine  help,  must  perish. — Ibid. 

[ 1 7701]  May  not  the  dishonest  man  there 
have  to  cringe  and  hide  himself  still  more .'' 
May  not  the  drunken  man  have  a  constant 
craving,  a  burning  thirst,  a  racking  brain  ?  May 
not  the  ambitious  man  have  a  constant  anxiety 
to  obtain  power,  and  the  torment  of  always 
being  supplanted,  or  effectually  checked,  by 
others  ?  May  not  the  avaricious  man  be  in  a 
constant  fever  of  suspicion  }  May  not  the  ill- 
tempered  man  be  in  a  constant  whirl  of  passion, 
and  make  himself  more  and  more  wretched  ? 
May  not  the  ruthless  and  cruel  fear  the  scorn  of 
their  victims  and  clutches  of  their  enemies.'' 
May  not  the  voluptuary  have  to  bear  the  tor- 
ment of  an  inflamed  heart  and  ungratified  lusts? 
There  is  a  frightful  force  in  the  Saviour's  figure 
of  "  the  worm  that  never  dieth,  and  the  fire  that 
shall  never  be  quenched."  Every  hasty  word, 
every  evil  thought,  every  malicious  action,  every 
wilful  neglect,  will  receive  its  appropriate  retri- 
bution. God  hath  established  the  unswerving 
law  that  "  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall 
he  also  reap."  Even  an  idolatrous  Adoni-bezek 
saw  the  correspondence  between  past  cruelly 
and  present  anguish,  and  confessed  the  justice 
of  the  requital  in  the  remarkable  words,  "  As  I 
have  done,  so  God  hath  requited  me." — Ibid. 


l82 


PART   B.     (Continued.) 


JEWISH     ERA. 

{Continued.) 

DIVISION    II.     {Continued.) 
CHIEF  PERIOD  OF  NA  TIONAL  LIFE.     {Contitmed) 

b.   T/ie    Monarchical    Portion. 

(i)  Of  Undivided  Kingdom. 

(Saul  to  Rehoboam,  B.C.  1095-975  :  120  years.) 

SYLLABUS. 

PAGE 

Introduction       ...         ...         .«         ...     183 

Kings. 

Saul  185 

David 194 

Solomon   ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  210 

Kings'  Sons. 

Jonathan         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...     217 

Absalom    ...  ...  ...  ...  ...         ...         ...  224 

Leading  Men  in  David's  Administratio7i. 

Joab 228 

Hushai      ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  229 

Jashobeam,  Eleazar,  and  Shammah  ...         ...         ...  230 

Miscellaneous  Group  of  Persons  connected  tvith   the  Life  of 
David. 

Doeg ...         ...         ...         ...         ...     231 

Nabal         232 

Barzillai  ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ...     235 


i83 


PART    B.    (Continued.) 


JEWISH     ERA. 

(^Continued.) 


INTRODUCTION. 

I.  Israel's  Original  Polity. 
1       It  was  a  pure  theocracy. 

[17702]  The  civil  polity  given  to  the  children 
of  Israel  at  their  first  establishment  in  the  land 
of  Canaan  was  a  pure  theocracy.  What  then  is 
a  theocracy?  The  word  signifies  the  rule  of 
God.  In  a  sense  this  word  is  applicable  to 
every  form  of  human  government,  for  by  him 
"kings  rule  and  princes  decree  justice."  "There 
is  no  power  but  of  God  ;  the  powers  that  be  are 
ordained  of  God  ;  whosoever  therefore  resisteth 
the  power  resisteth  the  ordinance  of  God." 
Whoever  is  the  ruler,  however  he  obtained  his 
rule,  and  by  whatsoever  tenure  he  holds  it,  he 
is  but  a  subordinate  and  a  deputy,  and  holds  his 
authority  in  subjection  to  the  dominion  of  Him 
whose  "  kingdom  ruleth  over  all."  But  God 
was  pleased  to  establish  over  His  chosen  people 
a  close  and  more  immediate  authority  of  His 
own,  one  that  ordinarily  dispensed  with  the 
intervention  of  a  human  head,  and  that  was 
designed  to  stand  to  them  in  the  direct  relations 
of  their  civil  chief  magistrate. — Rev.  R.  Hallam, 
D.D. 

[17703]  They  were  to  have  no  human  king  or 
chieftain,  elective  or  hereditary,  no  visible  throne 
or  sceptre,  no  man  whose  word  should  be  law  to 
them,  or  whose  guidance  they  were  to  trust  in 
peace  and  in  war.  Their  sovereign  was  invisible  ; 
His  palace  was  in  the  skies  far  above  out  of 
their  sight  ;  His  behests  were  made  known  to 
them  supernaturally  by  direct  communication 
from  heaven.  This  was  a  great  honour  and 
a  great  privilege,  for  it  ensured  to  them  a  con- 
trol absolutely  perfect  and  infallible,  a  direction 
in  which  there  could  never  be  the  slightest 
defect,  error,  or  fickleness. — Ibid. 

[17704]  There  is  a  matchless  sublimity — the 
sublimity  of  condescension  and  graciousness — 
about  the  very  idea  of  a  theocracy.  But  if  its 
sublimity  did  not  appeal  to  their  moral  sense, 
its  peculiar  advantageousness  might  have  ap- 
pealed to  their  self-regard.  No  other  form  of 
government  could  be  compared  with  it  for  bene- 
ficial results  to  its  subjects.  For  consider  what 
it    involved — the   equal    accessiblene^s    of   the 


sovereign  to  all  his  subjects— the  certainty  of 
having  the  best  counsel  under  all  circumstances 
— the  largest  resources  both  of  power  and  skill 
at  their  command— the  impossibility  of  wrong 
motives  affecting  the  sovereign's  acts — the  free- 
dom from  the  ordinary  burdens  of  government 
when  He  was  king  who  could  say,  "Every  beast 
of  the  forest  is  Mine,  and  the  cattle  on  a  thousand 
hills.  If  I  were  hungry  I  would  not  tell  thee  : 
for  the  world  is  Mine  and  the  fulness  thereof." 
Set,  then,  we  say,  against  such  an  administration 
the  form  of  sovereignty  which  the  Israelites 
desired.— y?^.  J.  Miller. 

[17705]  Surely  no  people  on  the  earth  were 
ever  so  favoured  as  Israel  was  in  having  God  in 
so  close  and  intimate  a  relation  to  them  as  He 
was  under  the  theocracy,  to  take  the  immediate 
direction  of  their  affairs  and  order  all  things  for 
them  with  an  infallible  wisdom  and  goodness, 
free  from  all  the  errors  of  judgment  and  defects 
of  ability  which  must  attend  on  any  earthly 
guidance.  And  yet  they  thought  the  theocracy 
not  good  for  them,  and  it  was  not.  It  was 
better  than  anything  that  could  be  substituted 
for  it  in  itself,  as  much  better  as  a  Divine  thing 
is  than  anything  human.  But  in  order  to  get 
from  it  the  good  it  offered,  they  needed  to  be 
raised  to  a  higher  plane  of  spirituality  than  they 
were  willing  to  maintain.  They  must  be  spiritu- 
ally-minded men,  and  their  God  must  be  to 
them  a  present  and  living  reality,  the  God  with 
whom  they  daily  and  hourly  had  to  do.  This 
they  did  not  like,  and  would  take  no  pains  to 
attain  or  preserve  it.  And  without  it  the  theo- 
cracy was  7iot  a  blessing  to  them.  Nay,  it  be- 
came a  disadvantage,  for  while  it  did  not  confer 
upon  them  its  own  special  benefits,  it  did  serve 
to  intercept  the  benefits  of  that  far  inferior  rule 
of  which  It  took  the  place. — Rev.  R.  Hallaiii, 
D.D. 

2  It  proved  a  failure  because  of  the  lack  of 
the  requisite  conditions  for  success — faith 
and  obedience  in  the  Israelites. 

[17706]  If  the  spirit  of  a  perfect  faith  and 
obedience  had  been  in  them,  the  theocracy  must 
have  brought  to  them  perfect  bliss  and  perfect 
prosperity.  But  these  qualities  were  indispen- 
sable to  its  well-working.  They  must  see  Him 
that  is  invisible.  He  must  be  real  to  them, 
habitually  recognized,  His  presence  felt,  and  His 


iS4 
17706— 17715] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[introduction. 


agency  remembered.  He  would  "guide  them 
with  His  eye,"  and  they  must  be  always  looking 
to  His  eye  to  discover  the  import  of  its  glances, 
to  heed  the  direction  of  its  outlook. — Ibid. 

[17707]  The  pure  theocracy  under  which  they 
at  first  lived  was  the  noblest  form  of  government 
ever  bestowed  on  men.  But  to  its  salutary 
working,  a  correspondent  nobleness  was  needful 
on  the  part  of  its  subjects.  This  Israel  had  lost. 
Faith  and  love,  the  true  principles  of  loyalty, 
had  grown  weak  in  them.  They  no  longer  saw 
"Him  that  is  invisible."  They  no  longer  felt  the 
pressure  of  His  guiding  and  controlling  hand. 
The  spiritual  was  fading,  the  material  was 
gaining  the  mastery.  They  were  getting  to  be 
altogether  unfit  to  be  ruled  by  an  invisible 
Master,  whose  laws  were  written  in  their  hearts. 
—Ibid. 


II.  Israel's  Change  of  Polity. 

I       Various  motives  prompted  the  desire  for  a 
change. 

ii)'  Pride  and  vanity. 

[17708]  A  king — is  there  not  something  lofty 
in  the  name  ?  Will  he  not  be  a  living  embodi- 
ment o{ grandeur,  and  so  vanity  will  be  flattered 
— a  visible  representative  of  power,  and  so 
pride  will  be  gratified — a  real  source  of  strength, 
a  visible  rallying  point,  the  centre  of  rapid  and 
vigorous  movements,  and  so  all  fear  of  foes  may 
be  dismissed  ? — Rev.  P.  Richardsoft. 

[17709]  The  motive  which  operated  in  the 
minds  of  the  Hebrew  nation  was — that  they  might 
be  like  other  people.  "  We  will  have  a  king  over 
us,  that  we  also  may  be  like  all  the  nations." 
They  saw  other  nations  with  kings,  leading 
them  out  to  battle,  and  they  contrasted  the 
pomps  of  regal  splendour  with  their  own  sim- 
plicity, and  the  imposing  effect  of  kingly  magni- 
ficence with  the  perfect  absence  of  anything 
approaching  to  it  in  their  own  case  ;  and  they 
thought — but  it  was  a  foolish  thought — that  they 
suffered  by  the  contrast  ;  forgetting  all  the 
while  that  that  which  gave  them  real  honour 
and  essential  dignity  was,  that  they  were  unlike 
other  nations. — Rev.  y.  Miller. 

(2)  Dislike  to  the  inanifrsted  nearness  of  God. 

[177 10]  They  shrank  from  the  reproachful 
vicinity  of  a  holy  observer.  They  would  have 
a  dimming  medium  interposed.  Moreover,  the 
judge  was  a  representative  and  embodiment  of 
a  special  providence,  and  therefore  an  irksome 
sight  to  man's  rebellious  independence.  He 
was,  besides,  a  gift  of  God  to  deliver  from  the 
effects  of  sin,  and  to  vindicate  His  discarded 
claims  and  neglected  worship,  and  so  a  visible 
remembrancer  of  former  backslidings.  The 
people  hated  an  institution  which  taught  so 
impressively  that  protection  and  prosperity 
come  in  the  wake  of  obedience.  —  Rev.  P. 
Richardson. 


2      Criminality  was  inherent  in  the  desire  for 
a  change. 

(i)  //  i)ivolved  distrust  of  God. 

[17711]  This  craving  after  royalty  involved  a 
sinful  distrust  of  God.  He  was  ever  at  hand, 
mightier  than  the  mightiest  foe.  But  they  saw 
Him  not.  They  felt  not  the  touch  of  His 
potent  presence.  And  hence,  with  the  arm  of 
Omnipotence  round  them,  they  deemed  them- 
selves defenceless.  Living  by  sense,  they 
would  not  trust  an  invisible  guardian.  "  The 
name  of  the  Lord  was  a  strong  tower  ; "  but 
they  would  not  "  run  into  it."  And,  as  of  old, 
the  cry  of  their  impious  idolatry  had  been, 
"  Make  us  gods  to  go  before  us,"  so  now  the 
demand  of  their  criminal  distrust  is  this  : 
"  Make  us  a  king,  like  all  the  nations." — Ibid. 

{2)  It  had  its  root  in  rejection  of  God. 

[17712]  Wherein  lay  the  criminality  of  this 
desire  for  a  king  ?  The  pride  of  power  and 
vanity  of  display  are  both  blainevvorthy.  But, 
more  than  this,  the  desire  embraced  a  change 
in  that  administration  which  sprung  from  Divine 
wisdom,  and  reposed  on  Divine  authority. 
Further,  this  change  was  a  displacement  of 
God.  "They  have  rejected  Me."  He  had  been 
their  king.  Their  legislation  was  from  Him. 
Tithes  were  a  roy?il  impost.  Priests  were  His 
palace  guards.  Their  desire,  then,  was  a  revolt 
from  His  government. — Ibid. 

3  The  change  was  foreseen  by  God  and  by 
Moses. 

\MT^'h\  The  history  of  the  nation  soon  proved 
the  theocracy  a  failure,  not  on  account  of  any 
fault  in  it  or  in  its  all-wise  Author,  but  in  them. 
This  result  their  great  lawgiver  foresaw,  their 
God  foresaw,  and  therefore  provided  for  them 
in  due  time  the  abandonment  of  this  system 
and  the  substitution  of  another,  not  so  good 
intrinsically  as  the  first — not  so  good  practically 
if  they  had  used  that  well  ;  but  better  for  them, 
yes,  necessary  for  them,  being  such  as  they 
were,  if  they  were  not  to  be  left  a  prey  to 
anarchy,  and  given  up  to  ""  confusion  and  every 
evil  work."— yv*^!/.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

4  The  change  was  germinant  in  the  days  of 
the  Judges. 

[17714]  From  time  to  time  this  monarchical 
tendency  in  the  Israelitish  constitution  came 
out  in  the  days  of  the  Judges,  under  whom  the 
nation,  or  some  part  of  the  nation,  were  tempo- 
rarily governed  by  the  leadership  of  a  single 
man.  So  that  when  at  last,  in  answer  to  their 
wish,  God  "gave  them  a  king  in  His  anger,"  it 
was  the  development  of  a  principle  known 
before,  and  already  partially  acted  upon  ;  but 
the  substitution,  for  an  unconnected  and  irregular 
series  of  individuals  called  forth  by  a  special 
exigency,  of  a  continuous  and  hereditary  line  of 
sovereigns  charged  with  the  customary  functions 
of  government  in  ordinary  as  well  as  in  extra- 
ordinary times. — Ibid. 

[177 1 5]  Look  at  the  history  of  Israel  during 
the  period  of  the  Judges.     For,  remember,  the 


I77IS— 17719] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


^85 

[SAUL. 


Judges  were  not  stated  rulers,  but  exceptional 
chiefs,  raised  up  for  emergencies,  when  ruin 
seemed  to  be  impending  under  the  theocratic 
rule  against  which  they  had  grown  rebellious. 
They  forgot  God — that  is  the  descriptive  and 
pregnant  phrase  under  which  their  defection  is 
described.  They  ceased  to  recognize  Him  ; 
they  did  not  look  after  His  will  ;  they  did  not 
resort  to  Him  for  guidance  and  protection. 
They  were  not  subject  to  His  will  when  they 
knew  it.  God  ceased  to  be  to  them  a  present 
God,  a  God  active  in  their  concerns,  the  God 
whose  love  encompassed  their  nation,  and  kept 
it  as  the  apple  of  His  eye.  He  grew  to  be  to 
them  a  God  afar  off  The  nations  about  them 
had  visible  gods  and  visible  kings.  They  tired 
of  the  theocracy,  and  would  be  as  the  nations, 
and  have  a  court  and  worship,  palpable,  orna- 
mental, dazzling.  God  left  them  to  themselves, 
and  they  were  soon  plunged  in  disaster  and 
distress.  There  was  anarchy  at  home,  abroad 
defeat  and  captivity.  In  their  distress  they 
remembered  God,  and  He  sent  deliverers  to 
them.  But  their  repentances  were  shallow  and 
brief  Another  and  another  human  saviour 
came,  but  there  was  no  permanent  recovery  of 
the  lost  principle  of  faith  and  obedience.  These 
Judges  were  prophetic  outcomings  of  that  mon- 
archical principle  which  was  finally  to  be  estab- 
lished in  a  continuous  line  of  kings  that  was  to 
be  at  once  the  punishment  and  the  remedy  of 
their  apostacy  from  the  true  principles  of  that 
glorious  theocracy  which  they  had  so  miserably 
rejected  and  disgraced. — Ibid. 

5  The  change  was  effected  gradually. 

[177 16]  The  transition  was  not  abrupt.  Pre- 
paration had  been  made  for  it  in  previous  time. 
The  administration  of  the  last  two  Judges  wore 
much  the  appearance  of  a  settled  and  ordinary 
magistracy.  In  Eli  the  office  of  judge  was  held 
by  the  high  priest.  Samuel  seems  to  have 
succeeded  him  without  an  interval,  and  he 
established  and  maintained  a  regular  system  in 
the  discharge  of  his  official  functions.  "  He 
went  from  year  to  year  in  circuit  to  Bethel,  and 
Gilgal,  and  Mizpeh,  and  judged  Israel  in  all 
those  places.  And  his  return  was  to  Ramah  ; 
for  there  was  his  house,  and  there  he  judged 
Israel  ;  and  there  he  built  an  altar  unto  the 
Lord."  Plainly,  his  orderly  and  systematic  rule 
was  something  quite  unlike  the  rude  wild 
exercise  of  power  by  Gideon,  or  Jephthah,  or 
Samson.  He  was  the  agent  of  God  in  effecting 
the  transition  when  the  tune  had  come  for  it. — 
Ibid. 

6  The  desire  for  the  change  was  a  sure  sign 
of  deterioration. 

[177 1 7]  The  request  of  the  Israelites  brings 
before  us  a  melancholy  view  of  the  progress  of 
degeneracy  in  a  conmiunity.  Looking  at  their 
history  from  the  time  of  their  entrance  upon 
the  actual  possession  of  the  land  of  Canaan, 
though  now  and  then  there  breaks  out  to  view 
a  hopeful  glimpse  with  regard  to  their  moral  and 
spiritual  condition,  yet  on  the  whole  the  scene 


presented  is  that  of  successive  generations  rising 
up  to  depart  farther  and  farther  from  God ;  and 
now  we  have  the  dismal  consummation  in  their 
effort  to  destroy,  as  far  as  they  were  concerned, 
that  peculiar  and  interesting  link  between  them- 
selves and  God  which  existed  in  the  fact — that 
besides  being  to  them,  as  He  is  to  all  His 
creatures,  their  supreme  Ruler,  He  condescended 
to  act  as  such  in  a  direct  and  immediate  form — 
standing  actually,  and  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses, in  the  same  relation  to  them  as  that 
which  an  earthly  sovereign  sustains  towards  his 
subjects.  It  requires  no  effort  to  perceive  in 
this  desire  of  the  Israelites  the  renewed  mani- 
festation of  the  discontented  and  rebellious 
disposition  which  prevailed  in  the  camp  at  the 
Red  Sea,  and  on  subsequent  occasions  in  the 
wilderness;  but  now  it  was  marked  by  a  greater 
fixedness  of  criminal  resolve  and  of  God-dis- 
honouring purpose. — Rev.  J.  Miller. 

III.  The  Divine  Purpose  in  the  Misrule 
OF  THE  First  of  Isr.-^el's  Kings. 

[17718]  The  first  king,  selected,  according  to 
the  low  standard  of  the  national  ideas,  more  for 
physical  stature,  strength,  and  comeliness,  than 
for  any  higher  qualities,  was  never  intended  to 
be  the  progenitor  of  a  sacred  line  and  the 
ancestor  of  the  Messiah  ;  but  rather  by  his 
frenzied  misrule  to  teach  the  nation  their  folly, 
that  "they  might  perceive  and  know  that  their 
wickedness  was  great  in  asking  them  a  king." — 
Rev.  R.  Hal  lam,  D.D. 


SAUL. 

L  Introductory. 

I       The    history   of    Saul    presents   a    useful, 
though  disappointing,  study  of  character. 

[17719]  On  many  grounds  the  history  of  Saul 
should  fix  upon  itself  the  attentive  gaze  of  the 
student  of  Scripture.  Its  interest  is  peculiar. 
It  is  not  the  interest  of  long-continued  excellence 
commanding  our  satisfaction,  nor  of  high-toned 
piety  appealing  to  our  reverence  and  exciting 
our  gratification  ;  there  is  notliing  of  this,  but 
precisely  the  opposite  of  it  all.  If  we  were 
asked  what  is  the  prevailing  feeling  which  the 
study  of  this  history  is  calculated  to  produce,  we 
should  answer  in  one  word — disappointment.  It 
presents  a  thoroughly  disappointing  character. 
We  have  the  opportunity  of  looking  at  it  in  no 
abbreviated  form  ;  of  contemplating  it  in  a  great 
variety  of  circumstances;  of  contrasting  that 
which  was  outward  in  conduct  with  subsequently 
revealed  and  ascertained  motive  ;  and  when  to 
the  full  we  have  availed  ourselves  of  this 
opportunity,  we  cannot  describe  our  emotions 
in  any  other  expression  than  that  of  the  most 
painful  disappointiTient.  He  who  is  willing  to 
carefully  and  extensively  dissect  character— to 
anatomize  conduct  —  to  watch  the  connection 
between  the  external  and  the   internal,  and  to 


1 86 

17719— 17725] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SAUL. 


discriminate  between  the  two — cannot  but  be 
thankful  for  the  opportunity  which  is  given  him 
of  doing  it  all,  by  the  preservation  in  the  Scrip- 
ture records  of  a  remarkably  full  and  complete 
memoir  of  the  first  king  of  Israel.— /?6'z/.  J. 
Miller. 

2  The   history   of    Saul   is   a   summary   and 
reflection  of  that  of  Israel. 

[17720]  We  can  understand  alike  the  choice 
of  Saul  at  the  first,  his  failure  afterwards,  and 
his  final  rejection.  The  people  obtained  pre- 
cisely what  they  wanted  ;  and  because  he  who 
was  their  king  so  corresponded  to  their  ideal, 
and  so  reflected  the  national  state,  he  failed.  If, 
therefore,  it  is  with  a  feeling  of  sadness  that  we 
follow  this  story,  we  must  remember  that  its 
tragic  element  does  not  begin  and  end  with 
Saul ;  and  that  the  meaning  of  his  life  and  career 
must  be  gathered  from  a  deeper  consideration 
of  the  history  of  his  people.  In  truth,  the 
history  of  Saul  is  a  summary  and  a  reflection  of 
that  of  Israel.  A  monarchy  such  as  his  must 
first  succeed,  and  finally  fail  when,  under  the 
test  of  trials,  its  inmost  tendencies  would  be 
brought  to  light.  Such  a  reign  was  also  neces- 
sary, in  order  to  bring  out  what  was  the  real 
meaning  of  the  people's  demand,  and  to  prepare 
Israel  for  the  king  of  God's  election  and  selection 
in  the  person  of  David. — Rev.  A.  Edersheiin, 
D.D. 

3  The  history  of  Saul  possesses  a  personal 
value. 

[17721]  To  my  mind  there  is  no  history  which, 
as  we  read  it,  brings  home  to  us  a  stronger  sense, 
perhaps  none  so  strong  a  sense,  of  this  life  which 
each  one  of  us  is  living,  as  a  life  of  probation  ; 
no  history  which  makes  us  so  vividly  to  realize 
the  fact,  that  God  takes  men  and  puts  them  in 
certain  conditions  to  try  them  ;  to  see  how  they 
will  bear  themselves  under  these  conditions,  how 
far  they  will  profit  by  the  opportunities  for  good, 
resist  the  solicitations  to  evil,  which  these  will 
inevitably  oft'er  to  them. — Abp.  Trench. 

II.  General  Characteristics. 

[17722]  His  character  is  in  part  illustrated  by 
the  fierce,  wayward,  fitful  nature  of  the  tribe 
(Benjamin),  and  in  part  accounted  for,  by  the 
struggle  between  the  old  and  new  systems  in 
which  he  found  himself  involved.  To  this  we 
must  add  a  taint  of  madness,  which  broke  out  in 
violent  frenzy  at  times,  leaving  him  with  long 
lucid  intervals.  His  affections  were  strong,  as 
appears  in  his  love  both  for  David  and  his  son 
Jonathan,  but  they  were  unequal  to  the  wild 
excesses  of  religious  zeal  or  insanity  which 
ultimately  led  to  his  ruin.  He  was,  like  the 
earlier  Judges,  remarkable  for  his  strength  and 
activity,  and  he  was,  like  the  Homeric  heroes, 
of  gigantic  stature,  taller  by  head  and  shoulders 
than  the  rest  of  the  people,  and  of  that  kind  of 
beauty  denoted  by  the  Hebrew  word  "good," 
and  which  caused  him  to  be  compared  to  the 
gazelle,  "the  gazelle  of  Israel."    It  was  probably 


these  external  qualifications  which  led  to  the 
epithet  which  is  frequently  attached  to  his  name, 
"  chosen,"  "  whom  the  Lord  did  choose,"  "  See 
you  him  whom  the  Lord  hath  chosen  !"  (i  Sam. 
ix.  17,  X.  24  ;  2  Sam.  xxi.  6.) — Deatt  Stanley. 

[17723]  Saul  had  much  to  recommend  him  to 
minds  greedy  of  the  dust  of  the  earth.  He  was 
brave,  daring,  resolute,  gifted,  too,  with  strength 
of  body  as  well  as  of  mind — a  circumstance 
which  seems  to  have  attracted  their  admiration. 
He  is  described  in  person  as  if  one  of  those  sons 
of  Anak,  before  whose  giant-forms  the  spies  of 
the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness  were  as  grass- 
hoppers. "  A  choice  young  man,  and  a  goodly. 
There  was  not  among  the  children  of  Israel  a 
goodlier  person  than  he  ;  from  his  shoulders  and 
upward  he  was  higher  than  any  of  the  people." 
Both  his  virtues  and  his  faults  were  such  as 
became  an  Eastern  monarch,  and  were  adapted 
to  secure  the  fear  and  submission  of  his  subjects. 
Pride,  haughtiness,  obstinacy,  reserve,  jealousy, 
caprice — these  in  their  way  were  not  unbecoming 
qualities  in  the  king  after  whom  their  imagination 
roved.  On  the  other  hand,  the  better  parts  of 
his  character  were  of  an  excellence  sufficient  to 
engage  the  affection  of  Samuel  himself. — Car- 
dinal Newman. 

III.  Special  Characteristics. 

I       Virtues. 

( I )  There  are  singular  elements  of  nobleness 
to  be  traced  in  his  natural  character. 

[17724]  His  moral  stature  did  not  altogether 
belie  the  stateliness  of  his  outward  frame.  Let 
me  briefly  remind  you  of  some  of  those  nobler 
features  which  we  can  have  scarcely  failed  to 
recognize  in  him.  There  is  nothing  which  so 
often  disturbs  and,  indeed,  oversets  the  whole 
balance  of  a  mind,  which  reveals  faults  un- 
suspected before,  as  a  sudden  and  abrupt  ele- 
vation from  a  very  low  to  a  very  high  position. 
Now,  there  has  been  seldom  a  more  abrupt 
elevation  than  was  Saul's.  But  he  gives  no 
token,  at  all  events  at  the  outset  of  his  career, 
that  it  has  wrought  this  mischief  in  him.  The 
Lord's  anointed,  Israel's  king,  he  bides  his 
time,  returns  with  a  true  simplicity  to  humblest 
offices  in  his  father's  house.  He  would  gladly, 
and  that  out  of  a  genuine  modesty,  hide  and 
withdraw  himself  from  the  people's  choice. 
Slights  and  offences  done  to  himself  he  magna- 
nimously overlooks  ;  absolutely  refuses  to  punish 
the  authors  of  these,  when  mischievous  syco- 
phants would  prompt  and  urge  him  to  a  bloody 
revenge. — Abp.  Trench. 

[17725]  There  are  not  wanting  in  him  genuine 
traits  of  that  which,  indeed,  is  as  old  as  any 
human  nobleness,  but  which  in  modern  times 
we  have  learned  to  call  the  spirit  of  chivalry  ; 
he  will  venture  his  life  for  the  people  whom  he 
rules,  as  one  who  has  rightly  understood  that 
foremost  in  place  and  in  honour  means  also 
foremost  in  peril  and  in  toil,  that  he  who  has 
accepted   the  one  pre-eminence  has  implicitly 


17725— I773I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    KKA. 


187 

[SAUL. 


also  accepted  the  other.  Saul,  so  far  as  we 
know,  is  clear  from  every  charge  of  that  sin 
which  left  the  darkest  blot  upon  David's  life  ; 
he  seems  very  sparingly  to  have  allowed  himself 
that  licence  which  almost  all  Oriental  monarchs, 
alike  in  old  times  and  in  new,  have  so  largely 
claimed.  There  was  in  him,  as  we  cannot  re- 
fuse to  acknowledge,  a  true  capacity  for  loving. 
Of  David  we  are  told,  that  Saul  "  loved  him 
greatly  ;"  however  that  love  of  his  was  after- 
wards, under  the  influence  of  a  jealous  envy, 
transformed  into  hate. — Ibid. 

[17726]  Saul  is  very  far  from  absolutely  re- 
pelling all  impressions  from  a  higher  world. 
He  too,  though  to  the  wonder  of  many,  is 
"among  the  prophets;"  and  prophesies  with 
them.  God,  we  are  told,  "  gave  him  another 
heart  ; "  "  he  was  turned  into  another  man," 
though,  alas  !  too  soon  returning  to  the  old  man 
and  to  the  old  nature  again.  And  even  at  his 
worst,  when  he  has  given  place  to  the  devil,  to 
those  powers  from  beneath  which  do  battle  in 
every  human  heart  against  the  powers  from 
above,  what  glimpses  of  a  better  mind  from 
time  to  time  reappear.  The  old  affection  re- 
vives for  an  instant  :  "  Is  this  thy  voice,  my 
son  David?"  He  can  understand  magnani- 
mity, and  for  the  moment  is  prepared  to  reply 
to  it  with  an  equal  magnanimity.  The  deep 
discords  of  his  spirit  are  not  incapable  of  being 
subdued  into  harmonies,  as  sweet  bells  jangled 
and  out  of  tune,  which  for  an  instant,  though, 
alas  !  but  for  an  instant,  recover  their  sweet- 
ness.— Ibid. 

[17727]  For  one  altogether  unworthy  to  be 
loved,  Samuel  would  have  never  interceded,would 
have  never  mourned,  as  he  interceded  and 
mourned  for  Saul  ;  persisting  in  this  until  God, 
almost  in  displeasure  that  his  will  was  not  in 
more  perfect  conformity  with  the  Divine  will, 
demanded,  "  How  long  wilt  thou  mourn  for 
Saul .'' "  When,  too,  David  sang  of  him  and  of 
Jonathan,  "  They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in 
their  lives,"  this  was  not  an  example  of  that 
flattery  in  which  men  too  often  allow  themselves 
concerning  the  dead,  but  expressed  what  one 
who  had  known  Saul,  as  almost  none  other 
could  have  known,  who  had  suflered  from  him 
nearly  all  which  one  man  could  suffer  from 
another,  yet  felt  to  be  the  truth  ;  not,  indeed, 
all  the  truth,  but  truth  notwithstanding.  If, 
then,  there  was  a  shipwreck  here  (as  who  can 
deny  it  ?),  they  were  not  paltry  wares,  but 
treasures  of  great  price,  which  went  down  into 
the  great  deep. — Ibid. 

[17728]  When  Saul  had  irrevocably  lost  God's 
favour,  we  are  told  "  Samuel  came  no  more  to 
see  Saul  until  the  day  of  his  death  ;  neverthe- 
less Samuel  mourned  for  Saul."  Such  sorrow 
speaks  favourably  for  Saul  as  well  as  for  Samuel. 
It  is  not  only  the  grief  of  a  loyal  subject  and  a 
zealous  prophet,  but,  moreover,  of  an  attached 
friend  ;  and,  indeed,  instances  are  recorded,  in 
the  first   years   of  his    reign,    of   forbearance. 


generosity,  and  neglect  of  self,  which  sufficiently 
account  for  the  feelings  with  which  Samuel  re- 
garded him.  David,  under  very  different  cir- 
cumstances, seems  to  have  felt  for  him  a  similar 
affection. — Cardinal  New/nan, 

(2)  There  are  singular  elements  of  modesty  to 
be  traced  in  his  natural  character. 

[17729]  All  the  feeling  experienced  and  dis- 
played by  Saul  was  sincere,  and  gave  promise 
of  noble  fulfilment.  We  have  seen  the  thrilling 
prospect  which  was  opened  so  suddenly  to  his 
view  ;  more  than  enough  in  itself  to  dazzle,  in- 
toxicate, and  whirl  away  in  a  fit  of  vain  self- 
glory,  an  inexperienced  youthful  mind.  Lut  we 
observe  no  symptoms  even  of  such  infirmity  on 
the  part  of  Saul.  On  the  contrary,  we  find 
present,  in  a  very  marked  degree,  that  beautiful 
modesty  of  spirit,  that  unconsciousness  of  self, 
which  is  the  foundation-stone  of  greatness  of 
character,  giving  it  purity  and  firmness,  and 
which  affords  to  the  Spirit  of  God  the  freest 
channel  of  ministry  in  which  to  flow. — Rev.  R. 
Lorimer. 

[17730]  When  the  most  eminent  and  influen- 
tial man  in  all  Israel,  who  had  grown  grey  in  its 
service,  hailed  Saul  with  questions,  which  had 
in  them  the  very  tone  of  homage,  and  imparted 
to  him  the  glowing  secret,  there  was  no  eager 
grasping  at  it  on  the  part  of  the  youth,  but  a 
simple-minded  and  dignified  deprecating  of  it. 
Honoured  by  Samuel  in  a  very  marked  manner, 
before  a  large  company  of  the  leading  men  of 
the  day,  Saul  preserved  uncorrupted  the  sim- 
plicity of  his  demeanour.  Returning  home, 
with  the  anointing  oil  still  moist  upon  his  head, 
he  said  nothing  to  his  relatives  of  the  matter  of 
the  kingdom.  When  the  lot  had  singled  him 
out  before  all  the  people,  and  there  was  a  de- 
mand for  the  God-given  king  to  show  himself, 
he  was  found  hiding  himself  among  the  baggage. 
He  meekly  bore  the  insult  of  envious  fault- 
finders, vvhen  popular  enthusiasm  would  have 
upheld  him  in  punishing  them.  And  finally, 
with  gorgeous  days  beckoning  him  forwards,  he 
returned  to  the  plough,  there  to  await  the 
further  unfolding  of  the  mysterious  and  exciting 
drama.  There  was  an  element  of  good  in  the 
character  of  the  youth  who  could  bear  himself 
through  so  searching  an  ordeal  with  such  so- 
briety and  self-command,  and  the  element  in 
which  that  strength  lay  was  his  modesty. — Ibid. 

(3)  There  are  singular  elements  of  filial  af- 
fection to  be  traced  in  his  natural  character. 

[17731]  "Come,  and  let  us  return  ;  lest  my 
father  leave  caring  for  the  asses,  and  take 
thought  for  us  "  (l  Sam.  ix.  5).  There  is  a  beau- 
tiful delicacy  about  this  feature  in  filial  character. 
Aware  of  the  love  which  his  father  felt  towards 
him,  and  of  the  value  in  which  he  held  him,  he 
thought  more  of  his  father  than  of  himself,  and 
converted  that  very  parental  esteem  into  a  fresh 
reason  for  regard  for  his  father's  feelings. — Rev. 
J.  Miller. 


17732— 17736] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[SAUL. 


2      Vices. 

Declension  as  seen  in  his  general  instability. 

[17732]  We  have  recognized  the  finer  and 
nobler  elements  which  the  character  of  Saul 
displays,  and  we  must  not  now  lose  sight  of  the 
very  significant  fact,  that  all  these  display  them- 
selves at  the  outset  of  his  career  ;  that  they 
gradually  fade  and  fail  from  him — the  humility, 
the  generosity,  the  disregard  of  slights  offered 
to  himself,  with  whatever  else  of  better  he  may 
have  owned  at  the  first  ;  pride  meanwhile,  and 
caprice,  and  jealousy,  cruelty,  an  excessive 
avenging  of  himself,  and  at  last  an  open  con- 
tempt and  defiance  of  God,  coming  in  their 
room  ;  until  of  all  the  high  qualities  which  he 
once  owned  only  the  courage,  generally  the  last 
gift  to  forsake  a  man,  often  abiding  when  every 
other  has  departed,  until,  I  say,  this  only  re- 
mains. I  know  not  whether  the  world  has  any- 
thing to  show  at  all  so  mournful  as  the  spectacle 
which  we  have  here  ;  namely,  the  gradual 
breaking  down  under  the  wear  and  tear  of  the 
world,  under  the  influence  of  unresisted  temp- 
tations, of  a  lofty  soul ;  the  unworthy  close  of  a 
life  worthily  begun — as  though  some  clear  and 
rolling  river  should  lose  itself  in  a  sullen  and 
stagnant  marsh,  instead  of  bringing  in  due  time 
the  volume  of  its  tributary  and  ever-waxing 
waters  to  the  main. — Abp.  Trench. 

\MTIZ\  The  sinfulness  of  his  past  life  was 
clearly  discerned  and  fully  confessed,  and  a 
perfect  revolution  in  spirit  and  conduct  was 
promised  for  the  future.  Explicit  acquiescence 
in  the  Divine  purpose  which  rejected  him  and 
promoted  David,  and  which  he  had  resisted  for 
years,  was  frankly  declared,  and  yet,  in  spite  of 
all  this,  incredible  to  say,  Saul  sank  back  into 
his  old  position  immediately  that  the  first  thrill 
of  feeling  had  subsided.  The  man  who,  looking 
back  upon  his  life,  felt  that  he  could  not  grovel 
low  enough  in  the  confession  of  his  sinfulness, 
who  felt  that  he  had  '"  played  the  fool  and  erred 
exceedingly,"  who  saw  and  said  that  the  man 
whom  he  had  spent  years  in  persecuting,  was 
better  far  than  he,  having  rewarded  evil  with 
good  ;  and  who  felt  persuaded  that  the  Divine 
purpose  which  set  him  aside  would  be  fulfilled, 
stood  out  against  all  this  combination  of  good  in- 
fluences which  was  drawing  him  mto  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  refused  to  give  one  atom  of 
positive  obedience  to  it.  Dark  soul  !  a  year 
later,  and  he  knew,  in  his  despair  on  Mount 
Gilboa,  the  preciousness  of  the  spiritual  oppor- 
tunity which  he  here  missed. — Rev.  R.  Lorimer. 

[17734]  Some  features  in  the  character  of 
Saul  stand  out  so  conspicuously  as  to  need  only 
simple  mention.  Proud  preference  of  his  own 
will  to  God's,  carried  out  boldly  in  the  life  ; 
deadly  jealousy,  that  coloured  and  distorted  his 
view  of  things,  determined  the  special  mould  of 
his  character  and  destmy,  and  threw  over  both 
deep  shades  of  darkness  ;  cruelty,  that  was 
causeless  as  against  an  innocent  man,  un- 
natural as  against  a  son-in-law,  and  because 
not  only  employing  for  its  purposes  the  most 


sacred  feelings  of  daughters,  but  reviling  a 
godly  son,  and  on  several  occasions  offering 
him  violence  ;  sacrilegious,  in  smiting  without 
scruple  a  whole  city  of  priests  with  their 
families ;  impiety,  that  dared  to  stand  up 
against  God,  and  fearlessly,  perseveringly, 
earnestly,  bent  itself,  and  enlisted  the  resources 
of  the  kingdom,  in  violent  resistance  to  His 
immutable  counsel — these  features  stand  out  in 
the  inspired  portrait  with  appalling  vividness 
and  breadth  of  colouring. — Rev.  P.  Richardson. 

[17735]  Unbelief  and  wilfulness  are  the 
wretched  characteristics  of  Saul's  history — an 
ear  deaf  to  the  plainest  commands,  a  heart 
hardened  against  the  most  gracious  influences. 
Do  not  suppose,  because  I  speak  thus  strongly, 

1  consider  Saul's  state  of  mind  to  be  something 
very  unusual.  Let  us  only  reflect  on  our  hard- 
ness of  heart,  and  we  shall  understand  some- 
thing of  Saul's  lambition  when  he  prophesied. 
We  may  be  conscious  to  ourselves  of  the  truth 
of  things  sacred  as  entirely  as  if  we  saw  them  ; 
and  yet  we  often  feel  in  as  ordinary  and  as  un- 
concerned a  mood  as  if  we  were  altogether  un- 
believers. Again,  let  us  reflect  on  our  callous- 
ness after  mercies  received,  or  after  suffering. 
We  are  often  in  worse  case  even  than  this  ;  for 
to  realize  the  unseen  world  in  our  imagination, 
and  feel  as  if  we  saw  it,  may  not  always  be  in 
our  power.  What  makes  our  insensibility  still 
more  alarming  is,  that  it  follows  the  grant  of 
the  highest  privileges.  There  is  something 
awful  in  this,  if  we  understood  it  ;  as  if  that 
peculiar  hardness  of  heart  which  we  experience, 
in  spite  of  whatever  excellences  of  character  we 
may  otherwise  possess — like  Saul,  in  spite  of 
the  benevolence,  or  fairness,  or  candour,  or 
consideration,  which  are  the  virtues  of  this 
age — was  the  characteristic  of  a  soul  transgress- 
ing after  it  had  "  tasted  the  powers  of  the  world 
to  come,"  and  an  earnest  of  the  second  death. — 
Cardinal  Ne'wma7i. 

2  Hypocrisy. 

[17736]  Saul  was  a  hypocrite.  He  was  a  bad 
man,  though  his  wickedness  is  not  fully  ap- 
parent in  the  early  part  of  his  reign.  Men 
who  are  unexpectedly  elevated  to  places  of  trust 
are  not  unfrequently  so  impressed  with  a  sense 
of  their  responsibility  as  to  shrink  from  the  evil- 
doing  with  which,  in  the  progress  of  their  aggran- 
dizement, they  at  length  become  familiar.  Their 
self-dififidenceand  their  purposes  of  rectitude  dis- 
appoint both  themselves  and  others.  The  dawn- 
ing hopes  of  their  usefulness  go  out  in  darkness. 
There  were  scenes  in  the  early  history  of  Saul 
which  at  first  view  indicate  that  he  was  a  re- 
ligious man.  He  himself  was  a  member  of  the 
Jewish  Church,  a  professed  disciple  of  Moses, 
and  an  avowed  friend  of  the  God  of  Israel.  He 
showed  great  reverence  for  the  prophet  Samuel 
and  for  the  institutions  of  the  Hebrew  Church. 
When  the  man  of  God  first  intimated  to  him  the 
Divine  purpose,  that  he  should  be  the  king  of 
Israel,  conscious  of  his  unfitness  for  this  high 
trust,  his  modest  and  humble  reply  was,  "  Am  1 


i773<5— I774I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


189 


[SAUL. 


not  a  Benjamite,  of  the  smallest  of  the  tribes  of 
Israel  ?  and  my  family  the  least  of  all  the 
families  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  .''  Wherefore 
speakest  thou  to  me.'*"  When,  on  leaving 
Samuel,  he  came  to  the  hill  of  (jod,  and  there 
met  him  a  company  of  prophets,  the  Spirit  of 
God  came  upon  him,  and  he  prophesied  among 
the  prophets.  These  things  have  the  semblance 
of  piety,  although,  as  subsequent  events  show, 
they  did  not  arise  from  the  fear  and  love  of 
God,  but  were  mere  acts  of  expediency,  and 
arose  rather  from  a  transient  sense  of  responsi- 
bility, and  of  the  prerogative  and  dignity  of  his 
kingly  office,  than  from  any  deep-seated  recti- 
tude.—Tvfz/.  G.  spring,  D.D. 

[17737]  Saul,  in  his  youth,  was  probably  a 
self-deceived  man  rather  than  a  deceiver.  I3ut 
the  delusion  of  youth  became  the  hypocrisy  of 
manhood  and  the  perfidy  of  still  riper  years. 
He  could  not  long  maintain  a  mere  religious 
profession  amid  the  danger  of  arms  and  the 
rivalship  for  power.  He  dealt  falsely  with  God, 
and  he  dealt  falsely  with  man. — Ibid. 

3       Irreligion. 

(i)  His  religion  was  strangely  partial  in  its 
operation. 

[17738]  The  faint  and  distressed  state  of  the 
people  led  them,  as  soon  as  they  had  the  oppor- 
tunity, to  "fly  upon  the  spoil,"  and  to  eat  the 
animals  which  they  had  slain  "  in  their  blood." 
This  was  against  the  ceremonial  law  which 
regulated  matters  of  outward  observance.  And 
it  being  told  Saul,  he  immediately  took  steps 
to  prevent  the  continuance  of  this  infringement 
of  the  ritual.  So  far,  of  course,  he  was  right. 
But  the  eagerness  with  which  he  condemned 
the  sin  of  the  people  in  regard  to  a  ceremonial 
omission^"  Ye  have  transgressed" — contrast 
strangely  with  the  moral  obtuseness  which  pre- 
vented him  from  seeing  that  his  own  folly  had 
been  the  occasion  of  their  sin.  And  we  can 
hardly  read  his  exhortation,  "  Sin  not  against 
the  Lord  in  eating  the  blood,"  and  find  him  a 
little  after  actually  determining  to  shed  the 
blood  of  his  own  son  Jonathan  tor  not  regard- 
ing an  oath,  of  the  existence  of  which  he  was 
perfectly  ignorant,  without  coming  to  the  con- 
clusion that  Saul's  religion  was  not  of  a  very 
deep  character  ;  that  it  was  of  that  order  which 
allows  its  professor  to  be  vastly  more  affected 
by  the  neglect  of  something  outward  and  formal 
than  by  the  indulgence,  within  himself,  of  a 
wrong  and  impious  state  of  mind. — Kev.  J. 
Miller. 

[17739]  The  unfavourable  circumstance  which 
first  introduces  him  to  the  inspired  history  is  not 
in  his  favour.  While  in  search  of  his  father's 
asses,  which  were  lost,  he  came  to  the  city 
where  Samuel  was  ;  and  though  Samuel  was 
now  an  old  man,  and  from  childhood  known  as 
the  especial  minister  and  prophet  of  the  God  of 
Israel,  Saul  seems  to  have  considered  him  as  a 
mere  diviner,  such  as  might  be  found  among 
the  heathen,  who,  for  "  the  fourth  part   of  a 


shekel  of  silver,"  would  tell  him  his  way.  The 
narrative  goes  on  to  mention,  that  after  his 
leaving  Samuel,  "God  gave  him  another  heart;" 
and  on  meeting  a  company  of  prophets,  "the 
Spirit  of  God  came  upon  him,  and  he  prophesied 
among  them."  Upon  this,  "all  tliat  knew  him 
beforetime"  said,  "What  is  this  that  is  come 
unto  the  son  of  Kish  }  is  Saul  also  among  the 
prophets  ?  .  .  .  therefore  it  became  a  pro- 
verb." From  this  narrative  we  gather  that  his 
carelessness  and  coldness  in  religious  matters 
were  so  notorious,  that  in  the  eyes  of  his  ac- 
quaintance there  was  a  certain  strangeness  and 
incongruity  which  at  once  struck  the  mind  in 
associating  him  with  a  school  of  the  propliets. 
Nor  have  we  any  reason  to  believe,  from  the 
after  history,  that  the  Divine  gift,  then  first  im- 
parted, left  any  religious  effect  upon  his  mind. 
At  a  later  period  of  his  life  we  find  him  suddenly 
brought  under  the  same  sacred  influence  on  his 
entering  the  school  where  Samuel  taught  ;  but 
instead  of  softening  him,  its  effect  upon  his  out- 
ward conduct  did  but  testify  the  fruitlessness  of 
Divine  grace  when  acting  upon  a  will  obsti- 
nately set  to  do  evil. — Cardinal  Newman. 

(2)  His  religion,  even  when  influencing  his 
conduct.,  was  tardy  and  dilatory. 

[17740]  When  he  was  found  doing  that  which 
was  right,  he  appeared  to  act,  quite  as  much  as 
when  he  did  wrong,  from  mere  impulse.  On 
the  occasion  which  suggests  this  remark  we 
read,  "And  Saul  built  an  altar  unto  the  Lord  ;" 
and  it  is  added,  "  The  same  was  the  first  altar 
which  he  built  unto  the  Lord."  He  had  been 
king  some  time,  he  had  received  a  great  many 
mercies,  had  acquired  honours,  had  gained 
victories,  had  known  anxieties,  but  had  also 
found  relief  and  succour  ;  but  he  had  never  yet 
built  an  altar  to  the  Lord,  as  his  own  testimony 
on  behalf  of  the  God  of  Israel.  And  now  that 
he  did  it,  it  appears  probable  that  all  at  once 
and  in  a  moment  he  conceived  the  idea  of  con- 
verting into  an  altar  the  great  stone  on  which 
the  animals,  used  for  food  by  the  people,  had 
been  slain.  But  that  it  should  never  have 
entered  his  mind  to  build  an  altar  to  God 
before,  this  was  the  point  on  which  the  Spirit 
of  God  directed  that  the  sacred  historian  should 
pronounce  emphatically.  How  keenly  signifi- 
cant is  that  parenthetical  sentence  :  "  The 
same  was  the  first  altar  which  he  built  to  the 
Lord"  \—lbid. 

(3)  His  religion  was  of  a  kind  which  allcrwed 
him  to  put  God  on  one  side  when  he  was  too 
busy  to  attend  to  Him. 

[17741]  He  was  anxious  to  pursue  the  Philis- 
tines. "Let  us  go  down,"  said  he,  "  by  night, 
and  spoil  them  until  the  morning  light,  and  let 
us  not  leave  a  man  of  them."  The  people 
assented;  but  a  happier,  holier  suggestion  was 
made  by  the  priest  :  "  Let  us  draw  near  hither 
unto  God."  But  for  this,  the  king  would  have 
gone,  without  any  reference  to  God  in  the 
matter.  He  had,  it  is  true,  built  an  altar,  but 
when  he  saw  that  the  people  had  rested,  and 


1 9° 

17741— 17746I 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SAUL. 


that  there  was  a  possibility  of  gaining  a  fresh 
advantage,  he  was  for  hurrying  off,  without  the 
slightest  thought  of  Divine  guidance  and  counsel. 
There  could  not  be  a  more  affecting  mark 
than  this  of  his  want  of  sincerity  in  religion. — 
Jbid. 

(4)  His  religion  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
characterized  by  the  slightest  self-suspicion. 

[17742]  There  is  to  be  detected  throughout  a 
singular  want  of  humility.  It  never  seems  to 
have  entered  his  thoughts  that  he  could,  by  any 
possibility,  have  been  in  the  wrong  ;  but  he  was 
most  ready  to  suppose  that  any  one  else  might 
be  to  blame.  In  the  right  direction  of  the  lots 
as  they  were  cast,  it  was  the  evident  design  of 
God  to  bring  out  to  view  the  evil  of  Saul's 
inconsiderateness.  He  was  the  only  culpable 
person,  and  God  made  that  fact  evident.  Now, 
one  would  have  thought  that  if  anything  could 
have  brought  him  to  a  sense  of  his  error,  it 
would  have  been  the  discovery  that  his  rash 
decree  and  oath  had  implicated  his  own  son 
Jonathan  in  liability  to  suffering  and  death. 
But  no  !  he  did  not  see  it  ;  he  would  not  see  it. 
Our  indignation  rises  when  we  hear  him  say, 
"  God  do  so  and  more  also  :  for  thou  shalt 
surely  die,  Jonathan  ;"  and  we  are  ready  to 
e.\claim,  "  What  !  another  oath  ?  Has  not  one 
done  mischief  enough  1  cannot  you  see  it  ?  do 
you  not  feel  it } "  Nothing  can  exceed  the 
hardening  influence  of  that  professed  religion 
which  leaves  a  man  unsuspicious  and  ignorant 
of  himself.  History  has  told  us,  indeed,  of 
fathers  who  have  been  constrained,  in  their 
judicial  capacity,  to  pronounce  sentence  on  their 
own  children  ;  but  in  "^uch  cases  it  has  been 
done  with  a  dignity  which  was  impressive,  and 
in  a  manner  which  showed  that  while  the  claims 
of  law  must  be  upheld,  the  feelings  of  the 
father  were  not  lost  in  the  act  of  the  judge. 
But  here,  Saul  himself  being  the  real  trans- 
gressor, when  he  proceeded  to  pronounce  sen- 
tence on  Jonathan,  there  meets  us  a  manifesta- 
tion of  conduct  so  cold,  so  coarse,  that  we  turn 
away  in  disgust,  or  stay  to  give  our  hearts  the 
relief  of  joining  in  the  indignant  cry  which 
dared  the  inhuman  parent  to  carry  out  his  pur- 
pose, "Shall  Jonathan  die  ?  God  forbid  :  as  the 
Lord  liveth,  there  shall  not  one  hair  of  his 
head  fall  to  the  ground  ;  for  he  hath  wrought 
with  God  to-day." — /bid. 

(5)  J7is  religion  had  "  no  root  in  itself." 
[17743]    His   character   is   obscure,   and   we 

must  be  cautious  while  considering  it.  Still, 
as  Scripture  is  given  us  for  our  instruction,  it  is 
surely  right  to  make  the  most  of  what  we  find 
there,  and  to  form  our  judgment  by  such  lights 
as  we  possess.  It  would  appear,  then,  that 
Saul  was  never  under  the  abiding  sense  of  reli- 
gion,^ or,  in  Scripture  language,  "the  fear  of 
God,"  however  he  might  be  at  times  moved  and 
softened.  Some  men  are  inconsistent  in  their 
conduct,  as  Samson,  or  as  Eli,  in  a  different 
way  ;  and  yet  may  have  lived  by  faith,  though  a 
weak  faith.     Others  have  sudden  falls,  as  David 


had.  Others  are  corrupted  by  prosperity,  as 
Solomon.  But  as  to  Saul,  there  is  no  proof  that 
he  had  any  deep-seated  religious  principle  at 
all.  Rather  it  is  to  be  feared  that  his  history  is 
a  lesson  to  us,  that  the  "  heart  of  unbelief "  may 
exist  in  the  very  sight  of  God,  may  rule  a  man 
in  spite  of  many  natural  advantages  of  charac- 
ter, in  the  midst  of  much  that  is  virtuous,  ami- 
able, and  commendable. — Cardinal  Newinan. 

4  Self-sufficiency. 

[17744]  His  heart  was  never  broken  by  a 
sense  of  sin,  or  melted  with  the  love  of  God,  or 
touched  by  the  marvellous  grace  that  shone  in 
the  economy  of  type  and  shadow.  "  The  glo- 
rious gospel  of  the  happy  God  "  was  impres- 
sively preached  by  that  symbolic  ritual.  The 
glad  tidings  of  unutterable  mercy  reached  his 
ear.  But  they  never  moved  his  heart.  He  was 
too  proud  to  feel  or  own  his  need.  In  criminal 
yet  most  pitiable  self-beguilement,  he  stood 
erect  before  the  Holy  One,  as  if  he  had  done 
nothing  to  offend  His  purity,  or  subject  himself 
to  His  sovereign  justice.  He  who  has  incurred 
no  wrath  needs  no  propitiation  ;  he  who  has 
given  no  offence  needs  no  atonement.  Alas  ! 
this  proud  man  has  got  no  glimpse  of  that 
Divine  majesty  before  whose  throne  the  princi- 
palities and  powers  of  heaven  cover  their  faces 
and  cry  in  adoring  reverence  :  "  Holy,  holy, 
holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts."  It  would  have 
broken  the  stiff'  neck  of  his  pride,  and  emptied 
his  heart  of  its  high  independence,  and  marred 
his  self-satisfied  peace,  and  sent  him  to  seek 
healing  for  his  hurt  in  the  balm  distilled  by  that 
early  gospel  which  proclaimed  forgiveness  from 
every  blood-stained  altar.  But  haughty  self- 
sufficiency  made  him  an  infidel.  —  Rev.  P. 
Richardsott. 

5  Impenitence. 

[17745]  The  most  terrible  fact  of  all  is  the 
total  absence  of  all  penitence  on  the  part  of  Saul. 
He  was  clear  of  offences  which  make  some 
pages  in  David's  history  nothing  better  than  one 
huge  blot.  But  oh  !  how  much  better  it  would 
have  been  to  have  sinned  like  David,  if  only  he 
had  repented  like  David  ;  if  a  temper  resem- 
bling at  all  the  temper  which  dictated  the  fifty- 
first  Psalm  had  found  place  in  him.  But 
all  this  was  far  from  him.  Darkness  is 
closing  round  him  ;  anguish  has  taken  hold  of 
him  ;  but  the  broken  and  the  contrite  heart, 
there  is  no  remotest  sign  or  token  of  this  ;  no 
reaching  out  after  the  blood  of  sprinkling.  We 
listen,  but  no  voice  reaches  us  like  his  who 
exclaimed,  "  Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall 
be  clean  ;  wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than 
snow  ;  "  but  dark  and  defiant  and  unbelieving, 
he  who  had  inspired  such  high  hopes,  he  who 
for  a  while  seemed  about  to  justify  them  all, 
goes  forward  to  meet  his  doom.— Abp.  Trench. 

[17746]  A  noble  soul  which  falls  into  sin  will 
see  a  richness  and  a  wonder  of  mercy  in  the 
lact,  that  the  very  discipline  which  condemns 
and  punishes  the  sin,  exerts  a  healing  and  a 


17746—17751] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


191 

[SAUL. 


renewing  influence  upon  itself  the  transgressor, 
giving  it  a  new  hope  in  the  midst  of  its  despair, 
and  a  fresh  impulse  of  life  in  its  deadness.  But 
Saul  refused  to  yield  even  the  minimum  amount 
of  spiritual  return  to  the  discipline  with  which 
he  was  visited.  He  refused  to  accept  punish- 
ment. He  extinguished  the  last  spark  of  light 
which  lingered  with  him,  and  the  consequence 
was  that  when  new  troubles  arose  and  his  king- 
dom was  in  danger,  he  plunged  into  tliat  despair 
which  he  had  prepared  for  himself  by  refusing 
to  yield  to  discipline,  and  died  the  death  of  the 
suicide. — Rev.  R.  Lorinier. 

IV.  Analogy  between  the  Characters 
OF  Saul,  King  of  Israel,  and  Saul 
OF  Tarsus. 

[17747]  Many  have  loved  to  trace  the  points 
of  resemblance  between  the  two  Sauls  of  Scrip- 
ture, the  two  illustrious  Benjamites,  in  whom  all 
which  was  worst,  and  all  which  was  best  in  that 
fierce  and  daring  tribe,  so  capable  of  evil  and 
so  capable  of  good,  came  to  a  head — the  one 
belonging  to  the  Old  Covenant,  the  other  to  the 
New.  These  points  of  resemblance  are  not 
merely  superficial  and  external.  There  is  some- 
thing more  than  name  and  tribe  which  is  com- 
mon to  them  both.  The  second  Saul  for  a 
while  followed  only  too  faithfully  in  the  foot- 
steps of  the  first.  If  the  one  persecuted  David, 
the  other— with  an  energy  of  hate  which  did 
not  fall  short  of  his — David's  greater  Son. 
Presently,  however,  their  lives  divide,  and  one 
is  the  Saul  of  reprobation,  the  other,  not  being 
disobedient  to  the  heavenly  voices,  the  Saul  of 
election  ;  although  he,  too,  in  the  prompt  auda- 
cities of  his  apostolic  career,  does  not  allow  us 
to  forget,  as  we  know  he  did  not  himself  forget, 
of  what  tribe  he  was,  of  that  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
which  produced  its  noblest  representative  in 
him. — Abp.  Trench. 

V.  Contrast  between  the  Characters 
OF  Saul  and  Moses. 

[17748]  In  Saul  we  see  the  bright  promise 
and  hopeful  sunrise  of  character,  soon  overcast 
and  falsified,  because  he  never  adequately  per- 
ceived the  kind  and  measure  of  spirit  which  he 
required,  in  order  to  use  aright  the  great  gifts 
of  position  and  opportunity  entrusted  to  him. 
In  Moses,  on  the  contrary,  we  mark  a  going 
forward  from  strength  to  strength.  The  inward 
harvest  of  spiritual  light,  power,  and  wisdom, 
which  he  was  ever  gathering  from  the  discipline 
of  his  lot,  strengthened  him  for  the  better  exe- 
cution of  his  life-work.  And  thus  the  one 
stands  before  us  a  noble  statue,  colossal  but 
harmonious  ;  while  the  other  is  but  a  block  of 
marble,  worthless,  because  vitiated  by  a  dark 
vein,  and  never  wholly  removed  from  the  quarry. 
— Rev.  R.  Lorimer. 

VI.  Contrast  between  the  Characters 
OF  Saul  and  Samuel. 

[17749]  There  is   no   more   unexceptionable 


character  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  no  more 
fitting  contrast  to  the  character  of  Saul,  than 
that  of  the  prophet  Samuel.  It  does  not  dazzle 
by  its  splendour  so  much  as  attract  by  its  gentle- 
ness and  beauty.  It  has  none  ot  those  inequali- 
ties that  ordinarily  belong  to  great  minds,  but  is 
rather  distinguished  for  its  equable  and  unitorm 
excellence.  Men  immortalize  themselves  by 
other  means  than  the  brightness  of  their  intel- 
lectual endowments.  It  is  not  always  that  the 
most  brilliant  characters  are  the  most  praise- 
worthy. There  have  been,  and  there  are  those, 
who,  although  they  do  not  occupy  so  prominent 
a  niche  in  the  temple  of  fame,  occupy  a  wider 
space  in  the  hearts  and  memories  of  mankind. 
Who  would  not  rather  have  been  the  diffident 
and  amiable  Cowper  than  the  splendid  Chester- 
field;  or  the  unpretending  and  attractive  Mont- 
gomery rather  than  the  blazing  Byron  ?  The 
moon  silently  walks  in  her  brightness /^r  c/i^cj-, 
while  the  flaming  meteor  darts  across  the 
heavens  and  is  seen  no  more.  S.imuel  and 
Saul  flourished  at  the  same  period  ;  their  his- 
tory is  inwoven,  and  is  also  blended,  with  all 
the  leading  facts  in  their  own  times.  They 
were  the  two  leading  men  at  the  close  of  the 
Hebrew  commonwealth,  and  until  the  reign  of 
David,  its  second  king.  They  occupied  the 
highest  stations,  the  one  in  the  State,  and  the 
other  in  the  Church  ;  the  one  a  prince,  the  other 
a  prophet.  It  was  by  their  influence  and  autho- 
rity, sometimes  combined  and  sometimes  in 
collision,  that  the  kingdom  assumed  its  first 
form  and  character,  and,  by  the  subjugation  of 
its  enemies,  prepared  the  way  for  the  most  bril- 
liant and  prosperous  periods  of  its  history. — 
Rev.  G.  Spring,  D.D. 


VII.  Homiletical  Hints. 

I       Two  stages  may  be  observed  in  this  his- 
tory of  human  depravity. 

(i)  Man  deserts  God, 

[17750]  Saul  stands  before  us,  throughout 
more  than  the  last  year  of  his  life,  as  a  soul 
beyond  the  range  of  discipline,  beyond  the 
reach  of  correction  —  a  soul  proof  against 
chastisement.  The  two  chief  constituent  ele- 
ments in  our  moral  life  are  probation,  or  the 
testing  of  our  inclination,  principle,  and  strength, 
and  discipline,  or  the  correction  of  our  sins. 
In  regard  to  both  of  these  Saul  failed.  He 
sank,  almost  at  the  beginning  of  his  reign,  by 
his  disobedience,  when  he  was  tested  to  show 
whether  he  possessed  the  moral  disposition 
which  it  became  the  king  of  Israel  to  have  ;  and 
he  underwent  a  long  discipline  for  that  sin, 
without  receiving  any  benefit  from  it. — Re\i.  R. 
Lorimer. 

[17751]  We  see  the  spirit  of  good  rallying  to 
make  its  last  stand  in  an  undecided  soul.  How 
it  gathered  from  every  quarter  all  the  force  it 
could  command,  which  might  exert  a  saving 
influence  upon  it  !  How  loth  was  it  to  allow 
this  soul  to  take  its  own  way  and  to  destroy  it- 


192 

I775I— 17756] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   EKA. 


rSA.UL. 


self!  Brief  although  the  vision  was,  how  bright 
and  clear  and  overmastering  was  it  whilst  it 
lasted  !  How  clear  then  the  fact  which  was 
often  so  dim  before,  that  the  earthly  life  in  its 
long  line  of  events,  great  and  small,  had  a 
spiritual  meaning  and  value  ;  that  the  voice  of 
God  was  trying  to  speak  out  of  it,  and  if  indis- 
tinct, was  so  only  because  it  had  so  much  to 
say,  and  cried  to  one  who  fled  from  it.  How 
unmistakable  in  that  retrospect  was  the  moral 
character  and  value  of  the  past  life  !  Many 
excuses,  justifications,  and  fine  names  had  been 
found  for  it  while  it  was  being  lived,  but  when 
the  true  light  flashed  upon  it,  nothing  could  be 
written  over  it  but  the  simple  epitaph,  "  I  have 
sinned  ;  behold,  1  have  played  the  fool,  and 
have  erred  exceedingly."- — Idid. 

[17752]  There  is  in  human  nature  a  tendency 
to  growth  in  evil.  Here  Saul  stands  for  the 
race.  And  in  him  this  growth  is  terribly  con- 
spicuous. Behold  him  at  first  in  humility 
declaring  his  unworthiness  of  the  crown,  and  in 
modest  backwardness  hiding  from  the  offer  of 
it  ;  vigorous  in  action,  yet  in  the  flush  of  victory 
so  temperate  as  generously  to  forbear  punishing 
the  opposers  of  his  power  ;  with  all  his  careless 
indifference,  and  ignorant  misapprehension  of 
the  nature  of  prayer,  yet  feeling  the  necessity 
of  "making  supplication  to  the  Lord"  before 
his  warlike  enterprises.  Even  when  ungodli- 
ness has  grown  so  strong  within  him  as  to  make 
Divine  commands  but  cobwebs  in  his  path,  he 
casts  about  him  eagerly  for  an  apology  to 
Samuel ;  and  when  the  offended  prophet  turns 
away,  and  the  deserted  king  implores  to  be 
"honoured  before  the  elders  of  Israel,"  we  seem 
to  discern  in  him  even  yet  some  spark  of 
honourable  feeling.  The  sense  of  shame,  how- 
ever, made  up  mostly  of  pride,  had  in  it,  not- 
withstanding, a  tincture  of  nobleness.  To 
desire  and  value  the  good  opinion  of  others 
ranks  deservedly  among  elevating  influences. 
Behold  him  at  last  desperately  clinging  to  his 
throne  in  proud  defiance  of  God.  and  scornful 
disregard  of  man,  deliberately  setting  himself 
against  the  declared  purpose  of  Omnipotence, 
and  in  his  mad  career  trampling  audaciously  in 
the  dust  all  laws  of  God,  and  all  interests,  feel- 
ings, and  opinions  of  men.  The  modest  man 
has  come  to  stand  without  shame  in  the  light 
of  a  public  exposure  ;  and  he  who  had  been  so 
winningly  regardful  of  the  life  of  rebels  now 
pants  for  the  blood  of  the  righteous,  and  bar- 
barously sacrifices  to  the  Moloch  of  his  passion 
the  whole  innocent  population  of  a  city. — Rev. 
P.  Richardson. 

[17753]  Keeping  pace  with  the  monstrous 
growth  of  evil,  and  probably  accounting  for  it, 
we  observe  in  him  the  gradual  consolidation  of 
infernal  agency.  The  human  nature  refused  to 
admit  its  full  operation  all  at  once.  At  first  the 
dark  influence  came  in  pulses  over  him,  like 
the  sullen  ripples  of  the  sea  of  death  on  a  boat's 
resisting  sides.  But  soon  that  influence  gained 
so  thorough  a  mastery  that  all  sounds  of  resis- 


tance ceased.  With  terrible  facility  the  infernal 
power  abated  the  reluctancy  of  his  nature,  and 
at  last  identified  itself  so  completely  with  him 
that  all  trace  of  a  struggle  vanished,  and  the 
occasional  impulses  of  its  first  contact  changed 
eventually  to  a  steady  and  uniform  influence. — 
Idid. 

[17754]  Reverting  to  the  time  when  he  first 
comes  before  us— as  a  son  serving  his  father, 
obeying  his  will,  and  consulting  his  interests — 
we  can  readily  conceive  of  him  continuing  to 
move  quietly  and  unobtrusively  along  the  retired 
paths  of  life,  his  conduct  marked  by  exemplary 
modesty,  and  his  course,  until  his  latest  day, 
confirming  all  the  hopes  concerning  him  which 
are  expressed  in  the  words  "  a  choice  young 
man,  and  a  goodly."  We  should  scarcely  have 
suspected  the  existence  or  the  strength  of  those 
evil  passions  which  found  a  home  in  his  heart. 
Exposed  to  no  temptation  to  pride,  with  no 
cause  exciting  to  jealousy,  and  exactly  in  those 
circumstances  which  are  the  least  likely  to  stir 
the  feelings  of  ambition  and  determination  for 
the  mastery,  we  only  see  him  amiable,  affec- 
tionate, and  humble.  But  the  throne  and  the 
crown  and  the  newly-acquired  authority  ap- 
pealed to  these  principles  of  pride  and  ambition, 
gave  scope  to  their  activity,  and,  as  will  always 
he  the  case,  they  gathered  strength  by  exercise, 
and  eventually  completed  Saul's  ruin.  The 
suddenness  of  his  elevation,  and  the  greatness 
of  his  popularity,  tended,  too,  to  enhance  the 
mischievous  power  with  which  temptation 
wrought — the  former  precluding  that  discipline 
of  the  mind  which  has  often  been  found  so 
helpful  for  safely  effecting  the  transition  from 
an  inferior  station  to  one  which  is  superior  ;'  the 
latter  inducing  that  self-complacency  which 
imposes  an  effectual  silence  on  the  whispers  of 
self-suspicion,  and  exposing  him,  too,  to  other 
perils,  which  constantly  attend  popularity. — 
Jbid. 

[17755]  Saul,  who  abode  in  his  old  nature  to 
the  end  ;  who,  anointed  captain  of  the  Lord's 
inheritance,  and  endowed  from  on  high  with 
gifts  for  an  office  of  surpassing  dignity,  he  yet 
after  a  while  miserably  forgot  from  whom  he 
held,  and  for  whom  he  wielded,  all ;  he  refused 
to  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord,  and  let  go  that 
good  thing  which  had  been  committed  to  him. 
Nor  was  this  all  ;  for  he  who  has  once  tasted  of 
the  powers  of  the  world  to  come,  can  never  be, 
for  good  or  for  evil,  merely  what  he  was  before  ; 
but  made  in  the  end  such  a  shipwreck  of  faith 
and  a  good  conscience  as  leaves  his  story  among 
the  saddest  which  Scripture  anywhere  contains. 
— Abp.  Trench. 

(2)  God  deserts  man. 

[17756]  The  Eternal  departs  from  him.  By 
this  is  meant,  not  that  the  Almighty  withdraws 
from  man  his  life-sustaining  energy,  or  foregoes 
any  of  his  claims  to  human  love  and  homage. 
No,  He  will  keep  the  human  spirit  in  existence, 
and  bind  it  by  the  laws  of  moral  obligation  to 


17756—17761] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[SAUL. 


His  throne  for  ever.  But  it  means  a  discon- 
tinuance of  the  overtures  of  His  love,  and  His 
agencies  to  restore  ;  it  is  leaving  man  to  himself, 
to  reap  the  labour  of  his  own  hands  ;  it  is  the 
physician  giving  up  the  patient  ;  the  tender 
father  closing  the  door  against  his  reprobate 
child.  In  the  first  stage,  we  find  the  vast 
majorities  of  mankind  in  every  age  ;  in  the 
second,  we  may  find  some  on  earth,  in  every 
period.  This  stage  is  hell.  The  first  stage  is 
probation  ;  the  second  stage  is  retribution  :  in 
the  first  stage,  man  says  to  God,  "  Depart  from 
me,  I  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways  ; " 
in  the  second  stage,  God  says  to  man,  "  Depart 
from  Me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire  :  "  in 
the  first  stage,  all  is  Divine  mercy  ;  in  the 
second  stage,  all  is  justice.  This  second  and 
final  stage  Saul  reached. — Anon. 

2  The  career  of  Saul  displays  valuelessness 
of  an  impulsive  character  in  comparison 
with  one  of  steadfast  principle. 

[17757]  The  man  of  impulse  is  often  an  attrac- 
tive man.  Saul  was  so.  Saul  inspired  strong  af- 
fection. Samuel  mourned  him.  Davidloved  him. 
His  son  cast  in  his  lot  with  him,  never  forsook 
him,  even  when  the  javelin  sought  his  friend's  life, 
or  sought  his  own.  "  Lovely  and  pleasant  were 
they  in  their  lives,  and  in  their  death  they  were 
not  divided."  The  armour-bearer  died  with  him 
— would  not,  could  not,  survive  him.  But  there 
comes  a  time  when  even  attractiveness  loses  its 
value,  in  comparison  of  one  other  thing — stead- 
fastness, solidity,  a  heart  right  with  God  and  a 
life  given  to  Him.  Then  we  see  what  impulse 
is  worth,  weighed  against  principle.  And  let 
none  confound  the  two  things,  impulsiveness 
and  warmth  of  heart.  Calmness  and  coldness 
are  not  always  found  together,  nor  yet  (in  the 
region  of  affection)  heat  and  warmth. — Dean 
Vanghatt. 

[17758]  Some  say,  "I  am  impulsive,  and  I 
cannot  change  my  nature."  But  you  can  correct, 
you  can  discipline,  you  can  elevate  it.  Practise 
self-denial  in  this  thing.  That  extravagant  out- 
burst, that  passionate  feeling,  whether  of  anger 
or  affection — check  it.  You  can.  That  letter, 
written  in  hot  haste,  under  impulse,  your  heart 
misgiving  you  as  you  wrote,  your  better  judg- 
ment telling  you  that  it  was  neither  wise,  nor 
considerate,  nor  kind,  nor  Christian — destroy  it. 
Rewrite  it  to-morrow.  In  everything  judge,  in 
everything  pray,  and  the  habit  of  thoughtfulness, 
the  habit  of  religion,  will  gradually,  through 
grace,  be  formed  within. — Ibid. 

[17759]  There  is  one  word  which  occurs  to 
all  of  us  as  we  study  Saul's  character,  and  it  is 
the  word  impulsiveness.  We  mean  by  it  a 
habit  of  mind,  natural  and  not  corrected,  which 
is  the  opposite  of  steadiness,  of  consistency,  of 
balance — in  one  word,  of  principle.  The  im- 
pulsive man  is  the  creature  of  circumstance,  of 
emotion,  of  excitement.  Feeling  is  strong,  and 
it  outruns  reflection.  An  object  is  presented, 
and,  without  waiting  to  set  it  in  its  place,  with- 

VOL.   VI.  14 


out  waiting  to  make  it  consist  with  other  objects, 
without  waiting  to  see  whether,  or  how  far,  it  is 
either  prudent,  or  right,  or  indeed  possible  to 
attain  it,  the  will  adopts  it  as  its  aim,  and  the 
whole  being  rushes  to  seize  it.  The  result  must 
be  a  life  of  perpetual  mistakes  and  perpetual 
disappointments.  Many  objects  cannot  be  at- 
tained. They  never  ought  to  have  been  made 
for.  By  the  nature  of  the  case,  they  are  out  of 
reach.  In  the  best  form,  that  of  benevolence, 
they  must  be  coerced  by  the  judgment.  You 
see  one  case  of  distress.  The  impulse  of  bene- 
volence is  to  relieve.  You  will  bring  comfort, 
happiness,  virtue,  into  that  home.  It  is  a 
generous,  a  noble,  a  Christian  impulse.  But, 
while  you  are  pursuing  this  one  object,  other 
objects,  nearer  and  more  urgent,  are  neglected 
— and  that  is  an  evil.  Presently  the  impulse 
itself  weakens  :  perseverance  seldom  depends 
upon  such  efforts  :  failure  soon  daunts,  and  the 
result  is  double  weakness.  The  impulsive 
never  continues  in  one  stay  —  and  that  is  a 
second  and  a  greater  evil. — Ibid. 

3  The  history  of  Saul  should  furnish  a  warn- 
ing to  self  and  a  ground  of  sympathy  with 
others. 

[17760]  We  cannot  review  this  story  even 
superficially  without  feeling  a  strong  sympathy 
for  the  unhappy  man  whose  lot  is  before  us 
here.  I  venture  to  think  that  Scripture  intended 
us  to  feel  that  sympathy,  and  the  longing  wish 
that  such  a  one  as  Saul  was  once,  and  might 
have  been  always,  had  been  prospered  and 
blessed,  and  saved  and  brought  from  an  earthly 
kingdom  to  a  crown  of  glory  at  the  last.  And 
with  what  object  are  we  brought  to  this  state  of 
feeling  ?  Is  it  that,  having  mercy  in  our  thoughts 
upon  King  Saul,  we  may  learn  to  have  mercy 
upon  ourselves,  and  pray  that  God  would  keep 
us  from  the  snares  and  pitfalls  into  which  he 
fell.''  Is  it  also  that  we  may  have  mercy  upon 
others  who  have  been  tempted,  and  have  fallen 
like  Saul  the  king  of  Israel,  and  that  we  may 
learn  by  the  example  of  David  to  stretch  forth 
no  hand  against  them  while  they  live,  but  rather 
plead  with  them  and  mourn  for  them  as  Samuel ; 
and  as  David  did  when  Saul  was  slain  in  Gilboa, 
speaking  nothing  but  good  of  him  when  he  was 
gone.''  "Saul  and  Jonathan  were  lovely  and 
pleasant  in  their  lives,  and  in  their  death  they 
were  not  divided." — Rev.  C.  Waller. 

4  The  history  of  Saul  illustrates  the  danger 
which  attends  the  sudden  elevation  of  the 
young. 

[17761]  That  is  safe  eminence  into  which  a  man 
grows  by  degrees,  whose  successive  increments, 
gradually  attained,  are  less  felt,  and  so  are  less 
liable  to  engender  pride  and  lead  to  unbecom- 
ing exhibitions  and  excesses.  Greatness  so 
gained  may  be  worn  safely  and  gracefully. 
"Behold,"  says  Habakkuk,  "his  soul  that  is 
lifted  up  is  not  upright  in  him  :  but  the  just 
shall  live  by  his  faith."  If  that  counterbalan- 
cing, regulating  faith  be  there,  all  is  safe.  But 
"  pales  set  upon  an  high  place  can  never  stand 


194 

17761— 17765] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[david. 


against  the  wind  ; "  and  what  but  weak  and  un- 
stable palings  are  young  men,  suddenly  lifted 
into  the  high  places  of  society,  without  firm  and 
well-settled  principles,  there  to  encounter  the 
winds  of  passion  and  pride,  of  adulation  and 
self-interest,  and,  in  the  irresistible  onset,  sure 
to  be  blown  down  into  wreck  and  ruin.  Seek 
not  high  things  for  thyself  prematurely,  but 
rather  seek  patiently  the  qualifications  that 
shall  fit  thee  for  high  things,  if  God  shall  assign 
them  to  thee. — Reti.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

5  The  rapid  declension  of  Saul  furnishes  an 
instance  of  the  swiftness  with  which  the 
disease  of  sin  spreads. 

[17762]  If  Saul,  when  he  took  the  first  step 
out  of  the  way  in  which  God  had  bidden  him 
walk,  could  have  been  told  what  it  involved,  he 
might  have  said,  "  Is  thy  servant  a  dog,  that  he 
should  do  this  thing  ?  "  But  sin  is  a  disease 
that  spreads  very  rapidly.  A  cancer  may  be 
eradicated  from  the  human  body  if  taken  in  its 
earliest  stage,  but  let  it  once  begin  to  extend  its 
roots  and  all  hope  of  recovery  is  gone.  Ampu- 
tation of  a  sin  may  save  a  soul,  says  the  Great 
Physician,  but  leave  it  to  work  its  way,  and 
every  faculty  becomes  affected  by  its  deadly 
influence.  "  If  thy  right  hand  offend  thee,  cut 
it  off,  and  cast  it  from  thee  ;  for  it  is  profitable 
for  thee  that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish, 
and  not  that  thy  whole  body  should  be  cast 
into  hell"  (Matt.  v.  30).— /td-y.  IV.  Harris. 

6  The  dark  passions  of  Saul  bid  us  beware 
of  jealousy. 

[17763]  Guard  against  theinfluence  of  jealousy. 
No  temper  of  mind  is  more  wretched  and  per- 
nicious, more  painful  to  the  individual,  more 
unjust  to  others.  It  is  a  creative  and  prolific 
feeling,  and  brings  in  its  train  a  host  of  evils 
whose  name  is  legion.  Crowds  of  imaginary 
troubles  spring  up  under  its  power,  and  those 
that  have  any  substance  and  reality  are  fright- 
fully magnified  and  exaggerated  ;  trifles  grow 
into  monsters,  and  the  life  is  haunted  with 
spectres  of  its  own  creation  that  go  with  it  into 
all  its  walks,  till  the  soul  becomes  "  a  miry  sea 
that  cannot  rest,"  and  dwells  in  an  atmosphere 
of  universal  mistrust  and  suspicion.  See  all 
this  forcibly  exemplified  in  the  case  of  Saul. 
When  once  the  thought  had  entered  his  mind 
that  David  was  his  destined  successor,  the 
innocent  young  man,  exemplary  and  long- 
suffering,  as  he  was  in  all  the  duties  of  a  son- 
in-law  and  a  subject,  became  an  object  of  con- 
tinual suspicion.  In  the  eyes  of  the  unhappy 
king,  he  was  transformed  into  an  intriguing 
supplanter,  and  all  his  words  and  motions 
became  indications  of  sinister  designs.  His  own 
virtuous  and  faithful  son  grew  in  his  estimation 
to  be  a  plotter  against  his  throne  and  life.  And 
the  priests  of  God  were  changed  into  a  band  of 
conspirators,  linked  with  the  son  of  Jesse  in  his 
aspirations.  He  could  trust  no  one  ;  he  could 
see  nothing  as  it  really  was  ;  everything  became 
to  him  an  omen  of  approaching  rebellion.  His 
fancies  became  realities ;   and  he  dwelt   in   a 


world  of  imaginary  wrong  and  horror,  crazed 
and  frenzied  by  his  own  distempered  thoughts. 
—Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

7  God's  forbearance  towards  Saul  is  a  special 
instance  of  the  exceeding  great  love  which 
He  bears  to  sinful  man. 

[17764]  The  life  of  Saul  has  been  drawn  for 
us  by  one  who  loved  him,  longed  for  him,  would 
have  died  for  him,  and  would  willingly  have 
saved  him  and  forgiven  him  alter  all.  The  love 
of  God  must  be  more  than  the  love  of  Samuel 
that  mourned  for  Saul  though  he  came  no  more 
to  see  him,  more  than  the  love  of  David  who 
"mourned  and  wept  and  fasted  until  even,  for 
Saul  and  for  Jonathan  his  son."  Why  did  He 
let  Samuel  come  back  from  the  grave  to  answer 
him  ?  Why  do  we  read  that  even  after  he  had 
been  to  the  woman  at  Endor  and  received 
his  sentence  to  die  on  the  morrow,  yet  ere 
he  departed  they  "killed  for  him  the  fatted 
calf"  ?  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  intense 
tenderness  for  such  a  one  as  Saul,  exhibited  in 
Holy  Scripture,  except  to  teach  us  that  while 
there  is  life  there  is  hope  for  sinners,  and  not 
only  hope,  but  love  ?  "  How  excellent  is  Thy 
loving-kindness,  O  God  !  "  Why  do  we  not  draw 
the  right  conclusion  ?  "  Therefore  the  children 
of  men  put  their  trust  under  the  shadow  of 
Thy  wings."  Let  it  not  be  said  that  this  gives 
encouragement  to  lawlessness  and  transgression. 
No,  "  The  goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  re- 
pentaftce."  "  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
him  that  dieth,"  and  yet  the  very  words,  "  him 
that  dieth,"  prove  that  there  are  some  that  die. 
—Rev.  C.  Waller. 


DA  VI D. 

I.  Introductory. 

I       David   occupies   the    central   place  in  Old 
Testament  history. 

[17765]  In  point  of  chronology,  he  stands 
almost  midway  between  Abraham  and  Christ, 
distant  from  each  about  a  thousand  years.  In 
point  of  historical  importance,  his  position  is 
still  more  commanding.  Under  him,  the  Hebrew 
nation  made  a  prodigious  advance  ;  and  from  a 
feeble  State  that  any  neighbouring  tribe  could 
humble,  became  a  first-rate  Power,  honoured  by 
all  the  East.  The  cause  of  religion  made  an 
equally  remarkable  advance,  both  outwardly 
and  spiritually  ;  the  Levites  were  organized 
throughout  the  country  for  their  sacred  service, 
the  plan  of  the  temple  was  prepared,  and  the 
temple  service  was  arranged  ;  while  a  great 
addition  was  made  to  the  Divine  revelations  re- 
specting the  Messiah  ;  much  light  was  thrown 
upon  his  kingly  office,  his  lot  of  suffering,  and 
the  peaceful  glories  of  his  kingdom  ;  and  mate- 
rials were  supplied  for  a  personal  acquaintance 
with  him,  such  as  that  which  gives  its  great 
charm,  in  a  spiritual  point  of  view,  to  the  Song 
of  Solomon. — Rev.  IV.  Blaikie. 


17766 — 17771] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


2  His  position   is   virtually  that   of  founder 
of  the  Jewish  monarchy. 

[17766]  His  name  is  repeated  in  every  pos- 
sible form.  "  The  city  of  David  " — "  The  seed 
of  David" — The  house  of  David"  —  "The 
key  of  David  " — "The  oath  sworn  unto  David" 
— are  expressions  which  pervade  the  whole 
subsequent  history  and  poetry  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  much  of  the  figurative  language  of 
the  New.  The  cruelty,  the  self-indulgence,  the 
too-ready  falsehood,  sufficiently  appear  in  the 
events  of  his  history.  But  there  was  a  grace,  a 
charm  about  him,  which  entwined  the  attections 
of  the  nation  round  his  person  and  his  memory, 
and  made  him,  in  spite  of  the  savage  manners 
of  the  time  and  the  wildness  of  his  own  life,  at 
once  the  centre  of  something  like  a  court,  the 
head  of  a  new  civilization. — Dean  Stanley. 

3  He    was    a    born    king    of   Israel    by  his 
natural  gifts. 

[17767]  His  immense  activity  and  martial 
spnit  united  him  by  a  natural  succession  to  the 
earlier  chiefs  of  Israel,  whilst  his  accomplish- 
ments and  genius  fitted  him  especially  to  exer- 
cise a  vast  control  over  the  whole  future  great- 
ness of  the  Church  and  commonwealth.  The 
force  and  passion  of  the  ruder  age  was  blended 
with  a  depth  of  emotion  which  broke  out  in 
every  relation  of  life.  Never  before  had  there 
been  such  a  faithful  friend,  such  an  affectionate 
father.  Never  before  had  king  or  chief  inspired 
such  passionate  loyalty,  or  given  it  back  in 
equal  degree.  The  tenderness  of  his  personal 
afiection  penetrated  his  public  life.  He  loved 
his  people  with  a  pathetic  compassion,  beyond 
even  that  of  Moses.  Even  from  the  history  we 
gather  that  the  ancient  fear  of  God  was,  for  the 
first  time,  passing  into  the  love  of  God. — Idid. 

4  No    one    of   the    Old    Testament    heroes 
lived  so  marvellous  a  life. 

[17768]  Called  in  youth  from  the  quietude  of 
the  sheep-folds  to  be  king  over  Israel ;  elevating 
the  kingdom  to  a  state  of  power  and  splendour 
v.'hich  IS  seldom  equalled,  and  perhaps  never 
surpassed  ;  and  guiding  it  amid  a  crowd  of 
perils  with  a  wisdom  and  courage  which  made 
his  name  proverbial  amongst  his  countrymen  ; 
— this  man  seems  to  stand  far  off  from  us  in  an 
atmosphere  of  wonder  and  glory  ;  yet  none  of 
the  Old  Testament  heroes  comes  nearer  to  our 
personal  sympathies. — Rev.  E.  Hull. 


II.  Personal  Aspect  and  Mien. 

[17769]  He  does  not  appear  to  have  been  of 
commanding  stature,  but  he  was  eminently 
handsome.  He  was  distinguished  by  a  fair  and 
ruddy  complexion,  and  the  beauty  of  his  eyes  is 
particularly  noticed  (i  Sam.  xvi.  12,  marginal 
reading).  In  them  the  fire  of  genius  shone,  and 
from  them  beamed  that  enchanting  expression 
of  kindliness  and  generous  warmth,  by  which 
the  hearts  of  men  and  women  were  drawn  to 
him  as  by  a  charm.     Altogether  he  was  goodly 


195 
[daviu. 

to  look  to.  The  eyes  of  men  rested  on  his 
engaging  and  happy  countenance  with  pleasure, 
and  withdrew  from  it  with  regret.  The  rare 
combination  in  him  of  all  that  was  gentle, 
tender,  and  mild,  with  the  most  exalted  enthu- 
siasm, the  most  noble  aspirations,  the  most 
generoussentimenis,thcmostmanlydeportment, 
the  most  heroic  daring,  and  the  most  invincible 
prowess— joined  to  his  invariable  consideration 
for  others,  his  open-heartedness,  his  humble- 
ness, and  the  entire  absence  of  all  pretension 
in  him,  made  men  feel  better  when  thev  looked 
upon  him,  and  it  exalted  their  hearts  to  know 
that  they  were  sharers  of  the  nature  which, 
under  Divine  grace,  became  capable  of  such 
impressive  development.  He  was  known  to  be 
a  man  of  God,  and  to  be  much  in  communion 
with  Him  ;  and  this  diffused  an  ineffable  grace 
over  his  demeanour  and  conversation,  to  which, 
beyond  question,  much  of  the  extraordinary 
influence  he  possessed  over  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  others  must  be  ascribed. — Rev.  J. 
Kit  to,  D.D. 


III.  His  Character  Viewed  as  a  Sample 
OF  Divine  Education. 

I  The  shepherd's  life,  in  preparation  for  his 
calling,  endues  him  with  a  sense  of  re- 
sponsibility. 

[17770]  As  a  shepherd,  keeping  his  father's 
sheep,  the  sense  of  responsibility  to  another  was 
powerfully  called  into  exercise.  The  flock  was 
not  his  own.  In  keeping  it,  he  was  acting 
merely  as  his  father's  servant.  He  was  bouncl 
to  take  his  father's  directions  in  all  that  he  did, 
to  lead  the  flock  by  the  paths  and  pastures  his 
father  might  appoint,  and,  in  his  whole  manage- 
ment, have  regard  to  his  father's  will.  The 
servant-feeling  thus  beautifully  called  into  play, 
was  transferred,  in  full  integrity,  to  the  higher 
sphere  of  the  kingdom.  To  the  people  of  Israel 
he  felt  that  he  stood  in  the  same  relation  as  he 
had  occupied  to  his  father's  sheep,  and  to  God 
in  the  same  place  in  wliich  he  had  stood  to  liis 
father.  Israel  was  the  flock  of  God,  David  the 
shepherd  whom  God  employed  to  feed  them. 
It  was  thus  that  David  earned  the  title  by  which 
God  distinguished  him,  "  My  servant  David," 
and  became  the  man  "  after  God's  own  heart." 
And  this  formed  one  of  the  most  striking  re- 
semblances between  David  and  Christ. — Rev. 
IV.  Blaikie. 

[17771]  On  him  lay  the  responsibility  of 
bringing  the  people  through  the  lowering  storm, 
and  winning  their  fidelity  to  God.  The  age 
demanded  a  man  at  once  courageous  and 
tender — powerful  in  daring  to  do  the  right 
against  the  people's  will  ;  yet  trustful  in  casting 
all  his  dependencies  on  the  aid  of  Heaven.  And 
thus  in  David — young  and  unknown,  with  a 
heart  tender  as  a  woman's  and  strong  as  a 
hero's  ;  with  a  deep,  far-seeing  eye  that  could 
read  the  glorious  music  of  nature,  and  a  soul 
quivering  already  under  the  sublime  sense  of  a 


196 

I777I— 17775] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[DAVID. 


present  God — there,  amid  tlie  quiet  flocks  and 
silent  hills  of  Bethlehem,  was  the  man  whom 
God  had  chosen  to  lead  the  nation  through  its 
day  of  peril  into  long  and  glorious  repose. — 
Rev.  E.  HtilL 


2  The  shepherd's  life,  in  preparation  for  his 
calling,  endues  him  with  a  sense  of 
duty. 

[17772]  The  shepherd  occupation  of  David 
led  him,  from  its  very  nature,  to  seek  the  welfare 
of  the  tiock.  It  demanded  unceasing  attention 
to  its  condition  as  a  whole,  and  to  the  state  of 
each  several  animal  ;  frequent  exposure  to 
danger  ;  and  constant  readiness  to  sacrifice  his 
own  ease  or  comfort.  Suitable  pasture  had  to 
be  provided  ;  shelter  had  to  be  found  from  the 
heat  by  day  and  from  the  cold  by  night  ;  pro- 
tection had  to  be  secured  from  wolves  and  lions  ; 
the  diseased  had  to  be  nursed,  the  wounded 
cared  for,  wanderers  had  to  be  followed,  rescued 
from  danger,  and  brought  back  to  the  fold. 
These  were  the  ideas  of  duty  with  which  David 
became  familiar  as  a  shepherd.  And  when  his 
charge  was  changed,  these  ideas  of  duty  re- 
maining in  his  heart,  and  influencing  his  public 
conduct,  made  him  the  eminent  ruler  he  became. 
The  welfare  of  his  people  was  his  constant  aim. 
His  vigilant  eye  kept  watch  over  all  that  tended 
to  their  real  good.  T\\€\x physical  welfare  was 
not  a  matter  of  indifference  to  him  ;  their  intel- 
lectual welfare  was  not  overlooked  ;  while,  high 
above  all,  their  religious  welfare  was  most 
anxiously  and  unweariedly  promoted,  and  every 
means  used  to  persuade  them  to  regard  the 
favour  of  God  as  the  fountain-head  of  every 
real  blessing,  and  the  indispensable  condition 
of  all  true  prosperity.  In  the  view  of  duty  to 
the  flock,  all  thoughts  of  fear  and  danger  fled 
from  David's  mind.  The  same  contempt  of 
danger  met  in  discharge  of  duly,  and  the  same 
trust  in  the  Invisible,  that  carried  the  fearless 
boy  against  the  lion  and  the  bear,  bore  him 
against  the  champion  of  the  Philistines,  when 
every  other  heart  quailed  before  him.  This 
admirable  self-possession,  fostered  amid  the 
dangers  of  the  wilderness,  stood  often  in  stead 
in  after  years,  in  the  suddenness  of  a  surprise, 
or  amid  the  awful  din  of  battle.  Self-sacrifice 
for  the  welfare  of  others  was  the  ruling  principle 
at  once  of  the  shepherd  and  of  the  kins. — 
Ibid. 

[17773]  The  shepherd  employment  of  David, 
by  leadmg  him  to  give  special  attention  to  the 
weak,  the  helpless,  and  the  distressed  of  his 
flock,  trained  him  for  one  of  the  most  blessed 
and  Christ-like  functions  of  a  godly  ruler. 
Instead  of  regarding  the  "poor  and  needy"  as 
unworthy  of  his  care,  he  treated  them  like  a 
kind  and  faithful  shepherd,  with  peculiar  con- 
sideration. The  great  impulse  to  such  deeds  of 
kindness,  whether  to  the  feeble  of  the  flock,  or 
to  the  poor  of  the  people,  was  the  sympathy  of 
a  tender  heart,  pained  at  the  sight  of  suffering, 
and  finding  happiness  in  relieving  it. — Ibid. 


3  The  shepherd's  life,  in  preparation  for  his 
calling,  endues  him  with  a  sense  of  de- 
pendence upon  God. 

[17774]  "And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,"  so  the 
history  announces,  "  came  upon  David "  {i.e.^ 
the  beloved)  "  from  that  day  forward.''  The 
youth  entered  upon  a  new  stage  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  inner  life,  which  was  wholly  conse- 
crated to  God.  The  rich  talents  wherewith  he 
was  endowed  from  his  birth  received  on  all  sides 
frtsh  unfolding.  The  law,  the  holy  record  of 
the  books  of  Moses,  in  which  he  had  been  in- 
structed from  his  earliest  years,  opened  them- 
selves to  his  enlightened  eye  more  and  more. 
The  peaceful  stillness  of  nature  amid  which, 
tending  his  father's  flocks,  he  spent  his  days, 
and  often  also  the  mild,  starry  nights,  favoured 
his  penetration  into  the  secrets  of  the  Divine 
revelation.  His  heart,  moved  and  directed  from 
above,  already  poured  itself  out  in  sacred  song 
and  poem,  which  he  sang  to  the  accompaniment 
of  his  harp,  to  the  praise  of  that  God  before 
whom  from  his  childhood  he  had  learned  to  bow 
the  knee  ;  and  it  may  well  be  assumed  that 
even  then,  amid  that  rural  loneliness,  psalms 
streamed  forth  from  his  heart,  such  as  the  eighth, 
which  overflows  with  adoring  wonder  at  the 
condescension  and  grace  with  which  the  glorious 
Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  has  concerned 
Himself  with  frail  man,  and  has  raised  him  up 
to  be  lord  over  the  works  of  His  hands  ;  the 
nineteenth — "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
God  ; "  the  twenty-third — "  The  Lord  is  my 
shepherd,  I  shall  not  want  ;  "  the  hundred-and- 
fourth — "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul.  O  Lord, 
my  God,  Thou  art  very  great ;  Thou  art  clothed 
with  honour  and  majesty  ; "  and  others  of  a 
similar  kind.  At  all  events,  a  great  part  of  the 
lovely  and  thoughtful  pictures  borrowed  from 
nature,  which  we  meet  with  in  such  rich  fulness 
in  almost  all  his  psalms,  owe  their  origin  to  his 
shepherd-life,  spent  amid  the  pasture-fields  and 
hills  around  Bethlehem. — Krummacher. 

[17775]  God  led  David  the  round  of  all  human 
conditions,  that  he  might  catch  the  spirit  proper 
to  every  one,  and  utter  it  according  to  truth  ;  He 
allowed  him  not  to  curtail  his  being  by  treading 
the  round  of  one  function,  but  by  every  variety 
of  functions.  He  cultivated  his  whole  being, 
and  filled  his  soul  with  wisdom  and  feeling.  He 
found  him  objects  for  every  atTection,  that  the 
affection  nughtnot  slumber  and  die.  He  brought 
him  up  in  the  sheep-pastures,  that  the  ground- 
work of  his  character  might  be  laid  amongst 
the  simple  and  universal  forms  of  feeling.  He 
took  him  to  the  camp,  and  made  him  a  con- 
queror, that  he  might  be  filled  with  nobleness 
of  soul  and  ideas  of  glory.  He  placed  him  in 
the  palace,  that  he  might  be  filled  with  ideas  of 
majesty  and  sovereign  might.  He  carried  him 
to  the  wilderness,  and  placed  him  in  solitudes, 
that  his  soul  might  dwell  alone  in  the  sublime 
conceptions  of  God,  and  His  mighty  works  ; 
and  He  kept  him  there  for  long  years,  with  only 
one  step  between  him  and  death,  that  he  might 
be   well   schooled  to    trust    and  depend  upon 


17775— 17781] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTUFE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


197 

[daviu. 


the  providence  of  God.  And  in  none  of  these 
various  conditions  and  avocations  of  life  did 
He  take  away  from  him  His  Holy  Spirit. — E. 
Irving. 

4       The  disciplinary  element  in  his  education 
endues  him  with  trust  in  God. 

[17776]  It  was  most  necessary  that  the  spirit 
of  trust  in  God,  and  all  the  graces  depending 
on  it  and  derived  from  it,  should  be  exercised 
and  nurtured  to  the  highest  measure  of  strength 
and  endurance.  One  great  object  for  which 
David  had  been  preferred  to  Saul  was,  that  in 
his  government  he  might  vindicate  and  main- 
tain the  supremacy  of  God — always  regarding 
Jehovah  as  the  real  King  of  the  nation,  and 
himself  as  but  His  viceroy.  That  he  might 
faithfully  fulhl  this  purpose,  it  was  necessary 
that  the  spirit  of  trust  in  God  should  acquire 
the  force  and  constancy  of  a  rooted  habit — 
that  he  should  learn  to  view  all  public  measures 
instinctively  in  the  light  in  which  they  would 
appear  to  God — to  apply  in  all  difficulties  to 
Him  for  direction— to  shun  all  mere  carnal 
expedients  for  avoiding  dangers  or  securing 
advantages  ;  and  to  follow  the  Divine  instructions 
with  implicit  confidence,  assured  that  in  the  end 
they  would  guide  him  to  safety,  though  at  first 
they  might  seem  to  be  plunging  him  into  the 
very  jaws  of  destruction.  And  no  discipline 
could  have  been  better  fitted  than  David's  for 
impressing  this  lesson  and  securing  this  end. 
In  the  course  of  his  weary  wanderings  he  was 
brought  again  and  again  to  his  wits'  end  ;  refuge 
failed  him — despair  was  at  the  door.  Invariably, 
in  these  extremities,  it  was  impressed  on  him 
that  recourse  to  God  by  prayer  was  the  first 
step  to  relief.  The  habit  acquired  additional 
strength  by  the  practice  of  recording  his  ex- 
perience in  the  Psalms,  many  of  which  were 
commemorative  of  his  wilderness  trials,  and 
seem  to  have  been  designed  to  deepen  and 
perpetuate  his  wilderness  impressions.  Thus, 
by  the  time  he  reached  the  throne,  the  habit  of 
trustful  fellowship  with  God  had  almost  become 
in  him  a  second  nature. — Rev.  W.  Blaikie. 

[i  7777]  The  discipline  of  the  outlaw  fitted  him 
for  the  high  duties  of  the  king  ;  the  bough  that 
had  been  turned  Godwards  in  youth  by  the 
storms  of  adversity,  continued,  for  the  most 
part,  when  the  pressure  ceased,  to  retain  the 
same  direction. — Ibid. 

[17778]  His  godliness  was  not  the  offspring  of 
a  soul  naturally  saintly  and  beautiful,  but  it  rose 
amid  perpetual  conflict  with  the  fiercest  passions 
of  our  common  nature.  His  spiritual  strength 
was  not  the  holiness  ot  an  untempted  heart,  but 
a  thing  constantly  assaulted  by  the  combined 
power  of  the  most  tremendous  temptations. 
And  his  psalms,  in  their  plaintive  lamentations 
— in  their  loud  wail  of  misery — in  their  joyous 
bursts  of  exultations — have  been  felt  by  all  men 
to  be  the  most  faithful  record  of  the  changing 
gloom  and  glory  which  forms  the  experience  of 
the  earnest  soul  through  every  age  of  time.     If 


we  could  bring  out  the  real  similarity  underlying 
the  splendour  of  David's  career,  which  exists 
between  his  history  and  our  own  ;  if  we  could 
show  how  there  was  in  him  the  earnest  human 
soul  struggling  as  we  struggle,  falling  as  we  fall, 
and  yet  faithfully  struggling  on— then  we  should 
find  that  his  life  is  full  of  glorious  meaning  and 
practical  power.— i^^v.  E.  Hull. 

5       The  disciplinary  element  in  his  education 
endues  him  with  self-control. 

[17779]  The  germ  of  this  grace  was  exhibited 
in  the  combat  with  Goliath  ;  but  it  too  required 
to  be  strengthened  into  a  steady,  constant  habit 
ere  he  was  qualified  to  hold  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment. The  man  after  God's  own  heart  must 
not  be  liable  to  those  ebullitions  of  temper  or 
those  fits  of  caprice  which  so  often  disgrace  the 
conduct  of  kings, and  others  in  exalted  situations. 
He  must  not  be  liable  to  have  his  judgment 
clouded  by  passion,  when  devising  and  executing 
measures  involving  the  welfare  of  millions. 
Nothing  could  have  been  better  adapted  than  his 
wilderness  training  for  strengthening  the  habit 
of  self-control.  It  was  essential  to  his  very 
existence  there,  that  he  should  keep  a  constant 
rein  upon  his  inclinations,  and  check  every  wild 
or  tumultuous  feeling.  His  trust  in  God,  when 
in  active  operation,  obliged  him  calmly  to  con- 
sider, and  piously  adopt  such  measures  only  as 
the  righteous  God  would  own  and  bless.  His  spar- 
ing the  life  of  Saul,  when  he  lay  asleep  at  his  feet, 
was  a  striking  evidence  of  his  high  attainment 
in  self-control.  And  though  the  grace  was  not 
complete — though  in  one  department,  especially, 
it  was  palpably  defective — yet  the  great  mass  of 
his  public  actings  bore  clear  and  beautiful  testi- 
mony to  the  self-mastery  he  had  attained. — Rev. 
W.  Blaikie. 

[17780]  When  the  haughty  and  scornful  Eliab 
assailed  him  with  taunting  words,  the  young 
shepherd  kept  his  temper,  and  we  feel  how  diffi- 
cult that  must  have  been  for  him,  when,  as  we 
read  the  story,  our  own  hearts  rise  in  burning 
indignation  at  the  spirit  which  the  elder  brother 
evinced.  Probably  this  was  not  the  first  time 
that  Eliab  attempted  to  lord  it  over  him,  but 
David  kept  himself  calm,  and,  like  another,  in 
a  yet  more  trying  hour,  "  when  he  was  reviled, 
he  reviled  not  again."  "  He  that  ruleth  his 
spirit  is  greater  than  he  that  taketh  a  city  ;"  and 
to  my  thinking  this  calmness  of  soul  under 
Eliab's  taunt  was  a  greater  thing  in  David  than 
his  boldness  before  the  giant.  I  do  not,  of 
course,  in  thus  emphasizing  David's  meekness, 
extenuate  the  rudeness  of  Eliab.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  was  worthy  of  all  reprobation,  but 
David  felt  that  he  was  called  not  to  fight  with 
Eliab  in  this  matter,  but  with  himself,  and  so  he 
held  his  peace. — Rev.  IV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[17781]  The  strong  faith  by  which  he  was 
actuated  was  attended  with  a  meek  temper  and 
a  forbearing  heart.  "  And  David  said,  What 
have  I  now  done.'  Is  there  not  a  cause?"  No 
railing  returned  for  railing,  when  his  noble  spirit 


17781 — 17786] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[DAVID. 


of  self-sacrifice  metwith  thisvolley  of  undeserved 
abuse  ;  but,  just  like  the  Son  of  David  after- 
wards, the  sweetest  meekness  and  patience. 
This  admirable  spirit  of  self-command,  under 
all  sorts  of  disturbing  influences,  already  marked 
out  David  as  a  ruler  of  men. — Rev.  W.  Blaikie. 


IV.  Fruits  of  the  Divine  Culture  as 
Traced  in  his  Special  Character- 
istics. 

1  Sensibility. 

[17782]  Was  not  he  the  true  son  of  Boaz  who^ 
when  the  ark  was  placed  on  Mount  Zion,  "  dealt 
among  all  the  people,  even  among  the  whole 
multitude  of  Israel,  as  ivell  to  the  women  as  7iien, 
to  every  one  a  cake  of  bread,  and  a  good  piece  of 
flesh,  and  a  flagon  of  wine  .''  "  Ruth,  again,  was 
remarkable  for  the  extraordinary  tenderness  and 
depth  of  her  affection  ;  her  very  life  was  a  poem 
— a  psalm  ;  her  words  to  Naomi  breathe  the 
very  soul  of  piety  and  of  poetry  :  "  Entreat  me 
not  to  leave  thee,  nor  to  return  from  following 
after  thee  :  for  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go  ;  and 
where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge  ;  thy  people 
shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God." 
Did  not  all  Ruth's  tenderness  fall  to  the  lot  of 
the  man  who  was  bound  to  Jonathan  by  such 
a  romantic  attachment  —  who  exhibited  such 
emotion  when  a  fatal  illness  attacked  his  infant 
child — who  poured  out  such  a  flood  of  anguish 
when  his  rebellious  Absalom  was  hurried  into 
eternity  .''  And  was  not  all  Ruth's  piety,  too, 
poured  out  into  the  heart  that  pleaded  so  plain- 
tively for  God's  presence  :  "  Hide  not  Thy  face 
far  from  me ;  put  not  Thy  servant  away  in  anger ; 
leave  me  not,  neither  forsake  me,  O  God  of  my 
salvation  "  ?  There  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  the 
history  of  Boaz  and  Ruth  would  occupy  much 
of  David's  attention,  and  take  deep  hold  of  his 
mind.  Not  only  was  it  marked  by  that  dash  of 
romance  which  suited  his  poetical  temperament; 
and  not  only  did  it  probably  form  part  of  those 
holy  oracles  in  which  he  ever  felt  such  boundless 
delight  ;  but  the  very  house  in  which  he  lived 
— the  fields  where  he  tended  his  sheep — every 
object  around  him  would  probably  be  associated 
with  their  memory  ;  aged  people  would  tell  him 
stories  of  their  benevolence  ;  pious  people  would 
give  him  traditions  of  their  godliness ;  the  whole 
place  would  be  fragrant  with  the  memory  of 
their  goodness  ;  everything  would  convey  the 
strongest  impression  of  the  beauty  of  their 
character.  Such,  most  probably,  was  one  of 
the  influences  which  the  Holy  Spirit  employed 
for  developing  the  tender  and  amiable  spirit  of 
King  David  ;  and  thus  the  foundation  was  laid 
of  a  character,  in  whicli  ail  the  tenderness  of  a 
woman  was  combined  with  the  piety  of  a  saint, 
and  the  courage  and  spirit  of  a  man. — Ibid. 

2  Modesty. 

[17783]  He  does  not  boast  or  talk  of  his 
strength  and  courage  in  killing  the  lion  and  the 
bear ;  for  he  knew  that  that  strength  and  courage 
came  from  God,  not  from  himself ;  therefore  he 


says  that  the  Lord  delwered  him  from  them. 
He  knew  that  he  had  been  only  doing  his  duty 
in  facing  them  when  they  attacked  his  father's 
sheep,  and  that  it  was  God's  mercy  which  had 
protected  him  in  doing  his  duty. — Rev.  C. 
Kitigsley. 

3  Prudence. 

[17784]  He  would  not  use  Saul's  armour,  good 
as  it  might  be,  because  he  was  not  accustomed 
to  it.  He  would  use  his  own  experience,  and 
fight  with  the  weapons  to  which  he  had  been 
accustomed — a  sling  and  a  stone.  You  see  he 
was  none  of  those  presumptuous  and  fanatical 
dreamers  who  tempt  God  by  fancying  that  He 
is  to  go  out  of  His  way  to  work  miracles  for 
them.  He  used  all  the  proper  and  prudent 
means  to  kill  the  giant,  and  trusted  to  God  to 
bless  them.  If  he  had  been  presumptuous,  he 
might  have  taken  the  first  stone  that  came  to 
hand,  or  taken  only  one,  or  taken  none  at  all, 
and  expected  the  giant  to  fall  down  dead  by  a 
miracle.  But  no ;  he  chooses  five  smooth  stones 
out  of  the  brook. — Ibid. 

4  Heavenly  wisdom. 

As  displayed  itt  his  public  position  in  the 
palace  of  Saul. 

a.  He  followed  the  guidances  of  Providence. 
[17785]  His   simple    rule    was    to   meet    the 

present  duty  as  it  came.  He  was  sent  to  feed 
the  sheep.  He  did  it  well.  He  was  called  to 
be  anointed  as  the  future  king.  He  received 
his  anointing,  and  as  God  opened  the  way  no 
further,  he  went  back,  without  complaint,  to  his 
simple  shepherd  life.  Summoned  to  be  Saul's 
minstrel,  he  performed  the  menial  task,  and, 
when  no  longer  needed,  retired  to  his  father's 
farm.  The  war  with  the  Philistines  opened. 
Jesse's  elder  sons  were  permitted  the  exciting 
life  of  the  camp,  but  David  was  needed  at 
home  ;  and  though  he  might  have  pleaded  his 
ability  in  war  (i  Sam.  xvi.  18),  his  position  as 
royal  armour-bearer,  his  future  kingship,  he 
submissively  remained  at  Bethlehem.  But  at 
last  his  patience  was  rewarded  ;  his  opportunity 
came.  Sent  on  a  message  to  the  camp,  the 
way  opened  for  a  deed  which  won  the  ap- 
plause of  the  people  and  the  notice  of  the  king. 
He  was  immediately  appointed  to  the  colonelcy 
of  a  regiment,  and  afterwards,  as  the  king's 
son-in-law,  he  became,  it  is  supposed,  com- 
mander of  the  royal  body-guard.  These  honours 
David  neither  sought  nor  declined.  Whatever 
a  Divine  Providence  laid  on  him  he  cheerfully 
undertook.  He  did  not  urge  his  claims.  He 
was  not  troubled  that  his  merits  for  a  while 
should  go  unrecognized.  He  had  no  anxiety  to 
precipitate  the  promotion  divinely  promised. 
He  was  content  to  wait  God's  time.  A  rare 
quality  in  human  nature  !  —  Sermons  by  the 
Mojiday  Club. 

b.  He  did  not  shirk  responsibility. 

[17786]  When  a  Divine  Providence  plainly 
opened  the  way,  he  would  not  decline  to  enter. 
It  is  not  for  us  rashly  and  unsought  to  venture 


17786 — 17792] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JKWISH  ERA. 


199 

[daviu. 


on  responsibilities,  but  when  they  are  urged  on 
us  by  others,  whose  interests  are  at  stake,  why 
should  we  hesitate  to  test  our  ability  by  a  trial  ? 
David  had  a  modest  and  praiseworthy  ambition 
to  equal  the  demands  made  on  him.  Some 
men  fail  in  life  because  too  timid  or  self-depre- 
ciatory to  take  positions  for  which  they  are  well 
fitted,  and  to  which  others  invite  them.  David 
never  ran  from  responsibilities.  If  wild  beasts 
attacked  his  sheep,  he  met  them.  If  Goliath  of 
Gath  shook  his  ponderous  spear  over  cowering 
Israel,  pavid,  when  others  failed,  faced  the 
insolent  Philistine.  If  Saul  appointed  him  a 
military  chief,  and  challenged  him  to  dangerous 
expeditions,  he  would  not  refuse. — Ibid. 

c.  He  was  uncalculating. 

[17787]  David  did  his  duty  well,  in  that  he 
did  it  unselfishly.  The  public  man,  deputed  to 
represent  the  people,  must  not  neglect  their 
interests  that  he  may  use  his  position  to  reap  a 
harvest  for  himself.  When  the  gangrene  of 
corruption  eats  into  the  national  heart,  there  is 
no  hope  for  the  national  life.  Fortunate  was 
Saul  to  have  a  servant  who  met  his  duty  without 
a  selfish  eagerness  to  advance  himself.  How 
many  in  David's  place  would  have  leaped  to  the 
throne  over  the  dead  body  of  the  king  !  The 
histories  of  ancient  empires  are  dreary  cata- 
logues of  such  bloody  usurpations.  Goaded  by 
Saul's  cowardly  attacks  upon  his  life,  David 
might  naturally  have  found  justification  in  the 
deed.  Did  not  Saul's  wretched  misgovernment 
call  for  interference?  Was  not  David  popular.'' 
had  he  not  military  authority .''  was  he  not 
divinely  anointed  as  the  king's  successor  .'' 
Why  not  anticipate  a  little,  rid  the  country  of  a 
tyrant,  and  further  his  own  interests  ?  But  such 
conduct  was  impossible  to  David.  He  was  too 
unselfish  and  too  true  to  principle  to  advance 
himself  by  deeds  of  wrong. — Ibid. 

d.  He  cherished  exalted  virtues. 

[17788]  His  acts  were  not  superficial,  the 
mere  dictate  of  a  worldly  prudence  ;  they  were 
born  of  the  heart.  His  standard  of  morality 
was  altogether  different  from  that  of  the  bar- 
barian age  in  which  he  lived. — Ibid. 

e.  He  was  faithful  to  his  trust. 

[17789]  He  stood  in  his  lot  till  God  permitted 
him  to  retire.  It  was  not  pleasant  to  be  brought 
in  daily  contact  with  one  wliose  distempered 
brain  was  plotting  him  mischief,  and  whose 
swift  javelin  might  any  moment  drink  his  blood. 
It  was  not  easy  to  bear  the  cruel  wrong  without 
a  swift  revenge  ;  and  if  revenge  were  forbidden, 
either  by  prudence  or  piety,  he  was,  at  least  one 
would  think,  at  liberty  to  withdraw.  But  David 
would  not  cowardly  flee  from  his  responsibilities. 
It  must  first  be  plain  beyond  mistake  that  there 
was  no  recovery  for  the  insane  king,  and  that 
not  mere  momentary  bursts  of  passion  sought 
him  harm,  but  rather  a  deliberate  purpose  of 
evil.  Poets  have  embalmed  for  us  the  heroism 
of  Horatius  :  at  the  bridge  across  the  Tiber,  of 
Casabianca,  of  the  sentinel  at  Pompeii.     A  like 


spirit  did  David  show  in  the  palace  of  Saul. — 
Ibid. 

f.    His    conduct    was     based     on     religious 
principle. 

[17790]  The  same  spirit  animated  him  in  the 
palace  that  sustained  him  in  his  terrible  con- 
flicts, as  a  shepherd,  with  wild  beasts,  and  his 
still  more  dangerous  encounter  with  the  Philis- 
tine giant.  The  Lord  that  had  delivered  him 
hitherto  (i  Sam.  xvii.  36)  should  deliver  him 
still.  It  were  impossible  for  David  to  have  had 
such  wonderful  success,  and  to  have  behaved 
so  wisely,  had  he  not  been  controlled  by  re- 
ligious principle.  David's  soul  was  on  fire  with 
the  poetry  of  devotion.  His  days  and  nights  of 
shepherding  had  been  favourable  to  meditation. 
The  loneliness  of  the  Judaean  hills,  the  flocks  of 
sheep  browsing  happily  through  the  valley,  the 
wild  deer  drinking  at  the  brook,  the  firmament 
of  blue  through  which  he  peered  in  heavenward 
aspirations,  the  thunder  clouds  marshalling 
heavily  athwart  the  sky,  the  golden  sunsets 
decking  all  the  west  in  grandeur,  the  silent 
night  through  whose  lengthened  hours  solemnly 
marched  the  mysterious  stars  —  all  these,  as 
many  of  his  Psalms  prove  (Psalms  1.  10;  xxiii. 
I,  2  ;  xlii.  I  ;  xix.  I  ;  Ixxvii.  17,  18  ;  xxix.  3-9; 
Ixxiv.  17  (?)  ;  xxxiii.  6  ;  viii.  3),  had  made  a 
deep  impression  on  him,  and,  joined  to  his 
familiarity  with  the  written  word,  had  stirred  in 
him  the  profoundest  religious  feelings.  As  a 
result,  when  he  left  his  retirement  for  the  perils 
of  court,  he  came  not  alone.  The  Lord  was 
with  him  ;  and  he  who  could  not  wear  the 
armour  of  Saul  was  yet  clad  in  a  coat  of  mail, 
which,  welded  by  no  human  artificer,  defended 
him  from  a  more  dangerous  foe  than  the  giant 
of  Gath.  David  lived  not  in  his  own  strength, 
but  in  the  strength  of  God. — Ibid. 

5       Steadfastness. 

[17791]  He  was  tried  in  the  early  years  of  his 
life  and  found  faithful  ;  before  he  was  put  in 
power,  it  was  proved  whether  he  could  obey. 
Till  he  came  to  the  throne,  he  was  like  Moses 
or  Samuel,  an  instrument  in  God's  hands,  bid 
do  what  was  told  him  and  nothing  more  ; 
having  borne  this  trial  of  obedience  well,  in 
which  Saul  had  failed,  then  at  length  he  was 
intrusted  with  a  sort  of  discretionary  power,  to 
use  in  his  Master's  service. — Cardinal  Newman. 

[17792]  Observe  how  David  was  tried,  and 
what  various  high  qualities  of  mind  he  displayed 
in  the  course  of  the  trial.  First,  the  promise  of 
greatness  was  given  him,  and  Samuel  anointed 
him.  Still  he  stayed  in  the  sheepfolds  ;  and 
though  called  away  by  Saul  for  a  time,  yet 
returned  contentedly  when  Saul  released  him 
from  attendance.  How  difficult  it  is  for  such 
as  know  they  have  gifts  suitable  to  the  Church's 
need  to  refrain  themselves  till  God  makes  a 
way  for  their  use  !  and  the  trial  would  be  the 
more  severe  in  David's  case,  in  proportion  to 
the  ardour  and  energy  of  his  mind  ;  yet  he 
fainted   not   under   it.      Afterwards   for   seven 


200 

17792—17799] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[DAVID. 


years,  as  the  time  appears  to  be,  he  withstood 
the  strong  temptation,  ever  before  his  eyes,  of 
acting  without  God's  guidance,  when  he  had 
the  means  of  doing  so.  Though  skilful  in  arms, 
popular  with  his  countrymen,  successful  against 
the  enemy,  the  king's  son-in-law,  and  on  the 
other  hand  grievously  injured  by  Saul,  who  not 
only  continually  sought  his  life,  but  even  sug- 
gested to  him  a  traitor's  conduct  by  accusing 
him  of  treason,  and  whose  life  was  several 
times  in  his  hands,  yet  he  kept  his  honour  pure 
and  unimpeachable.  He  feared  God  and 
honoured  the  king,  and  this  at  a  time  of  life 
especially  exposed  to  the  temptations  of  ambi- 
tion.— Ibid. 

6      Forbearance. 

(i)    Various  motives  induced  to  revenge. 

a.  Desire  of  retaliation. 

[17793]  The  victories  of  David  over  Goliath 
and  the  Philistines  were  but  vulgar  triumphs, 
compared  to  his  victories,  on  the  two  diflerent 
occasions  recorded  in  these  two  chapters,  over 
the  spirit  of  revenge,  and  other  passions  of  our 
fallen  nature.  It  is  only  when  we  think  of  such 
awful  fruits  of  the  spirit  of  revenge  that  we 
become  truly  alive  to  the  singular  excellence  of 
the  spirit  of  forbearance  which  David  so  re- 
markably displayed.  We  see  the  striking 
contrast  between  nature  and  grace— between 
the  heart  of  man  as  sin  has  made  it,  and  the 
heart  of  man  as  grace  renews  it  ;  breathing 
slaughter  and  death  in  the  one  case,  breathing 
goodwill  and  forgiveness  in  the  other.  Who 
can  fail  to  admire  the  spirit  of  forbearance 
triumphing  over  the  spirit  of  revenge .?— 7?^?/. 
W.  Blaikie. 

[17794]  No  temptation  could  well  have  been 
stronger  than  that  of  David  to  despatch  his 
enemy.  In  the  first  place,  there  was  the 
prospect  of  getting  rid  of  that  most  weary  life 
he  had  been  leading— more  like  the  life  of  a 
wild  beast  hunted  by  its  enemies,  than  of  a  man 
eager  to  do  good  to  his  fellows,  with  a  keen 
relish  for  the  pleasures  of  home,  and  the  holy 
services  of  the  house  of  God.  Then  there  was 
the  prospect  of  wearing  the  crown,  and  wielding 
the  sceptre  of  Israel— the  splendours  of  a  royal 
palace,  and  its  golden  opportunities  of  doing 
good.  Further,  there  was  the  voice  of  his  fof- 
lowers  urging  him  to  the  deed  ;  urging  him, 
too,  in  a  holy  name,  and  with  the  semblance  of 
the  Divine  permission  and  command.  And 
further  still,  there  was  the  suddenness  of  the 
opportunity.  The  discipline  of  David's  spirit 
at  this  time  must  have  been  exceedingly  admir- 
able. The  purpose  of  God  in  all  these  trials  to 
train  him  to  self-government  was  beautifully 
fulfilled.  Not  only  was  he  enabled  to  restrain 
himself,  but  also  to  restrain  his  ardent  and 
impetuous  followers.  He  would  neither  strike 
his  artless  enemy,  nor  suffer  another  to  strike 
him.  The  first  time  he  spared  Saul,  it  might 
be  with  a  lingering  hope  that  his  forbearance 
would  turn  Saul's  heart,  and  disarm  his  hostility. 


On  the  second  occasion,  he  could  have  no  hope 
of  the  kind.  It  was  pure  regard  to  sacred  duty 
that  swayed  him.  He  acted  in  utter  contempt 
of  all  that  was  personal  and  selfish,  and  in 
deepest  reverence  for  what  was  holy  and  Divine. 
—Ibid. 

[17795]  David  had  great  wrongs  to  revenge. 
On  three  occasions  Saul  had  attempted  his  life. 
He  had  taken  from  him  his  wife  and  wedded 
her  to  another.  He  had  cast  his  javelin  at 
Jonathan,  David's  bosom  friend.  When  David 
fied  the  court  Saul  had  pursued  him,  like  a  wild 
beast,  from  refuge  to  refuge,  till  he  was  weary 
of  life.  He  had  dri\en  him  to  remove  his  father 
and  mother  to  the  protection  of  a  foreign  prince. 
Such  wrongs  called  for  blood. — Sermons  by  the 
Monday  Club. 

b.  Ambition. 

[17796]  He  had  been  anointed  by  Samuel  ; 
he  might  now  be  king  ;  only  one  life  interposed 
between  him  and  the  throne. — Ibid. 

c.  The  consideration  of  Saul's  misrule. 

[17797]  We  can  scarcely  conceive  the  result- 
ing miseries  of  the  nation.  Whence  came 
David's  company  of  six  hundred  hopeless  men, 
some  criminals,  but  many  of  them  of  the  best 
men  in  the  nation  1  Under  Saul,  public  affairs 
had  grown  desperate.  He  had  trampled  upon 
law  ;  he  had  even  violated  religion.  By  the 
hand  of  Doeg,  the  Edomite,  he  had  murdered 
the  high  priest  and  all  his  household  of  eighty- 
five  souls,  because  Ahimelech  had  dared,  on  a 
single  occasion,  to  harbour  David  in  his  flight. 
The  land  was  overrun  by  armed  marauders,  and 
by  Philistines.  This  ruin  David  surveyed  with 
grief  and  indignation.  The  people  were  his 
flock  ;  he  beheld  them  as  sheep  without  a 
shepherd  ;  he  felt  himself  competent  to  rule  ; 
was  it  not  his  duty  ?  Why  not  wrest  the  helm 
from  the  hand  of  this  God-forsaken  madman,  at 
a  blow  put  an  end  to  anarchy,  and  immediately 
commence,  before  it  should  be  too  late,  that 
brilliant  course  of  foreign  war  and  internal 
administration  which  was  to  make  his  reign  and 
that  of  Solomon,  his  son,  for  ever  illustrious .? 
Nevertheless,  with  all  the  motives  impelling  to 
his  destruction,  David  spared  ?)2M\.—Ibid. 

(2)  Other  influences  restrained  hi}n. 

a.  Love. 

[17798]  For  Jonathan's  sake,  for  Michal's 
sake,  for  Saul's  own  sake,  for  what  he  had  been, 
for  what  he  still  was,  he  loved  him.— 7^/^. 

b.  Religious  philosophy. 

[17799]  He  was  a  man  who  sought  to  live 
reasonably  ;  he  was  a  man  of  proverbs.  Thus 
he  quoted  to  Saul,  in  justification  of  his  conduct, 
this  sentence  of  the  ancients:  "Wickedness 
proceedeth  from  the  wicked."  It  would  be  a 
most  interesting  inquiry  to  seek  the  influence  of 
his  training  in  inspiring  Solomon's  love  of  wis- 
dom, and  inclination  to  proverbial  discourse. 
Scattered  throughout  the  Psalms  are  passages 
which  belong  rather  in  a  collection   like  Solo- 


17799 -17S05] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


20I 
[DAVID. 


mon's  proverbs  than  in  a  book  of  prayers  and 
hymns.  One  psahn,  in  particular,  has,  through- 
out, this  proverbial  structure,  and  should  be 
read  in  connection  with  the  release  of  Saul. 
It  is  the  thirty-seventh,  and  commences  thus  : 
"  Fret  not  thyself  because  of  evildoers."  On 
David's  theory  of  conduct,  it  was  not  wise  to 
take  the  king's  life. — Ibid. 

[17800]  The  morality  of  David  was  not  a  fruit 
of  human  philosophy.  It  was  a  much  deeper 
thing  ;  it  was  religious.  It  was  a  result  of 
spiritual  insight.  The  Golden  Te.xt  aims  to 
gather  up  for  us  the  practical  instruction  of  our 
passage.  Its  inference  is  just.  David  had 
anticipated,  in  some  directions,  the  Christian 
morality  ;  he  had  gained  a  view,  more  or  less 
clear,  of  the  principle,  "  Recompense  to  no  man 
evil  for  evil."  He  is  an  example  to  us,  in  Old 
Testament  times,  of  the  beauty  of  the  Golden 
Rule.— /<^/^. 

c.  Loyalty. 

[17S01]  David  was  an  outlaw,  but  not  of 
choice.  He  had  been  driven  into  the  rocks  ; 
he  never  lifted  hand  against  the  king  ;  he  called 
him,  "  My  master,  my  lord,  the  king ; "  his 
attitude  was  almost  abject  ;  "  he  stooped  to  the 
king,  with  his  face  toward  the  earth,  and  bowed 
himself."  He  used  expressions  only  to  be  under- 
stood as  we  think  of  the  humiliations  of  an 
Eastern  court.  These  expressions  are  to  be 
understood  as  protestations  of  steadfast  loyalty. 
David  had  still  another  reason  for  sparing  Saul. 
He  was  loyal  to  a  greater  King  ;  he  owed  a 
higher  allegiance.  This  is  his  own  explanation 
of  his  conduct. — Ibid. 

7       Generosity  of  disposition. 

[17802]  We  turn  to  contemplate  David's 
conduct  when  the  intelligence  reached  him  that 
his  persecutor  was  dead.  Nothing  could  have 
been  more  truly  noble.  David  was  now  just 
thirty  ;  and  never  did  man  at  that  age,  or  at 
any  age,  act  a  finer  part.  The  death,  and 
especially  the  sudden  death  of  a  friend  or  ac- 
quaintance, has  usually  a  remarkable  effect  on 
the  tender  heart.  It  blots  out  all  remembrance 
of  little  injuries  done  by  the  departed;  it  fills 
one  with  regret  for  any  unkind  words  one  may 
ever  have  spoken,  or  any  unkind  deeds  one  may 
ever  have  done  to  him.  It  makes  one  very 
forgiving.  But  it  must  have  been  a  very  won- 
derful heart  that  could  so  soon  rid  itself  of  every 
shred  of  bitter  feeling  to  Saul — that  could  blot 
out,  in  one  great  act  of  forgiveness,  the  remem- 
brance of  many  long  years  of  injustice,  oppres- 
sion, and  toil,  and  leave  no  feelings  but  those 
of  kindness,  admiration,  and  regret,  called  forth 
by  the  contemplation  of  what  was  favourable  in 
Saul's  character  !  Does  not  this  show  forgive- 
ness to  be  a  Divine  spirit  i* — Rev.  W.  Blaikie. 

[17803]  The  death  of  Saul  had  removed  the 
only  obstacle  that  stood  between  David  and  the 
throne,  and  had  rid  him  of  an  enemy  who  had 
pursued  him  for  some  years  with  rancorous  and 
unrelenting  hatred.     It  is  a  common  and  a  just 


saying  that  we  should  say  no  ill  of  the  dead 
They  are  not  here  to  defend  themselves  ;  and, 
unless  where  great  interests  are  concerned,  their 
ashes  should  not  be  disturbed.  In  his  circum- 
stances, the  utmost  required  of  David  would 
have  been  to  preserve  a  decent  and  becoming 
silence  about  Saul,  burying  all  recollections  of 
him  in  the  grave.  But  he  was  incapable  of 
this  ;  he  was  cast  in  a  finer  mould  ;  he  was 
made  of  nobler  metal.  His  generous  heart,  for- 
giving and  forgetting  every  wrong,  warmed  at 
the  recollection  of  those  early,  happy  days,  when 
the  king  drew  the  shepherd  boy  from  obscurity, 
received  him  into  the  bosom  of  his  family, 
showered  royal  favours  on  his  head  ;  and  when, 
harp  in  hand,  he  threw  the  chains  of  music  over 
Saul's  stormy  passions,  bidding  the  waves  be 
still.  David  has  buried  Saul's  faults  in  the 
grave,  "  earth  to  earth,  dust  to  dust,  ashes  to 
ashes."  But  while  he  leaves  the  dross  to  lie 
undisturbed  among  the  cold  embers,  he  brings 
out  the  gold — the  liner  elements  of  Saul's  cha- 
racter ;  and  without,  after  the  fashion  of  many 
lying  tombstones,  imputing  to  him  virtues  which 
he  never  possessed,  he  tells  all  the  good  of 
Saul  he  can,  and  crowns  his  memory  with  the 
honours  due  to  a  king,  a  dutiful  son,  a  kind- 
hearted  father,  and  a  man  as  brave  as  ever 
faced  a  foe. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

8       Devotion. 

[17S04]  Surely  the  blessings  of  the  patriarchs 
descended  in  a  united  flood  upon  "  the  lion  of 
the  tribe  of  Judah,"  the  type  of  the  true  Re- 
deemer who  was  to  come.  He  inherits  the 
prompt  faith  and  magnanimity  of  Abraham  ; 
he  is  simple  as  Isaac  ;  he  is  humble  as  Jacob  ; 
he  has  the  youthful  wisdom  and  self-possession, 
the  tenderness,  the  affectionateness,  and  the 
firmness  of  Joseph.  And,  as  his  own  especial 
gift,  he  has  an  overflowing  thankfulness,  an 
ever-burning  devotion,  a  zealous  fidelity  to  his 
God, a  high  unshakenloyalty  towards  his  king,  an 
heroic  bearing  in  all  circumstances,  such  as  the 
multitude  of  men  see  to  be  great,  but  cannot 
understand. — Cardinal  Newvian. 


V.  Declension. 

I       Self-indulgence. 

The  defifh  of  David's  fall  7vas  due  in  some 
tneasure  to  the  intensity  of  his  general  character. 

[17805]  How  can  you  account  for  such  enor- 
mous iniquity  in  such  a  man  as  we  have  seen 
that  David  was?  To  this  I  answer,  that  we  may 
explain  it  by  the  absence  for  the  time  being  of 
that  restraining  influence  which  his  better 
nature  was  wont  to  exercise  over  his  life.  Pas- 
sion had  dethroned  conscience  ;  and  then, 
owing  to  the  intensity  of  his  character,  and  the 
general  greatness  of  the  man,  his  sins  became 
as  much  blacker  than  those  of  others  as  his 
good  qualities  were  greater  than  theirs.  In 
every  good  man  there  are  still  two  natures 
striving  for  the  mastery.  "  The  flesh  lusteth 
against   the  spirit,  and  the   spirit   against   the 


202 

17805— 17807] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[david. 


flesh."  The  new  nature  is  generally  in  the  as- 
cendant, but  sometimes  the  old  evil  nature  will 
reassert  its  supremacy,  and  the  effect  of  this 
temporary  revolution  will  be  determined  by  the 
temperament  and  characteristics  of  the  indi- 
vidual. Now  there  are  some  men  in  whom 
everything  is  on  a  large  scale.  When  their 
good  nature  is  uppermost,  they  overtop  all 
others  in  holiness  ;  but  if,  unhappily,  they 
should  be  thrown  off  their  guard,  and  the  old 
man  should  gain  the  mastei-y,  some  dreadful 
wickedness  may  be  expected.  This  is  all  the 
more  likely  to  be  the  case  if  the  quality  of  in- 
tensity be  added  to  their  greatness  ;  for  a  man 
with  such  a  temperament  is  never  anything  by 
half.  But  it  was  just  thus  with  David.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  intensity  and  pre-eminent  energy. 
He  was  in  every  respect  above  ordinary  men ; 
and  so  when,  for  the  time,  the  fleshly  nature 
was  the  stronger  within  him,  the  sins  which  he 
committed  were  as  much  greater  than  those  of 
common  men,  as  in  other  circumstances  his 
excellencies  were  nobler  than  theirs.  We  often 
make  great  mistakes  in  judging  of  the  characters 
of  others,  because  we  ignore  all  these  consider- 
ations ;  and  many  well  -  conducted  persons 
among  us  get  great  credit  for  their  good  moral 
character,  while  the  truth  is  that  they  are  blame- 
less not  so  much  because  they  have  higher- 
toned  principle  than  others,  as  because  they 
have  feeble,  timid  natures,  that  are  too  cautious 
or  too  weak  to  let  them  go  very  far  either  into 
holiness  or  into  sin.  But  David  was  not  one  of 
these.  Everything  about  him  was  intense  ;  and 
hence,  when  he  sinned,  he  did  it  in  such  a  way 
as  to  make  well-nigh  the  most  hardened  shud- 
der. In  all  this,  observe,  I  am  not  extenuating 
David's  guilt.  It  is  one  thing  to  explain,  it  is 
another  thing  to  excuse.  A  man  of  David's 
nature  ought  to  be  more  peculiarly  on  his  guard 
than  other  men.  The  express  train,  dashing 
along  at  furious  speed,  will  do  more  mischief  if 
it  runs  off  the  line  than  the  slow-going  horse- 
car  in  our  city  streets.  Every  one  understands 
that  ;  but  every  one  demands,  in  consequence, 
that  the  driver  of  the  one  shall  be  proportion- 
ately more  watchful  than  that  of  the  other.  Now 
with  such  a  nature  as  David  had,  and  knew  that 
he  had,  he  ought  to  have  been  supremely  on  his 
guard,  while  again  the  privileges  which  he  had 
received  from  God  rendered  it  both  easy  and 
practicable  for  him  to  be  vigilant.  To  sum  up 
all,  then,  taking  David's  nature  as  it  is  here  set 
before  us,  I  can  perfectly  well  understand  how, 
when  he  sinned,  he  sinned  so  terribly  ;  while 
having  regard  t  )  his  privileges  and  position,  his 
sin  appears  to  be  utterly  inexcusable.  Nothing 
can  be  said  either  in  its  vindication  or  extenu- 
ation. From  first  to  last  it  illustrates  the 
climax  of  the  apostle  ;  and  as  we  trace  its 
course  we  call  it  "  earthly,  sensual,  devilish." 
—Rev.  IV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[17806]  The  force  of  his  character  was  vast, 
and  the  scope  of  his  life  was  immense.  His 
harp  was  full-stringed,  and  every  angel  of  joy  and 
of  sorrow  swept  over  the  chords  as  he  passed  ; 


but  the  melody  always  breathed  of  heaven. 
And  such  oceans  of  affection  lay  within  his 
breast,  as  could  not  always  slumber  in  their 
calmness.  For  the  hearts  of  a  hundred  men 
strove  and  struggled  together  within  the  narrow 
continent  of  his  singleheart :  and  will  thescornful 
men  have  no  sympathy  for  one  so  conditioned, 
but  scorn  him,  because  he  ruled  not  with  con- 
stant quietness,  the  unruly  host  of  divers  natures 
which  dwelt  within  his  single  soul?  Of  self- 
command  surely  he  will  not  be  held  deficient, 
who  endured  Saul's  javelin  to  be  so  often 
launched  at  him,  while  the  people  without  were 
ready  to  hail  him  king  ;  who  endured  all  bodily 
hardships,  and  taunts  of  his  enemies,  when 
revenge  was  in  his  hand  ;  and  ruled  his  des- 
perate band  like  a  company  of  saints,  and  re- 
strained them  from  their  country's  injury.  But 
that  he  should  not  be  able  to  enact  all  characters 
without  a  fault,  the  simple  shepherd,  the  con- 
quering hero,  and  the  romantic  lover ;  the  per- 
fect friend,  the  innocent  outlaw,  and  the  royal 
monarch  ;  the  poet,  the  prophet,  and  the  regene- 
rator of  the  Church  ;  and,  withal,  the  man,  the 
man  of  vast  soul,  who  played  not  these  parts  by 
turns,  but  was  the  original  of  them  all,  and 
wholly  present  in  them  all  ;  oh !  that  he  should 
have  fulfilled  this  high  priesthood  of  humanity, 
this  universal  ministry  of  manhood  without  an 
error,  were  more  than  human.  With  the  de- 
fence of  his  backslidings,  which  he  hath  himself 
more  keenly  scrutinised,  more  clearly  decerned 
against,  and  more  bitterly  lamented  than  any  of 
his  censors,  we  do  not  charge  ourselves,  because 
they  were,  in  a  manner,  necessary,  that  he 
might  be  the  full-orbed  man  which  was  needed 
to  utter  every  form  of  spiritual  feeling  ;  but  if, 
when  of  these  acts  he  became  convinced,  he  be 
found  less  true  to  God,  and  to  righteousness  ; 
indisposed  to  repentance,  and  sorrow,  and 
anguish;  exculpatory  of  himself  ;  stout-hearted 
in  his  courses,  a  formalist  in  his  penitence,  or 
in  any  way  less  worthy  of  a  spiritual  man  in 
those  than  in  the  rest  of  his  infinite  moods, then, 
verily,  strike  him  from  the  canon,  and  let  his 
Psalms  become  monkish  legends. — E.  Irving. 

2       Insensibility  to  sin. 

[17807]  Punishment  for  his  sin  preceded  his 
penitence  and  forgiveness.  For  a  whole  year 
David  remained  in  that  strangest  greatest  guilt 
of  all — an  unconsciousness  of  guilt.  We  do  not 
know  with  what  opiates  he  drugged  his  con- 
science ;  but  how  fast  asleep  it  was  we  learn 
from  the  trouble  Nathan  had  to  arouse  it.  How 
blind  he  must  have  been  not  to  have  instantly 
discerned  an  image  of  himself  in  the  mirror  the 
prophet  held  up  before  him  !  His  spiritual  sensi- 
bilities were  so  deadened  he  did  not  imagine 
there  was  any  reference  to  him  in  the  story 
Nathan  told.  There  is  no  evidence  that  he 
would  have  dreamed  of  applying  it  to  himself, 
if  the  prophet  had  not  said,  *'  Thou  art  the 
man."  If  his  conscience  had  been  tender  and 
wakeful,  he  would  have  caught  Nathan's  mean- 
ing before  the  story  was  half  told,  and  he  would 


17807 — I78I2] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


203 

[DAVID. 


have  thought  that  men  were  referring  to  his  fall 
when  they  had  no  intention  of  alluding  to  it. 
With  great  beams  in  both  his  own  eyes,  he  was 
yet  determined  to  put  another  man  to  death  for 
having  a  mote  in  one  of  his.  This  long-lasting 
and  deep  forgetfulness  of  his  own  state  is  one  of 
the  most  feaiiul  things  belonging  to  David's  de- 
clension.— C.  Vince. 


VI.  Return  to  God. 
I       David  as  an  example  of  godly  sorrow. 

[17808]  We  must,  in  connection  with  this 
history,  read  the  Psalms  to  which  David's  peni- 
tence gave  birth,  namely,  the  5 1  st  and  the  32nd  ; 
and  if  these  are  not  the  genuine  utterances  of  a 
passionate  sincerity,  where  shall  we  find  that 
quality  in  any  literature  ?  Admirably  has 
Chandler  said  of  the  51st  Psalm,  "The  heart 
appears  in  every  line,  and  the  bitter  anguish  of 
a  wounded  conscience  discovers  itself  by  the 
most  natural  and  convincing  symbols.  Let  but 
the  Psalm  be  read  without  prejudice,  and  with  a 
view  only  to  collect  the  real  sentiments  expressed 
in  it,  and  the  disposition  of  heart  that  appears 
throughout  the  whole  of  it,  and  no  man  of  can- 
dour, I  am  confident,  will  ever  suspect  that  it 
was  the  dictate  of  hypocrisy,  or  could  be  penned 
from  any  other  motive  but  a  strong  conviction 
of  the  heinousness  of  his  offence,  and  the  earnest 
desire  of  God's  forgiveness,  and  being  restrained 
from  the  commission  of  the  like  transgressions." 
—Rev.  IV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[17809]  Voltaire  once  attempted  to  burlesque 
this  Psalm,  and  what  was  the  result  .''  While 
carefully  perusing  it  that  he  might  familiarize 
himself  with  the  train  of  sentiment  which  he 
designed  to  caricature,  he  became  so  oppressed 
and  overawed  by  his  solemn  devotional  tone, 
that  he  threw  down  the  pen  and  fell  back  half 
senseless  on  his  couch,  in  an  agony  of  remorse. 
This  is  told  as  an  undoubted  fact  by  Dr.  Leander 
V'an  Ess.  Hence  we  cannot  but  admit  the  depth 
and  fervour  of  the  penitence  out  of  which  such  a 
prayer  arose  ;  and  though  the  32nd  Psalm  is 
more  jubilant  in  its  tone,  as  referring  to  forgive- 
ness in  actual  possession,  the  very  gladness 
which  it  expresses  is  a  witness  to  the  sadness 
for  sin  which  had  gone  before. — Ibid. 

[17810]  As  an  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of 
David's  repentance,  we  point  to  the  words  of 
Nathan,  "The  Lord  also  hath  put  away  thy 
sin,"  and  ask  if  the  prophet,  as  Jehovah's  repre- 
sentative, would  have  said  anything  like  that, 
if  the  penitence  of  David  had  been  insincere. 
While,  therefore,  we  mourn  over  the  grievous 
iniquity  of  which  David  was  guilty,  let  us  be 
thankful  that  we  have,  along  with  the  recoid  of 
his  sin,  the  account  of  his  repentance — a  re- 
pentance, let  us  say,  as  much  more  intense  than 
that  of  ordmary  men  as  his  sin  was  more 
heinous.  There  was  no  attempt  at  self- vindi- 
cation ;  there  was  no  plea  in  palliation  ;  there 


was  nothing  but  the  frank  confession,  "  I  ac- 
knowledge my  transgression  ;  "  "1  have  sinned  ;'' 
"  My  sin  is  ever  before  me."  Nor  was  it  the 
shame  of  his  iniquity  before  men,  or  the  fear  of 
the  punishment  which  he  had  incurred,  that  dis- 
tressed him.  His  deepest  anguish  was  that  he 
had  displeased  the  Lord  :  "  Against  Thee,  Thee 
only,  have  1  sinned." — Ibid. 

[17811]  David,  the  Hebrew  king,  had  fallen 
into  sins  enough  ;  blackest  crimes  ;  there  was 
no  want  of  sins.  And,  thereupon,  unbelievers 
sneer  and  ask,  "  Is  this  your  man  according  to 
God's  heart?"  The  sneer,  I  must  say,  seems 
to  me  but  a  shallow  one.  VVhat  are  faults?  what 
are  the  outward  details  of  a  life,  if  the  inner 
secret  of  it — the  remorse,  temptations,  true,  often- 
baffled,  never-endingstruggleof  it — beforgotten? 
"  It  is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  direct  his 
steps."  Of  all  acts,  is  not,  for  a  man,  repentance 
the  most  Divine?  The  deadliest  sin,  I  say,  were 
that  same  supercilious  consciousness  of  no  sin. 
That  is  death.  The  heart  so  conscious  is 
divorced  from  sincerity,  humility,  and  fact — is 
dead.  It  is  pure,  as  dead,  dry  sand  is  pure. 
David's  life  and  history,  as  written  for  us  in 
those  Psalms  of  his,  I  consider  to  be  the  truest 
emblem  ever  given  of  a  man's  moral  progress 
and  warfare  here  below.  All  earnest  souls  will 
ever  discern  in  it  the  faithful  struggle  of  an 
earnest  human  soul  toward  what  is  good  and 
best.  Struggle  often  baffled  sore,  baffled  down 
into  entire  wreck,  yet  a  struggle  never  ended  ; 
ever  with  tears,  repentance,  true,  unconquerable 
purpose  begun  anew. — Ibid. 

[17812]  It  could  not  have  been  without  a  great 
moral  struggle  that  David  made  up  his  mind  to 
deliver  "  to  the  chief  musician  "  his  first  psalm 
of  penitence,  and  thus  aid  in  keeping  alive 
among  his  own  people,  and  among  all  future 
generations,  the  remembrance  of  his  trespass. 
Most  men  would  have  thought  how  the  ugly 
transaction  might  most  effectually  be  buried, 
and  would  have  tried  to  put  the  best  face  on  it 
before  their  people.  Not  so  David  !  He  was 
willing  that  his  people  and  all  posterity  should 
see  him  the  atrocious  transgressor  he  had  con- 
fessed himself  to  God — let  them  think  of  him  as 
they  pleased.  He  saw  that  this  everlasting  ex- 
posure of  his  vileness  was  essential  towards 
extracting  from  the  miserable  transaction  such 
salutary  lessons  as  it  was  capable  of  yielding. 
With  a  wonderful  effort  of  inagnanimuy,  he 
resolved  to  place  himself  in  the  pillory  of  public 
shame  ;  to  expose  his  memory  to  all  the  foul 
treatment  which  the  scoffers  and  libertines  of 
every  after  age  might  think  fit  to  heap  on  it.  It 
is  most  unjust  to  David  to  overlook  the  fact,  that 
the  first  public  record  of  his  sin  (for  the  history 
was  not  written  till  afterwards)  came  from  his 
own  pen,  and  was  delivered  with  his  own  hand 
to  the  chief  musician,  for  public  use.  Infidels 
may  continue  to  scoff:  but  the  whole  transaction 
will  afford  a  lasting  proof  that  "the  foolish- 
ness of  God  is  wiser  than  men." — Rev.  IV. 
Blaikie. 


204 

I78I3— 17819} 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[DAVID. 


[17813]  "  Then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy 
ways,  and  sinners  shall  be  converted  unto  thee." 
This,  his  promised  vow  and  resolution,  if  only 
he  may  regain  peace,  David  sees,  when  that 
peace  is  once  more  his,  he  will  best  observe  by 
publishing  his  shame  and  his  repentance  in  a 
psalm,  for  the  expression  of  the  woes  of  all  future 
transgressors  for  all  time. — M.  J. 

[178 14]  The  deep  and  earnest  exercise  of  soul 
to  which  David  was  led,  after  his  sin,  produced 
very  remarkable  and  abiding  effects  on  his 
character.  It  was  not  a  passing  emotion  of 
grief,  deep  for  the  moment,  but  soon  over,  and 
leaving  his  spirit  much  the  same  as  before,  but 
a  pervading,  penetrating  exercise,  like  one  of 
those  fevers  that  plough  up  the  whole  tissues  of 
the  frame,  and  often  leave  the  patient,  in  consti- 
tution and  appearance,  ten  years  older  than 
before. — Rev.  W.  Blaikic. 

[i  78 1 5]  There  was  in  all  things  a  great  change 
in  David.  Broken  in  spirit  by  the  consciousness 
of  how  deeply  he  had  sinned  against  God  and 
against  man  ;  humbled  in  the  eyes  of  his  sub- 
jects, and  his  influence  with  them  weakened  by 
the  knowledge  of  his  crimes  ;  and  even  his 
authority  in  his  own  household,  and  his  claim 
to  the  reverence  of  his  sons  relaxed  by  the  loss 
of  character,  David  appears  henceforth  as  a 
much  altered  man.  He  is  as  one  who  goes  down 
to  the  grave  mourning.  .  .  .  The  infirmities  of 
his  character,  formerly  concealed  by  the  splen- 
dour of  his  other  cjualities,  now  appear  in  strong 
relief.  .  .  .  Still  he  is  pious,  but  even  his  piety 
takes  an  altered  aspect.  It  is  no  longer  buoyant, 
glad,  exulting,  triumphant  ;  it  is  repressed, 
humble,  contrite,  patient,  suffering.  .  .  .  Alas 
for  him  !  The  bird  which  once  rose  to  heights 
unattained  before  by  mortal  wing,  filling  the  air 
with  its  joyful  songs,  now  lies  with  maimed  wing 
upon  the  ground,  pouring  forth  its  doleful  cries 
to  Qo^.—Rev.  J.  Kitto,  D.D. 

[17816]  Many  have  sinned  even  more  deeply 
than  David  sinned  ;  few,  very  few,  have  re- 
pented as  deeply  as  did  he.  It  is  easy  to  sin 
•with  his  passion,  but  how  difficult  to  repent 
with  his  grief  \—M.  J. 

2       David  as   an  example  of  resignation    and 
submission  to  God. 

[178 1 7]  The  child  died,  and  the  servants  of 
the  king,  with  a  real  delicacy  of  heart,  and  with 
genuine  consideration  for  his  feelings,  were 
afraid  to  tell  him  that  all  was  over.  But  they 
need  not  have  been  so  timid  ;  for,  though  ex- 
ceedingly honourable  to  them,  the  fear  lest  the 
knowledge  of  the  child's  death  should  thoroughly 
unman  the  king,  proceeded  from  ignorance  of 
his  true  character.  He  knew  that  in  the  case 
of  an  infant,  when  death  comes,  the  time  for 
fasting  and  grieving  is  over,  and  so  he  arose  and 
washed,  and  anointed  himself,  and  went  into  the 
house  of  God  and  worshipped  ;  "  then  he  came 
to  his  own  house  ;  and  when  he  required,  they 
set   bread   before   him,   and  he  did  eat."     As- 


tonished at  his  behaviour,  his  servants  asked  for 
an  explanation.  He  gave  this  noble  answer, 
evidencing  at  once  the  strength  of  his  character 
and  the  firmness  of  his  faith  in  the  future  life  : 
"  While  the  child  was  yet  alive,  I  fasted  and 
wept  :  for  I  said,  Who  can  tell  whether  God 
will  be  gracious  to  me,  that  the  child  may  live  "t 
But  now  he  is  dead,  wherefore  should  I  fast  ? 
can  I  bring  him  back  again  ?  I  shall  go  to  him, 
but  he  shall  not  return  to  m.e."  Here  was  true 
resignation.  Here  was  strong  faith.  Here  was 
a  holy  and  a  glorious  hope — alike  for  the  living 
and  the  dead — and  in  the  assurance  of  future 
and  eternal  reunion  before  the  throne  he  was 
comforted. — Rev.  W.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[17818]  David's  resignation  was  not  a  mere 
stoical  submission  to  the  inevitable,  still  less 
was  it  a  stolid  insensibility  ;  but  it  was  the  re- 
sult of  his  persuasion  of  the  happiness  of  his 
departed  child,  and  of  his  humble  hope  of  join- 
ing him  therein. — Ibid. 

3       David  as  an  example  of  humiliation  before 
God. 

[17819]  It  can  hardly  be  thought  that  David's 
scheme,  when  he  numbered  the  people,  was  just 
a  scheme  of  vulgar  conquest  ;  far  more  prob- 
ably, it  was  a  sincere  but  mistaken  plan  of 
extending  far  and  wide  the  blessings  of  good 
government  and  true  religion.  So  firm  was  the 
hold  which  the  purpose  took  of  his  mind,  that 
even  the  remonstrances  of  Joab  and  the  captains 
of  the  hosts  failed  to  shake  it  ;  and  it  was  nearly 
a  year  after,  when  the  census  had  been  com- 
pleted, before  his  eyes  were  opened  to  the  sin 
of  which  he  had  been  guilty.  The  sense  of  his 
sin  seems  to  have  come  upon  him  with  the  force 
as  well  as  the  suddenness  of  a  thunderbolt. 
"  And  David's  heart  smote  him  after  that  he  had 
numbered  the  people.  And  David  said  unto 
the  Loi-d,  I  have  sinned  greatly  in  that  1  have 
done  :  and  now  I  beseech  thee,  O  Lord,  take 
away  the  iniquity  of  Thy  servant,  for  I  have  clone 
very  foolishly."  No  hint  is  given  as  to  how  this 
conviction  of  sin  was  produced,  or  in  what  light 
he  was  led  to  view  his  conduct.  One  considera- 
tion that  might  greatly  affect  him  was,  that  this 
vast  enterprise  had  been  contemplated,  and  even 
begun,  without  solemn  consultation  of  God  ;  that 
he  had  acted  in  disloyalty  to  that  heavenly  King 
whose  lieutenant  he  was  ;  that  he  had  been 
about  to  imperil  thousands  of  valuable  lives, 
and  endanger  the  very  existence  of  his  kingdom, 
by  an  unwarranted  project  of  his  own  ;  and  that 
he  had  been  proudly  regardless  of  the  obstacles 
which  Providence  had  mercifully  thrown  in  his 
way,  when  Joab  and  his  other  officers  entered 
their  remonstrances  against  his  scheme.  Once 
alive  to  his  sin,  his  humiliation  is  very  profound. 
His  confession  is  frank,  hearty,  and  complete. 
He  shows  no  proud  desire  to  remain  on  good 
terms  with  himself,  or  to  make  the  amount  of 
confession  as  small  as  possible.  He  says,  "  I 
will  confess  my  transgression  unto  the  Lord;" 
and  his  plea  is  one  with  which  he  is  familiar  of 
old :    "  For  Thy  name's  sake,  O  Lord,  pardon 


17819—17823] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


205 

[david. 


mine  iniquity,  for  it  is  great."     David  is  never 
greater  than  in  humiliation. — Rev.  W.  Blaikie. 

VII.  General  Defects  of  Character. 

1  Ultra-Conservatism. 

[17820]  While  we  speak  strongly  of  the  devo- 
tion of  King  David  to  his  own  people,  we  must 
add  that,  in  its  very  intensity,  that  devotion  was 
not  unaccompanied  by  traces  of  human  infirmity. 
His  love  was  confined  to  his  own  people  ;  and, 
for  all  beyond  that  circle,  he  not  only  had  no 
warm  love,  but  hardly  even  the  ordinary  feeling 
of  brotherhood.  His  position  towards  the  outer 
world,  like  that  of  every  true  Jew,  was  indeed  a 
difficult  one.  The  Hebrew  people  were  the 
Lord's  anointed,  and  all  else  were  not  only  not 
holy,  but,  for  the  most  part,  open  enemies  both 
of  the  Lord  and  of  His  people.  It  would  have 
been  most  difficult  for  a  Jew  to  attain  the  happy 
medium,  the  right  equipoise  of  feeling  for  the 
uncircumcised  nations  around,  lying  somewhere 
between  brotherly  love  on  the  one  hand,  and 
bitter  hatred  on  the  other.  But  David  gave 
himself  no  trouble  to  find  this  happy  medium. 
He  gave  free  rein  to  the  spirit  of  enmity  to  the 
heathen,  and  no  pity  for  the  sharers  of  a  common 
nature  softened  the  rigour  with  which  he  treated 
them.  It  is  a  mystery  how  such  tenderness  and 
such  relentless  severity  should  have  been  found 
in  the  same  man.  Whatever  may  be  urged  in 
extenuation  of  his  severity,  rests  on  his  position 
as  a  Jew. — Ibid. 

2  Weakness  in  domestic  rule. 

[1782 1]  Every  one  must  have  been  struck  by 
the  remarkable  fact  that  while  David  was  so 
admirable  as  a  governor  of  a  kingdom,  he  was 
so  unsuccessful  as  a  ruler  of  his  own  house.  He 
did  not  so  absolutely  submit  his  own  will  to 
God's  will  in  his  family,  as  he  did  upon  the 
throne  ;  he  did  not  so  constantly  inquire  what 
God  would  have  him  to  do  ;  he  allowed  himself 
to  be  too  much  guided  by  his  own  inclinations 
• — to  float  down  the  stream,  when  he  should  have 
breasted  the  billow.  You  will  ask,  Why  did 
God  permit  this  ?  Why  did  God,  who  had 
trained  him  so  well  for  the  higher  office,  not 
train  him  as  well  for  the  lower.''  Would  not 
David's  history  have  been  far  more  useful  if  he 
had  been  equally  admirable  as  a  father  and  as 
a  king?  Kings  are  comparatively  few  in  number, 
and  very  seldom  have  a  heart  to  consult  the 
Bible  for  direction  in  kingly  duties,  or  endeavour 
to  form  their  character  on  the  model  of  such 
kings  as  David.  But  masters  and  fathers  of 
families  abound  everywhere  ;  many  of  them 
earnestly  search  the  Scriptures  ;  alnd  if  David 
had  been  equally  eminent  as  a  father,  would  not 
the  sphere  of  his  influence  have  been  immensely 
widened .-"  To  such  questions  as  these  we  can 
hardly  reply.  It  is,  and  must  remain,  very 
mysterious  why  God,  who  took  such  pains  in 
training  David  to  be  a  king,  left  him  so  much  to 
himself  as  a  parent.     The  most  that  we  can  say 


on  the  subject  is,  "Even  so,  Father,  for  so  it 
seemed  good  in  Thy  sight."— //i'/^. 

3       Despondency. 

[17822]  "And  David  said  in  his  heart,  I  shall 
now  perish  one  day  by  the  hand  of  Saul  :  there 
is  nothing  better  for  me  than  that  I  should 
speedily  escape  into  the  land  of  the  Philistines." 
We  have  here  the  feelings  and  the  resolution  of 
a  discouraged  man.  David  had  been  driven 
from  place  to  place  by  Saul,  until  he  began  to 
feel  there  was  no  security  for  his  life  in  Judaea  ; 
and  he  resolved  to  leave  his  country,  and  to  go 
among  the  Philistines.  But  this  was  a  rash  re- 
solve. God  had  promised  the  kingdom  to  him 
after  Saul's  death  -,  how  then  could  he  fear  that 
he  should  "  one  day  perish  by  the  hand  of 
Saul  "?  He  who  had  ordained  the  end  would 
provide  the  means.  David  was  just  as  secure 
in  Israel  as  in  Gath  ;  and  this  he  might  have 
known  from  repeated  providential  deliverances. 
By  going  among  an  idolatrous  people,  the 
enemies  of  his  own  nation,  he  also  made  many 
sacrifices  of  religious  privilege  and  integrity. 
He  was  induced, on  one  occasion,  to  equivocate, 
and  to  give  the  king  of  Gath  the  impression  that 
he  was  ready  to  fight  under  him  against  the 
Israelites,  when  such  was  not  his  intention. 
What  was  still  worse,  when  David  and  his 
followers  went  out  against  some  of  the  neigh- 
bouring tribes,  they  were  led  into  the  cruel 
policy  of  massacring  men,  women,  and  children, 
lest  some  should  escape  and  tell  the  king  of 
Gath  that  David  had  fought  against  his  allies. 
These  tribes  again,  suspecting  his  incursions, 
came  upon  David's  encampment  during  his 
absence,  and  carried  away  his  family  and  the 
families  of  his  soldiers  into  captivity, and  David's 
life  was  threatened  by  his  own  men  in  their 
grief  at  their  dreadful  loss. — Rev.  IV.  Lewis, 
D.D. 

[17823]  Great  evils  came  upon  David,  and  he 
was  led  into  sins  and  sacrifices,  because  in  a 
hasty  moment  of  discouragement  he  lost  his 
confidence  in  God,  and  turned  aside  from  the 
plain  path  of  duty.  By  that  one  rash  resolution, 
formed  in  a  moment  of  despondency,  he  was  led 
into  falsehood,  and  cruelty,  and  the  sacrifice  of 
religious  principles  ;  and  in  consequence  of  it 
his  family  were  carried  into  captivity,  and  his 
own  life  endangered.  He  could  hardly  have 
suffered  more  if  he  had  remained  in  Jud;ea  under 
Saul's  persecutions  ;  and  certainly  he  would  not 
have  been  led  into  so  many  sins.  Had  he  con- 
tinued there,  he  might  indeed  have  been  driven 
from  place  to  place,  but  his  life  would  have  been 
secure  ;  and,  moreover,  he  would  have  been  in 
the  midst  of  his  countrymen  of  the  same  re- 
ligion, and  perhaps  had  he  been  there  at  the 
time  of  Saul's  death,  his  presence  might  have 
prevented  the  evils  of  a  disputed  succession,  and 
the  long  civil  wars  that  ensued.  But  he  became 
discouraged  ;  and  then,  not  satisfied  with  the 
Lord's  way  of  taking  care  of  him,  he  must  mark 
out  some  better  plan  of  his  own. — Ibid. 


2o6 

17824 — 17829] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[davio. 


VIII.  Chief  Qualities  of  the  Ruler. 
Systematic  energy. 

( 1 )  As  displayed  in  his  ^07'erjtinent  ^^enerally. 
[17824]  In  the  minds  of  most  readers  of  the 

Bible,  the  name  of  David,  king  of  Israel,  is  as- 
sociated mainly  with  military  prowess,  poetic 
genius,  and  personal  piety  ;  and  only  on  the 
rarest  occasions  do  we  hear  any  reference  made 
to  his  administrative  ability.  Yet  in  this  last 
quality  he  was,  at  least,  as  remarkable  as  in  any 
one  of  the  others  which  we  have  named  ;  and 
great  injustice  is  done  to  him  if  we  leave  out 
of  view  the  eminent  services  which  he  rendered 
to  his  country  by  the  exercise  of  his  govern- 
mental and  organizing  faculties.  It  has  hap- 
pened thus  with  the  son  of  Jesse,  as  with  many 
others,  that  the  showier  and  more  dashing 
talents  which  he  possessed  have  eclipsed,  or  cast 
into  the  shade,  his  other  less  ostentatious,  but, 
in  their  own  places,  equally  valuable  character- 
istics.— Rev.  W.  Taylor,  D.D. 

(2)  As  displayed  i>t  his  civil  adininistraliofi. 
[17825]  Whatever  changes  David  introduced 

in  the  central  government,  he  did  not  supersede 
the  local  government  of  the  tribes.  Each  tribe 
had  still  its  prince  or  ruler,  and  continued,  under 
a  general  superintendence  from  the  king,  to 
conduct  its  local  affairs.  The  supreme  council 
of  the  nation  continued  to  assemble  on  occasions 
of  great  national  importance  ;  and  though  its 
influence  could  not  have  been  so  great  as  it  was 
before  the  institution  of  royalty,  it  remained  an- 
integral  element  in  the  constitution  ;  and  m  the 
time  of  Rehoboam,  through  its  influence  and 
organization,  the  kingdom  of  the  ten  tribes  was 
set  up  almost  without  a  struggle.  —  Rev.  IV. 
Blaikie. 

[17826]  Without  superseding  the  tribal  go- 
vernments, David  greatly  strengthened  them  by 
a  systematic  distribution  through  the  country  of 
a  large  portion  of  the  Levites.  No  fewer  than 
6000  of  these  were  made  officers  and  judges. 
Of  these  "chief  fathers,"  as  they  were  called, 
ver)'  nearly  a  half  were  allocated  among  the 
tribes  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan — probably  be- 
cause their  comparatively  isolated  situation 
demanded  a  more  thorough  superintendence 
than  was  necessary  for  the  rest  of  the  country. 
It  is  extremely  probable  that  this  large  and  able 
body  of  Levites  were  not  limited  to  strictly 
judicial  duties,  but  that  they  performed  im- 
portant functions  also  in  the  education,  the 
healing,  and  the  general  elevation  of  the  people. 
Infinitely  more  was  done  for  the  instruction  and 
enlightenment  of  the  people  than  was  ever  at- 
tempted or  dreamt  of  in  any  eastern  country. 
It  is  nowhere  said  whether  Samuel's  schools 
received  a  special  share  of  attention,  but  the 
deep  interest  David  must  have  taken  in  Samuel's 
plans,  and  his  early  acquaintance  with  their 
blessed  effects,  leave  little  room  to  doubt  that 
these  institutions  were  carefully  fostered,  and 
owed  to  David  a  share  of  that  vitality  which 
they  continued  to  exhibit  in  the  days  of  Elijah 
and  Elisha. — Ibid. 


[17827]  In  developing  the  material  resources 
of  the  country,  King  David  seems,  with  rigorous 
conscientiousness,  to  have  applied  the  rule  of 
Christ — "  let  nothing  be  lost.''  He  had  store- 
houses in  the  fields,  in  the  cities,  in  the  villages, 
and  in  the  castles  ;  there  were  vineyards  and 
wine-cellars,  and  cellars  of  oil,  superintended 
each  by  appointed  officers  ;  in  different  valleys, 
herds  and  flocks  grazed  under  the  care  of  royal 
herdsmen  and  shepherds  ;  an  officer,  skilled  in 
agriculture,  presided  over  the  tillage  of  the 
fields  ;  the  sycamore  and  olive  trees  were  under 
the  eye  of  skilful  foresters  ;  nothing  was  wasted  ; 
nothing  done  lazily  ;  all  was  regularity,  order, 
and  CTxx&.—Ibid. 

(3)  As  displayed  in  his  ecclesiastical  adminis- 
f  rati 071. 

[1782S]  Jerusalem  became  the  religious  as 
well  as  the  civil  and  military  metropolis  of  the 
kingdom.  From  the  time  when  David  brought 
up  the  ark  to  Mounr  Zion,  it  was  his  care  to 
provide  for  the  due  celebration  of  all  the  ser- 
vices of  the  law  of  Moses,  and  to  accustom  the 
nation  to  look  on  Jerusalem  as  the  scene  of  the 
great  festivals  of  Passover,  Pentecost,  and  Taber- 
nacles. The  utmost  attention  was  bestowed 
on  arranging  the  priests  and  Levites,  with  a 
view  to  the  effective  discharge  of  their  duties. 
The  priests  were  divided  into  four-and-twenty 
courses,  each  course  to  serve  in  its  turn,  for  a 
limited  period — an  arrangement  that  still  sub- 
sisted in  the  days  of  Zacharias,  the  father  of  the 
Baptist.  By  far  the  largest  number  of  the 
Levites,  24,000,  were  allocated  to  the  service  of 
the  house  of  God  ;  these,  like  the  priests,  could 
have  been  required  at  Jerusalem  only  for  brief 
periodical  services.  Another  section  of  the 
Levites,  4000  in  number,  were  porters  ;  another, 
amounting  to  6000,  were  officers  anci  judges  ; 
and  a  fourth,  amounting  to  4000,  were  singers. 
These  last  appear  to  have  been  most  regularly 
and  skilfully  trained  ;  and  though  they  too  were 
divided  into  four-and-twenty  courses,  so  that 
from  only  one  to  two  hundred  would  be  on  duty 
at  a  time,  yet  on  such  great  occasions  as  the 
bringing  up  of  the  ark,  or  the  consecration  of 
the  temple,  or  even  the  annual  festivals,  a 
general  muster  might  take  place,  whose  com- 
bined performances  must  have  been  transcen- 
dently  sublime.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  say 
how  far  these  careful  ecclesiastical  arrangements 
were  instrumental  in  lostering  the  spirit  of 
genuine,  inward  piety.  But  there  is  too  much 
reason  to  fear  that  even  in  David's  time  that 
element  was  sadly  deficient. — Ibid. 

(4)  As  displayed  in  his  military  adminis- 
tration. 

[17829]  The  general  military  arrangements  of 
the  kingdom  were  made  on  the  same  principle 
as  the  distribution  of  the  priests  and  Levites. 
The  men  who  bore  arms  were  divided  into 
twelve  courses  of  24,000  each  ;  these  were 
regularly  officered  ;  and  for  one  month  of  each 
year  the  officers,  and  probably  the  men  of  one 
of  the  twelve  courses,  attended   in   succession 


17829—17834] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


207 

[DAVID. 


upon  the  king  at  Jerusalem.  Thus  the  whole 
people  were  kept  ready  for  war,  while,  as  they 
were  under  arms  but  one  month  out  of  twelve, 
their  ordinary  occupations  were  hardly  inter- 
rupted. In  addition  to  this  mass  of  militia,  a 
small  body  of  regular  troops  appears  to  have 
been  kept  constantly  under  arms.  These  are 
sometimes  called  the  Cherethites  and  the  Pele- 
thites  ;  and  it  has  been  thought,  with  good 
reason,  that  they  consisted  of  the  troops  that 
followed  David  in  the  wilderness,  and  of  those 
who  joined  his  standard  at  Ziklag.  It  was  quite 
natural  that  ever  after  these  should  be  treated 
with  peculiar  honour. — Ibid. 

[17830]  From  the  long  list  given  in  Samuel, 
of  David's  "  mighty  men,"  it  appears  that  the 
nation  must  have  been  singularly  rich  in  war- 
like heroes — a  circumstance  due  in  some  degree 
to  the  example  of  David  himself.  He  appears 
to  have  established  something  like  a  legion  of 
honour,  or  order  of  valour,  embracing  different 
classes,  like  the  military  and  civil  orders  of  the 
present  day.  His  own  military  ardour  seems  to 
have  passed  by  a  kind  of  electric  current  into 
his  followers,  animating  them  with  the  same 
spirit  as  his  own. — Ibid. 

IX.  Traits  of  Character  displayed  in 
THE  Psalms. 

I       Spirituality. 

[17831]  There  is  the  whole  music  of  the 
human  heart,  when  touched  by  the  hand  of  the 
Maker,  in  all  its  tones  that  whisper  or  thai 
swell,  for  every  hope  and  fear,  for  every  joy  and 
pang,  for  every  form  of  strength  and  languor,  of 
disquietude  and  rest.  There  are  developed  all 
the  innermost  relations  of  the  human  soul  to 
God,  built  upon  the  platform  of  a  covenant  of 
love  and  sonship  that  had  its  foundations  in  the 
Messiah,  while  in  this  particular  and  privileged 
Book  it  was  permitted  to  anticipate  His  coming. 
—  W.  E.  Gladstone. 

[17832]  The  feeling  that  recognized  God  as 
the  author  of  all  his  deliverances  was  intensely 
strong,  as  is  indicated  by  the  use  of  eveiy  ex- 
pression that  can  be  accumulated — "  My  rock, 
my  portion,  my  deliverer  ;  the  C^od  of  my  rock, 
my  shield,  the  horn  of  my  salvation,  my  high 
tower,  my  refuge,  my  Saviour."  He  takes  no 
credit  to  himself ;  gives  no  glory  to  his  captains  ; 
does  not  ascribe  his  safety  in  any  case  to  his 
skill,  or  to  their  bravery  ;  but  with  admirable 
humility  gives  all  the  credit  to  God.  In  the 
chapter  in  Samuel  that  immediately  follows  this 
song,  the  names  of  his  great  captains  are  faith- 
fully recorded  and  their  e.xploits  duly  chronicled  ; 
but  in  his  address  to  God  there  does  not  occur 
the  name  of  a  single  human  being  ;  it  was  his 
object  to  set  the  Most  High  in  His  place  of  un- 
approachable eminence.  In  the  intensity  of 
the  gaze  which  it  fixed  on  Him  who  is  invisible, 
the  eye  of  faith  lost  sight,  for  the  time,  of  the 
human  instruments  through  whom  much  of  the 


work  was  done.  He  who,  in  the  depths  of  his 
penitence,  saw  but  one  injured  Being,  and  said, 
"  Against  Thee,  Thee  only  have  I  sinned"— now, 
at  the  height  of  his  prosperity,  sees  but  one 
gracious  Being,  and  exclaims,  in  the  same  spirit, 
"  He  only  is  my  rock  and  my  salvation."  It 
was  a  great  attainment  for  a  soldier,  whose  be- 
setting sin  is  the  love  of  glory,  thus  to  overcome 
the  desire  for  human  applause,  and  give  all  the 
glory  to  God. — Rev.  W.  Blaikie. 

2  Faith. 

[17833]  What  strikes  us  first,  or  ought  to 
strike  us,  in  these  psalms,  is  David's  utter  faith 
in  God.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  David  had  not 
his  sad  days,  when  he  gave  himself  up  for  lost, 
and  when  God  seemed  to  have  forsaken  him, 
and  forgotten  his  promise.  He  was  a  man  of 
like  passions  with  ourselves  ;  and  therefore  he 
was,  as  we  should  have  been,  terrified  and  faint- 
hearted at  times.  But  exactly  what  (jod  was 
teaching  and  training  him  to  be,  was  not  to  be 
faint-hearted — not  to  be  terrified.  He  began  in 
his  youth  by  trusting  God.  That  made  him 
the  man  after  God's  own  heart,  just  as  it  was 
the  want  of  trust  in  God  which  made  Saul  not 
the  man  after  God's  own  heart,  and  lost  him 
his  kingdom.  In  all  those  wanderings  and 
dangers  of  David's  in  the  wilderness,  God  was 
training,  and  educating,  and  strengthening 
David's  faith,  according  to  His  great  law—"  To 
whomsoever  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall 
have  more  abundantly  ;  but  from  him  that  hath 
not,  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  which  he 
seems  to  have."  And  the  first  great  fruit  of 
David's  firm  trust  in  God  was  his  patience. — 
Rev.  C.  Kingsley. 

3  Love  of  the  poor. 

[17834]  Another  thing  which  strikes  any 
thinking  man  in  David's  psalms,  is  his  strong 
feeling  for  the  poor,  and  the  afflicted,  and  the 
oppressed.  That  is  what  makes  the  Psalms, 
above  all,  the  poor  man's  book,  the  afflicted 
man's  book.  But  how  did  he  get  that  fellow- 
feeling  for  the  fallen  .''  By  having  fallen  himself, 
and  tasted  afifliction  and  oppression.  That  was 
how  he  was  educated  to  be  a  true  king.  That 
was  how  he  became  a  picture  and  pattern — a 
"  type,"  as  some  call  it,  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  man 
of  sorrows.  That  is  why  so  many  of  David's 
psalms  apply  so  well  to  the  Lord  ;  why  the 
Lord  fulfilled  those  psalms  when  He  was  on 
earth.  David  was  truly  a  man  of  sorrows  ;  for 
he  had  not  only  the  burden  of  his  own  sorrows 
to  bear,  but  that  of  many  others.  His  parents 
had  to  escape,  and  to  be  placed  in  safety  at  the 
court  of  a  heathen  prince.  His  friend  Abime- 
lech  the  priest,  because  he  gave  David  bread 
when  he  was  starving,  and  Goliath's  sword — 
which,  after  all,  was  David's  own — was  murdered 
by  Saul's  hired  ruffians,  at  Saul's  command,  and 
with  him  his  whole  family,  and  all  the  priests  of 
the  town,  with  their  wives  and  children,  even  to 
the  baby  at  the  breast.  And  when  David  was 
in  the  mountains,  every  one  who  was  distressed, 
and  in  debt,  and  discontented,  gathered  them- 


208 

17834- 


-I784I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[DAVID. 


selves  to  him,  and  he  became  their  captain. — 

Ibid. 

4       Thankfulness. 

[17835]  Unlike  the  mass  of  men,  he  was  as 
careful  to  thank  God  for  mercies  past  and  pre- 
sent, as  to  entreat  Him  for  mercies  to  come. 
Every  mercy  vouchsafed  to  him  was  turned  into 
material  for  praise  ;  the  whole  Book  of  Psalms 
resounds  with  hallelujahs  :  "  O  give  thanks  unto 
the  Lord,  for  He  is  good  " — "  Praise  ye  the  Lord, 
for  He  is  good,  for  His  mercy  endureth  for 
ever" — "Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all 
that  is  within  me,  bless  His  holy  name."  As  he 
advanced  in  years,  he  appears  to  have  grown  in 
thankfulness  ;  and  it  is  delightful  to  see  him,  as 
it  is  delightful  to  see  any  old  man,  not  turning 
sour,  as  the  infirmities  of  age  gathered  upon 
him,  but  more  grateful,  more  humble,  more 
genial  than  ever.  It  was  not  enough  for  him  to 
have  sung  his  hallelujah  at  each  mercy  as  he  re- 
ceived it,  or  to  have  set  up  his  Ebenezer  at  each 
deliverance  as  it  came  ;  at  the  close  of  his 
active  life,  he  sets  up  one  grand  Ebenezer,  com- 
memorating the  whole  ;  he  utters  one  grand 
Hallelujah,  thanking  God  for  all  the  deliver- 
ances of  the  past,  and  expressing  unbounded 
confidence  in  His  goodness  and  mercy  for  the 
time  to  come. — Rev.  IV.  Blaikie. 


X.  The  Rich  and  Varied  Excellence 
OF  HIS  Character  Viewed  as  a 
Whole. 

[17836]  The  personal  character  of  David  was 
remarkably  fitted  tojeave  its  mark  on  the  men 
of  his  own  and  of  later  times.  Never,  among 
the  mere  sons  of  men,  has  there  appeared  on  so 
prominent  a  stage  such  a  character.  Like  the 
single  heir  of  a  number  of  wealthy  families,  he 
seemed  to  unite  in  himself  the  moral  wealth  of 
nearly  all  that  had  gone  before  him.  The 
heavenly  conversation  of  Enoch  ;  the  trium- 
phant faith  of  Abraham  ;  the  meditative  thought- 
fulness  of  Isaac  ;  the  wrestling  boldness  of 
Jacob ;  the  patient  and  holy  endurance  of 
Joseph,  no  less  than  his  talent  for  administering 
a  kingdom  ;  the  lofty  patriotism  of  Moses,  as 
well  as  his  brilliant  fancy  ;  the  warlike  skill 
and  energy  of  Joshua  ;  the  daring  courage  of 
(lideon  ;  the  holy  fervour  of  Samuel — all  met 
in  measure  in  the  character  of  David. — Ibid. 

[17837]  In  every  department  of  exertion  where 
eminence  usually  gives  fame  and  influence, 
David  shone.  A  great  king — a  great  warrior — ■ 
a  great  poet — a  great  religious  reformer,  he  held 
at  once  four  of  the  great  sceptres  that  rule  the 
hearts  of  men.  Though  he  wanted  the  domestic 
faithfulness  of  Abraham,  the  continence  of 
Joseph,  and,  on  some  occasions,  the  manly 
openness  of  Caleb,  he  had  yet  such  richness 
and  fulness  of  gifts  as  gave  him  an  unprece- 
dented influence  over  the  hearts  of  men. — Ibid. 

[17838]  There  never  was  a  specimen  of  man- 


hood so  rich  and  ennobled  as  David,  the  son  of 
Jesse,  whom  other  saints  haply  may  have 
equalled  in  single  features  of  his  character,  but 
such  a  combination  of  manly,  heroic  qualities, 
such  a  flush  of  generous,  Godlike  excellences 
have  never  yet  been  seen  embodied  in  a  single 
man. — E.  Irving. 

XL  David  a  Type  of  Christ. 

[17839]  As  a  type  of  Christ  it  was  designed 
that  he  should  throw  fresh  light  on  the  person, 
character,  and  work  of  the  coming  Deliverer. 
How  far  the  godly  of  those  times  were  able  to 
comprehend  in  detail  this  typical  relation  of 
David  to  Christ,  is  a  problem  full  of  difilculty, 
and  incapable  of  exact  solution.  It  is  the  light 
of  the  New  Testament  thrown  back  on  the  Old, 
that  enables  us  to  perceive  the  closeness  of  the 
resemblance.  We  see,  for  example,  in  David's 
oneness  with  his  people,  an  interesting  type  of 
the  oneness  of  Christ  and  the  believer.  The 
king  of  Israel  was  the  same  bone  and  i^esh  as 
they  ;  he  had  no  interests  apart  from  theirs  ;  for 
them  alone  he  lived  and  laboured,  thought  and 
fought.  Then,  too,  in  David's  kingly  character 
there  was  exhibited  that  remarkable  union  of 
maiesty  and  mildness,  of  indomitable  courage 
and  ineffable  tenderness,  which  in  Jesus  Christ 
are  expressed  by  the  figures  that  represent  Him 
as  at  once  the  Lion  and  the  Lamb.  Further, 
God's  covenant  with  David  as  king  of  Israel, 
raising  him  to  the  throne,  subduing  his  enemies, 
and  making  him  a  blessing  to  his  people,  was 
to  prefigure  the  covenant  between  God  and 
Messiah  ;  was  to  indicate  how  the  great  Son  of 
David  would  be  divinely  chosen,  divinely  called, 
divinely  gifted  ;  how  the  Spirit  would  be  poured 
on  him  without  measure,  and  how  the  blessings 
of  his  reign  would  be  solemnly  ratified  and  con- 
firmed to  his  people  in  all  coming  time. — Rev. 
IV.  Blaikie. 

[17840]  Even  the  minuter  details  of  David's 
life  were  to  have  events  corresponding  in  the 
life  of  Christ.  His  being  passed  by  among  the 
sons  of  Jesse,  when  Samuel  was  sent  to  Bethle- 
hem to  anoint  a  king,  and  his  long  rejection 
afterwards  by  the  tribes  of  Israel,  were  to  pre- 
figure the  world's  treatment  of  Christ.  The 
hard  discipline  of  his  early  years  was  to  be  a 
type  of  Christ's  baptism  of  suffering. — Ibid. 

[17841]  For  a  thousand  long  years  the 
shepherd-son  of  Jesse  fulfilled  the  sublime 
office  of  foreshadowing  to  all  the  faithful,  more 
vividly  than  any  other  type,  the  glorious  De- 
liverer that  was  to  come.  The  person  of  David 
became  a  framework  around  which  the  Messi- 
anic prophecies  clustered,  conveying  the  im- 
pression of  One  like  unto  this  son  of  Jesse,  yet 
fairer  than  the  sons  of  men.  As  the  painter 
makes  use  of  some  actual  face  or  scene,  when 
he  wishes  to  draw  a  sketch  of  perfect  beauty, 
but  removes  every  flaw,  perfects  every  feature, 
and  gives  an  ideal  purity  and  elevation  to  the 
whole;  so  might  the  Old  Testament  believer 


17841— 17844] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


209 


[david. 


make  use  of  the  person,  the  character,  and  th,e 
life  of  King  David,  as  the  basis  of  his  concep- 
tion of  the  person,  the  character,  and  the  Hfe  of 
Christ.  And  hence,  at  the  time  of  His  appear- 
ance in  the  flesh,  the  popular  name  by  which 
Christ  was  known,  was  the  Son  of  David.  "  All 
the  people  were  amazed,  and  said,  Is  not  this 
the  Son  of  David .'' "  "  What  think  ye  of 
Christ  ?  Whose  son  is  He  ?  They  say  unto 
him,  The  Son  of  David."  "  The  multitude  that 
went  before  and  that  followed,  cried,  saying, 
Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  !  Blessed  is  He 
that  Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  !  "  It  is 
especially  interesting  to  observe,  that  when  any 
blessing  of  compassion  was  asked  of  Jesus,  the 
appeal  was  made  to  Him  as  the  Son  of  David 
— the  proverbial  goodness  of  the  Shepherd- 
King  having  evidently  awakened  the  largest 
anticipations  of  beneficence  in  the  Shepherd- 
Saviour.  "  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
us  ! "  was  the  cry  of  the  two  blind  men  in 
Galilee.  "  Have  mercy  on  me,  O  Lord,  Thou 
Son  of  David  ;  my  daughter  is  grievously  vexed 
with  a  devil,"  was  the  prayer  of  the  Syro- 
Phoenician  woman.  Blind  Bartimeus  tried  no 
other  plea,  and  so  convinced  was  he  of  its 
efificacy,  that  when  he  seemed  at  first  to  be  dis- 
regarded, and  he  was  told  by  the  bystanders  to 
hold  his  peace,  he  could  but  cry  the  more  a 
great  deal,  "  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy 
on  me  !  "  It  had  come  to  be  the  common 
sentiment  regarding  David,  that  to  his  warm, 
fatherly  heart,  no  appeal  of  compassion  could 
have  been  made  in  vain  ;  and  faith  acted  on  the 
same  conviction  regarding  his  glorious  Son. — 
Idid. 


Xn.  Similar  Experiences  of  David  and 
Joseph. 

[17842]  There  is  a  resemblance  between  the 
early  history  of  David  and  that  of  Joseph. 
Both  distinguished  for  piety  in  youth,  the 
youngest  and  the  despised  of  their  respective 
brethren,  they  are  raised,  after  a  long  trial,  to  a 
high  station,  as  ministers  of  God's  Providence. 
Joseph  was  tempted  to  a  degrading  adultery  ; 
David  was  tempted  by  ambition.  Both  were 
tempted  to  be  traitors  to  their  masters  and 
benefactors.  Joseph's  trial  was  brief;  but  his 
conduct  under  itevidenced  settled  habits  of  virtue 
which  he  could  call  to  his  aid  at  a  moment's 
notice.  A  long  imprisonment  followed,  the 
consequence  of  his  obedience,  and  borne  with 
meekness  and  patience  ;  but  it  was  no  part  of 
his  temptation,  because,  when  once  incurred, 
release  was  out  of  his  power.  David's  trial,  on 
the  other  hand,  lasted  for  years,  and  grew 
stronger  as  time  went  on.  His  master  too,  far 
from  "putting  all  that  he  had  into  his  hand" 
(Genesis  xxxix.  4),  sought  his  life.  Continual 
opportunity  of  avenging  himself  incited  his 
passions  ;  self-defence,  and  the  Divine  promise, 
were  specious  arguments  to  seduce  his  reason. 
Yet  he  mastered  his  heart — he  was  "still."- — 
Cardinal  Newman.  i 

VOL.   VI.  11; 


XIII.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 

1  The  study  of  King  David's  life  and  cha- 
racter is  one  of  unusual  interest  and 
importance. 

[17^43].  Every  man's  life,  it  has  been  re- 
marked, is  a  plan  of  God  ;  in  the  obscurest 
history  there  is  some  Divine  purpose  ;  what 
God  said  of  Cyrus,  He  may  say  of  the  most 
commonplace  man  that  ever  passed  unnoticed 
through  life— "I  girded  thee,  though  thou  hast 
not  known  Me."  But  in  the  case  of  such  a  life 
as  that  of  David,  God's  plan,  from  its  con- 
spicuous and  commanding  grandeur,  is  fitted  to 
arrest  the  attention  of  all.  This  man  is  to  serve 
no  ordinary  purpose  in  the  economy  of  Provi- 
dence. He  is  not  to  be  one  of  the  little  stones 
or  chips  of  an  edifice,  but  one  of  the  great 
pillars  on  which  its  stability,  its  character,  and 
its  beauty  are  to  depend.  What  can  be  more 
interesting  than  to  accompany  the  great  Builder, 
see  him  rough-hewing  the  block  that  is  to  form 
this  pillar,  then  slowly  fashioning  it  into  its 
destined  form,  rearing  it  in  its  place,  and  turning 
it  to  the  great  uses  for  which  it  has  been  or- 
dained.^ This  study  is  fitted  moreover  to 
instruct  as  well  as  to  interest.  Exalted  though 
David  was  in  station,  the  lessons  of  his  life  are 
in  the  main  applicable  to  all.  His  enemies  and 
his  weapons,  his  victories  and  his  defeats,  are 
in  substance  common  to  every  one  whose  pur- 
pose in  life  is  to  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith, 
resist  temptation,  and  do  his  duty  faithfully  to 
God  and  to  man. — Rev.  W.  Blaikie. 

2  There  is  a  deep  fellowship  in  such  lives 
with  our  common  humanity. 

[17844]  No  remark  concerning  the  histories 
of  the  Bible  could  be  more  old  and  obvious  than 
this — that  a  large  proportion  of  those  histories 
are  the  lives  of  individual  men.  We  all  know 
how  Abraham,  Moses,  Joshua,  David,  and  Paul, 
stand  out  in  lonely  and  individual  grandeur  amid 
the  story  of  their  time.  We  have  all  felt  how 
real  those  men  have  become  to  us,  and  how 
marvellously  they  fascinate  our  hearts.  They 
are  the  heroes  of  childhood  ;  the  guides  of  man- 
hood ;  the  consolers  of  old  age.  But  familiar 
as  this  fact  may  be,  it  implies  a  truth  we  are 
very  prone  to  forget — viz.,  that  the  histories  of 
those  men  are  pictures,  on  a  grand  scale,  of  the 
common  sorrows  and  battles  of  the  human  soul. 
W^e  are  perpetually  prone  to  fancy  that  the 
lapse  of  centuries,  the  change  of  circumstances — 
above  all,  the  supernatural  marvels  of  their 
history,  divide  us  from  them  by  a  wide  and  im- 
passable gulf.  Hence  they  become  to  us  heroes 
with  whom  we  dare  claim  but  little  sympathy, 
and  the  power  of  their  history  to  strengthen  us 
is,  in  a  measure,  taken  away.  But  the  whole 
tendency  of  God's  record  is  to  bring  them  near. 
It  never  omits  their  weaknesses  and  failures  ;  it 
never  depicts  them  as  powerful  saints,  but  as 
men  subject  to  the  temptations  and  liable  to  the 
passions  that  beset  ourselves  ;  and  could  we 
realize  this  brotherhood,  we  should  gain  from 
them  new  light  on  life's  story ;  new  power  for 


210 

17844—17850] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SOLOMON. 


its  battles  ;  new  life  amid  the  defects  and  failures 
of  this  perplexed  and  careless  world. — Rev.  E. 
L.  Hull,  B.A. 

[17845]  David  falling  into  sin  is  a  fiery  beacon 
of  warning  —  certainly  to  the  habitual  sinner; 
for  if  the  man  after  God's  own  heart  suffered 
for  sin  as  David  suffered,  what  shall  be  the  por- 
tion of  the  openly  careless  and  ungodly.?  But 
just  as  certainly  is  the  lurid  light  of  his  fall  re- 
flected through  the  ages  for  the  warning  of  the 
believer  ;  for  if  such  a  spiritual  giant  as  David 
fell,  how  well  may  others,  cast  in  a  far  weaker 
mould,  who  think  they  stand,  "  take  heed  lest 
they  fall"!— yl/.  J. 

[17846]  We  must  have  felt,  all  through  our 
study  of  this  great  man's  life,  how  honest  the 
biographies  of  the  Bible  are.  Here  is  no  hiding 
of  imperfections,  no  cloaking  of  sins,  no  pallia- 
ting or  excusing  of  iniquity.  David  is  spoken  of 
as  he  was  ;  and  we  see  him  to  have  been  a  man 
of  like  passions  with  ourselves,  very  far  from 
being  perfect,  sorely  marked,  indeed,  by  sin,  yet 
in  the  main  a  man  of  God.  Though  often  falling 
into  errors,  he  never  made  his  rest  in  sin  ;  fre- 
quently overtaken  in  a  fault,  yet  not  delighting 
in  iniquity,  he  proved  that  the  polarity  of  his 
soul  was  heavenward.  Who  so  bitterly  bewailed 
his  sins  as  he  did  himself.-*  Who  so  broken- 
hearted for  his  iniquities  as  he  was  himself.''  If 
his  sins  were  exceptional,  so  was  his  repentance  ; 
and  He  on  whom  he  rested  would  not  cast  him 
out.  The  voyage  of  his  life  had  been  long  and 
perilous,  and  at  one  time  such  a  storm  overtook 
him  that  he  had  well-nigh  gone  down  ;  but  after 
many  turnings  and  tackings,  he  bore  wp  anew 
and  steered  right  onward  ;  and  now  he  enters 
the  harbour — not,  indeed,  with  all  sails  set,  and 
banners  flying,  and  the  firing  of  salutes,  and  the 
sound  of  merry  music,  but  battered  and  weather- 
beaten  ;  the  canvas  torn  and  the  masts  broken, 
and  with  every  evidence  of  having  passed 
through  a  fearful  gale.  Yet  he  enters  the  har- 
bour, and  that  is  a  great  thing  ;  let  the  Judge  of 
all  determine  the  measure  of  his  blame.  To  be 
blamed  he  certainly  was  ;  and  as  we  see  in  all 
this  that  he  was  a  man  like  ourselves,  let  us  re- 
member that  there  is  another  life  recorded  here 
in  which  there  is  no  flaw. — Rev.  IV.  Taylor, 
D.D. 

3  David  left  behind  him  various  and  splen- 
did legacies. 
[17847]  David  died,  not  only  "full  of  days," 
according  to  the  remark  of  the  historians,  but 
also  "full  of  riches  and  honour."  His  legacy 
was  great  and  glorious.  What  he  left  to  his 
people  was,  besides  a  system  of  government  ex- 
cellently regulated  on  all  sides,  an  army  crowned 
with  fame  and  experienced  in  war,  and  general 
prosperity  prevailing  among  the  inhabitants  of 
town  and  country,  the  public  worship  of  God 
again  established  according  to  the  Divine 
ordinance,  a  large  number  of  excellent  oflicers, 
of  pious  and  zealous  servants  in  the  sanctuary, 
and,  in  addition,  a  considerable  public  treasury, 
to  be  expended  for  the  general  welfare  of  the 


land,  and,  moreover,  a  divinely-approved  plan 
for  the  building  of  the  temple,  and  the  richest 
and  most  precious  material  for  the  carrying  out 
of  this  plan.  But  something  greater  than  all 
this  he  left  as  an  inheritance  to  the  whole  world, 
first  in  his  personal  portrait,  then  in  his  gracious 
experiences,  and,  above  all,  in  his  Psalms.  In 
spite  of  his  transgressions,  which  he  always 
bitterly  repented  of,  and  which  were  therefore 
blotted  out  of  the  Book  of  God,  his  character  is 
a  splendid  one. — Krummacher. 

[17848]  W^ho  could  number  the  souls  which 
for  almost  three  thousand  years  have  comforted, 
strengthened,  and  raised  themselves  up  in  their 
conflicts  and  their  heart-anxieties,  by  contem- 
plating it .''  Whoever  seeks  a  God  with  whom 
there  is  "  plenteous  redemption " — who  hears 
prayer,  who  numbers  the  very  hairs  on  the  heads 
of  His  people,  has  an  unchangeable  love  for 
them,  and,  as  a  Protector  who  neither  slumbers 
nor  sleeps,  is  by  their  side  at  every  step — will 
meet  with  such  a  God  in  the  experiences  of 
David,  the  king  of  Israel.  No  word  of  consola- 
tion is  found  in  Scripture  which  was  not  con- 
firmed in  the  actual  experience  of  David.  The 
golden  chain  of  Divine  condescensions,  and  of 
gracious  manifestations,  by  which  his  whole  life 
was  penetrated,  marks  it  out  as  an  introductory 
gospel,  written  in  the  characters  of  the  actual 
life.  Oh,  how  did  David  verify  that  word  of  the 
eighty-fourth  Psalm,  "  They  who  pass  through 
the  valley  of  weeping  make  it  rich  in  springs  "  ! 
—Ibid. 


SOLOMON. 

I.  Introductory. 

1  His  prominent  position  in  Holy  Writ. 

[17849]  Solomon,  the  third  king  of  Israel,  is 
as  unlike  either  of  his  predecessors  as  each  ot 
them  is  unlike  the  other.  No  person  occupies 
so  large  a  space  in  sacred  history,  of  whom  so 
few  personal  incidents  are  related.  That  stately 
and  melancholy  figure — in  some  respects  the 
grandest  and  the  saddest  in  the  sacred  volume — 
is,  in  detail,  little  more  than  a  mighty  shadow. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  of  his  age,  of  his  coiu't, 
of  his  works,  we  know  more  than  of  any  other. 
Now,  for  the  first  time  since  the  Exodus,  we  find 
distinct  traces  of  dates — years,  months,  days. 
Now  at  last  we  seem  to  come  across  monuments 
which  possibly  remain  to  this  day.  Of  the 
earlier  ages  of  Jewish  history,  nothing  has  lastetl 
to  our  time  except  it  be  the  sepulchre  and  the 
wells  ;  works  of  Nature  rather  than  of  men. — 
Dean  Stanley. 

2  The  epoch  of  his  reign  is  remarkable  not 
only  for  its  distinctness,  but  for  its  splen- 
dour. 

[17850]  It  was  June  in  Hebrew  history,  the 
top  tide  of  a  nation's  happiness.  Sitting  like  an 
empress,  between  the  Eastern  and  Western 
oceans,  the  navies  of  three  continents  poured 


17850—17854] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    KRA. 


211 

[SOLOMON. 


their  treasures  at  her  feet ;  and,  awed  by  her 
commanding  name,  the  dromedaries  of  IVIidian 
and  Ephah  brought  spontaneous  tributes  of 
spice,  and  silver,  and  precious  stones.  To 
build  her  palaces,  the  shaggy  brows  of  Lebanon 
had  been  scalped  of  their  cedars,  and  Ophir  had 
bled  its  richest  gold.  At  the  magical  voice  of 
the  sovereign,  fountains,  native  to  distant  hills, 
rippled  down  the  slopes  of  Zion  ;  and  miraculous 
cities,  like  Palmyra,  started  up  from  the  sandy 
waste.  And  whilst  peace,  and  commerce,  and 
the  law's  protection,  made  gold  like  brass,  and 
silver  shekels  like  stones  of  the  street,  Palestine 
was  a  halcyon-nest  suspended  betwixt  the  calm 
wave  and  the  warm  sky  ;  Jerusalem  was  a  royal 
infant,  whose  silken  cradle  soft  winds  rock  high 
up  on  a  castle  tower  :  all  was  serene  magnifi- 
cence and  opulent  security. — Rev.  y.  Hainilton, 
D.D. 

3       His  reign  may  be  viewed  as  the  Augustan 
age  of  the  Jewish  nation. 

[1785 1]  Solomon  was  not  only  its  Augustus, 
but  its  Aristotle.  With  the  accession  of  Solo- 
mon a  new  world  of  thought  was  opened  to  the 
Israelites.  The  curtain  which  divided  them 
from  the  surrounding  nations  was  suddenly  rent 
asunder.  The  wonders  of  Egypt,  the  commerce 
of  Tyre,  the  romance  of  Arabia,  nay,  it  is  even 
possible,  the  Homeric  age  of  Greece,  became 
visible.  Of  this  the  first  and  most  obvious 
result,  as  has  been  hinted,  was  the  growth  of 
architecture.  But  the  general  effects  on  the 
whole  mind  of  the  people  must  have  been 
deeper  still.  A  new  direction  seems  to  have  been 
given  to  Israelite  thought.  In  Solomon  we  find 
the  first  beginnings  of  that  wider  view  which 
ended  at  last  in  the  expansion  of  Judaism  into 
Christianity.  His  reign  contains  the  first  his- 
torical record  of  the  contact  between  Western 
Europe  and  Eastern  India.  In  his  fearless 
encouragement  of  ecclesiastical  architecture  is 
the  first  sanction  of  the  employment  of  art  in 
the  service  of  a  true  religion.  In  his  writings 
and  in  the  literature  which  sprung  from  them, 
is  the  only  Hebrew  counterpart  to  the  philosophy 
of  Greece.  For  all  these  reasons,  there  is  in 
him  a  likeness,  one-sided  indeed,  of  the  "  Son  of 
David,"  in  whom  East  and  West,  philosophy 
and  religion,  were  reconciled  together.  .  .  . 
Prophets  and  psalmists  retire  into  the  back- 
ground, and  their  place  is  taken  by  the  new 
power  called  by  the  name  of  "  Wisdom."  A 
class  of  men  sprang  up,  distinct  from  both 
priest  and  prophet,  under  the  name  of  "  the 
Wise."  A  change  must  have  come  over  the 
nation  through  the  new  world  which  Solomon 
thus  opened. — Dea7i  Stanley. 

[17852]  Half-way  between  the  call  of  Abra- 
ham and  the  final  capture  of  Jerusalem,  it  was 
the  high  summer  of  Jewish  story,  and  Hebrew 
mind  unfolded  in  this  pre-eminent  Hebrew. 
Full  of  sublime  devotion,  equally  full  of  practi- 
cal sagacity  ;  the  extemporiser  of  the  loftiest 
litany  in   existence,  withal  the   author   of  the 


pungent  Proverbs,  able  to  mount  up  on  Rapture's 
ethereal  pinions  to  the  region  of  the  seraphim, 
but  keenly  alive  to  all  the  details  of  business, 
and  shrewd  in  his  human  intercourse  ;  zealous 
in  collecting  gold,  yet  lavish  in  expending  it ; 
sumptuous  in  his  tastes,  and  splendid  in  cos- 
tume ;  and,  except  in  so  far  as  intellectual  vasi- 
tude  necessitated  a  certain  catholicity -the 
patriot  intense,  the  Israelite  indeed  ;  like  a 
Colossus  on  a  mountain  top,  his  sunward  side 
was  the  glory  toward  which  one  millennium  of 
his  nation  had  all  along  been  cHmbing— his 
darker  side,  with  its  overlapping  beams,  is  still 
the  mightiest  object  in  that  nation's  memory. — 
Rev.  J.  Hamilton. 

4  The  character  of  Solomon  in  its  secular 
aspect  serves  as  a  connecting  link  between 
the  common  and  the  sacred  world. 

[17853]  Of  all  the  characters  of  the  sacred 
history,  he  is  the  most  purely  secular,  and 
merely  secular  magnificence  was  an  excres- 
cence, not  a  native  growth,  of  the  chosen  people. 
Whilst  Moses  and  David  are  often  mentioned 
again  in  the  sacred  books,  Solomon's  name 
hardly  occurs  after  the  close  of  his  reign. 
Altliough  his  secular  aspect  has  withdrawn 
him  from  the  religious  interest  which  attaches 
to  many  others  of  the  Jewish  saints  and  heroes, 
yet  in  this  very  circumstance  there  are  points  of 
attraction  indispensable  to  the  development  of 
the  sacred  history.  It  enables  us  to  study  his 
reign  more  freely  than  is  possible  in  the  case  of 
the  more  purely  religious  characters  of  the 
Bible.  He  is,  in  a  still  more  exact  sense  than 
his  father,  "  one  of  the  great  men  of  the  earth," 
and,  as  such,  we  can  deal  with  his  history  as  we 
should  with  theirs.  To  have  had  many  such 
characters  in  Biblical  history  would  have 
brought  it  down  too  nearly  to  the  ordinary 
level.  But  to  have  one  such  is  to  show  that  the 
interest  which  we  inevitably  feel  in  such  events 
and  in  such  men  has  a  place  in  the  designs  of 
Providence,  and  in  the  lessons  of  Revelation. — 
Deatt  Stanley. 


II. 


General    Characteristics   of    his 
Policy  as  a  Monarch. 


[17854]  As  a  monarch  Solomon  was  in  some 
respects  the  greatest  of  the  kings  of  Israel. 
He  had  not,  indeed,  the  personal  courage  of 
Saul,  or  the  military  genius  of  David  ;  but  he 
had  the  ability  to  turn  the  conquests  of  his 
father  to  the  best  account,  and  make  them 
contribute  to  the  glory  of  his  name.  He  was 
the  first  of  Israel's  monarchs  that  sought  to  go 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  land  of  promise, 
and  cultivate  the  friendship  of  other  nations. 
He  learned  the  value  of  commerce,  and  his 
fleets  brought  the  wealth  of  distant  countries  to 
his  feet,  while  by  his  erection  of  the  cities  in  the 
wilderness  he  tapped  the  streams  of  trade  that 
were  flowing  on  to  other  lands,  and  made  them 
yield  something  to  his  support.  He  was  more 
cosmopolitan  than  any  of  his  predecessors,  and 
yet  so  national  that   he  made   his  intercourse 


212 

17854—17859] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS, 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SOLOMON. 


with  Other  people  tributary  to  the  supremacy  of 
his  own.  Yet,  with  all  this  far-seeing  sagacity, 
he  overlooked  the  effect  which  his  own  extrava- 
gant expenditure  was  producing  on  his  own 
people.  His  immense  buildings,  his  lavish  use 
of  gold  and  silver,  his  costly  equipages,  and  his 
luxurious  harem,  impoverished  his  subjects,  and 
sowed  among  them  the  seeds  of  discontent,  the 
first  fruits  of  which  were  seen  in  the  disaffection 
of  Jeroboam,  and  the  full  harvest  of  which  was 
reaped  by  his  son  Rehoboam.  His  reign  is  thus 
the  highest  tidal  mark  of  the  prosperity  of 
Israel. — Christian  Globe. 

[17855]  The  glory  of  the  temporal  kingdom 
culminated  in  him  ;  and  in  him  also  its  decay 
began.  The  high-water  mark  on  the  river 
margin  is  indicated  by  the  debris  left  behind  it 
by  the  receding  wave ;  and  here,  too,  in 
Solomon's  history  we  have  rubbish  enough, 
which,  while  it  testifies  to  the  height  of  the  tide 
on  which  he  floated,  shows  also  that  it  was 
muddy  and  full  of  corruption.  While  we  admire 
the  energy  and  originality  which  he  evinced  in 
making  gain,  we  cannot  but  condemn  many  of 
the  things  he  did  with  the  gain  after  he  had 
made  it. — Ibid. 


III.  General  View  of  his  Character  as 

A  Man. 

[17856]  Solomon  as  a  man  disappoints  us  in 
his  career,  and  it  is  with  inexpressible  sadness 
that  we  see  him,  who  offered  that  remarkable 
prayer  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple,  falling 
into  the  grossest  idolatry.  He  sank  during  the 
mid-time  of  his  days  into  religious  indifferentism, 
and  viewing  all  religions  as  equally  true,  he 
erected  in  his  capital  temples  for  the  worship  of 
heathen  divinities,  which  were  only  second  in 
magnificence  to  that  which  he  reared  for  the 
service  of  Jehovah.  All  this  was  done  by  him 
under  the  influence  of  the  foreign  wives  whom 
he  had  taken  ;  and  thus,  though  he  knew  the 
truth  so  well,  he  failed  to  act  upon  his  know- 
ledge, so  that  the  promise  of  his  early  days  was 
blighted  by  the  follies  of  his  later  life.  His 
history  is  thus  another  added  to  the  many 
portrayed  in  the  Book  of  God,  which  go  to 
enforce  the  injunction  of  His  own  words  :  "Keep 
thy  heart  with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it  are  the 
issues  of  life." — Ibid. 

[17857]  Solomon  was  chosen  of  God,  and 
afterwards  rejected  as  Saul  had  been  ;  he  was 
full  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  and,  what  is 
far  more,  of  holiness  and  goodness.  There  is 
perhaps  no  one  of  whom  the  early  promise  of 
good  seemed  so  decisive.  It  has  been  said,  as 
by  St.  Augustine,  that  Solomon  was  more  injured 
by  prosperity  than  profited  by  wisdom.  Yet  we 
may  observe,  that  his  falling  away  is  not  in 
Scripture  attributed  to  his  wealth,  his  power  and 
honour.  We  cannot  conclude  that  Solomon 
himself  did  not  at  last  repent  ;  but  this  has 
always  been  considered  by  the  Church  as  very 
doubtful,  to  say  the  least.     All  we  know  is,  that   I 


Scripture  has  fully  made  known  to  us  his  falling 
away  from  God,  but  has  said  nothing  of  his 
repentance.  The  very  silence  is  awful  and 
impressive.  What  more  melancholy  than  the 
fall  of  one  so  great  —  so  wise  .''  What  words 
could  have  been  spoken  to  him  more  powerful 
than  his  own  ?  What  eloquence  could  describe 
his  fall  with  more  feeling  and  beauty  than  his 
own  words.?  What  could  more  powerfully  paint 
the  loveliness  of  that  holiness  from  which  he  fell  1 
What  the  overpowering  sweetness  of  that  Divine 
love  which  he  has  consented  to  give  up  to  feed 
on  ashes  ?  Who  can  describe  the  temptations 
to  those  very  sins  by  which  he  was  ensnared  in 
a  more  searching  manner  than  he  has  done  ?  .  .  . 
How  must  his  own  sweet  and  Divine  words 
sound  to  him  like  music  of  Paradise  to  the  lost 
spirits  ;  yea,  as  songs  of  heaven  would  come 
back  to  fallen  angels  in  sad  remembrance?  .  .  . 
It  is  very  awful  to  think  how  God  may  use  men 
as  instruments  of  good  that  His  Spirit  may  teach 
them,  and  through  them  teach  others,  and  guide 
them  to  the  living  fountains  of  waters,  yet  they 
themselves  at  last  fail  of  the  prize  of  their  high 
calling.  What  a  warning  for  fear  ! — Rev.  I. 
Williams. 


IV.  Special  Characteristics. 
I       Piety,  faith,  and  devotion. 

[17858]  Happy  the  country  where  the  sovereign 
sets  an  example  of  piety,  and  throws  the  weight 
of  the  crown  into  the  scale  of  virtue  and  religion. 
Nor  in  this  respect,  though  the  day  sadly  belied 
the  bright  promises  of  the  morning,  did  Solomon 
fail  to  set  an  example  to  kings.  He  preferred 
God's  honour  to  his  own — building  the  temple 
first,  and  his  own  palace  afterwards.  Again,  we 
find  him,  very  soon  after  his  accession  to  the 
kingdom,  leaving  Jerusalem  with  all  its  attrac- 
tions, to  repair  to  the  house  of  God  in  Gibeon  ; 
and  stand — an  impressive  spectacle — before  the 
majesty  of  heaven  as  a  worshipper  and  a  sinner, 
on  a  level  with  the  meanest  of  his  subjects. 
There,  teaching  the  needful,  but  oft-neglected 
lesson,  that  as  our  mountain  lakes  discharge  at 
their  outlet  as  much  water  as  they  receive  from 
their  parent  streams,  we  also  should  give  as  we 
get,  Solomon  presented  offerings  corresponding 
to  his  position  and  his  wealth.  A  thousand 
animals,  Solomon's  gift,  bled  in  sacrifice  at 
Gibeon — a  thousand  victims,  a  burnt-ofiering 
for  his  sins,  were  consumed  to  ashes  on  its 
altar. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[17859]  "Ask  what  I  shall  give  thee."  Never 
was  there  such  a  munificent  offer  ;  nor,  we  may 
say,  such  an  answer.  The  reply  pleased  God, 
we  are  told  ;  and  if  we  take  into  account 
Solomon's  inexperienced  youth,  the  temptations 
to  which  his  rank  exposed  him,  the  kind  of 
pleasures  kings  have  commonly  pursued,  and 
the  usual  objects  of  their  ambition,  it  may  well 
astonish  us.  Wisdom  is  preferred  to  riches,  to 
long  life,  and  to  victory  over  enemies  —  the 
common   ambition   of  kings.      Honourable   to 


17859-17865] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


213 

[SOLOMON. 


any  man,  but  especially  to  one  so  young  as 
Solomon  ;  the  dictate  of  early  piety  and  of  the 
purest  patriotism  ;  expressing  the  most  profound 
humility  in  circumstances  favourable  to  the 
growth  of  pride  ;  so  moderate  and  so  modest  ; 
breathing  sentiments  of  the  deepest  gratitude  to 
God,  and  of  entire  devotion  to  the  public  wel- 
fare . — Ibid. 

[17860]  The  author  of  the  first  book  of  Kings 
tells  us  "  that  Solomon  loved  the  Lord,  walking 
in  the  statutes  of  David  his  father."  And  though 
the  latter  expression  is  perhaps  descriptive 
rather  of  a  particular  portion  of  his  life  than 
of  its  whole,  it  would  certainly  appear  to  indicate 
a  character  in  its  beginning  and  outset  in  some 
good  degree  under  the  influence  of  religious 
faith  and  feeling.  His  prayer  for  wisdom  at  the 
entrance  of  his  reign  breathes  a  spirit  of  deep 
humility  and  of  childlike  simplicity  and  trust. 
No  young  monarch  could  have  entered  upon  a 
great  trust  like  his  more  worthily  or  becomingly. 
God  accorded  to  him  an  answer  "above  all  that 
he  could  ask  or  think." — Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

2      Wisdom. 

(i)  As  a  ruler  he  stands  unrivalled  for  keen 
jiidgincnt  and  sagacity. 

[17861]  The  first  characteristic  of  this  wisdom 
was  carefully  defined  by  Solomon  himself  in  the 
dream  at  Gibeon  :  "An  understanding  heart,  to 
judge  the  people,  to  discern  Judgment."  This 
was  the  original  meaning  of  the  word.  It  was 
the  calm,  judicial  discretion,  which  was  intended 
to  supersede  the  passionate,  chivalrous,  irregular 
impulses  of  the  former  age.  The  maladminis- 
tration of  justice  by  the  sons  of  Samuel  had 
been  one  ground  of  the  establishment  of  the 
monarchy.  In  Solomon's  reign  it  seemed  as  if 
the  change  were  to  be  completely  justified. 
The  first  example  was  the  keen-sighted  appeal 
to  the  instincts  of  nature  in  the  judgment 
between  the  two  mothers.  Of  a  like  kind  is  the 
Oriental  tradition,  which  describes  how  he 
peacefully  adjudicated  between  two  claimants 
to  the  same  treasure  by  determining  that  the 
son  of  the  one  should  marry  the  daughter  of 
the  other.  ...  In  the  Proverbs  the  phrases 
judge,  judgment,  occur  again  and  again.  "The 
king  hy  judgment  establisheth  the  land."  "The 
throne  of  the  king  shall  be  established  in 
justice."  In  later  times  this  image  has  been 
either  superseded  by  his  more  splendid  qualities, 
or  overcast  by  the  gloom  of  his  later  years. 
But  in  his  own  reign  it  must  h;ive  been  the 
basis  of  his  greatness.  "All  Israel  heard  of 
the  judgment  which  the  king  had  judged,  and 
they  feared  the  king" — young  as  he  was — "for 
they  saw  that  the  wisdom  of  God  was  in  him  to 
do  judgment.'^  And  not  only  in  his  own  age, 
but  long  afterwards  did  the  recollection  of  that 
serene  reign  keep  alive  the  idea  of  a  just  king 
before  the  eyes  of  the  people,  and  enable  them 
to  understand  how  there  should  once  again 
appear  at  the  close  of  their  history  a  still 
greater  Son  of  David. — Dean  Stanley. 


[17862]  Co-extensive  with  the  all-embracing 
character  of  Solomon's  wisdom,  was  its  far- 
spreading  renown  and  its  variety  of  forms. 
Both  alike  are  spoken  of,  the  one  as  the 
counterpart  of  the  other.  "  Thy  soul  covered 
the  whole  earth,  and  filled  it  with  dark  parables. 
.  .  .  The  countries  marvelled  at  thee  for  thy 
interpretations,  and  songs,  and  proverbs,  and 
parables"  (Ecclus.  xlvii.  \']).—lbid. 

[17863]  Solomon  held  the  scales  of  justice, 
and  with  a  hand  equally  skilful  and  firm  he 
held  the  reins  of  government.  On  his  accession 
to  the  throne  he  did  not  find  himself  on  a  bed 
of  roses  ;  nor  in  circumstances  that  belied  the 
saying,  "  Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a 
crown."  The  kingdom  was  suffering  from  the 
depression  and  disorder  which  long  years  of 
war  are  apt  to  produce  under  the  most  vigorous 
government  ;  and  this  evil  was  greatly  aggra- 
vated at  that  time  in  the  land  of  Israel  by  cer-- 
tain  peculiar  circumstances.  The  royal  house 
was  divided  against  itself.  The  rent  extended 
from  the  palace  to  the  people,  and  produced 
rival  factions,  each  supporting  its  own  candidate 
for  the  throne.  The  army  was  commanded  by 
military  chiefs.  These  having  distinguished 
themselves  in  David's  wars,  had  obtained  an 
influence  which  the  crown  could  not  aftord  to 
despise,  and  yet  had  not  the  power  to  control. 
Old,  less  indeed  in  years  than  in  the  decay  of 
faculties  which  battles,  and  a  life  of  domestic 
troubles  and  public  broils  had  prematurely 
weakened,  David  in  the  closing  years  of  his 
life  held  the  reins  of  government  with  a  feeble 
hand.  Such  were  the  circumstances  of  the 
country  on  Solomon's  accession  ;  and  nothing 
could  be  more  admirable  than  the  order  his 
sagacity  evoked  out  of  this  chaos  and  confusion. 
Without  any  breach  of  the  laws  of  justice,  or 
encroachment  on  the  rights  of  the  subject,  he 
dexterously  rid  himself  of  every  person  dangerous 
to  the  government.  What  his  head  planned  with 
wisdom,  his  hand  executed  with  vigour  ;  till 
his  government,  admirably  organized  in  every 
department,  resembled  a  vast  machine,  com- 
plete in  its  details,  beautiful  in  its  construction, 
with  its  numerous  wheels  all  revolving  in  silent 
and  perfect  harmony. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie.,  D.D. 

[17864]  Solomon's  endowments  were  reg.al. 
He  possessed  a  mind  of  rarest  balance,  clearest 
insight,  widest  coinprehension.  Doubtless,  as 
a  child,  he  was  gentle,  thoughtful,  serious  ;  as 
a  youth,  meditative  and  studious,  yet  generous 
in  act  and  noble  in  sentiment  ;  as  a  young  man, 
discreet  beyond  his  years,  wise  in  the  wisdom 
of  the  world,  full  of  expedients,  a  man  of  peace, 
yet  a  man  of  activity,  and  skilled  in  affairs. — 
H.  S.  K. 

(2)  As  a  philosopher  he  inay  justly  be  regarded 
as  the  fat Iicr  of  natural  science. 

[17S65]  Without  pronouncing  him  superior 
either  to  Plato  or  Socrates,  he  was  certainly 
one  of  the  greatest  men  any  age,  ancient  or 
modern,  has  produced.  Cuvier — and  there  is  no 
more    competent    authority  —  says    that    "  he 


214 

17865—17869] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SOLOMON. 


deserves  as  a  naturalist  to  be  taken  as  a 
model  ;  "  that  so  lar  as  the  animal  kingdom  is 
concerned,  "he  has  treated  this  branch  of 
natural  history  with  the  greatest  genius  ; "  and 
that  "  the  principal  divisions  which  naturalists 
still  follow  are  due  to  him " — to  a  man  who 
lived  nearly  a  thousand  years  before  the  Chris- 
tian era.  This  is  high  praise  ;  nor  do  I  mean 
to  detract  from  it.  Yet,  if  any  comparison 
v^ere  to  be  made  between  Aristotle  and  Solo- 
mon, it  should  be  remembered  that  the  Greek 
pursued  his  studies  under  peculiar  advantages. 
Eight  hundred  talents  of  the  royal  revenue  were 
spent  on  his  researches  ;  and  not  only  was  he 
encouraged  by  a  sovereign  who  was  smitten 
with  a  desire  to  know  the  nature  of  animals, 
but  several  thousand  persons,  according  to 
Pliny,  were  engaged  throughout  Greece  and  the 
whole  of  Asia  in  providing  him  with  materials  ; 
and  while  he  had  his  whole  time  to  devote 
without  interruption  or  distraction  to  his  studies, 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  his  great  work 
on  the  animal  kingdom  is  less  the  result  of  his 
own  observation  than  a  collection  of  all  that 
had  been  observed  by  others.  Whatever  be 
the  merits  of  the  Stagyrite,  he  was  not  the  first 
who  earned  laurels  in  this  department  of  science. 
Five  hundred  years  before  his  birth,  Solomon 
had  entered  and  explored  the  same  field. — Ibid. 

[17866]  Embracing  a  vast  range  of  subjects, 
"he  spake,"  says  the  inspired  historian,  "of 
trees,  from  the  cedar-tree  that  is  in  Lebanon 
even  unto  the  hyssop  that  springeth  out  of  the 
wall  ;  he  spake  also  of  beasts  and  of  fowl  and 
of  creeping  things  and  of  fishes."  That  brief 
and  simple  record,  that  glimpse  of  the  vast 
range  of  Solomon's  studies,  may  well  excite  our 
wonder  and  admiration  ;  especially  when  we 
take  into  account  that  this  remarkable  man 
devoted  himself  to  those  pursuits  amid  the 
temptations  of  an  Eastern  court,  the  cares  of 
commerce,  and  the  distractions  and  vast  enter- 
prises of  a  kingdom.  His  is  a  rare  chapter  in 
the  history  of  kings.  Where  shall  we  find  its 
parallel  ? — Ibid. 

[17867]  It  is  only  a  few  fragments  that  remain 
to  us.  .  .  .  Of  his  writings  we  may  venture  to 
say  that  had  more  been  extant,  Solomon's  nanie 
would  have  occupied  a  foremost  place  in  the 
roll  of  science.  His  discoveries  and  researches 
would  have  supplied  abundant  reasons  for  his 
unexampled  fame,  and  for  the  pilgrimages 
which  men,  and  women  also,  made  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  to  hear  his  wisdom,  and  see 
his  glory.  Possessed  of  these  writings,  we 
should  have  read,  not  with  more  faith,  but  with 
a  higher  appreciation  of  its  meaning,  the  eulo- 
gium  of  the  inspired  historian — "And  God  gave 
Solomon  wisdom  and  understanding  exceeding 
much,  and  largeness  of  heart,  even  as  the  sand 
that  is  on  the  seashore." — Ibid. 

(3)  As  a  poet  and  moralist  he  displayed  the 
highest  genius. 

[17868]  Two  at  least  of  the  Psalms  are  as- 


cribed to  Solomon  ;  these  are  the  72nd  and  the 
127th.     Besides  these,  we  have,  first,  the  Book 
of  Proverbs  ;  secondly,  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes, 
a  treatise  on  the  vanity  of  this  world   written 
under  the  solemn  shadows  of  another,  with  the 
tears  and  trembling   hand  of  a   late   but  true 
repentance  ;  and,  thirdly,   his   Song,  that  won- 
derful ode  which,  with   its  double  and  hidden 
meanings,  the  fervour  of  its  language,  and  its 
highly  Oriental  imagery,  it  requires  no  common 
measure  both  of  genius   and  piety  to  properly 
appreciate.     Yet  these  are  but  fragments  of  his 
works.     W^hether  the   Songs  that  are  lost  were 
written  under  no  truer  inspiration  than  what  is 
loosely  attributed  to  poets,  and  of  what  charac- 
ter they  were — amatory,  pious,  or  patriotic — we 
know   not.      But    his   muse    was    prolific  ;   his 
songs,  the  Bible  tells  us,  being  a  thousand  and 
five,  and   his    proverbs   not   fewer   than    three 
thousand   in   number.      Neither  do   we   know 
whether  these  three  thousand  wise  saws  were 
over  and  above  those  preserved  in  the  Book  of 
Proverbs.     It  is  more  important  to  observe  that 
in  that  book,  of  the  greater  part  of  which  Solomon 
was  undoubtedly  the  author,  there  is  an  amount 
of  wisdom,  knowledge   of  men    and  manners, 
sound  sense  and  practical  sagacity,  such  as  no 
other  work  presents.     It  fulfils  in  a  unique  and 
pre-eminent  degree  the  requirements  of  eft'ec- 
tive  oratory — not  only  every  chapter,  but  every 
verse,  and  almost  every  clause  of  every  verse 
expressing  something  which  both  "  strikes  and 
sticks." — Ibid. 

(4)  As  a  poet  and  moralist  he  possessed  the 
keenest  insight  into  the  philosophy  of  practical 
life. 

[17869]  The  chief  manifestation  in  writing  of 
Solomon's    wisdom   was  that  of  the   Proverbs. 
The  inward  spirit  of  his  philosophy  consisted  in 
questionings  about  the  ends  of  life,  propounding 
and   answering   the    difficulties   suggested    by 
human  experience.     Its  form  was  either  that  of 
similitudes,  or  short  homely  maxims.      "  Pro- 
verbs," in  the  modern  sense  of  that  word,  imply 
a  popular  and  national   reception — they  imply, 
according  to  the  celebrated  definition  by  one  ot 
our  most   eminent    statesmen,   not    only  "  one 
man's  wit,"  but  "  many  men's  wisdom."     This 
is,  however,  not  the  case  with  Solomon's  pro- 
verbs.    They  are  individual,  not  national.     It 
is  because  they  represent  not  many  men's  wis- 
dom, but   one   man's   super-eminent   wit,   that 
they  produced  so  deep  an  impression.     They 
were  gifts  to  the  people,  not  the  produce  of  the 
people.     "  The  words  of  the  wise  are  as  goads," 
as  barbed  points  to  urge  forward  to  inquiry,  to 
knowledge.     This  is  one  aspect.     They  are  also 
"  as  nails  or  stakes  driven  "  hard  and  home  into 
the  ground  of  the  heart  "  by  the  masters  of  the 
assembly,   by  the   shepherds    of    the    people." 
Their  pointed  form  is  given  to  them  to  make 
them  stimulate   the    heart  and   n.cmory  ;  they 
are  driven  in  with  all  the  weight  of  authority  to 
give  fixedness  and  firmness  to  the  whole  system. 
The  extent  of  this  literature  was   far   beyond 
what  has  come  down  to  us.     "  He  spake  three 


17869—17875] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[SOLOMON. 


thousand  proverbs."  Rut  of  these,  a  consider- 
able number  are  actually  preserved  in  the  Book 
of  Proverbs,  The  whole  book  emanates  from 
his  spirit.  They  abound  in  allusions,  now  found 
for  the  first  time,  and  precisely  applicable  to  the 
age  of  Solomon — to  gold  and  silver  and  precious 
stones  ;  to  the  duties  and  power  of  kings  ;  to 
commerce.  In  them  appears  the  first  idea  of 
fi.Ked  education  and  discipline,  the  first  descrip- 
tion of  the  diversities  of  human  character.  In 
them  the  instincts  of  the  animal  creation  are 
first  made  to  give  lessons  to  men. — Dean  Sian- 
ley. 

[17870]  The  Book  of  Proverbs  is  not  on  a 
level  with  the  Prophets  or  the  Psalms.  It 
approaches  human  things  and  things  Divine 
from  quite  another  side.  It  has  even  something 
of  a  worldly  prudential  look,  unlike  the  rest  of 
the  Bible.  But  this  is  the  very  reason  why  its  re- 
cognition as  a  sacred  book  is  so  useful.  It  is  the 
philosophy  of  practical  life.  It  is  the  sign  to  us 
that  the  Bible  does  not  despise  common  sense 
and  discretion.  It  impresses  upon  us,  in  the 
most  forcible  manner,  the  value  of  intelligence 
and  prudence,  and  of  a  good  education.  It 
deals,  too,  in  that  refined,  discriminating,  careful 
view  of  the  finer  shades  of  human  character  so 
necessary  to  any  true  estimate  of  human  life. 
"  The  heart  knoweth  its  own  bitterness,  and  the 
stranger  doth  not  intermeddle  with  its  joy." 
How  much  is  there,  in  that  single  sentence,  of 
consolation,  of  love,  of  forethought  !  And, 
above  all,  it  insists,  over  and  over  again,  upon 
the  doctrine  that  goodness  is  "  wisdom,"  and 
that  wickedness  and  vice  are  "folly." — Ibid. 

3       Humility. 

[17871]  "  Seest  thou  a  man,"  says  Solomon, 
**  wise  in  his  own  conceit  ? — there  is  more  hope 
of  a  fool  than  of  him."  The  tallest  trees  spring 
from  the  deepest  roots  ;  the  lark  rises  from  her 
lowly  nest  among  the  dewy  grass  to  sing  and  soar 
the  highest  of  the  feathered  choristers  ;  and  like 
these,  in  many  instances,  the  humblest  have 
attained  to  the  higliest  greatness.  Of  this 
Solomon  presents  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
examples.  Endowed  with  the  wisdom  that  has 
made  his  name  so  famous,  he  presented  a  living 
commentary  on  the  words  :  "  God  exalteth  the 
humble." — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

V.  Declension. 
z       Its  cause. 

77/1?  too  smooth  and  even  tenor  of  a  wholly 
prosperous  life. 

[17872]  The  prosperity  of  Solomon  was  his 
great  misfortune.  Not  uncommonly  is  it  so. 
He  was  born  a  prince,  and  grew  up  in  unre- 
strained ease  and  indulgence.  In  his  early  life 
there  was  no  hardship,  no  self-denial,  no 
struL'gle  ;  gratification  outran  want,  and  as- 
siduity and  adulation  waited  on  every  wish. 
What  knew  he  of  that  stern  discipline  in  which 
firmness  and  steadfastness  of  principle  and  con- 
viction are  most  effectually  acquired  and  estab- 


lished .?  When  he  came  to  the  throne  the 
wealth  his  father  had  amassed  fell  into  his 
hands.  There  were  no  foreign  wars  to  tax  his 
energies,  no  internal  strifes  to  occupy  or  disturb 
his  mind.  He  had  abundant  leisure  to  enjoy 
the  good  things  so  profusely  furnished  to  him. 
His  enterprises  prospered,  and  riches  flowed 
into  him  by  his  connnercial  operations  from 
every  quarter.  A  natural  taste  for  beauty  and 
splendour  had  opportunity  to  gratify  itself  to 
the  utmost  extent.  Rank,  wealth,  power,  in  the 
largest  abundance,  were  his.  His  fame  was 
spread  abroad,  and  the  voice  of  admiration  and 
flattery  came  to  him  not  only  from  his  own 
subjects,  proud  of  a  sovereign  that  had  made 
their  country  great  and  raised  it  to  a  pinnacle 
of  glory  among  the  nations  of  the  world,  but 
from  foreign  lands.  Why  should  not  such  a 
man  begin  to  think  himself  almost  a  god  ? 
Why  should  it  not  be  with  him  as  he  himself 
says  it  was  :  "  Whatsoever  mine  eyes  desired  I 
kept  not  from  them.  I  withheld  not  my  heart 
from  any  joy,  for  my  heart  rejoiced  in  all  my 
labour,  and  this  was  my  portion  of  all  my 
labour."  Why  should  he  not  worship  himself, 
think  all  offerings  due  tributes  to  this  self-con- 
stituted divinity,  all  indulgences  and  delights 
lawful  exercises  of  his  right  ?  This  is  not 
an  atmosphere  in  which  religion  can  prosper  ; 
if  it  do  not  utterly  expire,  if  it  continue  to  live 
at  all,  it  must  move  with  languid  pulse  and 
speak  with  "  bated  breath." — Idid. 

2       Its  effects. 

(1)  Ainbitio7i. 

[17873]  The  ambition  of  filling  the  position 
of  a  great  Oriental  monarch  took  possession  of 
his  mind,  and  seems  to  have  become  his  para- 
mount and  overmastering  passion.  He  must 
needs  imitate  the  sovereigns  on  either  side  of 
him,  and  lack  nothing  that  went  to  swell  the 
state  of  the  kings  of  Assyria  and  Egypt.  He 
allied  himself  to  paganism  for  political  advan- 
tage and  factitious  honour  by  marrying  the 
daughter  of  Pharaoh. — Rev.  R.  Hallat/i,  D.D. 

(2)  Self-indulgence  and  htxury. 

[17874]  A  bright  morning  that  promised  the 
best  thing  was  soon  sullied  ;  and  if  the  noon  is 
brilliant,  it  shines  with  a  sickly  and  pretentious 
glare,  and  not  with  the  clear,  full  radiance  of 
the  sunlight  that  shineth  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day.  The  life  of  Solomon,  in  its 
general  aspect,  as  it  is  portrayed  to  us  in  Scrip- 
ture, is  sadly  like  that  of  a  worldling  and  a 
voluptuary.  We  do  not  discover,  indeed,  that 
the  sense  of  God  and  his  claims  ever  wholly 
forsook  him  ;  but  if  the  good  seed  still  grew,  it 
was  among  thorns,  so  surrounded  with  *'  cares 
and  pleasures  of  this  life"  as  to  mature  no  ex- 
cellent fruit.  Luxury  and  splendour  blinded 
his  eyes  and  hardened  his  heart. — Ibid. 

[17875]  His  domestic  life  became  encumbered 
with  an  overgrown  seraglio.  The  means  of 
unlimited  indulgence,  love  of  luxury  and  display, 
had  intoxicated    him,  and  shut  out  God  and 


2l6 

1787s— 17882] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[SOLOMON. 


spiritual  interest  from  his  soul.  And  here  the 
direct  testimony  of  history  leaves  him  with  all 
the  bright  auguries  of  his  early  life  hidden  under 
a  dismal  eclipse,  and  he  recites  as  the  experience 
of  his  life  "  vanity  of  vanity." — Ibid. 

[17876]  He  did  not  obey  his  own  maxim. 
He  ceased  to  rejoice  with  the  wife  of  his  youth  ; 
and  loving  many  strangers,  they  drew  his  heart 
away  from  God.  Luxury  and  sinful  attachments 
made  him  an  idolater,  and  idolatry  made  him 
yet  more  licentious  :  until,  in  the  lazy  enervation 
and  languid  day-dreaming  of  the  Sybarite,  he 
lost  the  perspicacity  of  the  sage,  and  the  prowess 
of  the  sovereign  ;  and  when  he  woke  up  from 
the  tipsy  swoon,  and  out  of  the  swine-trough 
picked  his  tarnished  diadem,  he  woke  to  tind 
his  faculties,  once  so  clear  and  limpid,  all  per- 
turbed, his  strenuous  reason  paralyzed,  and  his 
healthful  fancy  poisoned.  He  woke  to  find  the 
world  grown  hollow,  and  himself  grown  old. 
He  woke  to  see  the  sun  bedarkened  in  Israel's 
sky,  and  a  special  gloom  encompassing  himself. 
He  woke  to  recognize  all  round  a  sadder  sight 
than  winter — a  blasted  summer.  Like  a  de- 
luded Samson  starting  from  his  slumber,  he  felt 
for  that  noted  wisdom  which  signalized  his 
Nazarite  days  ;  but  its  locks  were  shorn  ;  and, 
cross  and  self-disgusted,  wretched  and  guilty, 
he  woke  up  to  the  discovery  which  awaits  the 
sated  sensualist  :  he  found  that  when  the  beast 
gets  the  better  of  the  man,  the  man  is  cast  off 
by  God.  And  like  one  who  falls  asleep  amidst 
the  lights  and  music  of  an  orchestra,  and  who 
awakes  amidst  empty  benches  and  tattered 
programmes — like  a  man  who  falls  asleep  in  a 
flower-garden,  and  who  opens  his  eyes  on  a 
bald  and  locust-blackened  wilderness — the  life, 
the  loveliness,  was  vanished,  and  all  the  re- 
maining spirit  of  the  mighty  Solomon  yawned 
forth  that  verdict  of  the  tired  voluptuary, 
"  Vanity  of  vanities  !  vanity  of  vanities  !  all  is 
vanity  V—Rev.J.  Hatnilion,  D.D. 

[17877]  The  king  became  a  pleasure-seeker. 
Solomon  was  a  man  of  enthusiastic  and  generous 
nature.  He  had,  as  the  Scriptures  expressly 
put  it,  largeness  of  heart.  There  was  nothing 
small  or  narrow  about  him.  He  never  did  any- 
thing by  halves.  He  felt  the  cravings  of  a 
mighty  soul.  Leaving  God,  he  endeavoured  to 
satisfy  its  hunger  with  sensual  pleasures.  In 
so  doing  he  did  not  sip  daintily  of  her  goblets, 
but  drained  them  to  the  bottom.  He  did  not, 
as  many  do,  walk  ankle-deep  into  earthly  plea- 
sures, but  plunged  in  headlong  and  wholly. — 
H.  S.  K. 

(3)  Apostasy. 

[17878]  Solomon  became  an  idolater,addicting 
himself  not  only  to  idolatrous,  but  to  cruel  and 
obscene  rites.  What  a  fall  was  there  !  He  who 
built  the  sacred  temple,  and  offered  up  with 
devout  lips  the  sul:)lime  prayer  with  which  it 
was  dedicated  to  the  service  of  Jehovah,  the 
only  and  true  God,  lived  to  "  go  after  Ashta- 
roth."    As  if  in  open  contempt  of  Jehovah,  he 


raised  within  sight  of  His  holy  temple  "  an  high 
place  for  Chemosh  .  .  .  and  for  Moloch." 
There  is  much  in  the  degradation  into  which 
Solomon  fell,  in  the  scenes  in  which  this  wisest 
of  men  appears  playing  such  an  unworthy  and 
wicked  part,  to  call  from  our  lips  still  stronger 
expressions  of  grief  and  wonder  :  "  How  art  thou 
fallen,  son  of  the  morning  !  " — Rev.  T.  Cuihrie, 
D.D. 

[17879]  His  wives,  who  were  heathen  women, 
turned  away  his  heart  in  his  old  age  after  other 
gods.  So  Scripture  tells  us  ;  and  not  to  our 
surprise.  He  may  have  flattered  himself  that 
he  would  persuade  them  to  embrace  the  faith  ; 
and  that  though  he  failed,  he  himself  should 
suffer  no  injury  by  tolerating  their  idolatry  and 
granting  them  liberty  of  worship.  The  result 
was  otherwise  ;  and  the  issues  of  his  experiment 
warn  us  against  tolerating  vice,  lending  any 
countenance  to  error,  or  allowing  liberty  to  run 
into  license. — Ibid. 

[17S80]  As  the  record  of  his  grandeur  con- 
tains a  recognition  of  the  interest  and  value  of 
secular  magnificence  and  wisdom,  so  the  record 
of  his  decline  and  fall  contains  the  most  striking 
witness  to  the  instability  of  all  power  that  is 
divorced  from  moral  and  religious  principle. 
As  Bacon  is  in  English  history 

"  The  wisest,  greatest,  meanest  of  mankind," 

so  is  Solomon  in  Jewish  and  sacred  history. — 
Demi  Stanley. 


VL    HOMILETICAL   HlNTS. 

1  The  history  of  Solomon  teaches  us  in 
what  lies  true  wisdom. 

[17881]  Solomon  desired  that  spiritual  wisdom 
which  consists  in  a  harmony  with  God's  wilL 
This  is  the  only  wisdom  which  we  ought  to 
choose  supremely.  Long  before  Solomon,  the 
Scriptures  declared,  "The  fear  of  the  Lord,  that 
is  wisdom  ;  "  and  the  inspired  father  of  Solo- 
mon, in  words  afterwards  repeated  by  Solomon, 
affirmed,  "The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom."  The  New  Testament  is  equally 
explicit.  It  reveals  to  us  Christ  as  "  the  wisdom 
of  God,"  in  distinction  from  the  wisdom  of 
human  philosophy  (i  Cor.  ii.  17-25),  and  de- 
clares that  he  "  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom 
and  righteousness."  In  him,  it  says,  "are  hid 
all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge." 
The  highest  wisdom,  then,  consists  in  religion, 
which  declares  one's  duty  to  God  and  the  way 
to  meet  it  ;  that  is,  unfolding  and  enforcing  the 
way  of  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ. — A.  P.  F. 

2  The  history  of  Solomon  teaches  us  that 
this  wisdom  is  indispensable  to  every- 
thing else. 

[17882]  Without  it  worldly  advantages  may 
be  an  injury.  It  instructs  one  as  to  the  real 
value  and  proper  place  of  all  else.  It  prevents 
too  great  an  attachment  to  these  inferior  things. 
It  points  out  the  way  in  which  these  may  be 


17802— 17887] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


217 

[JONATHAN. 


made  subsidiary  to  God's  glory.  It  is  also  the 
legitimate  stepping-stone  to  such  earthly  privi- 
leges as  God  may  be  pleased  to  give  us.  We 
have  the  Divine  promise,  no  less  than  the 
teaching  of  the  text,  for  the  connection  of  the 
two  :  "  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
His  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you."  And  if  such  results,  under 
(xod's  knowledge  of  what  is  best,  do  not  follow, 
through  this  true  wisdom  the  Christian  endures 
their  absence  without  repining  ;  this  inward 
peace,  springing  from  a  knowledge  of  the  wis- 
dom of  God's  ways,  and  the  assurance  of  God's 
favour,  more  than  compensate  for  earthly  trials. 
How  supereniinent,  too,  the  advantage  of  this 
heavenly  wisdom  in  its  permanence  !  Riches, 
honour,  power,  long  life,  all  end.  Wisdom  is 
an  eternal  possession,  for  it  lies  too  deep  to  be 
attacked  by  outward  disadvantages.  It  is  a 
treasure  we  can  lay  up  in  heaven.  And  this 
true  wisdom,  best  of  all,  secures  salvation.  It 
teaches  the  way  of  life.  It  sets  before  us,  so 
impressively  that  we  do  not  resist  their  influence, 
the  reasons  why  we  should  serve  God  rather 
than  this  present  evil  world.  The  other  advan- 
tages we  have  been  considering  pertain  solely 
to  earth,  but  here  is  something  of  limitless 
blessing,  giving  us  an  eternal  escape  from  the 
miseries  of  a  false  choice,  an  endless  possession 
of  perfect  bliss. — Ibid. 

3  The  history  of  Solomon  presents  the 
strongest  protest  against  unhallowed 
marriage. 

[17883]  They  expose  their  souls  who,  fas- 
cinated by  beauty  or  blinded  by  affection  or 
under  the  influence  of  other  and  less  creditable 
motives,  become,  as  the  case  may  be,  the  hus- 
bands or  wives  of  the  ungodly.  They  tempt  the 
fate  of  the  poor  moth,  that,  attracted  by  its  glare, 
flutters  around  the  candle,  to  plunge  at  length 
into  the  flame,  and  lose  its  wings — perhaps  its 
life.  Does  not  almost  all  experience  prove  that, 
in  the  case  of  such  incongruous  and  unhallowed 
marriages,  the  good  are  more  likely  to  be  per- 
verted than  the  bad  converted.''  When,  spring- 
ing from  the  bank  into  the  pool  where  one  is 
perishing,  the  brave  swimmer  approaches  the 
object  of  his  pity,  and  circles  round  and  round 
him  to  catch  his  hair  or  hand,  what  care  he 
takes  to  keep  clear  of  the  drowning  grasp  ! — 
knowing  how  much  easier  it  would  be,  should 
he  once  come  within  his  clutches,  for  the  drown- 
ing to  pull  him  down  than  for  him  to  pull  the 
drowning  out.  And  that  such  a  fate  is  most 
likely  to  be  the  result  of  unhallowed  marriages 
is  proved  as  well  by  the  earliest  records  of  man- 
kind as  by  all  later  experience.  1  read  their 
condemnation  in  words  which  represent  them 
as  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  that  monstrous 
pollution  from  which  God  washed  the  world  by 
the  waters  of  Noah's  flood.  The  one  inequality 
from  which  God's  people  should  allow  neither  in- 
terest noraffection  to  blind  their  eyes,is  that  from 
which  Solomon  suftered,  and  God,  by  the  mouth 
of  Paul,  forbids,  saying,  "  Be  not  unequally 
yoked  with  unbelievers." — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 


JONATHAN. 

I.  Introductory. 

I  The  character  of  Jonathan  furnishes  one 
of  the  noblest  exhibitions  of  sanctified 
human  nature. 

[17884]  The  highest  place  of  honour  amongst 
David's  friends  must  be  given  to  Jonathan,  by 
whom  there  was  set  an  example  of  friendship 
which  for  steadfastness  and  self-forgetfulness 
has  probably  been  surpassed  only  once,  and 
then  by  Him  who  in  this,  as  in  every  other  grace 
and  glory  of  character,  is  fairer  than  any  of  the 
children  of  men. — C.  Vince. 

[17885]  He  is  not  among  the  worthies  named 
in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  though  doubtless 
he  was  one  "  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy."  A  more  uncommon  example  of 
Christian  virtues  is  not  easily  found.  His 
character  appears  to  illustrate  every  one  of  the 
eight  graces  named  in  2  Pet.  i.  :  "  Faith,  virtue, 
knowledge,  temperance,  patience,  godliness, 
brotherly  kindness,  charity."  These  things  in 
him  did  abound,  and  surely  he  has  obtained  an 
abundant  entrance  into  the  everlasting  kingdom 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. — Rev.  C. 
Waller. 

[17886]  Many  a  fond  lie  has  been  written  on 
tombstones  ;  and  with  all  their  good  qualities 
magnified  by  the  tears  through  which  we  gaze 
on  them,  the  dead  appear  fairer,  dearer,  and 
better  than  they  ever  seemed  in  life  ;  but 
Jonathan  was  altogether  worthy  of  this  grand 
eulogium  : — 

"  The  beauty  of  Israel  is  slain  upon  thy  high 
places  :  how  are  the  mighty  fallen  ! 

From  the  blood  of  the  slain,  from  the  fat  of  the 
mighty,  the  bow  of  Jonathan  turned  not 
back,  and  the  sword  of  Saul  returned  not 
empty. 

Saul  and  Jonathan  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in 
their  lives,  and  in  their  death  they  were 
not  divided  :  they  were  swifter  than  eagles, 
they  were  stronger  than  lions. 

How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in  the  midst  of  the 
battle  !  O  Jonathan  I  thou  wast  slain  in 
thine  high  places. 

1  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jonathan  : 

very  pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me  :  thy 
love  to  me  was  wonderful,  passing  the  love 
of  women. 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen,  and  the  weapons  of 
war  perished  !  " — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

2  The  character  of  Jonathan  furnishes  a 
pleasing  illustration  of  romantic  friendship. 

[17887]  The  chief  interest  of  his  career  is 
derived  from  the  friendship  with  David  which 
began  on  the  day  of  David's  return  from  the 
victory  over  the  champion  of  Gath,  and  con- 
tinued till  his  death.  It  is  the  first  Biblical 
instance  of  a  romantic  friendship,  such  as  was 


2l8 

I7887-I7894] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    KRA. 


[JONATHAN. 


common  afterwards  in  Greece,  and  has  been 
since  in  Cliristendom  ;  and  is  remarkable  both 
as  giving  its  sanction  to  these,  and  as  tilled  with 
a  pathos  of  its  own,  which  has  been  imitated, 
but  never  surpassed,  in  modern  works  of  fiction. 
— Dean  Stanley. 

[17888]  To  man's  nature,  companionship  is 
an  equal  delight,  and  need  and  history  affords 
some  pleasing  illustrations  of  that  closer  relation 
which  bears  the  name  of  friendship.  But 
neither  in  ancient  nor  modern  prose  or  verse  is 
there  any  other  so  remarkable  and  charmmg  as 
the  story  of  David  and  Jonathan.  As  a  picture 
of  mutual  devotion  rising  above  every  adverse 
influence,  it  is  of  unsurpassed  beauty.  To  its 
simple  truthfulness  to  nature,  the  kindred  classic 
tales  make  only  distant  approaches. — Sertnotis 
by  the  Mojtday  Club. 

[17889]  There  are  friendships  that  stand  the 
test  of  time  and  the  severest  strain,  but  among 
these,  what  poet  or  panegyrist  has  recorded 
with  glowing  pen  one  to  be  compared  with 
Jonathan's  !  It  is  quite  unique.  The  words  of 
the   poet   may  be  justly  applied   to  Jonathan. 

"None  but  himself  could  be  his  parallel." 

— Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

II.  Special  Characteristics. 

X       He   illustrates   the   character  of   a  model 
friend. 

( I )  As  seen  in  his  strong  affection. 

[17890]  It  came  to  pass,  to  use  the  beautiful 
language  of  Scripture,  that,  when  David,  mod- 
estly replying  to  Saul's  question,  "  Whose  son 
art  thou  }  "  "  I  am  the  son  of  thy  servant  Jesse 
the  Bethlehemite,"  had  made  an  end  of  speaking, 
the  soul  of  Jonathan  was  knit  with  the  soul  of 
David,  and  Jonathan  loved  him  as  his  own  soul. 
So  their  friendship  began  ;  and  its  continuance, 
under  the  most  adverse  circumstances,  was  even 
more  remarkable  than  its  commencement.— 
Ibid. 

[17891]  Many  friendships— traceable  to  near 
neighbourhood,  a  common  playground,  the  same 
form  at  school,  some  accidental  meeting  on  a 
road  or  in  a  room — spring  from  trivial  circum- 
stances. Growing  strong  only  with  the  progress 
of  years,  they  resemble  our  streams,  which, 
though  at  length  swelling  into  rivers,  are  at 
first  but  tiny  rills  ;  feeble  in  their  beginning,  and 
springing  from  mossy  wells,  of  obscure  and 
humble  birth.  It  was  not  so  with  Jonathan's 
friendship.  It  finds  its  type  in  those  rivers,  the 
Rhine  and  Rhone  for  instance,  which,  fed  by 
exhaustless  snows,  and  springing  into  light  in 
lofty  regions,  high  above  the  sea  to  whose  distant 
shores  their  waters  wend,  are  rivers  at  their 
birth  ;  bursting  from  the  icy  caverns  of  Alpine 
glaciers  in  full,  impetuous  flood.— /^zV/. 

[17892]  The  reed  that  bends  its  head  to  a 
breath  of  wind,  and  the  old  grey  rock  which 


withstands  the  hurricane  that  strews  the  plain 
with  trees  and  the  foaming  shore  with  wrecks, 
are  not  more  unlike  than  Jonathan  where  his 
own  interests,  and  the  same  Jonathan  where 
David's  interests,  were  concerned.  Such  was 
the  depth  and  power  of  his  aftection  for  his 
friend.  Here  neither  Saul's  entreaties,  nor 
anger,  nor  violence,  could  move  him.  He  would 
part  with  life  to  please  his  father,  but  not  with 
his  love  for  David.  When  Saul,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  host,  proposed  to  sacrifice  his  snn 
to  a  rash  and  wicked  vow,  Jonathan  neither 
made  resistance  nor  remonstrance  —  like  Him 
whose  Divine  friendship  his  recalls,  he  "  was 
dumb,  opening  not  his  mouth."  But  when  Saul 
threatens  David's  life,  he  refuses  obedience,  and 
becomes  the  advocate  of  his  friend  ;  in  words 
replete  with  affection,  a  pious  spirit,  and  unan- 
swerable arguments,  he  pleads  with  his  father  ; 
he  remonstrates  with  him,  saying,  "  Let  not  the 
king  sin  against  his  servant,  against  David  ; 
because  he  hath  not  sinned  against  thee,  and 
his  works  to  theeward  have  been  very  good  :  for 
he  did  put  his  life  in  his  hand,  and  slew  the 
Philistine,  and  the  Lord  wrought  a  great  salva- 
tion for  all  Israel  :  thou  sawest  it,  and  didst 
rejoice  ;  wherefore  then  wilt  thou  sin  against 
innocent  blood,  to  slay  David  without  a  cause?" 
—Jbid. 

[17893]  Severe  trials  this  friendship  endured; 
and  enduring,  triumphed  over.  Saul's  gloomy 
eye  fixed  on  David,  the  javelin  he  hurled  to  pin 
him  to  the  wall,  the  cries  of  his  soldiers  echoing 
from  the  rocks  as  they  hunted  the  fugitive  from 
cave  to  cave,  and  hill  to  hill,  not  more  illustrating 
the  words,  "  Jealousy  is  cruel  as  the  grave  ;  the 
coals  thereof  are  coals  of  fire,"  than  the  friend- 
ship of  Jonathan  did  those  which  follow,  "  Many 
waters  cannot  quench  love,  neither  can  the  floods 
drown  it." — Ibid. 

(2)  As  seen  in  his  disinterestedness. 

[17894]  In  the  outset  we  cannot  fail  to  be 
impressed  with  the  disinterested  nature  of  this 
friendship,  as  far  as  Jonathan  was  concerned. 
The  king's  son  had,  humanly  speaking,  at  this 
date  nothing  to  gain  from  the  shepherd  of 
Bethlehem.  Jonathan  might  be  of  great  service 
to  David,  but  it  was  scarcely  likely  that  David 
could  do  very  much  for  him.  His  taking  of 
David  to  his  heart,  therefore,  was  a  purely 
unselfish  thing.  It  was  the  outgoing  of  his 
aflections  toward  an  object  to  which  they  were 
attracted,  and  all  his  joy  was  in  yielding  to  the 
charm  by  which  he  was  influenced.  Too  fre- 
quently the  favourites  of  kings,  and  perhaps 
more  frequently  of  kings'  sons,  have  been  those 
who  have  risen  to  their  position  by  pandering  to 
the  prejudices,  or  toadying  to  the  weaknesses, 
or,  worse  than  either,  by  ministering  to  the  vices, 
of  those  by  whom  they  were  valued.  But 
Jonathan  had  no  such  reasons  for  binding 
David  to  him.  He  saw  in  the  young  hero  a 
congenial  soul  and  a  true  man.  He  was  attracted 
by  his  piety,  his  patriotism,  and  his  prowess, 
and  he  yielded  up  his  heart  to  him  in  the  un- 


17894— 17900] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


219 

[JONATHAN; 


selfish  impulse  of  disinterested  affection. — Rev. 
IV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[17895]  Jonathan's  friendship  for  David  was 
eminently  unselfish.  It  was  much  that  he  could 
do  for  David  ;  it  was  but  little  that  David  could 
do  for  him.  Personally,  he  had  no  interest  in 
David's  continued  life  and  increasing  power  ; 
but,  speaking  after  the  manner  of  men,  his 
interest  lay  in  the  opposite  direction.  If  David 
were  to  be  king,  it  would  be  Jonathan's  throne 
rather  than  Saul's  that  he  would  take.  Jonathan 
was  the  heir  to  the  kingdom,  and  all  tlie  help  he 
rendered  to  David  was  help  to  the  man  who 
would  come  between  him  and  his  inheritance. 
This  was  the  fact  Saul  used  with  such  power, 
and  sought  to  make  a  firebrand  wherewith  to 
set  Jonathan's  soul  all  on  flame  with  jealous 
hatred. — C.  Vince. 

(3)  As  seen  in  his  generosity. 

[17896]  Jonathan's  love  for  David  must  be 
commended  as  something  altogether  peculiarly 
rare  and  precious.  High,  yea,  seemingly  impass- 
able barriers  raised  themselves,  separating 
between  the  king's  son  and  the  humble  shepherd 
boy  ;  but  the  affection  of  the  young  prince, 
founded  only  on  a  similarity  of  disposition  and 
of  aim,  devoted  towards  that  which  is  holiest 
and  loftiest,  not  only  easily  overleaped  the 
barrier  of  rank  and  position  which  separated 
them,  but  also  stood  the  test  of  many  heavier 
trials.  Jonathan  saw  his  fame-crowned  friend 
honoured  by  his  people  with  an  enthusiasm 
which  might  well  have  had  the  effect  of  infusing 
into  him  something  of  that  poison  which  Solomon 
styles,  in  his  Book  of  Proverbs,  "the  rottenness 
of  the  bones."  But  Jonathan's  love,  born  of 
God,  was  pure  and  strong  enough  to  tread  under 
foot  the  offspring  of  envy  and  jealousy.  Per- 
haps, also,  he  might  feel  already  within  him  a 
foreboding  that  his  father's  crown  would  not 
descend  to  him,  the  natural  heir  to  it,  but  to  his 
friend  David.  But  even  this  was  not  powerful 
enough  to  make  any  breach  in  his  friendship  for 
David.  Jonathan's  love  was  truly  great  ;  but  it 
was  no  blossom  of  nature's  growth — it  was  the 
fruit  of  the  operation  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  such 
as  one  could  almost  scarcely  look  for  in  such 
perfection  in  the  time  of  the  Old  Covenant. — 
Krummacher. 

[17897]  The  secret  of  David's  future  great- 
ness had  already  begun  to  unseal  itself  to  him. 
Whether  he  had  arrived  at  this  conclusion  from 
marking  the  course  of  his  friend's  life  hitherto, 
or  whether  he  received  it  as  a  Divine  revelation 
— enough  ;  it  is  no  more  a  hidden  mystery  to 
him,  what  has  been  concluded  regarding  David 
in  the  counsel  of  his  invisible  Protector.  What 
other  heir  to  a  throne  would  not  have  been 
placed  in  extreme  perplexity  by  such  a  discovery 
as  this  which  Jonathan  made,  and  have  flamed 
up  into  unextinguishable  hatred  against  his 
unrigliteous  rival .''  Jonathan,  on  the  contrary, 
not  in  feeble  obsequiousness,  but  with  manly 
self-denial  and  joyful  resoluteness,    laid   down 


the  crown  and  sceptre,  his  future  inheritance, 
at  the  feet  of  David,  because  it  was  to  hiui, 
beyond  ail  question,  that  he  made  this  offering 
to  the  Most  High  Lord  in  heaven,  who  had 
reserved  to  himself  the  undivided  sovereignty 
over  Israel.  He  presented  to  his  friend,  as  if  he 
now  already  saw  him  clothed  with  royal  purple, 
the  request  that,  when  the  just  judgment  of  God 
would  descend  upon  all  his  enenues,  he  would 
deal  gently  and  kindly  with  him  and  his  house. 
—llnd. 

[17898]  Where,  in  the  wide  world,  do  we  meet 
with  such  an  example  of  self-sacrificing  submis- 
sion to  the  Divine  determination,  and  of  hallowed 
friendship  so  full  of  self-denial,  as  this  which 
now  lays  claim  to  our  admiration  t  One  must 
have  lived  the  life  of  a  hermit,  and  passed  his 
days  far  from  the  courts  of  the  "gods  of  this 
earth,"  to  be  able  to  deceive  himself  with  the 
imagination  that,  even  in  the  midst  of  the  light 
of  Christianity,  souls  like  Jonathan's  are  not  as 
pearls  which  are  very  rare. — Ibid. 

[17899]  Men  will  praise  their  friends,  but  how 
few  are  generous  enough  without  jealousy  to 
hear  others  praise  them,  at  their  expense,  in 
eulogiums  they  feel  to  be  disparaging  to  them- 
selves. There  is  no  passion  more  natural  to  us, 
man  or  child,  than  jealousy.  See  how  it  broke 
out  against  David  from  the  lips  of  his  own 
brother  !  Indignant  at  the  stripling  for  talking 
as  if  he  would  meet  the  giant,  and  carry  off  the 
palm  from  his  brethren  and  all  the  host  of 
Israel,  Eliab  sharply  rebuked  him,  asking, 
"  Why  camest  thou  down  thither }  and  with 
whom  hast  thou  left  those  few  sheep  in  the 
wilderness  .''  I  know  thy  pride,  and  the  naughti- 
ness of  thine  heart."  And  who  that  knows  his 
own  heart  will  refuse  some  sympathy  to  Saul  for 
taking  offence — however  unjustifiable  his  way  of 
expressing  it — at  the  disparaging  comparison  in 
the  song  of  the  maidens  when,  dancing  before 
David,  they  sung,  "Saul  has  slain  his  thousands, 
but  David  his  tens  of  thousands."  We  wonder 
not  at  Saul's  offence,  but  at  Jonathan's  gene- 
rosity. The  song  that  grated  so  harshly  on  his 
father's  ear,  stirred  up  no  envy  nor  jealousy  in 
him.  Rejoicing  in  another's  honour,  he  hailed 
the  rise  of  a  sun  that  paled  his  own  star  ;  as 
though,  as  Saul's  eldest  son,  standing  next  the 
throne,  Jonathan  was  content  to  be  second  to 
the  good,  brave,  gallant  shepherd  who  had  gone 
forth  in  the  name  and  strength  of  the  Lord  to 
shut  the  mouth  of  the  blasphemer,  arid  peril  his 
life  for  the  safety  of  his  country  and  the  honour 
of  his  God. — Rev.  T.  Gullirie,  D.D. 

[17900]  It  remains  to  be  said  of  this  friendship 
that  it  was  lasting.  Of  much  called  by  this  name, 
this  cannot  be  said.  It  springs  up  in  a  day,  and 
dies  as  soon.  The  breath  of  envy  blows  it  away. 
A  new  friend  supplants  the  old.  It  is  ruptured 
by  imagined  slights,  or  hasty  words,  or  con- 
flicting interests,  or  the  intermeddlings  of  jeal- 
ousy or  hate.  None  or  all  of  these  could  shake 
that   of    David  and  Jonathan.      Hardly  any- 


220 

17900 — 17906] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    KRA. 


[JONATHAN. 


thing  has  come  down  to  us,  even  from 
David's  seraphic  pen,  which  surpasses,  one 
might  ahnost  say  equals,  in  lofty  sentiment 
and  poetic  fervour  the  elegy  called  forth  by 
Jonathan's  death.  It  is  no  disparagement  of 
David  to  say  that  Jonathan  shines  most  in  this 
friendship,  because  it  was  he  that  had  least  to 
gain,  and  most  to  lose  in  connection  with  it. 
He  knew  that  David  would  succeed  to  his 
fathei-'s  throne,  yet  he  loved  him  ;  he  knew  that 
to  befriend  David  was  to  incur  the  kino's  dis- 
pleasure, yet  he  befriended  him  ;  he  knew  that 
he  must  decrease,  and  that  David  must  increase, 
but  not  one  atom  of  jealousy  soured  or  even 
disturbed  his  pure  and  noble  spirit. — Ibid. 

[  1 7901]  Tender  as  a  woman,  and  yet  true  as 
steel, overflowing  with  generous  kindness,  utterly 
devoid  of  selfishness,  trusting  as  much  as  he 
was  trusted,  with  a  heart  that  reflected  David's, 
as  face  answereth  to  face  in  water,  Jonathan 
was  the  paragon  and  perfect  pattern  of  a  friend. 
—Ibid. 

[17902]  In  its  freedom  from  all  jealousy, 
Jonathan's  conduct  was  most  exemplary.  Saul, 
at  first,  had  some  liking  for  David,  and  employed 
him  in  posts  of  honour  ;  but  the  si.;ht  of  David's 
growing  popularity  effectually  chilled  the  heart 
of  the  king.  As  soon  as  David  rose  above  Saul, 
and  the  people  gave  him  first  place  in  their 
songs,  jealousy  crept  into  Saul's  spirit,  and 
swiftly  changed  the  shining  angel  of  love  into 
the  dark  demon  of  hatred.  It  was  here  that 
the  son  proved  himself  to  be  so  much  more 
noble  than  the  father  ;  for  Jonathan  saw  himself 
surpassed  by  David,  and  yet  was  his  faithful 
friend,  and  indeed  found  one  reason  for  his  love 
in  that  superiority  which  David  had  secured. — 
C.  Vince, 

[17903]  Jonathan  was  a  soldier  as  well  as 
David,  and  had  won  renown  on  the  field  before 
there  was  any  thought  of  turning  the  shepherd 
into  a  warrior.  With  only  his  armour-bearer  to 
accompany  him,  he  had  gone  amongst  the 
Philistines,  and  by  his  cool  daring  had  struck 
terror  into  all  their  hosts,  and  had  achieved  a 
victory  which  made  him  the  idol  of  the  people 
— the  hero  of  his  generation.  He  knew  that  he 
was  now  no  longer  the  greatest  soldier  in  Israel, 
but  that  he  must  take  his  place  below  this  shep- 
herd from  the  wilderness.  To  his  saintly  heart 
this  was  no  insuperable  difliculty,  for  he  had 
greatness  and  goodness  enough  to  recognize  and 
rejoice  in  the  gifts  God  had  granted  to  another. 
—Ibid. 

[17904]  Jonathan  was  a  prince;  the  king's 
son.  He  was  heir  to  the  crown.  And  so  much 
had  he  been  in  favour  with  the  people,  that,  on 
one  occasion,  their  uprising  had  saved  his  life. 
But  popular  favour  now  turns  in  another  direc- 
tion. Jonathan's  name  is  obscured.  A  shepherd 
boy  is  greater  than  he.  The  acclamations  of 
the  multitude  are  no  longer  either  for  his  father, 
the  king,  or  for  himself,  the  prince.  They  are 
for  the  hitherto  unheralded  son  of  Jesse.     More 


than  this,  it  soon  begins  to  appear  that,  in  other 
respects,  he  is  the  declining  and  David  the  rising 
star.  It  looks  more  and  more  as  if  David  is  to 
be  future  king  :  not  he.  How  natural  that, 
towards  such  a  rival  in  favour  and  fortune,  there 
should  be  uprisings,  in  the  heart,  of  jealousy, 
even  of  hate  !  Here  is  where  Jonathan's  nobility 
comes  out  in  a  way  that  is  truly  wonderful.  Not 
a  trace  is  disclosed  of  bitterness  or  of  envy 
towards  his  appointed  supplanter.  So  far  is  he 
from  that,  he  watches  for  David's  life  and 
interests  as  one  would  for  his  own. — Sermons  by 
the  Monday  Club. 

(4)  As  seen  in  his  -practicalness. 

[17905]  The  friendship  of  Jonathan  was  emi- 
nently practical.  It  did  not  consist  of  fair  and 
flattering  words  which  he  uttered,  or  of  a  mere 
luxury  of  sentiment  which  he  enjoyed.  On  the 
very  first  day  of  its  life  it  proved  its  power  by 
prompting  Jonathan  to  put  his  royal  robes  on 
David's  shoulder,  to  gird  his  sword  on  David's 
thigh,  and  to  place  his  bow  in  David's  hands, 
as  much  as  to  say,  "  I  will  give  thee  of  my  best. 
Thou  art  more  of  a  king's  son  than  I  am.  These 
befit  thee  more  than  me  "  When  Saul's  envy 
enkindled  hatred,  and  hatred  plotted  murder, 
he  whispered  his  foul  purpose  to  his  son  and  to 
his  servants,  and  bade  them  seek  for  the  oppor- 
tunity of  putting  David  to  death.  It  must  have 
been  a  sore  struggle  for  Jonathan,  filial  love  re- 
straining him  from  any  undue  exposure  of  his 
father's  wickedness,  and  faithful  friendship 
impelling  him  to  warn  David  of  his  danger. 
Having  put  his  friend  out  of  harm's  way,  he 
went  into  his  father's  presence  to  speak  of  all 
the  good  service  David  had  rendered  ;  and  his 
words  were  like  a  shower  from  heaven  falling 
into  the  fiery  soul  of  Saul,  and,  for  awhile,  sub- 
duing the  hellish  flame  which  burned  so  fiercely 
there,  he  persuaded  his  father  to  take  an  oath 
that  David  should  be  spared  ;  and,  through  his 
intercession,  David  had  his  home  in  the  palace 
once  more.  In  after  days,  a  like  spirit  was  dis- 
played when  a  similar  danger  arose,  and,  to  save 
his  friend,  Jonathan  braved  his  father's  fury  and 
risked  his  own  life.  The  affection  which  Jona- 
than cherished  for  David  proved  to  be  a  costly 
one,  but  he  grudged  not  the  charges. — C.  Vifice. 

(5)  As  seen  in  his  chivalry. 

[17906]  It  is  easy  to  be  a  patron,  and,  stooping 
down  from  a  lofty  height,  to  take  by  the  hand 
some  struggling  beginner  ;  it  is  easy,  too,  to  be 
an  admiring  pupil  of  one  who  is  acknowledged 
to  be  a  great  way  above  us  ;  but  it  is  a  much 
harder,  and  therefore  a  much  nobler,  thing  to  be 
the  warm,  appreciative  friend  of  one  who  is  in 
the  same  calling  with  ourselves,  and  who  is 
bidding  fair  to  outshine  and  surpass  us.  But  it 
was  just  this  hard  and  noble  thing  that  Jonathan 
did,  when  he  took  to  his  heart  the  youthful 
David.  He  did  not  seem  to  care  that  the  duel 
with  the  giant  would,  in  the  after  history  of  the 
nation,  be  seen  to  rival  his  own  brilliant  achieve- 
ment at  Geba.  He  did  not  think  of  himself  at 
all  ;  but,  having  found  a  man  whom  he  could 


17906— I79I2] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


221 

[JONATHAN". 


love  and  trust,  he  "  grappled  him  to  his  soul 
with  hooks  of  steel."  Nay,  even  when  he  came 
to  discover  that  David  was  the  predestined 
occupant  of  his  father's  throne,  the  heart  of 
Jonathan  was  never  alienated  from  him.  He 
accepted  the  lot  which  was  before  him,  and  re- 
joiced in  it  for  David's  sake,  saying  only,  "Thou 
shalt  be  king  in  Israel,  and  I  shall  be  next  unto 
thee."  I  have  a  high  idea  of  David's  magnani- 
mity, but  I  doubt  whether  it  could  have  equalled 
this  of  Jonathan  ;  and  so,  in  the  matter  of  this 
friendship,  I  am  disposed  to  give  the  palm  to 
the  son  of  Saul.  And  I  greatly  mistake  if,  as 
you  read  the  record,  you  shall  not  grow  into  the 
belief  which  1  have  long  entertained,  that  there 
are  few  characters  in  Old  Testament  history 
which,  for  genuineness,  chivalry,  self-sacrifice, 
and  constancy  at  once  to  his  father  and  his 
friend,  can  be  put  into  comparison  with  Jona- 
than.— Rev.  IV.  Taylo7-,  D.D. 

(6)  As  seen  in  Ids  pricdence. 

[17907]  I  do  not  know  many  instances  in 
which  we  have  such  a  manifestation  of  prudence 
and  principle  combined  as  we  have  in  the  case 
of  the  expostulation  of  Jonathan  with  his  father. 
Prudence  did  not  go  so  far  as  to  make  him  silent 
about  the  sin  which  Saul  was  purposing  to  com- 
mit ;  principle  was  not  so  asserted  as  to  arouse 
his  father's  indignation.  Neither  was  weakened 
by  the  other  ;  but  both  were  so  admirably  inter- 
blended  as  to  produce  the  result  on  which  his 
heart  was  set. — Ibid. 

(7)  As  seeti  in  his  constancy. 

[17908]  Jonathan's  friendship  had  the  crown- 
ing grace  of  constancy.  It  began  in  the  midst 
of  David's  new-born  popularity,  but  it  lasted 
through  all  his  reverses.  The  time  came  when 
David  was  hated  at  court,  when  he  was  re- 
viled by  all  who  watited  to  stand  well  with  the 
king,  and  when  he  was  a  hunted  outlaw  at  the 
head  of  a  band  of  men,  many  of  whom  were 
far  from  the  best  in  the  land.  These  circum- 
stances must  have  brought  his  character  under 
suspicion ;  and  we  may  be  sure  that  many 
tongues  were  set  talking  against  him  :  but 
through  it  all  the  heart  of  Jonathan  was  true 
as  the  needle  to  the  pole.  The  two  friends  were 
much  separated,  and  only  once  for  a  long  season 
did  they  enjoy  an  interview  ;  and  then  Jonathan 
spoke  with  strong  confidence  and  sincere  glad- 
ness of  the  certainty  of  David's  exaltation,  and 
dwelt  in  glowing  strains  upon  the  happy  future 
when  David  should  be  king  and  he  be  the  prime 
minister.  It  was  evident  that  David  was  losing 
heart  about  his  own  prosperity.  Adversity  was 
so  lasting,  and  hope  was  deferred  so  long,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  his  faith  became  feeble.  The 
constant  friend,  who  before  had  defended  his 
life,  now  goes  forth  to  deliver  him  from  de- 
spondency. At  the  very  time  that  Saul  went 
searching  for  David  to  kill  him,  Jonathan  went 
in  quest  of  him  that  he  might  speak  words  of 
comfort  to  him,  and  keep  alive  that  which  was 
more  precious  than  all  besides — his  trust  in  God. 
— C.  Vince. 


[17909]  Saul  makes  many  attempts  to  awaken 
Jonathan's  jealousy  and  kindle  in  his  son's  bosom 
the  hatred  that  burned  and  raged  in  his  own. 
But  they  are  vain.  Nor  does  he  succeed  any 
better  when  all  his  pent-up  passions  burst  forth 
in  volcanic  fury  on  discovering  that  David  is  to 
be  the  successor  to  his  throne.  In  that  discovery 
he  flatters  himself  he  holds  a  spell  of  power  to 
turn  Jonathan's  love  into  the  bitterest  hatred, 
and  raise  all  the  devil  in  his  son.  There  was 
no  devil  to  raise.  The  dreadful  secret  is  re- 
vealed ;  but  whatever  pain  it  inflicted,  whatever 
struggle  it  cost,  whatever  tears  it  wrung  from 
Jonathan's  eyes,  it  kindles  no  bad  passions  in 
that  pious,  generous,  and  loving  heart.— AVv.  T. 
Gui/irie,  D.D. 

[17910]  David  is  to  supplant  him  ;  David  is 
to  enter  on  the  honours  and  fortune  he  expected 
to  enjoy  ;  and  out  of  the  ruins  of  Saul's  house 
David  is  to  build  his  own  ;  yet  Jonathan  ceases 
not  to  regard  him  with  unabated  and  the  tcn- 
derest  affection.  For  this  his  father  loads  him 
with  cruel  reproaches  ;  and,  borne  away  on  the 
foaming  torrent  of  his  passions,  insults  the  very 
name  and  memory  of  his  mother,  calling  him 
"  the  son  of  a  rebellious  and  perverse  woman." 
But  these  reproaches,  like  the  javelin  his  mad 
hand  hurled  at  his  son,  are  all  in  vain. — Ibid. 

2      He   illustrates    the   character  of  a   godly 
man. 

[1791 1]  It  is  impossible  to  doubt  that  Jonathan 
was  a  man  of  God.  It  would  have  been  more 
than  the  human  nature  of  a  high-spirited  prince 
could  compass  to  regard  David  with  perfect 
complacency,  though  he  knew  that  he  was  to 
take  his  place  on  the  throne,  and  to  cut  out 
both  him  and  his  family  from  all  their  hereditary 
honours.  It  must  have  been  Divine  grace,  en- 
abling him  to  rest  in  the  conviction  that  what 
God  ordained  must  be  right  and  wise  and  good 
for  him  and  for  all,  that  suppressed  every  feeling 
of  envy,  and  filled  his  heart  with  overflowing 
affection. — Rev.  iV.  Blaikie. 

[17912]  In  the  whole  conduct  of  Jonathan  we 
recognize  a  constant  and  very  solemn  sense  of 
God's  presence,  and  a  very  profound  apprecia- 
tion of  the  value  of  His  favour.  He  was  clearly 
a  man  that  habitually  honoured  God,  not  per- 
haps in  the  way  of  loud  profession,  but  in  the  way 
of  firm  practical  recognition  of  the  excellence 
of  all  His  ways.  His  spirit  bent  in  silent,  un- 
questioning reverence  to  the  appointments  of 
God.  And  thus  he  was  not  only  enabled,  with- 
out a  murmur,  to  surrender  every  earthly  hope, 
and  to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  David's  en- 
joying all  that  he  might  himself  have  looked 
forward  to  ;  but  also  to  strengthen  the  faith  of 
his  friend,  both  by  a  demonstration  of  the  firm- 
ness of  his  own,  and  by  words  expressly  de- 
signed "to  strengthen  him  in  God"  (i  .Sam. 
xxiii.  16).  At  the  time  when  they  entered  into 
covenant  together  (i  Sam.  xx.),  Jonathan's  faith 
was  stronger  than  David's.  David's  faltering 
heart  was  saying,  "There  is  but  a  step  between 


222 

17912 — 179^8] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JONATHAN. 


me  and  death,"  while  Jonathan,  with  implicit 
confidence  in  God's  purpose  concerning  David, 
was  thus  looking  forward  to  the  future  :  *'Thoi' 
shalt  not  only,  while  I  live,  show  me  the  kind- 
ness of  the  Lord,  that  I  die  not,  but  also  thou 
shalt  not  cut  off  thy  kindness  from  my  house  for 
ever,  no,  not  when  the  Lord  hath  cut  off  the 
enemies  of  Uavid  every  one  from  the  face  of 
the  earth.''  There  has  seldom  if  ever  been  ex- 
hibited a  finer  instance  of  triumphant  faith,  than 
when  the  prince,  with  the  resources  of  the  king- 
dom at  his  beck,  made  this  request  of  the  help- 
less outlaw.  Standing  on  the  revealed  word  of 
God,  Faith  saw  the  outlaw  throned  and  crowned 
^perhaps  saw  in  him  the  type  of  a  King  far 
higher— and  Sight  was  not  allowed  to  throw  one 
shadow  over  the  picture.  It  does  not  appear 
that  at  the  time,  this  display  of  Jonathan's 
steadfast  faith  made  much  impression  on  David  ; 
but  it  may  afterwards  have  recurred  to  his  mind, 
and  often  proved  the  means  of  sustaining  him, 
when  heart  and  flesh  were  like  to  faint  and  fail. 
—Jbid. 

[17913]  What  piety  in  the  words  he  addresses 
to  his  armour-bearer,  when,  pointing  across  the 
gorge  to  a  garrison  of  the  Philistines,  he  pro- 
posed, single-handed,  to  attack  it,  saying,  "  Come 
and  let  us  go  over ;  it  may  be  that  the  Lord 
will  work  for  us  :  for  there  is  no  restraint  to  the 
Lord,  to  save  by  many  or  by  few  !" — Rev.  T. 
Gut/irie,  D.D. 

3      He   illustrates  the   character   of   a  dutiful 
son. 

[17914]  There  is  one  fact  belonging  to  this 
history  which  has  seldom  had  the  attention  it 
deserves.  While  Jonathan  was  always  faithful 
to  David,  he  was  never  false  to  his  father.  Some 
men  will  cultivate  one  virtue  alone,  and  make 
it  an  Aaron's  rod — swallowing  up  all  the  other 
virtues  ;  but  this  man  did  not  suffer  his  virtues 
as  a  friend  to  devour  his  virtues  as  a  son.  His 
position  was  one  of  great  difficulty,  and  it  was 
little  less  than  a  miracle  of  grace  that  he  was 
able  to  keep  the  true  path,  when  there  was  so 
much  to  turn  him  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left. 
Mere  were  his  father  and  his  friend,  and  the 
former  counted  the  latter  the  greatest  foe  he 
had,  and  fought  against  him  with  relentless 
cruelty  !  How  could  Jonathan  stand  between 
them  both,  and  be  to  them  what  a  son  and  a  friend 
ought  to  be  ?  But  he  did  it  ;  for  he  was  simple- 
hearted  and  pure-minded,  and  anxious  to  do 
right.  Amid  all  the  strife  and  conflict  between 
Saul  and  David,  no  one  can  point  to  a  single 
incident  and  say,  "  There  Jonathan  forgot  his 
friendship  for  David,"  or,  "  There  he  broke  the 
first  commandment  with  promise."  He  never 
forsook  his  father's  standard,  and  he  died  at 
last  nobly  fighting  by  his  father's  side.  He  did 
not  say,  "  It  is  the  purpose  of  God  to  bring 
David  to  the  throne,  and  I  will  go  and  help  him 
to  get  it."  ...  He  knew  that  he  was  to  find  his 
rule  of  action,  not  in  God's  purposes,  but  in 
God's  precepts,  one  of  which  is,  "  Honour  thy 
father  and  thy  mother,"  &c. — C.  Vince. 


[17915]  That  death  on  Gilboa  was  a  fitting 
finish  to  his  career  !  It  was  well  that  he  who 
in  life  had  given  the  world  its  greatest  example 
of  faithfulness  to  a  fnend  should  in  death  show 
to  all  sons,  down  to  the  end  of  time,  that  neither 
a  father's  failings,  nor  even  a  father's  crimes, 
must  be  allowed  to  quench  filial  affection  and 
fidelity.  It  was  a  noljle  thing  in  Jonathan  that 
when  sin  had  come  with  its  desolating  hand  and 
destroyed  the  l^eauty  of  his  father's  character, 
he  carried  himself  as  one  who  would  say,  "  He 
is  my  father  still  ;  I  will  live  for  him  ;  and,  if 
need  be,  I  will  die  for  him." — Ibid. 

[17916]  His  father  has  made  a  rash  vow,  and 
required  that  Jonathan  shall  die.  It  was  hard 
to  leave  the  world  in  the  flush  of  Jife  and  the 
very  hour  of  victory.  Yet  he  submits  himself 
to  his  father's  will.  Baring  a  bosom  seamed 
and  scarred  with  wounds  suffered  in  that  father's 
cause,  he  stands  ready  to  receive  the  stroke — a 
sacrifice  to  filial  piety— and  had  fallen,  but  that 
the  people,  throwing  themselves  before  Saul, 
said,  "  Shall  Jonathan  die,  who  hath  wrought 
this  great  salvation  for  Israel  ?  God  forbid  :  as 
the  Lord  liveth,  there  shall  not  one  hair  of  his 
head  fall  to  the  ground.  So  the  people  rescued 
Jonathan  that  he  died  not." — Rev.  T.  Guthrie^ 
D.D. 

[179 1 7]  From  the  time  that  he  first  appears 

he  is  Saul's  constant  companion.  He  was 
always  present  at  his  father's  meals.  As  Abner 
and  David  seem  to  have  occupied  the  places 
afterwards  called  the  captaincies  of  "the  host" 
and  "  of  the  guard,"  so  he  seems  to  have  been 
(as  Hushai  afterwards)  "the  friend."  The  whole 
story  implies,  without  expressing,  the  deep  at- 
tachment of  the  father  and  son.  Jonathan  can 
only  go  on  his  dangerous  expedition  (i  Sam. 
xiv.  i)  by  concealing  it  from  Saul. — Dean  Siaft- 
ley. 

[17918]  Jonathan  found  himself  in  very  diffi- 
cult circumstances.  Not  only  was  he  under  the 
necessity  of  mediating  between  his  father,  who 
was  at  the  same  time  his  king  and  master,  and 
his  friend,  who  was  persecuted  by  his  father, 
but  of  taking  part  with  the  one  against  the 
other.  But  he  knew  how,  on  all  sides,  to  dis- 
charge the  very  difficult  duty  with  a  truly  holy 
tact.  He  could  not  be  led  to  give  to  his  fiiend 
a  final  divorce  from  his  friendship,  notwith- 
standing the  hatred  which  his  fiither  cherished 
against  him.  The  covenant  with  David  was,  as 
we  have  seen,  truly  entered  into  in  the  Lor-d. 
Jonathan  loved  David,  the  beloved  and  chosen 
of  God,  and  his  companion  in  the  kingdom  of 
God.  He  would  have  regarded  a  renunciation 
of  his  friend  as  the  tearing  asunder,  with  a 
wicked  hand,  of  a  bond  which  Jehovah  Himself 
had  formed  ;  and  a  denial  in  the  person  of 
David,  who  was  to  the  Lord  as  the  apple  of 
His  eye,  of  the  Most  High  Himself.  Yet  in  all 
this  Jonathan  offended  not,  in  a  single  instance, 
against  the  reverence,  and  love,  and  sincerity  of 
affection  which  were  due  from  him  to  his  father 


17918—17925] 


OLD    TESTA.^fENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JONATHAN. 


and  king.  By  means  of  the  plan  which  he 
formed  for  the  protection  of  David,  he  intended 
only  to  cut  off  occasion  of  sin  from  his  fatlier, 
on  account  of  which  the  ani^cr  of  God  would 
have  descended  on  his  anointed  head.  Jonathan 
had  not  for  a  moment  been  unmindful  of  the 
Divine  command,  which  enjoins  that  honour 
should  be  rendered  to  father  and  mother  ; 
and  on  that  account,  also  the  promise  which  ac- 
companies this  command  was  in  him  richly  ful- 
filled.— Kruinmacher. 


He    illustrates 
warrior. 


the   character  of   a    brave 


[17919]  What  exploits  in  the  annals  of  war 
braver,  or  so  brave,  as  tiiat  when,  scaling  their 
rocky  fastness  on  his  hands  and  knees,  he 
leaped  headlong  among  a  swarm  of  Philistines, 
and,  receiving  the  battle  on  his  single  shield, 
mowed  them  down  like  grass  before  the  scythe  ? 
Thus  gloriously  broke  that  day  on  Israel,  filling 
the  hearts  of  her  warriors  with  courage  for  the 
coming  battle. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie^  D.D. 

[17920]  Saul  "blew  the  trumpet  ;"  Saul  had 
"  smitten  the  officer  of  the  Philistines."  But 
now  it  would  seem  that  Jonathan  was  resolved 
to  undertake  the  whole  risk  himself.  "  The 
day,"  the  day  fixed  by  him  approached,  and 
without  communicating  his  project  to  any  one, 
except  the  young  man,  whom,  like  all  the  chiefs 
of  that  age,  he  retained  as  his  armour-bearer,  he 
sallied  forth  from  Gibeah  to  attack  the  garrison  of 
the  Philistines  stationed  on  the  other  side  of  the 
steep  defile  of  Michmash.  His  words  are  short, 
but  they  breathe  exactly  the  ancient  and  peculiar 
spirit  of  the  Israelite  warrior.  "Come,  and  let 
us  go  over  unto  the  garrison  of  these  uncircum- 
cised." — Dean  Stanley. 

III.  The  Value  to  David  of  his   Per- 
fect Friendship. 

[17921]  It  needs  no  word  to  prove  that  the 
friendship  we  have  been  studying  must  have 
been  a  great  help  and  blessing  to  David.  How 
great,  is  known  only  to  Him  by  whom  the  boon 
was  bestowed.  Great  trials  were  before  him, 
and  God,  who  foresaw  them  all,  granted  him  this 
provision  against  them.  When  his  character 
was  traduced,  how  it  would  solace  him  to  re- 
member that  the  second  man  in  the  land  in 
point  of  worldly  position,  and  the  first  man  in 
the  land  in  point  of  spiritual  life,  still  believed  in 
him  and  counted  him  worthy  of  all  love  ! — C. 
Vince. 

[17922]  His  soul  was  prostrate  in  the  dust, 
bowed  down  in  humility  before  God.  But, 
without  taking  into  account  the  view  which  was 
thus  opened  to  him  into  the  future  of  his  own 
life,  how  could  he  find  words  sufficient  to  express 
the  feelings  which  overpowered  him  at  the  sight 
of  that  love,  and  self-denial,  and  resignation, 
which,  like  a  glance  into  the  mind  of  heaven 
itself  regarding  him,  he  here  discovered  in  the 
conduct  of  Jonathan  towards  him?     His  whole 


soul  was  melted  within  him  in  thankfulness  to 
the  Most  Hi;^h  for  the  treasure  with  which  He 
had  blessed  him  in  his  friend  Jonathan — Kriim- 
viacher. 

[17923]  It  was  not  a  worldly  friendship,  in 
which  one,  in  loving  another,  in  reality  loves 
only  himself  and  his  own  personal  interests,  but 
one  of  a  higher  nature  which  formed  the  uniting 
bond.  They  loved  each  other  truly  in  God,  to 
whose  service  they  had  devoted  themselves  in 
the  hours  of  holy  consecration  ;  and  all  their 
views  and  aims,  their  judgments  and  endeavours, 
were  in  perfect  h.irmony.  They  understood  the 
slightest  indication  of  each  other's  mind  ;  yea, 
the  faintest  tone  which  vibrated  on  the  harp- 
strings  of  the  soul  of  the  one,  echoed  full  and 
harmonious  in  the  soul  of  the  other.  When 
such  conditions  meet  together,  there  grows  the 
beautiful  fiower  of  that  love  which  the  apostle 
calls  peculiar,  in  contradistinction  to  that  which 
is  common. — Ibid. 

IV.  The  Attractive  Power  of  Virtue 
Illustr.^ted  by  the  Spontaneous 
Love  of  Jonathan  for  David. 

[17924]  At  the  time  of  their  first  recorded 
meeting,  David  was  a  youth  not  far  from  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  was  ruddy,  and  of  a  beautiful 
countenance  ;  goodly  to  look  to  ;  agile  and 
strong.  He  was  a  cunning  player  upon  the 
harp.  Already  he  must  have  given  some  signs 
of  those  poetical  gifts  which  made  him,  for  after 
ages,  the  "  sweet  singer  of  Israel."  He  was  a 
mighty  valiant  man,  and  a  man  of  war  ;  prudent 
also,  and  magnanimous.  Best  of  all,  the  Lord 
was  with  him.  That  he  had  been  anointed 
future  king  seems  to  have  been  as  yet  known 
only  to  the  prophet  Samuel  and  in  his  own 
father's  house.  Jonathan  was  older.  Judging 
from  an  allusion  to  a  younger  brother,  he  must 
have  been  at  least  thirty.  Like  his  father  Saul, 
he  was  powerful  and  active.  In  language  similar 
to  that  often  applied  to  ancient  heroes,  both 
father  and  son  are  described  as  "  swifter  than 
eagles,  and  stronger  than  lions."  Like  David, 
he  was  skilled  in  archery  and  slinf,'ing.  As 
commander  of  a  portion  of  Saul's  standing 
army,  on  more  than  one  occasion  he  had  ex- 
hibited heroic  daring.  He  was  large-hearted, 
unselfish,  and  a  favourite  with  the  people. 
How  natural  that  these  two  should  be  power- 
fully .•/rizrc;/ /(Tff/'/i^r./  So,  at  least,  it  was.  As 
the  youthful  David,  unassuming  in  his  demean- 
our as  he  was  in  his  simple  shepherd  garb,  re- 
turned from  his  victory  over  the  Philistme,  and 
was  hailed,  in  triumphal  song,  as  Israel's  de- 
liverer, "the  soul  of  Jonathan  was  knit  with  the 
soul  of  David,  and  Jonathan  loved  him  as  his 
own  soul."  At  once  they  entered  into  a  mutual 
covenant,  and  sealed  with  gifts  a  bond  which,  for 
all  ages,  has  been  the  best  model  of  true  friend- 
ship.— Sertnons  by  the  Monday  Ciub. 

[17925]  When  the  stripling  David,  so  young 
and  yet  so  brave,  crowned  with  such  honour  and 


224 

17925—17931] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ABSALOM. 


yet  so  modest,  so  full  of  love  to  his  country  and 
piety  to  his  God,  advances  to  lay  his  bloody 
trophy  at  the  feet  of  Saul,  Jonathan's  whole  heart 
flows  out  to  him  ;  he  becomes  at  o?ice  the  object 
of  a  deep  and  deathless  love. — Rev.  T.  Culhrie, 
D.D. 

V.  General  Grace  of  Character  Viewed 
AS  A  Whole. 

[17926]  Many  a  son  has  had  a  better  father, 
but  what  father  ever  had  such  a  son  ?  In  some 
respects,  at  least,  Jonathan  stands  without  a 
rival  in  all  history,  sacred  or  profane.  Had  we 
known  him  better,  no  doubt  we  might  have 
thought  less  of  him  ;  we  would  have  found  some 
faults  in  him,  and  said  that  it  was  true  of  him 
as  of  the  best  of  fallen  men,  that  the  brightest 
sun  is  dimmed  by  spots.  Yet  there  is  no  fault 
recorded  of  Jonathan  ;  and  conferring  on  him 
more  honour  than  on  any  one  else  whose  name 
stands  in  this  sacred  book,  God  has  not  left  a 
stain  to  blot  his  memory. — Ibid. 

[17927]  If  there  ever  was  friendship  in  this 
world,  pure,  unalloyed  by  any  inferior  metal, 
disinterested,  free  of  envy,  without  an  element 
of  selfishness,  incapable  of  harbouring  a  sus- 
picious thought,  and  capable  of  rejoicing  in 
another's  gain,  even  to  his  own  loss,  it  had 
glowed  in  the  bosom  that  now  lay  cold  on  Gil- 
boa's  mountains.  Battle  spear  never  pierced 
such  a  generous  heart  ;  nor  had  war  ever  such  a 
graceful  victim  offered  at  her  blood-stained 
shrine.  Man  never  possessed  a  friend  such  as 
David  lost  in  Jonathan  ;  for  he  stood  in  his 
love  as  much  above  the  common  crowd  of  men, 
as  his  father  did  in  stature — towering  head  and 
shoulders  high  above  the  assembled  tribes  of 
Israel.  If  ever  man  loved  his  neighbour  as  he 
did  himself,  that  man  was  Jonathan  ;  and  none 
with  a  head  and  heart  can  read  his  tragic  history 
without  feeling  that  he  was  worthy  of  this  extra- 
ordinary, but  not  extravagant,  laudation  :  "Thy 
love  to  me  was  wonderful." — Ibid. 

[1792S]  Jonathan  "lived  long  in  the  land  which 
the  Lord  his  God  had  given  him."  In  the  ninth 
chapter  of  the  first  book  of  Chronicles  we  find 
mention  made  of  his  descendants  to  the  twelfth 
generation,  and  perceive  that  this  race  were 
distinguished  for  their  knightly  virtues  hundreds 
of  years  after  their  noble  ancestor. — Krum- 
macher. 

VI.  HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

I       Gilboa    vanishes,    and    Calvary    rises    to 

view. 

[17929]  The  battle  scene,  with  Jonathan 
standing  like  a  lion  at  bay,  or  faint  from  loss 
of  blood,  sinking  beneath  his  wounds,  shifts  ; 
and  I  see  Jesus  standing  alone  amid  the  im- 
pious crowd,  or  fainting  beneath  His  cross 
in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem.  The  hill  where, 
in    the    pale    moonlight,    all    stiff   and    stark 


and  bloody,  Jonathan  lies  surrounded  by  heaps 
of  dead,  his  face  to  heaven  and  his  foot  to  the 
foe  that  have  fallen  before  his  arm,  gives  place 
to  another  scene.  A  tall  cross  tops  the  summit 
of  Mount  Calvary  ;  and  the  sun's  level  beams 
shine  on  the  drooping  head  and  mangled, 
bloody  form  of  the  Son  of  God.  To  Him  these 
words  best  belong.  We  hang  the  harp  of 
David  on  that  cross  ;  and,  Jonathan  himself 
consenting,  we  take  this  garland  from  his  brows, 
to  weave  it  into  the  crown  of  thorns — saying,  as 
we  turn  to  Jesus,  "  Thy  love  to  me  was  wonder- 
ful."—i?£'27.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

2  The  unalterable  attachment  of  Jonathan 
for  David,  "passing  the  love  of  women," 
reminds  us  of  the  unchangeable  love  of 
the  Divine  Friend  which  "sticketh  closer 
than  a  brother." 
[17930]  Jonathan  loved  well — passing  well — 
but  Christ  loves  even  better.  That  which  we 
naturally  esteem  most  in  friendship,  in  a  world 
full  of  changes,  is  unchangeableness.  A  perfect, 
unchangeable  friend,  we  all,  I  suppose,  at  some 
time  in  life,  desire  to  meet  with,  and  in  propor- 
tion as  we  value  our  friends  are  we  sensible  of 
any,  the  slightest,  imperfection  in  their  cha- 
racters. But  there  is,  as  we  discover  to  our 
sorrow,  yet  greatly  to  our  comfort,  One  only 
who  will  perfectly  answer  our  expectations 
— "Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday,  and  to- 
day, and  for  ever."  It  may  be  long  before  we 
go  hence,  strength  may  decay  and  hair  whiten 
and  limbs  totter — Jesus  Christ  will  be  still  the 
same.  There  may  be  terrible  trials  before  us, 
we  may  be  called  upon  to  bear  much,  very 
much,  but  He  in  whom  we  have  trusted  will  be 
ever  the  same.  He  will  not  love  us  to-day  and 
turn  His  back  upon  us  to-morrow.  He  will  not 
support  us  one  day  and  let  us  go  the  next.  Ay, 
"  though  we  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  we  will  fear  no  evil,"  for  He  is 
with  us,  and  will  be  there.  President  Edwards, 
when  he  came  to  die,  after  bidding  his  relatives 
good-bye,  said,  "  Now  where  is  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, my  true  and  never-failing  Friend?"  And 
so  saying,  he  fell  asleep. — M.  J. 


ABSALOM. 

I.  General  View  of  his  Character. 

[  1 7931]  The  character  of  Absalom  appears 
depicted  in  Holy  Scripture  in  colours  altogether 
dark  and  sombre,  and  unrelieved  by  a  single 
bright  tint.  Natural  advantages  to  a  consider- 
able degree  he  certainly  possessed,  but  he 
wholly  failed  to  turn  any  of  them  to  a  good 
account.  Vanity  and  pride,  cunning  and  re- 
venge, hatred  and  treachery,  rebellion  and 
unnatural  wickedness— these  are  the  gloomy 
traits  of  character  of  him  whose  hands  were 
stained  with  the  murder  of  his  half-brother,  and 
whose  name  has  been  ever  since  his  death 
synonymous  with  dishonour  and  defiance  to  a 


I793I— 17938] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


225 

[ABSALOM. 


kind  and  godly  parent,  and  is  even  yet  mentioned 
with  a  curse  in  the  land  where  he  obtained  a 
dishonoured  grave. — Ibid. 


II.  His  Natural  Advantages. 

[17932]  Amongst  Absalom's  natural  advan- 
tages, we  note  his  position  as  the  king's  son, 
his  striking  beauty,  tact,  and  large  measure  of 
popularity — no  despicable  gifts  for  even  a  prince 
to  start  out  in  life  with — yet  how  were  the  whole 
of  them  turned  to  his  disadvantage  and  his 
hurt,  when,  properly  used,  they  might  have  stood 
him  in  such  good  stead  ! — Ibid. 

[17933]  "  ^ri  all  Israel  there  was  none  to  be 
so  much  praised  as  Absalom  for  his  beauty  :  from 
the  sole  of  his  foot  even  to  the  crown  of  his  head 
there  was  no  blemish  in  him."  The  weight  of 
his  hair  was  two  hundred  shekels.  He  was 
fond  of  his  locks  :  one  day  they  were  to  cost 
him  his  life.  What  a  pity  that  strength  and 
beauty  should  be  turned  to  so  bad  an  account  ! 
That  God's  gracious  gifts  should  be  used  by  the 
creature  for  the  furtherance  of  arrogancy  and 
despicable  pride  ! — Rev.  H.  Cust  NiDin. 

III.  His  Dominant  Evil  Principles. 

1  He  was  the  willing  slave  of  pride. 

[17934]  It  seems  highly  probable  that,  for 
some  time,  he  had  been  meditating  his  own 
association  in  the  kingly  power,  as  his  father's 
heir-at-law.  The  very  period  of  his  restoration 
to  favour  is  made  the  hour  for  his  project.  The 
elevation  which  had  just  become  his  lot,  calcu- 
lated to  incite  great  contentment  of  mind  as  all 
true  Christians  would  say,  proved  too  much  for 
his  pride.  It  has  been  well  said  by  some  one  : 
"  Pride  takes  for  its  motto,  great  /  and  little 
youi"  It  knows  no  bounds.  In  its  elevation  of 
self,  it  would  dare  to  dethrone  even  justice 
itself;  and  looks  for  the  prostration  of  all  other 
designs  before  its  own  insatiable  will.  We  see, 
in  the  case  before  us,  how  it  induced  a  son  to 
dethrone  a  father,  how  for  a  while  it  gloried  in 
vaunting  itself,  how,  in  the  end,  it  met  with  an 
ignoble  fall.  As  soon  as  pride  was  absolute  in 
Absalom's  heart,  patience  had  her  notice  to 
quit.  If  he  could  have  waited  for  a  few  years 
more,  in  all  human  probability  he  would  have 
succeeded  in  peace  to  the  throne  of  David  his 
father. — Ibid. 

2  He    guided   his    course    by   unmistakable 
cunning. 

[17935]  Now  mark  the  cunning  of  this  as- 
piring youth.  He  feels  that  some  stately  show 
would  be  in  his  favour,  he  surrounds  himself 
with  a  body  of  fifty  foot-runners,  as  well  as 
some  chariots  and  horses.  In  early  morn,  day 
after  day,  he  stations  himself  at  the  city  gate, 
and  here  he  chats  with  the  disappointed  suitors 
as  they  go  to  and  fro  to  the  king  :  some  are 
wishing  for  a  speedy  settlement  of  their  causes, 
but,  owing  to  the  king's  engagements,  he  cannot 

VOL.  VI.  I 


gratify  their  wishes.  The  crafty  Absalom  is 
aware  ()f  their  grievances  ;  and  he  wishes  aloud, 
to  their  great  admiration,  that  he  were  the  judge 
of  the  land.  "  Some  deputy  at  least  there 
should  be,"  he  argues.  His  own  heart  gives 
answer,  "Who  so  good  as  Absalom?"  In 
keeping  with  his  words  are  his  acts  of  politeness. 
"  When  any  man  came  nigh  to  do  him  obeisance, 
he  put  forth  his  hand  and  took  him  and  kissed 
him.'  So  Absalom  stole  the  hearts  of  the 
men  of  Israel.— /i^/V^. 

3  He  was  guilty  of  treachery. 

[17936]  Taking  advantage  of  the  fact  that 
his  fatlier  kept  himself  more  aloof  from  his 
subjects,  and  took  a  less  active  part  in  attending 
to  their  complaints  and  healin(4  their  differences 
since  the  period  of  his  grievous  fall,  he  skilfully 
insinuated  among  them  the  spirit  of  disaffection, 
affected  a  style  and  splendour  of  living  almost 
equal  to  that  of  royalty,  and  sought  to  win  the 
hearts  of  the  people  to  himself,  by  all  the  vulgar 
arts  of  popular  blandishment.  In  a  little  time, 
while  the  too  confiding  king  was  still  unaware 
of  the  unnatural  treason  that  had  meanwhile 
been  secretly  hatching  in  his  capital,  Absalom 
had  raised  the  standard  of  rebellion  and  revolt 
at  Hebron,  and  gathered  towards  him  a  most 
formidable  multitude  of  followers  who  were 
bent  on  making  him  king. — Rev.  A.  Thompson, 
D.D. 

4  He  was   not   above   descending  to   hypo- 
crisy. 

[17937]  The  plot  is  nearly  ripe  :  there  is 
nothing  wanting  but  a  cloak  of  religion  to 
perfect  his  treachery.  He  desires  leave  irom  his 
father  to  pay  a  vow,  made  long  since  in  exile, 
at  Hebron.  The  leave  is  given  perhaps  with  a 
feeling  of  joy  at  having  such  a  pious  son,  and 
the  traitor  leaves  the  holy  city  with  his  band  of 
two  hundred  men.  These  attendants  had  em- 
barked on  an  enterprise,  entirely  ignorant  of  its 
vastness  and  wickedness.  How  easy  is  it  to 
beguile  harmless  intentions  !  But  this  small 
band  is  soon  increased,  and  spies  announce 
among  all  the  tribes  the  forthcoming  signal  for 
rising.- — Rev.  H.  Cust  Nitnft. 

5  He  gave  way  to  a  vindictive  spirit. 

[17938]  Accustomed  to  have  his  wishes  in- 
dulged, even  when  they  were  unreasonable,  and 
held  in  by  few  restraints,  he  readily  became 
selfish  and  froward  ;  and  these  dispositions, 
when  he  passed  into  public  life,  were  not  long 
in  shaping  themselves  into  great  follies,  and 
even  flagrant  crimes.  It  was  natural  that  he 
should  deeply  feel  the  foul  dishonour  done  to 
his  sister  Tamar  by  his  half-brother  Amnon. 
But  instead  of  seeking  to  have  the  crime  fitly 
punished  by  the  proper  public  authorities,  he 
concealed  his  resentment  and  feigned  indiffe- 
rence for  two  years  ;  at  the  end  of  which,  having 
invited  Amnon  to  a  feast,  he  abused  the  rites  of 
Eastern  hospitality,  and  treacherously  put  him 
to  death. — Rev.  A.  'I'houipson,  D.D. 


226 

17939— 17946] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS^ 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[ABSALOM. 


6      He   indulged   in   unnatural  and  unlimited 
wickedness. 

[17939]  The  unnatural  Absalom  had  entered 
Jerusalem,  and  had  perpetrated  a  public  deed 
of  insult  and  infamy  upon  his  father  which  was 
designed  to  make  the  breach  between  him  and 
the  exiled  king  irreparable,  and  his  own  followers 
desperate.  While  as  if  to  iiU  up  his  wickedness 
to  the  brim,  and  to  make  it  doubtful  whether  he 
had  one  redeeming  quality  of  goodness  left,  he 
had  concurred  in  the  counsel  of  his  chiefs,  that 
in  the  intended  pursuit  his  father's  destruction 
should  especially  be  sought.  Thus  was  the 
arrow  doubly  barbed. — Ibid, 


IV.  His  Punishment. 
It  was  complete  and  retributive. 

(i)  //  co7isisted  171  defeat  and  the  death  of  a 
criminal,  whereas  he  had  looked  for  victory  and 
the  life  of  a  king. 

[17940]  The  battle  took  place  somewhere  in 
the  wooded  district  of  Ephraim,  and  the  first 
stern  onslaught  of  David's  men  seems  to  have 
driven  Absalom's  vast  army  into  universal  con- 
fusion and  rout.  They  fled  panic-stricken  into 
the  neighbouring  woods  and  thickets,  only  to 
become  there  the  more  easy  prey  to  their  pur- 
suers. As  the  wretched  Absalom,  now  deserted 
by  all,  hurried  in  terror  and  flight  through  some 
part  of  the  forest,  his  long  and  beautiful  hair 
which  had  been  his  pride  became  entangled 
among  the  branches  of  a  terebinth  or  prickly 
oak,  and  two  of  these  branches  closing  suddenly 
upon  him  and  lifting  him  up,  and  the  mule  on 
which  he  rode  moving  from  under  hinij  he  hung 
suspended  between  earth  and  heaven.  What  a 
terrible  position  !  Full  of  life,  and  yet  hanging 
helpless  in  the  momentary  dread  of  death!  And 
what  a  change  within  the  period  of  a  brief  hour  ! 
For  it  was  but  an  hour  since  myriads  were  at 
his  command,  and  a  crown  shone  dazzling 
almost  within  his  grasp.  And  now  behold  the 
vain  youth  in  this  mingled  plight  of  helplessness 
and  shame,  "with  none  so  poor  as  do  him  re- 
verence."— Ibid. 

[17941]  It  is  no  marvel  if  his  own  hair  turned 
traitor  to  him  who  durst  rise  up  against  his 
father.  That  part  which  is  misused  by  men  to 
sin  is  commonly  employed  by  God  to  revenge. 
The  very  beast  whereon  Absalom  sat,  as  weary 
to  bear  so  unnatural  a  burden,  resigns  over  his 
load  to  the  tree  of  justice. — Bp.  Hall. 

(2)  //  consisted  in  posthumous  dishonour  and 
the  curse  of  posterity,  whereas  he  had  looked 
for  splendid  sepulture  and  the  praise  of  men 
unborn. 

[17942]  Ambitious  of  posthumous  fame, 
though  utterly  indifferent  about  posthumous 
usefulness,  he  had  long  before  caused  a  mauso- 
leum or  pillar  to  be  erected  for  himself  in  a 
valley  near  Jerusalem,  with  the  intention  that 
this  should  be  his  sepulchre.  But  even  this  last 
honour  is  denied  hun,  and  he  fitly  receives  a 


hasty  burial  without  solemn  funereal  rites,  un- 
wittingly resembling  that  which  the  Mosaic  law 
had  prescribed  for  those  who  should  be  guilty 
of  flagrant  and  persistent  filial  ingratitude. — 
— Rev.  A.  Thompson,  D.D. 

[17943]  He  had  prepared  for  himself  a 
splendid  monument  in  Shaveh  or  "The  King's 
Dale  :"  in  pride  had  he  penned  such  a  memorial 
of  his  name,  "  for  he  said,  I  have  no  son  to 
keep  my  name  in  remembrance  ; "  in  disgrace, 
poor  soul,  did  he  descend  to  the  grave,  the  inex- 
cusable plotter  of  his  own  father's  disgrace. — 
Rev.  H.  Cust  Nunji. 

[17944]  Jewish  writers  tell  us  that,  for  many 
an  age  and  century  afterwards,  every  passer-by 
was  accustomed  to  throw  a  stone  on  the  heap 
which  covered  Absalom's  remains  ;  and  as  he 
threw  it,  to  say,  "  Cursed  be  the  memory  of 
rebellious  Absalom,  and  cursed  for  ever  be  all 
wicked  children  that  rise  up  in  rebellion  against 
their  parents." — Rev.  A.  Thompson,  D.D. 

V.    HOMILETICAL    HINTS. 

1  The  Absalom  character  is  by  no  means 
extinct,  but  has  numerous  representatives 
in  our  own  day. 

[17945]  There  are  many  Absaloms  in  the 
world  just  now,  who  despise  parental  authority, 
jeer  at  all  proper  and  needful  advice,  give  heed 
to  the  poisoned  whispers  of  the  worst  of  com- 
panions, cause  aching  hearts  and  tearful  eyes 
in  the  old  house  at  home,  and  at  last  run  riot  to 
their  hearts'  content,  but  to  their  souls'  utter 
damnation.  The  disrespectful  son  is  but  a  bad 
citizen.  You  cannot  depend  on  him  for  any 
good  work,  as  his  heart  is  void  of  duteous  prin- 
ciple and  his  bent  is  crooked  and  perverse. 
False  pride  is  absolute  within  his  breast  ;  it 
prompts  him  to  construct  a  bridge  of  his  own 
all-important  shadow  ;  he  dares  to  cross  life  on 
this  evanescent  pile,  and  his  vain  attempt  hurries 
him  to  destruction.  It  is  hard  to  save  a  reckless 
youth  once  he  has  embarked  on  a  life  of  folly. — 
Rev.  H.  Cust  Nunn. 

2  The  history  of  Absalom  in  relation  to  David 
furnishes  a  grave  warning  to  parents. 

[17946]  The  whole  scene  of  David's  lamenta- 
tion over  Absalom  speaks  with  an  immediate 
and  awful  voice  to  parents,  and  urges  them  to 
make  the  training  and  commanding  of  their 
children  earnest  work,  and  especially  to  beware 
of  looking  tenderly  upon  their  disobedience,  or 
of  only  feebly  and  hesitatingly  restraining  them 
in  their  wickedness.  Not  a  little  of  the  foolish 
indulgence  which  parents  show  to  their  children 
is  the  simple  effect  of  an  aversion  to  be  troubled, 
and  is,  therefore,  with  all  its  look  of  amiable  but 
fatal  weakness,  just  "  self-indulgence  under  an 
alias."  But  much  of  it  also  is  affection  grievously 
misdirected,  the  fruit  of  simple  unwillnigness  to 
give  present  pain.  But  will  delayed  interference 
until  sin  becomes  stronger  and  habit  has  hol- 
lowed out  for  itself  a  deeper  channel  to  flow  in, 


17946- 17950] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


227 
[ABSALOM. 


make  restraint  more  easy  when  it  is  at  length 
put  forth  }  Are  you  to  expect  that  the  laws  of 
God's  moral  government  will  be  reversed  in  their 
natural  action  when  you  are  unfaithful  to  your 
duty .''  And  have  you  considered  that  the  "  wild 
oats"  which  your  son  is  sowing,  and  of  which 
many  think  and  speak  so  lightly,  usually  spring 
forth  in  stinging  serpents  and  in  a  very  brood  of 
hell  1—Rev^A.  r/iompson,  D.D. 

[17947]  In  David's  case  there  was  more  than 
his  over-indulgence  of  Absalom  to  account  for, 
though  not  to  excuse,  that  son's  unnatural  re- 
bellion, and  to  explain  the  long  and  melancholy 
train  of  social  troubles  that  were  associated  with 
it.  His  one  great  two-fold  sin  had  broken  the 
arm  of  his  moral  strength.  He  could  not  with 
boldness  and  effect  reprove  the  very  sins  which 
he  himself  had  committed  with  aggravation  ; 
while  they  formed  the  secret  apology  and  sanc- 
tion in  the  hearts  of  his  children  for  some  of 
their  worst  enormities.  The  report  or  recollec- 
tion of  them  had  made  Joab  and  other  chiefs 
insolent,  and  his  people  alienated  and  ready  for 
disaffection  and  revolt.  Any  one  who  should 
look  attentively  into  the  history  of  David's  life, 
might  see  the  contrast  between  its  general 
features  before  his  fall  and  after  it.  That  sin 
separates  between  the  two  periods  by  a  line 
almost  as  distinct  and  broad  as  that  between 
summer  and  winter.  It  is  true  that  God  has 
forgiven  him  his  iniquity,  in  so  far  as  respects 
its  eternal  penal  consequences  ;  but  do  not 
imagine  that  it  has  not  left  most  bitter  fruits 
behind  it.  David  is  no  longer  the  same  man. 
His  sky  is  never  without  a  cloud.  His  joy  is 
shaded,  the  spring  and  freshness  of  his  life  are 
blighted  and  gone.  His  children  grow  up  only 
to  be  thorns  in  his  flesh  and  heavy  burdens  upon 
his  spirit ;  his  people  are  by  turns  fickle  and 
turbulent  ;  his  very  judgment  has  lost  much  of 
its  former  clearness  and  foresight  in  respect  to 
his  kingly  duties  and  the  public  exigencies,  and 
he  holds  the  reins  of  government  now  with  a 
relaxed  and  hesitating  grasp. — Ibid. 

[17948]  It  cannot  be  questioned  that  David 
had  been  culpably  neglectful  of  his  duties  to  his 
children.  No  doubt  he  had  often  prayed  for 
them,  and  had  not  been  unmindful  of  their 
religious  instruction  ;  but  he  had  often  shown 
himself  to  be  sinfully  and  weakly  indulgent  to 
their  excesses  and  faults,  and,  unlike  Abraham, 
had  failed  to  "  command  his  children  and  his 
household  after  him."  We  are  expressly  told 
respecting  Adonijah,  another  of  his  sons,  that 
"  his  father  had  not  at  any  time  displeased  him, 
saying,  Why  hast  thou  done  so  .?"  And  there 
are  sufficient  indications,  even  in  the  brief  narra- 
tive of  Absalom's  career,  that  he  had  indulged 
him  in  the  same  injudicious  manner,  and  by  so 
indulging  him  had  unconsciously  helped  to  ruin 
him.  It  is  a  most  presumptuous  and  perilous 
mistake  on  the  part  of  some  pious  parents,  when 
they  imagine  that,  if  they  should  prove  unfaith- 
ful in  the  discharge  of  their  parental  duties,  God 
will  interpose  by  some  sovereign  act  to  prevent 


the  effects  of  their  undutifulness,  and  will  on  no 
account  allow  their  children  to  perish.  They 
have  far  more  reason  to  anticipate  that  they 
shall  be  left  to  reap  according  as  they  have 
sown. — Ibid. 

3       The  history  of  Absalom  in  relation  to  David 
supplies  a  solemn  admonition  to  children. 

[17949]  Let  those  children  who  have  begun 
to  spurn  parental  authority,  and  to  laugh  at  the 
remonstrances  of  a  father  as  antiquated  and 
drivelling  folly,  read  in  the  career  and  end  of 
Absalom,  in  what  direction  and  to  what  certain 
issues  their  course  is  leading  them.  It  is  far 
from  improbable  that  the  good  king  was  proud 
of  his  boy,  and  charmed  with  his  exceeding 
beauty.  The  cares  of  his  earlier  life  may  some- 
times have  been  lightened  by  looking  on  his  still 
innocent  sports,  and  the  recollections  of  his  own 
youth  brought  vividly  back  as  the  echoes  of  his 
palace  were  awakened  by  the  laughter  and  the 
glee  of  Absalom's  childhood.  Who  can  doubt 
that  he  would  often,  at  such  times,  weave  his 
boy's  future  history  in  bright  colours,  that  par- 
took far  more  of  sunshine  than  of  shadow  .''  iiut 
how  soon  did  his  ripening  manhood  begin 
to  belie  all  those  "  prophecies  that  went  before 
of  him,"  while,  at  the  last,  those  bright  dreams 
melted  away  in  a  tragedy  of  horrors  !  The 
growing  wickedness  of  this  favourite  son  brought 
him  to  an  untimely  grave,  dimmed  to  his  fathers 
vision  even  the  glories  of  the  everlasting  cove- 
nant, and  made  him  descend  to  his  royal 
sepulchre  mourning  that  "  his  house  was  not  so 
with  God."  I  ask  the  immoral  son  of  a  pious 
parent  whether  he  has  made  up  his  mind  to 
similar  terrible  and  tragical  issues  ?  Are  you  to 
become  the  opprobrium  and  the  living  sorrow  of 
your  kindred,  and  your  name  the  dark  shadow- 
that  rests  as  with  the  wings  of  death  over  an 
otherwise  happy  home?  Is  the  continuity  of 
holy  character  in  your  ancestry  to  be  violently 
sundered  in  you .''  Is  your  name  only  to  be 
mentioned  in  whispers  and  sighs  in  the  family 
gatherings  ?  And  when,  amid  your  wrecked 
fortunes  and  wasted  gifts,  death  comes  upon  you 
prematurely,  shall  a  father  have  to  look  upon 
your  inanimate  body  and  say,  "  Would  (iod  I 
had  died  for  thee  !  "  and,  not  daring  to  think  of 
"the  most  terrible  of  all  terribles"  that  is  beyond 
death,  to  lay  you  in  your  grave  in  hopeless 
silence,  and  drop  bitter  tears,  that  have  no  com- 
fort in  them,  upon  the  dust  of  his  prodigal  son  ? 
—Ibid. 

4  The  history  of  Absalom  demonstrates  the 
fact  that  it  is  possible  to  sin  beyond  the 
reach  of  forgiveness. 

[17950]  The  story  of  Absalom's  rebellion 
against  David  seems  to  carry  with  it  one  of  the 
most  solemn  lessons  in  the  whole  of  the  Word 
of  God  :  the  lesson  that  a  point  in  sin  may  be 
sometimes  reached  which  is  beyond  the  power 
of  love.  That  point,  as  regards  this  life,  Absalom 
reached.  In  his  death  he  is  a  terrible  example 
of  the  Word  of  God,  "  If  a  man  will  not  turn, 
He  will  whet  His  sword  ;   He  hath  bent  His 


228 

17950—17956] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JOAB. 


bow  and  made  it  ready.  He  hath  prepared  for 
him  the  instruments  of  death."  It  is  not  for  us 
to  pronounce  judgment  against  any  one  as  re- 
gards the  world  to  come.  We  can  only  listen  to 
the  Word  of  the  Lord,  and  tremble  at  it ;  and 
that  word  is,  that  "  When  a  righteous  man 
turneth  from  his  righteousness,  and  committeth 
iniquity,  and  dieth  in  them,  for  his  iniquity  that 
he  hath  done  shall  he  die."  And  those  words 
certainly  imply  a  second  death,  for  it  is  said  that 
when  a  man  committeth  iniquity,  and  dieth  in 
them,  then  he  shall  die.  Now  in  the  case  of 
Absalom,  this  most  searching  truth  of  God's 
Word,  that  there  is  a  death  and  a  judgment,  is 
put  side  by  side  with  another  that  makes  it  even 
more  impressive  than  it  would  otherwise  be  ;  we 
see  the  hardened  and  impenitent  sinner  pursued 
to  the  very  end  by  faithful  and  untiring  love  ; 
we  hear  the  outburst  of  grief  that  comes  when 
love  is  S3en  to  be  useless,  no  longer  of  any  avail. 
And  in  the  lament  of  David  we  cannot  help 
being  reminded  of  one  that  is  greater  than 
David,  who  might  say  these  words  over  a  lost 
child  that  He  had  long  looked  for,  but  who  had 
at  last  succeeded  in  escaping  his  Saviour's  hand  ; 
and  He  would  say  then  with  far  deeper  love  and 
far  more  awful  grief,  "  Would  God  I  had  died 
for  thee,  my  son,  ni)  son  !  " — Rev.  C.  Waller. 


JOAB. 

I.  Introductory. 

His  family  and  constitutional   relationship  to 
David. 

[ 1 7951]  Joab  was  the  eldest  and  most  remark- 
able of  the  three  nephews  of  David,  the  children 
ofZeruiah,  David's  sister.  Their  father  is  un- 
known. They  all  exhibit  the  activity  and  courage 
of  David's  constitutional  character.  But  they 
never  rise  beyond  this  to  the  nobler  qualities 
which  lift  him  above  the  wild  soldiers  and  chief- 
tains of  the  time.  Asahel,  who  was  cut  off  in 
his  youth,  and  seems  to  have  been  the  darling 
of  the  family,  is  only  known  to  us  from  his 
gazelle-like  agility  (2  Sam.  ii.  18).  Abishai  and 
Joab  are  alike  in  their  implacable  revenge.  Joab, 
however,  combines  with  these  ruder  qualities 
something  of  a  more  statesmanlike  character, 
which  brings  him  more  nearly  to  a  level  with  his 
youthful  uncle,  and  unquestionably  gives  him 
the  second  place  in  the  whole  history  of  David's 
reign. — Deati  Stanley. 

II.  His  Mixed  Character. 

I       He   exhibited  ambition  side   by  side  with 
contentment. 

[17952]  There  was  now  no  rival  left  in  the 
way  of  Joab's  advancement,  and  soon  the  oppor- 
tunity occurred  for  his  legitimate  accession  to 
the  highest  post  that  David  could  confer.  At 
the  siege  of  Jebus,  the  king  offered  the  office  of 
chief  of  the  army,  now  grown  into  a  "  host,"  to 


any  one  who  would  lead  the  forlorn  hope,  and 
scale  the  precipice  on  which  the  besieged  fortress 
stood.  With  an  agility  equal  to  that  of  David 
himself, or  of  his  brother  Asahel,  Joab  succeeded 
in  the  attempt,  and  became  in  consequence 
commander-in-chief— "  captain  of  the  host" — 
the  same  office  that  Abner  had  held  under  Saul, 
the  highest  in  the  state  after  the  king.  His 
importance  was  immediately  shown  by  his  under- 
taking the  fortification  of  the  conquered  city  in 
conjunction  with  David.  In  this  post  he  was 
content,  and  served  the  king  with  undeviating 
fidelity.— /^/rt'. 

2  He  displayed  a  vindictive  and  treacherous 
spirit,  together  with  regard  for  the  wishes 
of  God. 

[17953]  Joab's  revenge  on  Abner  was  only 
postponed.  He  had  been  on  another  of  these 
predatory  excursions  from  Hebron,  when  he  was 
informed  on  his  retinn  that  Abner  had  in  his 
absence  paid  a  visit  to  David,  and  been  received 
into  favour.  He  broke  out  into  a  violent  remon- 
strance with  the  king,  and  then,  without  David's 
knowledge,  immediately  sent  messengers  after 
Abner,  who  was  overtaken  by  them  about  two 
miles  from  Hebron.  Abner,  with  the  unsuspect- 
ing generosity  of  his  noble  nature,  returned  at 
once.  Joab  and  Abishai  met  him  in  the  gate- 
way of  the  town  ;  Joab  took  him  aside,  as  if 
with  a  peaceful  intention,  and  then  struck  him 
a  deadly  blow  "  under  the  fifth  rib."  It  is  possible 
that  with  the  passion  of  vengeance  for  his 
brother  may  have  been  mingled  the  fear  lest 
Abner  should  supplant  him  in  the  king's  favour. 
—Ibid. 

[17954]  Amasa  was  commander-in-chief,  but 
Joab  had  still  his  own  small  following  of  atten- 
dants, and  with  him  were  the  mighty  men  com- 
manded by  his  brother  Abishai,  and  the  body- 
guard of  the  king.  With  these  he  went  out  in 
pursuit  of  the  remnant  of  the  rebellion.  In  the 
heat  of  pursuit  he  encountered  his  rival  Amasa 
more  leisurely  engaged  in  the  same  quest.  At 
"  the  great  stone  "  in  Gibeon  the  cousins  met. 
Joab's  sword  was  attached  to  his  girdle  ;  by 
design  or  accident  it  protruded  from  its  sheath. 
Amasa  rushed  into  the  treacherous  embrace  to 
which  Joab  invited  him,  holding  fast  his  sword 
by  his  own  right  hand,  whilst  the  unsheathed 
sword  in  his  left  hand  plunged  into  Amasa's 
stomach  ;  a  single  blow  from  that  practised  arm, 
as  in  the  case  of  Abner,  sufficed  to  do  its  work. 
—Ibid. 

[17955]  His  last  remonstrance  with  David 
was  on  the  announcement  of  the  king's  desire 
to  number  the  people.  "The  king  prevailed 
against  Joab."  But  Joab's  scruples  were  so 
strong  that  he  managed  to  avoid  numbering  two 
of  thetribes,  Leviand  Benjamin  (i  Chron. xxii.6). 
—Ibid. 

3  He  gave  proof  of  unshaken  fidelity  through 
a  long  life,  but  closed  it  by  a  faithless  de- 
parture from  his  master. 

[17956]  The  services  of  Joab  to  the  king  were 


17956—17961] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


229 
fllUSHAl 


not  confined  to  military  achievements.  In  the 
entangled  relations  which  grew  up  in  David's 
domestic  life  he  bore  an  important  part.  The 
first  occasion  was  the  unhappy  correspondence 
which  passed  between  him  and  the  king  during 
the  Ammonite  war  respecting  Uriah  the  Hittite 
which  led  to  the  treacherous  sacrifice  of  Uriah 
in  a  sortie.  It  shows  both  the  confidence  re- 
posed by  David  in  Joab,  and  Joab's  too  un- 
scrupulous fidelity  to  David. — Ibid. 

[17957]  The  same  keen  sense  of  his  master's 
interests  that  had  prompted  the  desire  to  heal 
the  breach  in  the  royal  family  ruled  the  conduct 
of  Joab  no  less  when  the  relations  of  the  father 
and  son  were  reversed  by  the  successful  revolt 
of  Absalom.  His  former  intimacy  with  the 
prince  did  not  impair  his  fidelity  to  the  king. 
Me  followed  him  beyond  the  Jordan,  and  in  the 
final  battle  of  Ephraim,  assumed  the  respon- 
sibility of  taking  the  rebel  prince's  dangerous 
life  in  spite  of  David's  injunction  to  spare  him, 
and  when  no  one  else  had  courage  to  act  so 
decisive  a  part.  He  was  well  aware  of  the 
terrible  effect  it  would  have  on  the  king,  and  on 
this  account  possibly  dissuaded  his  young  friend 
Ahimaaz  from  bearing  the  news  ;  but  when  the 
tidings  had  been  broken,  he  had  the  spirit  him- 
self to  rouse  David  from  the  frantic  grief  which 
would  have  been  fatal  to  the  royal  cause.  His 
stern  resolution  (as  he  had  himself  anticipated) 
well-nigh  proved  fatal  to  his  own  interests.  The 
king  could  not  forgive  it,  and  went  so  far  in  his 
unreasonable  resentment  as  to  transfer  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  from  the  too  faithful  Joab  to 
his  other  nephew  Amasa,  the  son  of  Abigail, 
who  had  even  sided  with  the  insurgents. — Ibid. 

[17958]  There  is  something  mournful  in  the 
end  of  Joab.  At  the  close  of  his  long  life,  his 
loyalty,  so  long  unshaken,  at  last  wavered. 
'•  Though  he  had  not  turned  after  Absalom,  he 
turned  after  Adonijah."  This  probably  filled 
up  the  measure  of  the  king's  long  cherished 
resentment.  We  learn  from  David's  last  song 
that  his  powerlessness  over  his  courtiers  was 
even  then  present  to  his  mind  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  6, 
7),  and  on  his  deathbed  he  recalled  to  Solo- 
mon's recollection  the  two  murders  of  Abner 
and  Amasa,  with  an  injunction  not  to  let  the 
aged  soldier  escape  with  impunity. — Ibid. 

III.  His  End. 

Murder  and  treachery  were  not  protected  by 
the  sanctuary  of  refuge. 

[17959]  The  revival  of  the  pretensions  of 
Adonijah  after  David's  death  was  sufficient  to 
awaken  the  suspicions  of  Solomon.  The  king 
deposed  the  high  priest  Abiathar,  Joab's  friend 
and  fellow  conspirator, — and  the  news  of  this 
event  at  once  alarmed  Joab  himself.  He  claimed 
the  right  of  sanctuary  within  the  curtains  of  the 
sacred  tent,  under  the  shelter  of  the  altar  at 
Gibeon.  He  was  pursued  by  Benaiah,  who  at 
first  hesitated  to  violate  the  sanctuary  of  the 
refuge  ;  but    Solomon  urged  that   the   guilt  of 


two  such  murders  overrode  all  such  protection. 
With  his  hands  on  the  altar,  therefore,  the  grey- 
headed warrior  was  slaughtered  by  his  suc- 
cessor. The  body  was  carried  to  his  house 
"in  the  wilderness,"  and  there  interred.  He 
left  descendants,  but  nothing  is  known  of  them, 
unless  it  may  be  inferred  from  the  double  curse 
of  David  (2  Sam.  iii.  29)  and  of  Solomon 
(i  Kings  ii.  33)  that  they  seemed  to  dwindle 
away,  stricken  by  a  succession  of  visitations — 
weakness,  leprosy,  lameness,  murder,  starvation. 
—Ibid. 


HUSTJAI. 

I.  His  Attachment  to  David. 

[17960]  Hushaistrongly  wished  to  accompany 
David,  to  whom  he  was  deeply  attached.  He 
was  troubled  greatly  at  the  calamity  which  had 
overtaken  the  king,  and  the  latter  was  equally 
troubled  to  think  of  the  pain  and  inconvenience 
Hushai  must  suffer  for  his  sake  in  following  his 
changed  fortunes.  David  also  knew  that 
Hushai  could  do  better  service  for  him  by  re- 
maining in  the  city  and  counteracting  by 
judicious  counsel  some  of  the  evil  intentions 
of  Absalom.  He  has  great  difficulty  in  per- 
suading Hushai  to  remain,  and  has  to  appear 
almost  rude  and  even  ungrateful  in  the  effort 
to  accomplish  his  desire.  He  could  bear  any- 
thing for  himself,  but  he  could  not  permit 
another  to  undergo  such  exhausting  experiences 
for  his  sake.  Hence  he  puts  as  his  final  argu- 
ment this  strong  sentence,  "  If  thou  passest 
over  with  me  thou  wilt  be  a  burden."  —  F. 
Hastings. 

II.  His  Meeting  with  Absalom. 

[17961]  David  suggested  that  Hushai  should 
assume  the  character  of  a  friend  of  Absalom. 
The  suggestion  must  not  be  measured  by 
present  standards  of  morality.  At  that  time 
it  would  be  thought  quite  lawful  to  endeavour 
to  circumvent  an  opponent  by  placing  a  spy  in 
his  court,  even  as  at  this  day  some  triumph  of 
diplomacy  would  be  extolled  by  politicians. 
David  had  a  lingering  hope  that  in  some  way 
Hushai  might  be  able  to  save  his  son.  He 
felt  sure  he  would  be  able  to  defeat  the  counsel 
of  Ahithophel,  the  one  most  likely  to  lead 
Absalom  further  astray.  Hence  he  urged  and 
insisted  on  Hushai's  return.  Almost  at  the 
same  moment  the  Archite  and  Absalom  enter 
the  city,  the  one  in  silence,  the  other  with  pomp  ; 
the  one  aged  and  depressed,  the  other  young 
and  elate  ;  one  sorrowing  over  the  treatment 
of  David,  the  other  rejoicing  over  his  easy  suc- 
cess. Soon  the  two  are  face  to  face.  Ab- 
salom meets  his  fate.  The  meeting  was  as 
significant  as  some  that  have  taken  place  later 
in  history,  as  that,  for  instance,  between  Philip 
and  William,  afterwards  named  the  Silent.  To 
him  Philip  confided  casually  the  knowledge  of 


230 

17961—17965] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA.  [JASHOBEAM,    ELEAZAR,    AND   SHAMMAH. 


his  intention  to  exterminate  all  the  Protestants 
of  the  two  countries,  and  William,  while  startled 
and  saddened  at  the  information,  gave  no  sign, 
but  mentally  determined  to  counteract  the  in- 
tended cruelty.  Philip  met  his  fate  in  William 
the  Silent,  and  Absalom  met  his  when  he  came 
in  contact  with  Hushai. — Ibid. 


III.   HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

1  The  meeting  of  Hushai  with  Absalom 
teaches  that  we  may  sometimes  find  un- 
expectedly useful  guidance. 

[17962]  Hushai  might  have  bjen  a  useful 
guide,  but  Absalom  is  bent  on  evil,  and  Ahitho- 
phel  helps  him  in  his  wickedness.  Hushai  only 
seeks  to  defeat  the  evil  counsel  of  the  latter. 
This  he  attempts  for  David's  sake,  as  well  as 
Absalom's.  Absalom  could,  if  he  had  been  true, 
have  had  a  most  valuable  counsellor  in  Hushai, 
but  under  the  circumstances  all  Hushai  can  do 
is  to  endeavour  to  help  David,  or  to  give  him  time 
to  escape,  by  counselling  delay  on  the  part  of 
Absalom.  Life  is  like  a  many-tracked  common 
or  heath  ;  so  many  paths  run  side  by  side  or 
cross  each  other  at  different  angles.  We  pass 
numberless  wanderers  like  ourselves,  but  here 
and  there  we  meet  casually  with  some  one  who 
is  most  useful,  because  he  chances  to  know  the 
direction  of  the  paths,  and  a  word  at  a  perplex- 
ing juncture  is  invaluable.  For  such  guidance 
we  are  thankful.  Absalom  had  in  Hushai  one 
who  would  have  done  his  best  to  counsel  him 
for  good,  but  his  heart  was  set  on  evil,  so  that 
Hushai's  influence  was  unavailing. — Ibid. 

2  The  meeting  of  Hushai  with  Absalom 
teaches  that  God  sometimes  grants  men 
warnings  of  the  retribution  which  waits 
upon  sin. 

[17963]  Just  as  Hushai  meets  Absalom  un- 
expectedly, so  retriuution  may  meet  him  also  at 
the  point  where  he  seems  to  have  reached  the 
full  extent  of  his  expectations  of  success .  There 
is  indeed  that  which  a  French  writer  calls/6'rr^' 
cnc/ia',  or  hidden  power,  checking  us  often  at 
the  very  moment  of  success  wrongly  gained. 
It  is  not  always  noticed,  but  sometimes  it  comes 
startling  us  with  its  suddenness.  Ahab  goes 
down  to  seize  the  vineyard  of  Naboth,  and  at 
the  door  Elijah  meets  him  with  the  sentence, 
"  In  the  place  where  dogs  licked  the  blood  of 
Naboth  shall  dogs  lick  thy  blood,  even  thine." 
The  courtiers  who  wrought  against  Daniel  were 
themselves  doomed  to  the  death  they  designed 
for  him.  A  cardinal  introduced  iron  cages  into 
France, and  was  afterwardshimself  imprisoned  in 
one.  A  man  who  during  the  first  revolution  in 
France  was  condemned  to  death  by  the  criminal 
tribunal  of  Lyons,  was  the  first  to  suffer  under  the 
very  guillotine  that  he  had  sent  for  from  Paris  to 
decapitate  his  enemies.  The  poisoned  chalice 
prepared  for  another  is  in  tragedy  represented 
as  being  unwittingly  drunk  by  the  Danish  king 
and  queen.  The  bell  put  up  by  the  good  Abbol 
of  Aberbrothok  on  Inchcape  Rock  is  represented 


by  the  great  Scottish  novelist  as  having  been 
taken  down  by  a  pirate,  and  he,  a  year  after, 
being  unwarned,  perished  on  that  very  rock. — 
Ibid. 

[17964]  "  Stories  have  been  told  of  men  whose 

lives 
Were  infamous,  and  so  their  end.     I  mean 
That  the  red-handed  murderer  has  himself  been 

murdered  ; 
The  traitors  struck  with  treason  ;  he  vi'ho  let 
The  orphan  perish  came  himself  to  want. 
Thus  justice  and  the  great  God  have  ordered  it 
So  that  the  scene  of  evil  has  been  turned 
Against  the  actor  ;  pain  paid  back  with  pain, 
And  poison  given  for  poison." 

If  in  secular  history  we  discover  the  operation 
of  ih\s  force  cachee,  how  much  more  in  sacred  ! 
There  the  working  of  the  law  is  laid  down  thus  : 
"  The  wicked  shall  fall  by  his  own  naughtiness;" 
the  ungodly  falls  into  the  net  he  spreads  for  his 
neighbour's  feet. — Ibid. 


JASHOBEAM,    ELEAZAR,    AND 
SHAMMAH. 

I.  Their  Devoted  Loyalty. 

[17965]  During  the  wars  with  the  Philistines 
David,  heated  with  the  sun  while  scanning  the 
hosts  of  his  enemies,  suddenly  gave  expression 
to  a  desire  for  water  from  the  well  of  Bethlehem. 
"  Oh  that  one  would  give  me  drink  of  the  water 
of  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  which  is  by  the  gate  !" 
He  had  probably  been  thinking  of  his  boyhood, 
and  gave  utterance  to  this,  which  was  a  sort  of 
passionate  outburst  of  home  longing.  It  was 
just  like  David  with  his  intense  nature  to  speak 
and  act  in  the  way  recorded  in  these  verses. 
Just  as  an  Italian  in  a  northern  region  longs 
for  the  fruits  and  blue  skies  of  his  own  land,  so 
David  longed  for  this  water.  He  contrasts  its 
limpid  freshness  with  the  muddy  liquid  brought 
to  him  from  the  much-used  well  or  shallow  pond 
near  his  encampment.  Perhaps  wearied  of  rule, 
he  desired  to  be  a  boy  again,  and  so  thought  of 
the  well  around  which  he  had  played.  His 
remark  was  heard  by  the  men  who  formed  his 
body-guard  or  staff,  and  they  resolved  to  obtain 
the  water  for  him.  What  ought  they  not  to  do 
for  a  king  of  such  courage,  and  at  the  same 
time  such  affection  .?  Jashobeam,  Eleazar,  and 
Shammah  determine  that  his  wish  for  the  water 
shall  be  gratified,  and  they  plan  their  sortie 
with  caution,  and  carry  it  out  with  courage  and 
celerity.  At  dusk  they  steal  up,  break  through 
the  lines  of  the  enemy,  overpowering  and  silen- 
cing the  sentinels,  and  reach  the  well  at  last. 
Two  defend  the  one  who  draws  the  water,  then, 
putting  it  into  a  skin,  that  one  slings  it  over  his 
shoulder,  and  they  fight  their  way  out  of  the 
surrounding  host,  bearing  the  water  to  the  king. 


17965— 17970] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[doeg. 


Brave  men  ! 
Ibid. 


Brave   act !      Loyal  service  !- 


II.   HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

I  The  devoted  loyalty  of  these  men  to  David 
teaches  loyal  devotion  to  his  "  greater 
Son." 

[17966]  What  ought  not  we  to  venture  for  the 
sake  of  cnir  Leader  and  King  ?  What  ought 
not  we  to  be  ready  to  do  to  gain  the  water  of 
life?  It  is  far  better  than  that  of  the  well  of 
Bethlehem.  It  only  can  satisfy  the  soul  ;  and 
it  will  be  as  a  "  well  of  water  springing  up  into 
eternal  life."  Having  found  this  great  boon,  we 
should  show  our  devotion  to  Christ  in  every 
way  possible. — Ibid. 

[17967]  We  should  be  loyal  to  Him  who  is  a 
greater  leader  than  David.  Men  have  been 
true  to  conscience  and  to  Christ  at  the  peril  of 
life,  and  this  should  stimulate  us  to  greater 
devotion  and  faithfulness.  Listen  to  old  Conde, 
when  his  king  told  him  to  choose  between  three 
things — either  to  hear  Mass,  to  go  to  death,  or 
imprisonment.  He  said,  "  With  regard  to  the 
first,  I  have  fully  determined  never  to  hear  it  ; 
and  as  to  the  second  and  third  course,  I  am 
perfectly  indifferent,  and  I  leave  the  choice  to 
your  majesty.'"'  Brave  bold  words,  the  outcome 
of  a  true  faith.  Oh,  it  does  us  good  to  listen  to 
such  words,  and  to  contemplate  such  devotion. 
Such  loyalty  to  Christ  thrills  us.  We  want,  all 
want  more  of  the  heroic  spirit.  The  world 
wants  Jiien^  not  weaklings,  and  Christ  and  His 
Church  call  now  for  such  loyal,  manly  souls. — 
Ibid. 

[17968]  An  incident  has  been  recorded  con- 
cerning that  great  Italian  patriot  who  did  so 
much  towards  promoting  the  unity  of  the  Penin- 
sula, which  shows  his  kindness  of  heart,  readi- 
ness of  action,  and  persistency  of  purpose,  and 
explains,  in  a  measure,  the  secret  of  the  power 
he  had  gained  over  others.  One  evening  in 
1861,  as  the  patriot  was  returning  home,  he  met 
a  Sardinian  shepherd  lamenting  the  loss  of  a 
lamb  out  of  his  flock.  The  soldier  patriot  at 
once  turned  to  his  staff,  and  announced  his  in- 
tention of  scouring  the  mountain  in  search  of 
the  lamb.  A  grand  expedition  was  immediately 
organized  —  lanterns  were  brought,  and  old 
officers  of  many  a  campaign  started  off,  full  of 
zeal,  to  seek  for  the  fugitive.  But  no  lamb  was 
found  ;  and  the  soldiers  were  ordered  to  their 
beds.  The  next  morning  the  general's  atten- 
dant found  him  in  bed  fast  asleep.  He  was  sur- 
prised at  this,  for  the  general  was  always  up 
before  anybody  else.  The  attendant  went  off 
soltly,  and  returned  in  half  an  hour — still  the 
general  slept.  After  another  delay,  the  attend- 
ant thought  he  was  doing  his  duty  by  awakening 
his  master.  The  general  rubbed  his  eyes,  and 
his  attendant  rubbed  his  too  when  he  saw  the 
old  warrior  take  from  under  the  covering  the 
lost  lamb,  bidding  him  convey  it  to  the  shepherd. 
The  head  of  the  forces  at  least  had  kept  up  the 


search,  and,  when  all  others  abandoned  it,  was 
successful.  Now,  what  would  not  be  the  effect 
on  the  soldiers  and  officers  of  such  persistency 
on  the  part  of  so  great  a  man  ?  What  ought 
not  to  be  the  effect  of  Christ's  love  upon  us? 
Surely  to  Him  we  ought  to  give  our  truest  grati- 
tude and  most  loyal  service.  Christ  seeks  us, 
and  values  our  devotion,  even  as  David  valued 
that  of  those  who  were  numbered  among  his 
brave  ones.  We  can  be  faithful  and  courageous  ; 
we  should  fight  hard  against  the  temptation  to 
postpone  or  to  put  aside  the  question  as  to 
whether  we  will  serve  Him  thus  fully  or  not. 
Break  through  the  ranks  of  opposition  as  Jasho- 
beam,  Eleazar,  and  Shammah.  As  Christians 
we  should  be  ready  to  obey  our  Master's  slightest 
desire,  and  should  stand  before  the  Saviour 
consciously  and  absolutely  consecrated,  even  as 
the  three  brave  men  were  to  David. — Ibid. 

2  The  example  of  their  love  and  courage 
directs  attention  to  the  far  greater  display 
of  these  virtues  by  Christ. 

[17969]  Let  us  not  speak  of  what  we  have 
done,  but  of  what  has  been  done  for  us  by  our 
King.  He  has  broken  through  the  ranks  of 
evil,  to  gain  for  us  the  water  of  life.  In  solid 
phalanx  the  evil  powers  stood  around  His  cross, 
but  He  penetrated  the  dark  hosts,  and  secured 
for  us  the  waters  of  salvation.  He  opened  the 
fountain  also  for  the  washing  away  of  sin  and 
all  uncleanness.  We  know  not  the  cost,  because 
we  know  so  little  of  the  nature  of  Him  who, 
though  He  was  rich,  for  our  sakes  "  became 
poor.''  None  could  measure  the  depth  of  the 
sufferings  of  the  Redeemer,  the  anguish  of  soul 
arising  not  only  from  man's  rejection  and  sin, 
but  the  hiding  of  the  Father's  face.  But  He 
was  willing  to  endure  all  that  He  might  effect  His 
purpose  of  love  and  save  that  which  was  lost. — 
Ibid, 


DOEG. 

\.  His  Despicable  Character. 

I       He   displayed  an  informer's   utter  selfish- 
ness. 

[17970]  Jonathan  had  revealed  to  David  that 
it  was  not  safe  for  him  to  remain  near  the  court ; 
so  he  departed  and  went  to  Nob,  to  Abimelech 
the  priest,  who  was  afraid  when  David  made 
his  appearance,  knowing  that  whosoever  showed 
kindness  to  him  would  become  the  object  of  the 
king's  wrath  :  however,  he  acted  the  part  of  the 
good  Samaritan  towards  him,  and  gave  him  the 
hallowed  bread,  as  well  as  the  sword  of  Goliath, 
which  was  wrapped  in  a  cloth  behind  the  ephod. 
It  so  happened  that  Doeg,  an  Edomite,  the 
chiefest  of  the  herdsmen  that  belonged  to  Saul, 
was  present  that  day,  having  been  detained 
before  the  Lord.  It  was  by  no  means  a  con- 
genial place  for  him  to  be  in  ;  but,  inasmuch 
as  he  was  a  proselyte,  and  certain  rites  must 
be   observed,   he    could    not   disobey   the   law 


232 

I7970— 17976] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[nabal. 


and  retain  his  place  in  the  service  of  the  king. 
When  this  rehgious  detention  came  to  an  end 
Doeg  attended  on  Saul,  who  was  very  anxious 
to  know  who  had  befriended  David  his  enemy. 
It  is  possible  that  many  of  those  who  were 
around  him  had  heard  that  Abimelech  had  been 
kind  to  him,  but  they  would  not  tell  this  to  the 
king,  well  knowing  his  nature  and  the  punish- 
ment which  would  inevitably  fall  on  the  priest. 
No  one  but  Doeg  would  inform  on  the  servant 
of  the  Most  High.  —  Preacher's  Emblematory 
Helps. 

[17971]  Saul  had  studied  human  nature  to 
some  purpose,  so  a  bribe  is  suggested.  This 
would  open  the  lips  if  anything  would.  Then 
Saul  said  unto  his  servants  that  stood  about 
him,  "  Hear  now,  ye  Benjamites  ;  will  the  son 
of  Jesse  give  every  one  of  you  fields  and  vine- 
yards, and  make  you  all  captains  of  thousands 
and  captains  of  hundreds  ?  "  as  if  he  said,  "  I  can 
do  that,  and  will  do  it  to  the  man  that  will  in- 
form me  who  the  friends  of  my  foe  are."  The 
moment  these  words  were  spoken  Doeg  said, 
"  I  saw  the  son  of  Jesse  coming  to  Nob,  to 
Abimelech  the  son  of  Ahitub.  And  he  inquired 
of  the  Lord  for  him,  and  gave  him  victuals,  and 
gave  him  the  sword  of  Goliath  the  Philistine." 
This  was  a  splendid  opportunity  for  Doeg  to 
become  rich,  no  longer  to  have  any  care  or 
trouble,  and  he  avails  himself  of  it  :  he  cared 
not  what  would  become  of  David  nor  Abime- 
lech, provided  he  could  gain  the  favour  of  the 
king  and  the  reward  that  was  likely  to  be  given 
for  such  information.  Bribery  has  a  tremendous 
power  over  unprincipled  men.  Nothing  is  too 
base  for  them  to  accomplish  if  the  bribe  be 
■tempting  enough.  There  is  a  certain  amount 
•of  selfishness  in  all  hearts  ;  but  the  informer  is 
ruled  and  governed  entirely  by  this  low  prin- 
ciple. There  is  a  certain  class  of  people  living 
to-day  very  much  like  Doeg,  skulking  about  the 
household  and  the  sanctuary  to  see  what  is 
going  on,  and  who  delight  in  giving  information 
of  the  faults  and  shortcomings  of  others,  think- 
ing that  they  will  be  able  to  exalt  themselves 
thereby.  Selfishness  withers  all  manly  virtues, 
it  is  only  as  man  frees  himself  from  its  power  he 
can  rise  in  moral  worth. — Ibid. 

2       He     displayed     an     informer's     heartless 
cruelty. 

[17972]  The  cruelty  of  the  man  was  suffi- 
ciently manifested  when  he  revealed  the  name  of 
the  priest  who  had  assisted  David,  inasmuch  as 
he  was  perfectly  aware  that  the  king's  venge- 
ance would  fall  upon  him.  But  his  cruel  nature 
was  more  clearly  revealed  in  the  execution  of 
the  priest  :  the  servants  of  Saul  risked  their 
lives  in  disobeying,  but  Doeg  was  ready  to  do 
the  work  without  hesitation. — Ibid. 

[17973]  Among  many  deeds  of  cruelty  and 
bloodshed,  which  stain  the  pages  of  even  Holy 
Writ,  that  of  Doeg  stands  out  conspicuous  for 
its  heartless  savagery,  when  he  first  butchered 
eighty-five  ecclesiastics  and  then  put  their  city 


to  the  sword,  destroying  women  and  children 
and  cattle  in  his  insatiable  lust  of  murder. — 
M.J. 

3       He  displayed  an  informer's  shameless  want 
of  self-respect, 

[17974]  Many  of  Saul's  servants  were  tempted 
to  mention  some  persons  who  were  friends  of 
David ;  but  no  one  was  so  degraded  as  to  turn  an 
informer  but  this  Doeg.  Whatever  might  have 
been  the  political  opinion  of  the  people  at  the 
time,  and  whatever  view  they  might  have  taken 
of  the  enmity  of  Saul  towards  his  son-in-law, 
they  honoured  the  priesthood,  and  held  them  in 
esteem  on  account  of  their  office  ;  everything 
connected  with  the  sanctuary  was  held  sacred. 
This  fellow  Doeg,  however,  was  ready  to  dis- 
close all  he  knew  ;  it  mattered  not  whether  the 
priest  would  be  disgraced  or  not,  provided  he 
could  gain  his  own  end.  There  are  degrees  in 
degradation  ;  the  informer  seems  to  have 
reached  the  lowest  step.  He  is  considered  the 
most  despicable,  all  persons  shun  him  ;  they  do 
this  for  self- protection,  because  nothing  is 
sacred  to  him  ;  they  shun  him  also  because  his 
character  is  so  vile  ;  he  must  have  lost  all  self- 
respect  before  he  could  become  a  traitor.  — 
Preachet's  Emblematory  Helps. 


NABAL. 

I.  Introductory. 

His  social  position. 

[17975]  This  man  was  placed  by  Providence 
in  a  condition  to  enjoy  as  much  happiness  as 
the  world  can  give.  David  salutes  him  as  the 
7nan  who  lived  in  prosperity.  He  was  dis- 
tinguished from  all  around  him  by  extensive 
possessions,  success  in  business,  the  multitude 
of  his  flocks,  the  number  of  his  servants,  and 
the  grandeur  of  his  entertainments.  In  addi- 
tion to  all  this,  he  was  highly  favoured  in  his 
domestic  connection.  The  woman  whom  he 
had  chosen  for  his  companion  in  life  was  beauti- 
ful in  her  person,  superior  in  her  accomplish- 
ments, sweet  in  temper,  soft  in  her  manners,  and 
engaging  in  her  address.— /i.jz'.  /.  Lathrop,  D.D. 

II.  His  Dominant  Characteristics. 
I       Selfishness. 

[17976]  Nabal  was  morally  bad.  "He  avus 
evil  in  his  doings.  He  made  a  feast  like  a  king, 
and  was  very  drunken.  Those  who  accumulate 
wealth  cannot  tell  who  will  inherit  it,  nor  how 
it  will  be  employed.  Caleb  saved— Nabal  spent. 
Nabal  was  intensely  selfish.  His  true  character 
came  out  when  David  appealed  to  him  for  help. 
The  appeal  was  reasonable,  respectful,  and 
seasonable  ;  the  reply  was  selfish  and  insolent. 
"Shall  I  take  my  bread,  and  my  water,  and  my 
flesh,  and  give  it  unto  men  whom  I  know  not .?" 


17976—17983] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[nabal. 


Selfishness  is  one  of  the  greatest  evils  we  have 
to  contend  against. — Rev.  J.  IVoodlioiise. 

[17977]  The  repulse  which  Nabal  gave  to 
David's  messengers  shows  him  to  have  been  of 
a  contracted,  illiberal  mind.  If  the  happiness 
of  man  consisted  in  the  abundance  of  the  things 
which  he  possesses,  Nabal  had  been  happy. 
But  quite  the  reverse — an  abundance  without 
discretion  to  use  it,  capacity  to  enjoy  it,  and 
benevolence  to  apply  it,  tends  only  to  misery. 
To  a  narrow  and  covetous  soul  it  is  a  source  of 
jealousy,  anxiety,  and  fear. — Rev.  J.  Lathrop, 
D.D. 

2       Moroseness  and  churlishness. 

[1797S]  This  Nabal  appears  to  have  been 
peculiarly  fractious  and  troublesome  in  his  own 
family.  His  servants,  too  well  acquainted  with 
his  temper  and  manners,  characterize  him  as 
such  a  son  of  Belial,  that  a  man  cannot  speak 
to  him.  His  wife,  when  she  saw  danger  arising 
against  the  family,  ventured  not  to  speak  with 
him  on  the  subject.  The  happiness  of  domestic 
life  consists  most  essentially  in  peace  and 
harmony.  ,  The  peace  of  a  family  depends  on 
nothing  so  much  as  on  the  soft  and  easy  man- 
ners, the  courteous  and  obliging  language,  the 
smooth  and  placid  tempers  of  the  heads  to- 
ward each  other,  and  toward  the  inferior 
members.  Government  in  a  household  is  much 
better  supported  by  goodness  than  by  rigour. 
There  is  a  low,  grovelling  familiarity,  which 
renders  a  man  contemptible  ;  but  to  avoid  this, 
he  need  not  be  a  tyrant.  Wanton  severity  is 
inconsistent  with  domestic  authority.  This 
may  produce  a  fear  and  dread,  which  will 
operate  occasionally  ;  goodness  only  will  in- 
spire with  that  calm  reverence  and  steady 
affection  which  are  the  true  principles  of  obedi- 
ence.— Ibid. 

[17979]  View  the  man  only  in  regard  to  his 
social  position  and  you  would  pronounce  him 
one  of  the  happiest  of  mortals.  In  the  sequel, 
however,  you  find  him  quite  the  reverse.  He 
stands  distinguished,  as  much  for  his  infamous 
life  and  miserable  death,  as  for  his  worldly 
greatness  and  prosperity.  If  you  ask,  What 
could  make  so  prosperous  a  man  unhappy  "i 
the  historian  tells  you.  The  man  was  churlish 
and  evil  in  his  doings.  The  character  of  the 
churl  ascribed  to  Nabal  is  drawn  at  large  by 
the  prophet  Isaiah  (chap,  xxxii.  5):  "The  vile 
person  shall  no  more  be  called  liberal,  nor  the 
churl  said  to  be  bountiful  ;  for  the  vile  person 
will  speak  villany,  and  his  heart  will  work 
iniquity,  to  practise  hypocrisy,  and  utter  error 
against  the  Lord,  to  make  empty  the  soul  of  the 
hungry,  and  he  will  cause  the  drink  of  the 
thirsty  to  fail.  The  instruments  also  of  the 
churl  are  evil.  He  deviseth  wicked  devices  to 
destroy  the  poor  with  lying  words,  even  when 
the  needy  speaketh  right  :  but  the  liberal 
deviseth  liberal  things,  and  by  liberal  things 
shall  he  stand."— /^/^. 


[17980]  The  answer  which  he  returned  to 
David's  polite  request,  discovered  the  savage 
more  than  the  man.  "  Who  is  David  ?  Who 
is  the  son  of  Jesse .-'  There  be  many  servants 
nowadays  that  break  away  every  man  from  his 
master.  Shall  I  then  take  my  bread,  and  my 
water,  and  the  flesh  which  I  have  killed  for  my 
shearers,  and  give  them  to  men  whom  I  know 
not  whence  they  be  ?  "  Whatever  allowance 
may  be  made  for  a  harsh  expression  under  a 
sudden  provocation,  such  cool,  unprovoked 
scurrility,  such  railing  in  return  for  civility, 
indicates  a  heart  thoroughly  vitiated  and 
depraved.  Religion  requires  that  our  speech 
be  always  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt,  that 
we  be  gentle  to  all  men,  courteous,  and  easy 
to  be  entreated. — Ibid. 

3  Ingratitude. 

[17981]  Ingratitude  was  conspicuous  in  the 
character  of  Nabal.  He  rendered  evil  for  good. 
David  politely  suggests  the  good  offices  which 
his  people  had  done  for  Nabal,  while  his  flocks 
were  abroad  in  the  fields.  Nabal's  shepherds 
confess  the  justice  of  the  representation.  "  The 
men,"  say  they,  "were  very  good  to  us;  we 
were  not  hurt,  neither  lacked  we  anything,  as 
long  as  we  were  conversant  with  them  in  the 
fields,  but  they  were  a  wall  to  us  by  night  and 
by  day."  The  smallest  sense  of  obligation  would 
have  prompted  a  voluntary  acknowledgment  to 
those  who  had  yielded  him  such  friendly  pro- 
tection, at  a  time,  too,  when  their  necessities 
were  urgent,  and  they  had  power  to  have  taken 
with  impunity  whatever  their  occasion  required. 
But  instead  of  this,  to  reject  their  decent  appli- 
cation, and  revile  them  as  a  gang  of  runaway 
servants,  was  a  striking  proof  of  a  base  and 
ungrateful  heart. — Ibid. 

[17982]  In  point  of  fact,  David  had  a  right  to 
a  share  of  Nabal's  profits.  The  harvest  was  in 
part  David's  harvest,  for  without  David  it  never 
could  have  been  reaped.  The  sheep  were  in 
part  David's  sheep,  for  without  David  not  a 
sheep  would  have  been  spared  by  the  marauders 
of  the  hills.  Not  a  sheaf  of  corn  was  carried  to 
Nabal's  barn  :  nor  a  night  passed  in  repose  by 
Nabal's  shepherds,  but  what  told  of  the  share 
of  David  in  the  saving  of  that  sheaf,  and  the 
procurement  of  that  repose  (not  the  less  real 
because  it  was  past  and  unseen).  The  right 
which  the  soldier  has  by  law  to  his  pay  was 
the  right  which  David  had  by  unwritten  law;  a 
right  resting  on  the  fact  that  his  services  were 
indispensable  for  the  harvest. — Rev.  F.  Robert- 
son. 

4  Intemperance. 

[17983]  A  habit  which  added  much  to  the 
infamy  of  his  character,  and  probably  aggra- 
vated the  ruggedness  of  his  temper  and  manners, 
was  intemperance.  At  the  time  when  his  wife 
was  interposing  to  divert  the  storm  which  his 
rudeness  had  raised  against  his  family,  the 
brute  himself  was  drunk.  "  He  held  a  feast  in 
his  house,  like  the  feast  of  a   king ;  and  his 


234 

179S3— 17990] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[nabal. 


heart  was  merry  within  him,  for  he  was  very- 
drunken."  The  manner  in  which  he  flew  on 
David's  messengers  gives  reason  to  suspect 
that  his  spirit  had  ah'cady  been  heated. — Rev. 
J.  Lathrop,  D.D. 

5       Cowardice, 

[17984]  This  Nabal  was  as  infamous  for  his 
pusillanimity  as  for  the  violence  of  his  passions 
and  the  rudeness  of  his  manners.  When  Abigail 
related  to  him  David's  high  resentment  and 
bloody  resolution,  and  the  manner  in  which  she 
had  prevented  the  approaching  evil,  "his  heart 
died  within  him,  and  became  as  a  stone."  Such 
a  fatal  shock  did  the  story  give  him,  that  he 
survived  it  only  ten  days.  Though  he  could 
rail  on  David  at  a  distance,  in  haughty  and 
blustering  language,  yet  he  had  not  fortitude  to 
meet  a  danger  when  it  was  coming,  nor  even  to 
bear  the  recital  of  it  after  it  was  past.  His 
soul,  enfeebled  by  passion  and  intemperance, 
immediately  sunk  under  the  thought  of  calamity. 
A  firmness  to  meet  danger  and  bear  adversity 
is  seldom  found  in  those  who  give  indulgence 
to  appetite  and  passion.  "This  takes  away  the 
heart."  If  we  would  be  prepared  for  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  an  inconstant  world,  we  must  habituate 
ourselves  to  sobriety  and  self-government.  If 
we  would  enjoy  the  blessings  of  friendship,  and 
the  comfort  of  our  worldly  possessions,  we  must 
restrain  our  appetites,  rectify  our  tempers,  and 
rule  our  tongues.  The  greatest  affluence  can 
never  make  a  man  happy  without  a  virtuous 
mind  and  prudent  manners. — Ibid. 


III.  His  Doom. 

1  It    was    death    direct    from    the    hand   of 
God. 

[179S5]  "The  Lord  smote  him  that  he  died." 
The  same  chapter  contains  the  record  of  two 
deaths.  Samuel  had  been  devout  and  useful, 
and  now  they  make  great  lamentation.  Nabal 
had  been  selfish  and  wicked,  and  now  they 
experience  a  feeling  of  relief. — Rev.  J.  Wood- 
house. 

2  It  was  preceded  by  no  warning. 
[17986]    The   death   of    Nabal   was   a  great 

surprise.  It  was  a  surprise  to  David  ;  to  his 
servants  ;  to  his  wife.  Death  is  always  a  sur- 
prise. Even  the  sick  cherish  a  secret  hope  that 
they  will  recover.  We  know  that  death  is  in 
the  world,  but  we  do  not  think  he  is  near  to  us, 
or  to  those  we  love. — Ibid. 

[179S7]  The  death  of  Nabal  was  very  sudden. 
Ten  days  ago  he  was  reaping,  now  he  is  reaped  : 
then  he  was  full  of  mirth,  now  he  is  over- 
whelmed with  misery  :  then  he  was  drunk,  now 
he  is  dead.  He  perished  for  his  sin.  He  with- 
held bread  from  the  perishing,  and  God  smote 
him  that  he  died.  God  will  not  let  the  selfish 
go  unpunished.  He  speaks  before  He  smites. 
—Ibid. 


IV.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I       The    churl    is    a    solitary    and    miserable 
man. 

[17988]  The  man  who  can  never  give  an 
answer  mildly,  nor  grant  a  request  cheerfully — 
who  can  never  pass  over  the  smallest  fault 
without  menaces,  nor  reward  a  virtuous  action 
with  his  smiles — who  can  never  speak  but  with 
stern  and  forbidding  airs,  nor  reprove  and  ad- 
vise but  with  rough  and  boisterous  passion — 
who  never  can  enter  into  easy  conversation  with 
his  companion,  nor  invite  his  children  to  the 
entertainment  of  instructive  or  amusing  dis- 
course— who  can  show  no  tokens  of  approba- 
tion when  they  have  endeavoured  to  please 
him,  nor  restrain  the  storm  of  passion  if  a 
cross  accident  happens — such  a  man,  however 
he  may  be  feared,  cannot  be  reverenced  ;  though 
he  may  be  dreaded,  he  cannot  be  loved.  .  .  . 
This  man  can  enjoy  none  of  the  pleasures  of 
domestic  friendship — the  pleasure  of  mingling 
souls,  exchanging  sentiments,  and  communica- 
ting the  feelings  of  the  heart.  His  state  is  a 
kind  of  solitude  ;  he  has  free  intercourse  with 
none  :  and  they  who  are  compelled  to  be  near 
him  think  their  state  worse  than  solitude,  be- 
cause they  are  in  perpetual  fear.  Abigail,  in 
her  important  adventure  to  pacify  David's  ex- 
asperated spirit,  conferred  with  her  servants 
rather  than  with  her  husband.  From  his  advice 
she  could  expect  no  aid  ;  and  it  was  dangerous 
to  speak  to  him. — Rev.  J.  Lathrop,  D.D. 

[17989]  The  churl  incapable  of  doing  good 
is  more  miserable  in  proportion  to  his  abun- 
dance. His  only  enjoyment  is  mere  animal 
gratification  ;  and  this  is  often  accompanied 
with  regret.  He  is  vexed  with  perpetual  sus- 
picions of  the  envy  and  ill  intentions  of  his 
neighbours.  If  he  gives,  it  is  with  reluctance. 
His  alms  are  extorted  rather  than  bestowed. 
He  reflects  upon  them  with  pain.  He  upbraids 
those  who  have  received  them.  He  accuses 
himself  with  folly  and  imprudence,  and  re- 
solves to  guard  in  future  against  such  waste 
and  misapplication.  The  action  which  in  good 
men  would  be  a  virtue,  becomes  a  vice  in  him 
by  the  evil  passions  which  it  awakens  ;  and 
that  which  would  gratify  their  benevolent  feel- 
ings is  a  torment  to  him,  by  crossing  the 
intentions  of  his  illiberal  heart. — Ibid. 

2  That  selfishness  which  was  the  root-evil 
of  Nabal's  character  is  an  almost  uni- 
versal vice. 

[17990]  Selfishness  shows  itself  in  every  period 
of  life.  In  childhood,  youth,  old  age.  Selfish- 
ness shows  itself  in  various  ways  in  life.  We 
see  it  in  eating,  drinking,  and  in  dress.  Selfish- 
ness shows  itself  in  every  grade  of  society. 
Among  the  rich  and  the  poor  ;  the  learned  and 
the  ignorant.  Who  does  not  make  gold  God  ? 
It  conquers  poets,  politicians,  and  priests.  It 
degrades  merchants,  members,  and  ministers. 
Selfishness  is  everywhere.  We  find  it  in  the 
market  —  buying   or   selling;    in   the   palace — 


I7990— I7995J 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


fBARZILLAI. 


dressed  in  purple  and  fine  linen.  Even  in 
God's  house  and  in  God's  presence  we  bow  to 
the  idol  self — dress  it ;  feed  it  ;  pamper  it  ;  and 
worship  it.  Selfishness  is  opposed  to  the  genius 
of  the  gospel.  It  is  contrary  to  the  life  of  Christ. 
"He  gave  Himself  a  ransom  for  many."  "Ye 
know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that 
though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  He 
became  poor,  that  we,  through  His  poverty, 
might  be  made  rich." — Rev.  J.  IVoodhouse. 

3  The    history   of    Nabal    furnishes   an    in- 
stance of  the  impotence  of  mere  wealth. 

(1)  //  cannot  ensure  ti'ue  happiness. 

[ 1 7991]  Nabal  was  a  rich  man.  His  house 
was  well  furnished  ;  his  table  well  spread  ;  his 
barns  well  tilled  ;  his  sheep  and  goats  well  fed  ; 
but  his  possessions  did  not  make  him  happy. 
He  was  a  churlish,  miserable,  wicked  man. 
Riches  cannot  satisfy  the  deep  cravings  of  the 
soul.  Many  a  rich  man's  heart  bears  the  same 
inscription  that  a  great  man  had  put  on  his 
tomb — "  Most  miserable." — Ibid. 

(2)  //  ca7tnot  comniaJid genidne  respect. 
[17992]  Nabal's  servants  despised  him,  and  his 

wife  apologized  for  his  boorish  manners.  Rich 
men  have  followers  and  flatterers,  but,  like  swal- 
lows, they  are  only  seen  in  the  summer.  There 
are  loungers  in  every  court  ;  drones  in  every 
hive.  Riches  cannot  purchase  genuine  respect ; 
cannot  ensure  sincere  love. — Ibid. 

(3)  //  cannot  impart  true  greatness. 
[17993]  Nabal   was  called   great  ;  he  looked 

great ;  he  probably  felt  great,  but  his  heart  was 
shrunk  and  shrivelled.  True  greatness  does  not 
consist  in  what  a  man  has,  but  in  what  he  is. 
Greatness  is  not  measured  by  gold,  but  by 
goodness  :  not  by  the  length  of  a  man's  purse, 
but  by  the  depth  of  his  piety.  An  artist's  eye 
is  worth  more  than  a  king's  pictures  :  a  poet's 
mind  is  more  than  a  prince's  gold.  Nabal  was 
a  rich  man.  He  had  bread,  cattle,  land,  but  he 
had  a  miser's  heart  and  a  miserable  home. — 
Ibid. 

4  Nabal    the    churl    is    an   example   of   the 
baseness  of  ingratitude. 

[17994]  The  happiness  of  mankind  depends 
much  on  reciprocal  courtesies.  It  is  often  in 
our  power  to  render  essential  services  to  our 
neighbours  without  sensible  inconvenience  to 
ourselves.  A  liberal  mind  rejoices  in  such 
opportunities.  Who  of  us  on  recollection  will 
not  find  that  he  has  frecjuently  received  un- 
solicited benefits  from  those  around  him  .?  We 
easily  feel  and  remember  an  injury.  But  the 
kindnesses  done  us  are  more  numerous  than 
the  injuries.  Men  seldom  ofter  a  direct  inten- 
tional wrong,  unless  they  are  pressed  with  great 
temptations,  or  impelled  by  accidental  passions, 
and  these  usually  are  transient.  But  there  are 
a  thousand  little  offices  of  goodness,  which  they 
voluntarily  perform  because  they  come  naturally 
in  their  way,  and  fall  in  with  the  common  feel- 
ings  of    humanity.      It   would    tend   much    to 


cement  friendship,  unite  neighbours,  and  pre- 
serve the  peace  of  society,  if  instead  of  seriously 
noticing  every  trivial  and  casual  wrong,  we 
should  acknowledge  and  requite  the  good  turns 
which  are  done  us.  The  man  who  finds  that 
his  goodness  is  well  accepted  feels  himself  re- 
paid, and  is  encouraged  to  repeat  it.  But  in- 
dift'erence  and  inattention  in  those  whom  he 
has  studied  to  oblige,  mortifies  his  feelings,  and 
damps  the  ardour  of  his  benevolence.  Be  sure, 
it  a  substantial  kindness  is  done  us  in  the  time 
of  our  calamity,  to  neglect  the  benefactor  in  the 
day  of  our  prosperity  and  his  misfortune  is  a 
degree  of  ingratitude  not  easy  to  be  borne. 
Indifference,  in  such  a  case,  wounds  more 
deeply  than  a  positive  injury  in  another ;  a 
positive  injury  in  this  case  will  wound  more 
deeply  still.  Nabal's  ingratitude  was  provoking  ; 
the  scurrility  added  to  it  was  intolerable. — Rev. 
J.  Lathrop,  D.D. 


BARZILLAL 

I.  A  Model  Philanthropist. 

[17995]  David,  during  the  rebellion  of  his 
son  Absalom,  had  to  leave  Jerusalem,  and,  with 
the  faithful  followers  who  still  remained  true  to 
his  cause,  crossed  the  river  Jordan  with  all 
haste,  lest  they  should  be  overtaken  by  the 
army  of  Absalom.  When  they  had  marched  as 
far  as  Mahanaim,  they  were  much  fatigued,  and 
their  supplies  had  become  exhausted.  A  few 
persons  who  lived  in  the  neighbourhood  had 
compassion  on  them,  and  made  all  the  pro- 
vision they  could  to  satisfy  their  hunger.  "  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  David  was  come  to 
Mahanaim,  that  Shobi  the  son  of  Nahash  of 
Rabbah  of  the  children  of  Ammon,  and  Machir 
the  son  of  Ammiel  of  Lo-debar,  and  Barzillai 
the  Gileadite  of  Rogelim,  brought  beds,  and 
basins,  and  earthen  vessels,  and  wheat,  and 
barley,  and  flour,  and  parched  corn,  and  beans, 
and  lentils,  and  parched  pulse  and  honey,  and 
butter,  and  sheep,  and  cheese  of  kine,  for 
David,  and  for  the  people  that  were  with  him,  to 
eat ;  for  they  said,  "  The  people  is  hungry,  and 
weary,  and  thirsty  in  the  wilderness."  That  is 
the  first  thing  we  hear  recorded  concerning 
Barzillai.  After  the  rebellion  had  been  stamped 
out,  the  people  demanded  the  return  of  David 
to  Jerusalem  ;  and  among  those  who  formed 
the  escort  of  the  king  on  his  return,  we  find 
that  Barzillai,  aged  as  he  was,  had  come  down 
from  Rogelim  to  conduct  the  king  over  Jordan. 
David  invited  him  to  accompany  him  all  the 
way,  and  to  make  his  home  with  him  at  Jeru- 
salem. This  invitation  was  gracefully  declined, 
assigning  as  a  reason  his  old  age  ;  and  after 
going  a  little  beyond  the  banks  of  the  Jordan, 
he  returned  to  his  home  to  die  in  peace.  This 
brief  record  proves  him  to  be  a  true  philan- 
thropist.— Anon. 


236 

17996- 


-17998] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
lEVVISH    ERA. 


[BARZILI-AI. 


X      He    manifcoted    his   philanthropy  in    the 
right  spirit. 

[17996]  This  man  never  dreamed  of  being 
paid  for  what  he  did  to  David,  "The  people 
are  hungry,  and  weary,  and  thirsty  in  the  wil- 
derness," was  the  only  consideration  which 
prompted  the  deed.  True  sympathy  needs  only 
the  sight  of  misery  and  distress,  activity  instan- 
taneously will  follow.  There  was  a  splendid 
opportunity  for  Barzillai  to  be  lionized  at  Jeru- 
salem, as  the  great  philanthropist  who  had 
come  to  the  aid  of  the  king  and  his  army  when 
in  distress  ;  but  he  modestly  retired  to  his  home, 
with  a  thankful  heart  to  God  for  having  enabled 
him  to  do  his  duty  towards  his  fellow-creatures. 
It  may  be  that  there  is  a  little  overmuch  anxiety 
to  see  our  names  flourish  in  missionary  reports 
and  on  relief-fund  lists.  Doubtless  many  would 
be  ashamed  to  see  this  and  the  other  subscrip- 
tion list  in  the  daily  paper,  as  they  leisurely  sip 
their  coffee  in  the  morning,  without  a  respect- 
able sum  after  their  names  ;  so  the  money  is 
wrung  out  of  their  pockets,  not  that  they  care 
for  the  poor  any  more  than  Judas  did  of  old. 
However,  we  are  conhdent  that  in  no  age  of 
the  world  has  genuine  philanthropy  been  mani- 
fested to  a  larger  extent  than  in  the  present  : 
larger  amounts  are  contributed,  and  greater 
personal  efforts  are  made  to  redeem  man  from 
the  grasp  of  vice,  disease,  and  want,  than  in 
any  other  period  in  the  world's  history.  Thank 
Heaven,  there  is  a  large  and  noble  army  of 
self-sacrificing  men  and  women  battling  bravely 
every  day  with  the  enemy  in  the  courts  and 
alleys  of  our  cities  and  large  towns,  who  have 
not  the  remotest  idea  of  having  their  names 
trumpeted  before  men  ;  neither  have  they  ever 
dreamt  of  being  invited  to  a  king's  table.  They 
do  it  from  love  to  the  great  King,  "Go,  and  do 
thou  likewise." — Ibid. 

2      He    manifested    his    philanthropy   in    the 
right  season. 

[17997]  A  few  months  before  such  a  gift  as 
that  presented  by  Barzillai  would  not  have  been 
despised  perhaps,  but  it  would  not  be  valued  as 
it  was  in  the  wilderness.  Now,  David  and  his 
men  were  in  need  of  rest  and  food,  the  gift 
therefore  was  exceedingly  precious.  It  is  often 
the  case,  that  many  philanthropic  efforts  are 
useless,  inasmuch  as  they  are  bestowed  on  per- 
sons utterly  worthless,  and  because  they  are  not 
made  at  the  proper  time.  When  a  man  is  really 
in  need,  then  is  the  time  to  help  him.  ...  It  is 
too  late  to  sympathize  with  that  poor  widow  who 
has  been  driven  out  of  the  room  she  occupied 
in  the  court  not  so  very  far  from  your  house, 
when  she  is  found  one  morning  on  your  door- 
step frozen  to  death.     A  neighbour  has  spent 


his  Hfe  in  sin  ;  you  had  plenty  of  opportunities 
to  do  him  spiritual  good,  but  never  thought  of 
it,  till  one  day  you  heard  he  was  dying  ;  then 
you  ran  to  see  him,  and  tried  to  lead  him  to 
Christ.  The  man,  however,  had  too  much  to 
do  to  fight  with  death  to  take  any  notice  of 
your  exhortations  and  to  join  in  your  prayers. 
Your  philanthropy  was  too  late.  The  greatest 
Philanthropist  that  the  world  ever  saw  died  in 
due  season  for  the  ungodly. — Jbid. 

3  He  manifested  his  philanthropy  in  the 
right  way. 
[17998]  Sympathy  is  good,  sometimes  better 
than  gold,  though  it  be  expressed  only  in  words. 
There  is  a  vast  amount  of  spurious  sympathy 
in  society.  You  have  probably  met  with  a  per- 
son who  looked  very  sad  when  you  related  to 
him  the  tale  of  the  manner  in  which  your 
mutual  friend  had  been  ruined  in  his  busi- 
ness, and  who  gave  expression  to  his  sorrow 
in  the  stereotyped  phrase,  "  I  can't  tell  how 
deeply  I  sympathize  with  him,"  at  the  same 
time,  though  enormously  rich,  would  permit  the 
friend  and  his  family  to  remain  in  want,  with- 
out lifting  a  finger  to  help  them.  There  is  a 
certain  amount  of  sacrifice  in  philanthropy  of 
the  right  stamp.  The  man  who  deviseth  wise 
schemes  for  the  good  of  the  race  is  worthy  of 
the  philanthropic  crown,  if  the  thinking  has 
cost  him  an  expenditure  of  brain-power,  though 
he  may  not  be  in  a  position  to  give  a  penny 
towards  the  execution  of  his  plans.  The  world 
is  more  indebted  to  the  sacrifice  of  brain-power 
and  to  the  liberal  expenditure  of  mind-wealth 
than  many  are  ready  to  acknowledge.  Barzillai 
could  not  be  content  to  go  out  to  the  camp, 
and  return  to  his  home  sighing  over  the  sad 
condition  of  the  king  and  his  followers  ;  he  did 
his  utmost  to  supply  their  need,  and  gave 
liberally  of  his  substance  to  keep  them  from 
hunger  and  perhaps  starvation.  Alas !  how 
many  do  we  see  rolling  in  wealth,  spending 
their  thousands  annually  upon  luxuries,  whilst 
scores  within  a  few  hundred  yards  from  their 
mansions  are  in  the  greatest  poverty,  and  some 
of  them  even  die  of  want.  At  missionary  and 
other  public  meetings  not  a  few  sigh  over  the 
degraded  condition  of  the  heathen  abroad  and 
at  home,  who  are  ready  to  pray  by  the  hour  for 
their  conversion,  and  at  the  same  time  take  the 
greatest  possible  care  to  select  the  smallest  coin 
from  their  heavy  purses  when  the  collection  is 
made.  The  cross  is  the  noblest  emblem  of 
philanthropy  in  the  universe  :  it  is  only  as  we 
try  to  imitate  Christ  in  giving  ourselves  away 
for  the  temporal  and  eternal  good  of  others, 
can  we  understand  the  deepest  meaning  of  the 
term  philanthropy. — Ibid. 


237 


PART    B.     (Continued.) 


JEWISH     ERA. 

{Continued.) 


DIVISION    II.     {Continued.) 
CHIEF  PERIOD  OF  NATIONAL  LIFE.     {Continued) 

b.   The  Monarchical  Portion.     {Continued.) 

(2)  Of  Divided  Kingdom. 

(Rehoboam  to  Zedekiah,  B.C.  975-606:  369  years.) 


SYLLABUS. 


icings  of  yudah. 
Rehoboam 

Abijah       

Asa      

"    Jehoshaphat 
Jehoram 
Ahaziah     ... 
Jehoash  ...  ... 

Amaziah    ... 
Uzziah 

Ahaz  

Hezekiah 

Manasseh... 

Anion 

Josiah 

Jehoiakim 

Zedekiah  ... 

Kings  of  Israel. 

Jeroboam        ...         ...         ,^ 

Ahab         

Jehu     ...         ...  ...         ... 

Prophets  and  Priests. 

Isaiah        ...         ...  ....         ...         ...         ,,, 

Jeremiah         ...         ...         ...         ... 

Hosea       ...         ...         ...         ...         ...         ... 

Joel     

Amos        ...         ...         ...         ... 

Jonah  

Elijah        

Elisha  

Man  of  God  from  Judah 

Hilkiah  

A  Miscellaneous  Group. 
Jabez 
Obadiah 
Gehazi 

Persons  {^chiefly  royal)  outside  the  Israelitish  Nation. 
Naaman 
Hazael 
Sennacherib  ... 


PAGE 
238 
242 
244 
246 
249 
250 

255 
257 
259 
263 
266 
267 
268 
269 


270 
272 
279 


281 

2S6 

295 
297 
300 

306 
323 

330 
331 


332 

335 
336 


344 
345 


Jonadab  ... 


348 


238 


PART  B.     (Continued.) 


JEWISH   ERA. 

[Continued.) 


REHOBOAM. 

I.  Introduction. 
He   came    to   the   throne   at    a    crisis    in   the 
political  history  of  Israel. 

[17999]  Breakers  ahead  !— the  fearful  sound, 
which  is  no  sooner  raised  by  the  outlook,  and 
passed  along  the  deck,  than  the  wheel  flies 
round,  and  the  ship's  head,  if  haply  not  too  late, 
is  put  on  the  other  tack  —  this  was  the  cry 
Rehoboam  might  have  heard  when  his  father's 
death  called  him  to  the  helm.  Like  the  flash 
of  the  snowy  foam  descried  through  the  pitchy 
night,  and  the  hoarse  roar  that  rises  above 
rattling  cordage,  creaking  timbers,  and  howling 
wind,  as  the  waves  thunder  on  the  reef,  there 
were  many  things  in  the  condition  of  Israel  at 
the  time  of  Rehoboam's  succession  to  warn  and 
to  alarm  him.  A  crisis  had  arrived,  requiring 
prompt  but  prudent  action,  consummate  skill, 
a  cool  head,  and  a  firm  hand  in  him  who  would 
extricate  the  State  and  save  the  throne. — Rev. 
T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[18000]  A  great  political  crisis  had  arrived. 
The  peril  was  imminent.  The  nation  was  on 
the  verge  of  rebellion  ;  nor  could  a  rebellion  be 
averted  but  by  the  most  skilful  and,  indeed, 
delicate  management.  The  king  stood  above 
a  magazine  of  combustibles.  An  angry  word 
or  look,  and  the  spark  falls  which  fires  them, 
and  shakes  his  kingdom  to  its  foundations — 
shatters  it  in  pieces ;  the  ship  hangs  on  a  moun- 
tain wave,  close  by  the  thundering  reef — a  wrong 
turn  of  the  helm,  and  she  goes  crashing  on  the 
rocks,  to  be  scattered  in  fragments  on  the  deep. 
A  difficult  post  Rehoboam's,  and  to  no  man  was 
the  saying  ever  less  appropriate  than  to  him, 
the  right  man  in  the  right  place. — Ibid. 

[ 1 8001]  The  way  to  the  disruption  was  paved 
in  his  father's  lifetime.  The  closing  years  of 
Solomon's  reign  were  oppressive,  and  the  people 
had  grown  restive  and  unquiet  under  the  burdens 
that  rested  heavily  upon  them.  A  change  in 
the   administration  ottered   an   inviting  oppor- 


tunity to  seek  redress  of  their  grievances.  The 
extensive  and  costly  erections,  and  the  sump- 
tuousness  of  his  vast  domestic  establishment, 
had  not  been  met  by  the  gains  of  his  wide- 
spread and  lucrative  commerce.  Taxes  had  im- 
poverished the  country  and  weighed  heavily  on 
its  people.  Now  that  the  charm  of  his  great 
name  was  withdrawn  the  smothered  discontent 
burst  forth  and  loudly  demanded  a  hearing. 
The  nation  rose  up  with  one  voice  to  ask  for 
a  reduction  of  their  burdens  and  a  relief  of  their 
grievances,  with  Jeroboam  at  their  head,  who 
was  smarting  under  a  sense  of  wrongs  of  his 
own,  as  well  as  swelling  with  the  ambition  en- 
gendered by  a  consciousness  of  ability. — Rev. 
R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

II.  His  Folly. 

I  It  was  strikingly  evinced  in  his  reply  to 
Jeroboam  in  accordance  with  the  young 
men's  counsel. 

[18002]  Illustrating  the  adage,  "Whom  God 
wishes  to  destroy  He  first  makes  mad."  Reho- 
boam rejected  the  counsel  of  the  wise  old  men 
who  had  stood  by  the  throne  and  sharpened 
their  own  wits  on  the  wisdom  of  his  father 
Solomon.  A  man  at  this  time  of  forty  years, 
he  might  have  known  that,  to  use  a  common 
proverb,  a  grey  head  is  not  found  on  young 
shoulders,  yet  in  this  crisis  of  his  affairs  he 
turns  his  back  on  aged  councillors  to  follow  the 
advice  of  rash  and  inexperienced  youths — of  his 
own  gay  companions,  the  ministers  of  his  guilty 
pleasures  and  flatterers  of  his  person.  It  was 
very  foolish  to  seek  their  advice,  but  it  was 
the  height  of  folly,  sheer  madness,  to  take  it, 
and  at  their  suggestion  lash  the  people  into 
rebellion  with  words  like  these,  "  My  father 
made  your  yoke  heavy,  and  I  will  add  to  your 
yoke  ;  my  father  chastened  you  with  whips,  but 
I  will  chasten  you  with  scorpions."  Adding 
insult  to  injury,  to  injustice  haughty  and  in- 
tolerable insolence,  this  was  not  to  drop  a  spark, 
but  cast  a  blazing  torch  into  a  magazine  of  com- 
bustibles.    With  the  suddenness  and  violence 


l8oo2— i8oo5] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[rehouoam. 


of  an  explosion  the  pent-up  indignation  of  years 
burst  forth  into  open  revolt.  Struck  with  terror 
at  his  own  work,  Rehoboarn  leaps  from  his 
throne  ;  and  as  he  tlies  the  tumult,  hears  the 
knell  of  his  kingdom  ringing  in  the  cry,  "  To 
your  tents,  O  Israel  !  what  portion  have  we  in 
David.''  neither  have  we  inheritance  in  the  son 
of  ]GS?>Q."—Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

2  It  was  still  further  displayed  in  his  selec- 
tion of  so  unpopular  a  messenger  as 
Adoram. 

[18003]  It  seems  hardly  possible  for  Reho- 
boarn to  do  anything  more  unwise.  Yet  his 
next  act  is  one  where  he  surpasses  himself — 
like  the  capital  on  a  pillar,  it  crowns  his  folly. 
Though  it  might  be  shutting  the  door  when  the 
steed  is  stolen,  or  the  desperate  action  of  one 
who  grasps,  as  he  drowns,  at  a  passing  straw, 
he  will  make  an  effort  to  recall  the  people  to 
their  obedience  ;  he  will  send  a  man  to  reason 
with  rebellion,  and  talk  them  out  of  their 
mutinous  spirit.  .  .  .  But  like  a  man  demented, 
without  a  glimmering  of  common  sense,  he 
pitches  on  one,  of  all  his  court,  the  most  un- 
suitable for  his  purpose.  A  messenger  from 
the  king  !  This  cry  lays  a  momentary  arrest 
on  the  revolt,  and  when  the  expectation  of  the 
people  is  excited,  who  steps  out  to  address  them 
but  Adoram — the  officer  that  had  exacted  the 
taxes  which  drove  them  into  rebellion.  At  the 
sight  of  this  obnoxious  tool  of  despotism,  the 
object  of  their  bitterest  hatred,  their  rage  knew 
no  bounds.  They  rose,  they  fell  on  the  un- 
happy man,  they  stoned  the  life  out  of  him. 
Rehoboam  has  but  made  bad  worse.  Panic- 
struck  at  the  news,  he  throws  himself  into  his 
chariot  to  fly  to  Jerusalem,  a  sadder  but  not  a 
wiser  man,  to  prove  by  his  future  career  that  it 
is  not  the  fear  of  man,  but  of  God,  which  is  the 
beginning  of  wisdom,  and  that,  as  his  own 
father  said,  "  though  thou  shouldest  bray  a 
fool  in  a  mortar  among  wheat  with  a  pestle,  yet 
will  not  his  foolishness  depart  from  him." — Ibid. 

3  It  was  also  exemplified  in  his  following 
his  father's  example  in  regard  to  polygamy 
and  idolatry,  as  a  judgment  for  which 
the  dismemberment  of  the  kingdom  had 
already  taken  place. 

[18004]  Were  it  needful  still  further  to  justify 
the  opprobrious  epithet  [of  fool]  wehave  attached 
to  his  name,  we  should  find  ample  materials  m 
his  conduct  on  other  occasions  than  the  revolt. 
He  might  have  seen,  indeed  he  must  have 
known,  for  instance,  that  the  dismemberment 
of  the  kingdom  was  a  judgment  brought  on  his 
father's  house  for  his  father's  sins.  Yet,  regard- 
less of  this,  and  reckless  of  consequences, 
moved  neither  by  the  injuries  which  Solomon 
produced  nor  by  the  repentance  he  expressed 
for  his  crimes,  Rehoboam  repeated  them.  "  He 
desired,"  it  is  said,  "  many  wives  ;  "  and  had  no 
fewer  than  eighteen,  besides  sixty  concubines. 
In  point  of  numbers,  these,  no  doubt,  fell  far 
short  of  his  father's.  Yet,  like  the  negative 
virtues    which    Pharisees    boast    of,    like    the 


superiority  some  claim  over  such  as  have  gone 
greater  lengths  than  themselves  in  vice,  this 
was  probably  due  more  to  the  want  of  way  than 
the  want  of  will,  to  the  restraints  of  circum- 
stances rather  than  the  restraints  of  conscience. 
But  however  that  may  be,  he  set  an  example  of 
immorality  bef)re  the  nation  which,  like  the 
water  that,  falling  on  mountain-tops,  descends 
through  fissures  into  the  valleys,  was  sure  to 
find  its  way  through  the  different  grades  down 
to  the  lowest  strata  of  society — carrying  cor- 
ruption of  morals  and  manners  along  with  it. — 
Ibid. 

[18005]  Rehoboam  had  been  a  witness  of  the 
calamities  idolatry  had  brought  on  his  father 
and  his  father's  house,  and  he  had  had  ex- 
perience also  of  the  blessings  which  attend  the 
steps  and  swell  the  train  of  piety.  Properly 
affected  by  these  circumstances  he  promised  for 
a  time  to  be  another  and  a  better  man,  but  as 
a  strong  and  impetuous  river,  though  diverted 
for  a  while  into  a  new,  returns  to  its  old 
channel,  so  he  relapsed  into  idolatry.  Nor  did 
he  sin  alone.  As  it  happens  with  crew  and 
boats  and  cargo  and  floating  wreck  when  some 
mighty  ship  sinks  in  the  deep,  this  man  whom 
no  adversity  could  improve,  nor  experience 
warn,  nor  the  most  painful  losses  educate, 
dragged  down  the  nation  with  himself — Ibid. 

4       It  was    again    exhibited    in    his    failing  to 
take    advantage    of    the    influx    of    pious 
men    into    his    kingdom    when    the  calves 
^  were  set  up  by  Jeroboam. 

[18006]  When  Jeroboam,  his  rival,  set  up  the 
calves  at  Dan  and  Bethel  a  party  in  Israel 
taught  future  ages,  the  ministers  and  members 
of  churches  in  our  own  times,  what  part  they 
should  act  when  earthly  interests  and  religious 
principles  conflict.  Not  the  priests  only,  but 
the  pious  people  of  the  land  had  to  choose 
between  abandoning  their  faith  or  their  for- 
tunes; between  deserting  their  God  or  deserting 
their  homes.  Some,  as  will  always  happen  in 
such  circumstances,  may  have  proved  renegades, 
and  broken  down  in  the  day  of  trial  ;  but  vast 
multitudes  from  her  niountains,  plains,  and 
shores,  poured  out  of  Israel  to  settle,  far  from 
their  sweet  homes  and  paternal  fields,  in  the 
land  of  Judah.  This  influx  of  piety,  like  that 
of  the  Huguenots  on  our  own  land,  or  of  the 
suffering  Protestants  who  fled  from  the  Low 
Countries  to  escape  the  bloody  cruelties  of 
Philip  and  the  Duke  of  Alva,  brought  a  blessing 
with  it  to  Judah  ;  and  under  this  holy  influence 
and  God's  chastening  hand,  the  conduct  of 
Rehoboam  and  the  fortunes  of  his  kingdom 
underwent,  though  but  a  temporary,  a  manifest 
improvement.  After  relating  how  "the  priests 
and  Levites  that  were  in  all  Israel  resorted  to 
Rehoboam  out  of  all  their  coasts;"  and  how 
"  the  Levites  left  their  suburbs  and  their  posses- 
sions, and  came  to  Judah  and  Jerusalem  ;  "  and 
how,  following  them — the  natural  leaders  of  the 
people  in  matters  belonging  to  religion — "  out 
of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  such  as  set  their  hearts 


240 

i8oo6 — 18012] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[rehoboam. 


to  seek  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  came  to  Jeru- 
salem ;  "  the  sacred  historian  tells  us,  "  so  they 
strengthened  the  kingdom  of  Judah,  and  made 
Rehoboam,  the  son  of  Solomon,  strong."  But, 
alas,  with  no  permanent  result.  In  his  pros- 
perity, Rehoboam,  like  many  others,  forgot  the 
lessons  of  adversity.  Jeshurun  waxed  fat  and 
kicked.  The  dog  returned  to  his  vomit — the 
sow  that  was  washed  to  her  wallowing  in  the 
mire. — Jdid. 

5  It  was  invariably  manifested,  in  spite  of 
his  having  had  for  a  father  the  wisest  of 
men. 

[18007]  Rehoboam's,  perhaps,  is  the  most 
remarkable  instance  the  world  ever  saw  of  this, 
that,  whatever  may  be  hereditary — titles,  estates, 
health,  or  disease—  wisdom,  like  saving  grace, 
is  not.  Some  of  the  best  men  have  had  the 
worst  sons  ;  and  in  Solomon  we  have  the  wisest 
man  father  of  the  greatest  fool  that  ever  verified 
the  words,  "  they  heap  up  riches,  and  know  not 
who  shall  gather  them,"  wasted  a  fortune,  or 
lost  a  throne.  We  have  only  to  read  his  history 
to  see  how  fully  he  realized  those  gloomy  fore- 
bodings which  have  marred  the  pleasure  many 
expected  from  their  accumulated  gains,  and 
amid  which  the  sun  of  Solomon  set  in  clouds 
and  darkness.  "1  hated,"  he  says,  "all  the 
labour  which  I  had  taken  under  the  sun,  because 
I  should  leave  it  unto  the  man  that  shall  be 
after  me,  and  who  knoweth  whether  he  shall  be 
a  wise  man  or  a  fool  ?  " — Idid. 


III.  Causes  of  his  Folly. 

1  The  unrestrained  freedom  allowed,  and 
the  pernicious  examples  and  society  af- 
forded to  his  childhood  and  youth. 

[1800S]  As  to  the  causes  which  will  account 
for  Rehoboam's  career  of  sin  and  folly,  many 
may  be  adduced.  It  was  his  misfortune,  as  it 
has  been  that  of  others,  to  be  the  son  of  one 
whose  public  engagements  left  him  little  time 
to  bestow  on  the  home  education  of  his  family. 
It  was  also  his  fate,  and,  I  may  add,  the  same 
misfortune  to  him  that  it  has  been  to  others,  to 
be  born  to  wealth  and  power,  and  never  to  know 
in  obscurity,  in  hardships,  in  early  struggles, 
and  in  straitened  circumstances,  what  it  was 
to  bear  the  yoke  in  his  youth.  A  greater  mis- 
fortune still,  Rehoboam  did  not  find  in  the 
court  of  his  father  a  school,  nor  in  his  example 
a  pattern  of  morals.  Through  his  position  and 
his  prospects  as  heir-apparent  to  the  throne  he 
wasexposed,  in  the  society  of  parasites,  flatterers, 
and  gay  companions,  to  a  thousand  dangers  and 
seductive  influences. — Ibid. 

2  The  alien  nationality  and  heathen  reli- 
gion of  his  mother. 

[18009]  There  is  one  short  sentence  in  Reho- 
boam's history  which  supplies  the  key,  more 
perhaps  than  anything  else,  to  his  sin  and  folly 
— "his  mother's  name  was  Naamah,  an  Am- 
monitess."     She  was  by  blood  an  alien,  and  by 


religion  a  heathen.  Unhappy  in  many  things, 
but  unhappiest  most  in  such  a  mother,  be  begins 
to  be  regarded  more  with  pity  than  astonish- 
ment. The  letters  written  on  water  are  hardly 
formed  when  they  are  filled  up  :  on  the  other 
hand,  the  finger  that  traces  them  on  stone  leaves 
no  visible  impression  on  its  indurated  surface  ; 
but  plastic  clay,  midway  between  what  is  hard 
and  soft,  ofiers  to  the  gentlest  finger  a  substance 
which  both  receives  and  retains  an  impression. 
Such  is  the  heart  that  youth  and  childhood 
offer  to  a  mother's  influences.  Hence  her  power 
to  mould,  for  good  or  evil,  the  character  of  her 
children  ;  and  hence  the  gratitude  they  owe  to 
God  who  have  had  a  mother  that  taught  their 
little  feet  to  walk  in  the  ways  of  His  command- 
ments, and  encouraged  their  feeble  efforts  to 
rise  to  heaven  on  the  wings  of  prayer — at  the 
piety  of  whose  bosom  their  own  was  kindled. 
"  I  had  a  bad  mother,"  explains  many  a  wreck. 
"  I  had  a  good  mother,"  is  the  way  many 
account,  under  God,  for  their  success  in  this 
life,  and  their  salvation  in  the  ne.xt. — Ibid. 

[18010]  Of  this  Ammonitish  idolater  Reho- 
boam was  the  offspring.  Rarely  does  a  good 
child  come  from  a  bad  mother,  and  it  has  been 
well  remarked  that  among  the  kings  there  is 
scarcely  one  known  to  be  the  son  of  a  foreign, 
and  consequently  idolatrous,  mother,  who  did 
not  fall  into  idolatry. — Rev,  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

[18011]  To  his  heathen  mother — one  of  the 
outlandish  women  tolerated  in  the  idolatry  of 
her  native  country  by  Solomon,  like  his  other 
foreign  wives  whom  policy  or  an  affectation  of 
grandeur  induced  him  to  assemble  at  Jerusalem 
in  the  dark  decline  of  his  life — and  to  her  in- 
fluence in  his  training,  and  indeed  to  the  bad 
atmosphere  of  his  father's  court,  thus  fatally 
tainted  in  the  later  days  of  that  splendid  reign, 
his  faults  may  reasonably  be  in  no  small  degree 
attributed. — Ibid. 


IV. 


His   Subsequent  Shrewdness  and 
Sagacity. 


[18012]  The  sacred  historian  says  of  him, 
"  that  he  did  wisely,  and  that  under  his  rule  in 
Judah  things  went  well."  His  policy  drew 
almost  all  the  priesthood  into  his  dominions 
of  the  nation,  and  brought  in  large  accessions 
of  population  from  the  territory  of  the  revolted 
tribes  ;  so  that  though  his  country,  consisting 
only  of  the  two  southern  tribes,  was  inferior  in 
extent,  and  yet  more  in  fertility  and  natural 
resources,  it  matched  well  the  sister  kingdom 
in  the  north,  and  during  his  reign  and  the 
reigns  of  his  successors,  he  successfully  warded 
off  its  enmity.  "  He  fortified  the  strongholds 
and  put  captains  in  them,  and  store  of  victual, 
and  of  oil  and  wine.  And  in  every  several  city 
he  put  shields  and  spears,  and  made  them  e.x- 
ceeding  strong,  having  Judah  and  Benjamin  on 
his  side."  So  much  he  did  for  external  defence. 
And  to  preserve  internal  order  and  trancjuillity. 


i8oi2 — 18016] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA, 


241 

[rehoboam. 


and  to  prevent  contention  among  his  numerous 
sons — for  it  is  recorded  of  hini  that  he  had 
twenty-eight — as  well  as  to  avert  the  danger  of 
a  disputed  succession  after  his  death,  he  sepa- 
rated them,  "and  dispersed  all  his  children 
throughout  all  the  countries  of  Judah  and  Ben- 
jamin, unto  every  fenced  city  :  and  he  gave 
them  victual  in  abundance."  Surely,  here  was 
some  good  statesmanship  and  political  sagacity. 
And  thus  it  appears  that  Rehoboam,  through 
the  great  folly  with  which  he  started  in  his 
public  career,  has  left  on  his  fame  an  indelible 
blot — was  not  altogether  a  simpleton  or  a  trifler, 
nor  altogether  unworthy  of  his  birth  as  the  son 
of  the  wise  King  Solomon. — Idid. 

[180 1 3]  It  has  been  remarked  as  an  evidence 
of  shrewdness  and  sagacious  forecast  in  this 
king  that  the  fortresses  which  he  built  "  were 
not,  as  might  have  been  at  first  sight  expected, 
on  the  northern  frontier  against  the  rival  king- 
dom," in  the  quarter  where  the  danger  was  im- 
mediate and  manifest,  but  on  the  southern  and 
western  side  of  the  country  toward  Egypt, 
whence  circumstances  having  broken  the  bond 
which  united  the  house  of  David  with  the  royal 
family  of  Egypt  by  a  matrimonial  tie,  and 
brought  about  an  alliance  of  that  power  with 
the  new  king  of  the  new  kingdom,  a  far  more 
formidable  danger  was  not  unreasonably  appre- 
hended. This  was  good  warlike  strategy. — 
Ibid. 

V.  A  Modern  Contrast  to  Rehoboam. 

[18014]  Napoleon,  when  but  a  distinguished 
officer  ot  the  French  army,  was  ordered  to  meet 
a  mob  in  the  streets  of  Paris,  and  disperse  them. 
At  that  time  the  slimness  of  his  form  corre- 
sponded to  the  smallness  of  his  stature.  As  he 
advanced  with  troops  and  two  or  three  cannon 
on  the  scene,  the  roar  of  the  suffering  and  fero- 
cious multitude  announced  their  approach  ;  and 
at  a  turn  of  the  narrow  street  they  came  pouring 
down  like  an  avalanche,  that,  uprooting  trees 
and  sweeping  houses  from  their  foundations, 
descends  thundering  into  the  valley.  Ordering 
his  guns  to  the  front,  he  halted  ;  and,  struck  by 
his  formidable  front  and  determined  attitude, 
so  did  they.  Averse  to  shed  the  blood  of  citi- 
zens, he  began  to  parley  with  them.  Where- 
upon a  woman  of  fierce  visage  and  enormous 
size  stepped  out — upbraiding  him  and  his  fellow- 
soldiers  as  living  on  the  fat  of  the  land,  while 
she  and  her  industrious  compatriots  were  at  the 
point  of  starving.  With  the  promptitude  that 
seizes  the  moment,  and  won  him  afterwards 
many  a  hard-fought  field,  he  stepped  out  too  ; 
and  placing  his  spare,  tiny  form  beside  that 
mountain  of  flesh,  he  addressed  her  companions, 
saying,  "  I  appeal  to  you,  my  friends,  whether 
this  good  lady  or  I  look  most  like  starving?" 
The  effect  was  electric.  The  humour  and  tact 
of  the  reply  carried  the  mob  as  by  a  coup  de 
7nain ;  peals  of  laughter  succeeded  to  rnge  ;  and 
both  powder  and  blood  were  cleverly  saved  by 
a  stroke  of  humour,  and  the  people  dispersed  to 

VOL.    VI. 


their  homes  in  peace.  There  Napoleon  was 
the  right  man  in  the  right  place  :  not  here  the 
son  of  Solomon.  The  first  poured  oil  on  the 
stormy  waters,  the  second  oil  on  a  burning 
iix&.—Rev.  T.  Ctiihrie,  D.D. 

VI.   HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 

1  The  folly  of  Rehoboam  bids  us  not 
despise  the  counsel  of  the  wise  and 
experienced. 

[1801 5]  Counsel  is  good  ;  any  man  that  thinks 
he  does  not  need  it  is  a  fool  or  worse.  "  Seest 
thou  a  man  that  is  wise  in  his  own  conceit .'' 
there  is  more  hope  of  a  fool  than  of  him." 
Counsel  in  order  to  be  good  must  come  from  a 
reliable  source,  a  source  entitled  to  respect 
and  confidence,  where  there  is  information, 
where  there  is  integrity,  where  there  is  honesty 
of  purpose,  where  there  is  unselfish  and  un- 
biassed regard  to  truth  and  to  our  real  good. 
Such  counsel  may  not  always  be  palatable,  not 
such  as  we  like  or  hope  for,  but  in  the  end  we 
shall  either  be  thankful  that  we  followed  it  or 
wish  that  we  had.  "He  that  rebuketh  a  man 
shall  often  find  more  favour  than  he  that  flat- 
tereth  with  his  lips."  There  is  little  doubt  that 
Rehoboam  soon  thought  better  of  his  father's 
old  friends  than  of  his  own  favourite  companions. 
To  go  to  another  to  think  for  us,  simply  because 
we  are  too  indolent  to  think  for  ourselves,  or 
wish  to  throw  off  the  responsibility  of  deciding 
by  quoting  a  name,  is  not  wisdom.  Nor  is  it 
wisdom  to  ask  another's  opinion,  simply  for  the 
purpose  of  being  confirmed  in  some  purpose  of 
our  own,  to  which  we  are  strongly  inclined,  or  on 
which  we  are  determined  already,  and  pick  out 
our  advisers  with  reference  to  that  result.  Very 
likely  this  was  Rehoboam's  case.  He  did  not 
wish  to  diminish  his  expenses,  or  curtail  any- 
thing of  his  father's  luxury,  and  he  was  predis- 
posed in  favour  of  opinions  that  would  sustain 
him  in  this  disinchnation.  "The  wish  was 
father  to  the  thought."  The  previous  bias  gave 
a  weight  to  the  counsel  which  it  had  not  in  itself. 
We  are  prone  to  think  that  wise  which  we  like. — 
Rev.  R.  Ha/ lam,  D.D. 

2  The  folly  of  Rehoboam  teaches  the  irre. 
parable  mischief  of  a  wrong  choice. 

[ 1 801 6]  When  Rehoboam  preferred  the  advice 
of  the  young  men  he  took  a  step  which  he  could 
never  afterwards  retrace,  whose  mischief  ad- 
mitted of  no  remedy.  Seventeen  years  he  lived 
and  reigned,  but  he  did  nothing  toward  retriev- 
ing his  mistake.  He  could  not  get  back  his  lost 
dominions,  he  could  not  recover  his  alienated 
people.  He  could  never  be  king  of  Israel. 
Another  bore  that  title.  Jeroboam  dwelt  in 
Shechem,  the  beautiful  home  of  his  fathers,  and 
from  Bethel,  almost  in  sight  of  his  capital,  the 
calf  challenged  its  rival  on  Mount  Zion,  and  all 
because  of  a  determination  formed  perhaps  in 
an  instant,  and  of  words  which  it  took  but  a 
moment  to  utter.  There  are  crises  in  the  lives 
of  nations  and  of  men  on  which  their  future 


17 


242 

i8oi6 — 18020] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[abijah. 


course  and  character  depend,  and  they  are 
usually  compressed  into  very  narrow  limits.  A 
moment,  and  it  is  an  even  chance  whether  we 
take  one  course  or  another  ;  another  moment, 
and  the  decision  is  made  which  can  never  be 
reversed,  or  its  consequences  averted. — Ibid. 

[18017]  We  cannot  go  back  to  the  point  of 
divergence  and  revise  the  determination.  It  is 
made  and  cannot  be  unmade.  We  must  accept 
the  life  it  entails  upon  us,  and  make  the  best  of 
it  that  we  can.  Such  crises  run  all  through  life, 
but  they  are  especially  important  when  the  young 
are  setting  out  on  their  course  of  independent 
action,  during  their  path  in  life,  or  when  some 
serious  change  in  our  condition  is  placed  before 
us.  Then  a  step  taken  can  never  be  taken  back  ; 
and  if  it  be  a  wrong  step,  to  the  end  of  our  life 
we  must  vainly  sigh,  Oh  that  I  had  not  done 
this  !  Oh  that  I  had  done  that  !  But  Esau's 
tears  would  not  bring  back  his  birthright,  and 
ours  will  not.  Acts  are  solemn  things,  specially 
acts  in  momentous  junctures.  And  yet  how 
carelessly  men  act,  with  how  little  reflection  or 
forethought,  on  a  momentary  impulse,  in  obe- 
dience to  a  passing  thought,  a  sudden  inclination 
or  desire  !  Life  is  too  serious  a  thing  for  men 
to  treat  it  so  heedlessly.  Act  when  you  are  called 
to  act — and  act  oft-times  you  must,  there  is  no 
alternative — -with  deliberation,  with  calmness, 
with  such  wise  calculation  as  you  can  command, 
with  such  judicious  counsel  as  you  can  call  to 
your  aid,  above  all  looking  to  God  by  earnest 
prayer.  One  of  our  Lord's  titles  is  "  Counsellor." 
"  If  any  man  lack  wisdom  let  him  ask  of  God, 
who  giveth  to  every  man  liberally,  and  up- 
braideth  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him." — Ibid. 

3  The  folly  of  Rehoboam  emphasizes  the 
need  of  heartfelt  religion. 
[18018]  No  reformation  of  manners  can  be 
relied  on  which  does  not  spring  from  a  change 
of  heart.  It  was  with  Rehoboam  and  his  coun- 
try according  to  the  parable,  "When  the  unclean 
spirit  is  gone  out  of  a  man,  he  saith,  I  will  re- 
turn unto  my  house  from  whence  I  came  out ; 
and  when  he  is  come  he  findeth  it  empty,  swept, 
and  garnished  :  then  goeth  he,  and  taketh  with 
himself  seven  other  spirits  more  wicked  than 
himself,  and  they  enter  in,  and  dwell  there  ;  and 
the  last  state  of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first." 
This  case  of  Rehoboam  is  by  no  means  singular  ; 
to  be  regarded  as  exceptional  or  abnormal.  In 
many  others  who  for  a  while  seemed  reformed, 
the  last  state  has  proved  worse  than  the  first. 
They  have  left  the  austerities  of  Lent  to  plunge 
into  the  excesses  of  a  carnival.  Such  cases  are 
not  without  their  lessons  ;  they  teach  us  to  make 
sure  of  a  true  interest  in  Jesus  Christ— to  seek 
a  new  heart.  Without  that  no  change  of  man- 
ners contains  the  element  of  permanence  ;  and 
thus  they  who  maintain  the  most  decent  exterior 
have  as  much  need  as  the  vilest  sinner  to  re- 
member these  solemn  words,  "Verily,  verily," 
saith  our  Lord,  "except  a  man  be  born  again, 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." — Rev.  T. 
Guthrie,  D.D. 


[18019]  Rehoboam  had  no  true  religion.  He 
was  the  maintainer,  to  be  sure,  of  God's  true 
worship,  in  opposition  to  the  idolatrous  form 
into  which  Jeroboam  debased  it,  and  he  is  not 
directly  called  an  idolater  anywhere.  For  the 
first  three  years  of  his  reign  his  people  "  walked 
in  the  way  of  David  and  of  Solomon,"  and  doubt- 
less he  walked  in  it  with  them.  But  when  he 
had  established  the  kingdom,  and  had  strength- 
ened himself,  he  forsook  the  law  of  the  Lord, 
and  all  Israel  with  him  ;  and  it  is  distinctly  said 
of  him  that  "he  did  evil  because  he  prepared 
not  his  heart  to  seek  God."  His  "heart  was  not 
right  in  the  sight  of  God,"  and  without  this  all 
was  "  sounding  brass  and  a  tinkling  cymbal." 
There  was  no  religion  of  the  heart  ;  and 
without  this,  formality,  ritualism,  orthodoxy, 
exact  definitions  of  faith,  solemn  respect  for 
sacraments,  zealous  defence  and  assertion  of  the 
truth  against  errorists,  schismatics,  and  unbe- 
lievers avail  nothing.  They  may  deceive  the  man. 
He  may  think  he  is  religious.  The  Athenians, 
St.  Paul  said,  were  very  religious.  So  they  were 
in  a  sense.  The  Pharisees  were  the  religious 
party  of  our  Lord's  day,  and  yet  he  called  them 
a  "  generation  of  vipers."  The  great  question 
is  not  whether  you  come  here,  and  are  decorous 
in  your  worship,  and  go  to  the  Lord's  Table,  and 
give  alms  of  your  goods,  and  maintain  a  repu- 
table conversation  among  men  ;  but  whether  you 
are  new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus,  whether  as 
lost  sinners  you  have  come  in  faith  and  penitence 
to  His  cross  for  pardon,  whether  in  humility  and 
earnestness  you  are  seeking  continually  the 
Spirit  of  Christ  to  dwell  in  you  and  make  you 
alive  unto  God,  and  whether  that  blessed  work 
is  begun  and  going  on  in  your  souls  which  in  its 
issue  will  make  you  meet  for  glory.  Holiness 
in  an  itiwaj-d  thing,  for  which  nothing  outward 
can  be  a  substitute,  and  without  holiness  no  man 
shall  see  the  Lord. — Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 


ABIJAH. 
\.  Character  of  his  Religion. 

It  was  uncertain  and  ambiguous,  being  the 
outcome  of  a  divided  heart. 
[18020]  There  was  little  in  his  short  reign  of 
importance  to  record  ;  but  there  was  in  it  one 
memorable  incident,  and  in  this  he  manifested 
manly  heroism,  and  an  appearance  certainly  of 
religious  faith,  whatever  may  have  been  his  reli- 
gious character.  ...  An  exigency  arose  which 
called  into  action  the  religious  convictions  of 
his  mind,  and  they  acted  for  the  time  with  vigour 
and  success.  Abijah  had  inherited  the  war  with 
Jeroboam  along  with  his  father's  throne,  as  we 
have  seen.  It  seems  to  have  become,  indeed, 
on  tiie  part  of  Abijah's  kingdom,  a  war  of  self- 
defence.     Jeroboam,  not  content  with  dominion 


i8o20 — 18025] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


243 

[abijah. 


over  the  ten  tribes,  aimed  to  reduce  the  remain- 
ing two  under  his  sceptre,  to  exterminate  the 
family  of  David,  and  rear  on  the  ruins  of  the 
true  Mosaic  economy  the  worship  of  the  calves 
as  the  genuine  symbols  of  the  God  of  Israel.  It 
was  a  struggle  for  existence,a  strife  to  determine 
whether  God's  chosen  people  should  be  given 
up  to  apostatize  from  Him,  and  an  idolatrous 
and  insolent  schism  be  allowed  to  swallow  up 
and  appropriate  to  itself  the  Church  of  God  ; 
and  it  was  Abijah's  lot,  with  his  crude  and  im- 
perfect religious  ideas,  to  be  the  Church's  cham- 
pion in  the  crisis,  and  lead  the  sacramental 
host  of  God's  elect,  in  its  battle  with  sin,  Satan, 
and  death.  And  it  is  recorded  to  his  honour, 
that  he  rose  to  the  demands  of  the  occasion, 
and  entering  into  the  spirit  of  his  position  for 
the  time  without  reserve,  became  not  only  the 
valiant  leader,  but  the  victorious  deliverer  of  his 
people.  Abijah  set  the  battle  in  array  with  an 
army  of  valiant  men  of  war,  even  four  hundred 
thousand  chosen  men  ;  Jeroboam  also  set  the 
battle  in  array  against  him  with  eight  hundred 
thousand  chosen  men,  being  mighty  men  of 
valour.  The  numbers  are  so  enormous,  that  it 
has  been  supposed  that  some  error  has  crept 
into  the  text  at  some  time  in  the  process  of 
transcription.  There  were  at  any  rate  huge 
masses  of  men,  and  in  their  dread  arbitrament 
the  fate  of  the  Church  stood  trembling.  It 
made  Abijah  religious  for  the  occasion.  The 
better  convictions  of  his  soul  gained  the  mastery, 
and  swayed  over  him  a  temporary  control.  To 
inspirit  his  troops  for  the  hght,  he  addressed 
their  adversaries  with  words  of  noble  eloquence. 
—Ibid. 

[1S021]  This  brilliant  achievement  is  but  an 
episode  or  interlude  in  his  life,  the  exception 
and  not  the  general  stamp  of  his  conduct.  And  so, 
though  it  stands  recorded  of  him  that  "he  waxed 
mighty,"and  had  many  wives  and  numerous  chil- 
dren, the  summary  of  his  life  and  reign,  in  the 
infallible  words  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  only  this, 
"that  he  walked  in  the  sins  of  his  father,"  and 
"  his  heart  was  not  perfect,"  not  upright,  not 
consistent  and  harmonious  with  the  Lord  his 
God. — Ibid. 

[18022]  He  made  the  old  attempt  to  serve  two 
masters,  which  no  amount  of  failure  will  ever  per- 
suade men  to  forego.  He  would  fain  combine 
the  service  of  Jehovah  with  his  mother's  ances- 
tral heathenism,  and  side  by  side  maintain  the 
worship  of  God  on  Mount  Zion,  and  the  obscene 
filthy  rites  of  a  pagan  idol  on  some  neighbouring 
eminence,  and  thus  be  like  the  remnant  of  the 
ten  tribes  in  a  later  age  who  "feared  the  Lord 
and  served  other  gods."  The  result  was  a  mon- 
grel religion  without  cohesion  or  consistency. 
...  His  was  not  a  perfect  heart,  but  a  heart 
weakened  and  dissipated  by  a  double  allegiance. 
The  powers  of  his  heart  were  not  united  to  fear 
God's  name,  but  scattered  and  confused  in  the 
vicious  compromise  of  an  attempt  to  get  off  with 
a  half  service. — Jbia. 


II.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS, 

I       The    case    of    Abijah    teaches    the    worth- 
lessness  of  mere  occasional  religion. 

[1S023]  It  follows  in  the  way  of  warning  from 
the  case  of  Abijah,  that  religious  belief  and  zeal, 
operating  irregularly  and  upon  occasions,  and 
going  out  then  into  correspondent  words  and 
acts,  may  not  be  religion,  and  that  they  may  not 
secure  God's  favour,  nor  the  salvation  of  the 
soul.  True  religion  is  a  principle  that  seasons 
the  whole  life,  and  puts  away  all  forms  of 
wickedness,  and  works  equably  and  habitually 
in  all  the  varying  conditions  and  occasions  of 
our  earthly  bemg.  It  will  not  be  the  companion 
of  an  idolatry,  or  divide  the  possession  of  a  man 
with  the  world  and  the  devil,  and  only  be 
allowed  to  assert  its  supremacy,  and  speak  out 
in  full  free  tones  in  special  emergencies.  Such 
seems  to  have  been  Abijah's  religion,  and 
herein  it  proves  its  spuriousness,  and  bids  us  to 
take  warning.  There  is  much  religion  of  this 
sort  now.  At  times  it  is  very  specious.  It 
speaks  now  and  then  loudly  and  positively,  and 
acts  energetically,  and  by  its  demonstrations  of 
fervour  quite  puts  to  shame  quieter  piety.  But 
at  ordinary  times  it  is  languid  and  lukewarm, 
puts  on  very  dubious  appearances,  gives  few 
signs  of  interest  and  activity,  and  is  so  mixed  up 
with  different  descriptions  of  worldliness  and 
habits  of  unsanctitied  indulgence,  if  not  flagrant 
sin,  that  it  affords  small  evidence  of  life  and 
reality. — Ibid. 

[18024]  It  is  to  be  feared  that  on  no  better 
grounds  than  Abijah  possessed,  not  a  few  rest 
their  pretensions  to  a  religious  character,  and 
whatever  hope  they  have  of  attaining  eternal 
life.  They  are  religious  at  times,  and  then  per- 
haps very  religious,  in  some  great  exigencies, 
when  called  to  act  some  important  part  or  fill 
some  important  position,  or  under  the  contagion 
of  sympathy,  when  contact  with  others  kindles 
the  smouldering  spark  of  religious  feeling  into 
brightness.  But  at  other  times  they  are  indevout 
and  careless,  they  countenance  the  idolatries  of 
the  world  by  bestowing  upon  them  no  marks  of 
disproval,  and  are  themselves  idolaters  in  their 
deep  and  undisguised  immersion  in  temporal 
interest.  If  a  host  comes  to  do  battle  they  will 
awake  and  put  on  armour  ;  but  in  time  of  quiet 
they  are  in  the  enemy's  camp,  quite  at  home, 
there  trafficking  and  making  merry.  And  yet, 
because  at  times  they  feel  religiously,  and  can, 
and  in  all  sincerity  on  one  occasion  make  a 
religious  speech,  as  Abijah  did,  they  think 
themselves  religious,  and  the  wide  spaces  of 
deadness  and  vanity  which  intervene  are  over- 
looked and  not  counted  in  the  estimate  of  their 
spiritual  condition. — Ibid. 

[18025]  With  some,  religious  fits  are  the  ex- 
ception, and  the  chief  part  of  their  lives  is  occu- 
pied by  the  far  broader  trait  of  serving  "divers 
lusts  and  pleasures."  And  all  the  high  religious 
feeling  and  speech  and  action  which  in  spots  is 
embroidered  on  the  dull  ground  of  their  idolatry 


244 

i8o25 — 18029] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[ASA. 


will  never  save  them  from  being  classed  with 
those  "  who  have  their  portion  in  this  life,"  who 
"  walk  after  the  course  of  this  world,"  and  whose 
hearts  are  not  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord. 
Abijah  was  sincere,  and,  for  the  time,  out- 
spoken and  ardent  in  his  profession  of  zeal  for 
God  ;  but  his  religion  was  a  religion  of  occa- 
sions, and,  like  the  early  dew,  it  went  away. 
Occasional  religion  is  worthless. — Ibid. 

2  The  case  of  Abijah  teaches  the  worth- 
lessness  of  the  religion  of  mere  pro- 
minent  place  and  distinguished  service. 

[18026]  The  religion  of  position  or  circum- 
stances, whatever  demonstrations  in  word  or 
act  it  may  call  forth  from  us,  may  be  utterly 
hollow,  and  have  little  relation  to  the  things 
that  accompany  salvation  beyond  an  outward 
alliance,  wealth,  or  office,  or  some  special  con- 
junction of  circumstances  which  bring  us  into 
prominent  place  in  the  things  of  God,  while  yet 
our  hearts  remain  unchanged  and  unsanctified, 
and  many  motives  beside  a  living  faith  may 
make  us  bear  ourselves  well  in  our  station. 
Abijah  on  Mount  Zemaraim,  fighting  for  God 
nobly  and  successfully,  and  yet  setting  up  his 
idols  in  his  heart,  is  a  solemn  and  profitable 
object  of  contemplation  for  us.  A  large  giver 
may  not  be  saved,  a  ready  talker  may  not  be 
saved,  ministers  may  not  be  saved,  nor  wise  and 
able  champions  of  the  faith,  nor  liberal  and 
active  laymen.  There  is  no  buying  heaven  in 
this  way.  We  must  put  away  our  idols  and  give 
our  hearts  truly  to  God,  and  render  to  Him  a 
whole,  a  true-hearted,  an  undivided  service. 
There  must  be  no  Queen  Maachah,  whose  idols 
we  countenance  and  help  her  to  serve.  The 
religion  of  place  is  worth  nothing. — Ibid. 

[18027]  We  are  admonished  in  the  case  of 
Abijah  that  prominent  place  and  distinguished 
service  in  the  Church  of  God  are  not  saving 
religion.  These  he  had  very  strikingly,  and  yet 
he  walked  in  his  father's  wicked  way,  and  his 
heart  was  not  perfect,  not  sound  and  whole 
toward  the  God  of  Israel.  He  was  the  chief 
person  in  the  Church  by  virtue  of  his  kingly 
dignity  ;  and  in  the  hour  of  her  jeopardy  he  did 
exploits,  and  accomplished  her  deliverance  mar- 
vellously. Yet,  in  it,  he  was  not  <y  it,  but  paid 
homage  to  idols,  and  his  heart  was  not  right  in 
the  sight  of  God.  We  are  not  let  into  Abijah's 
thoughts,  but  we  can  fancy  that  the  memory  of 
his  great  act  dwelt  much  in  his  mind  during 
the  residue  of  his  life,  and  went  far  to  persuade 
him  that  it  would  be  well  with  him  at  the  last. 
Such  delusions,  it  is  to  be  feared,  are  not 
uncommon.  The  accident  of  birth,  as  men  say, 
had  made  him  king  of  Israel.  The  honours  of 
David's  line  were  concentrated  in  his  person.  He 
was  the  highest  in  rank  and  the  mightiest  in 
power  of  any  man  in  the  nation,  the  nation  that 
was  the  Church  of  God.  He  had  a  pride  in  the 
national  religion,  though  he  suffered  it  to  be 
sadly  debased  and  alloyed  in  himself  and  in  his 
people.  To  defend  it  when  assaulted  was  the 
instinct  of  his  birth.     The  honour  of  a  king  and 


the  patriotism  of  an  Israelite  required  it  at  his 
hands,  and  he  met  the  call  bravely  and  cheer- 
fully. Not  David  before  Goliath,  or  Judas 
Maccabeus  against  the  host  of  Epiphanes,  were 
heartier  or  more  resolute  And  yet,  this  religion 
for  which  he  was  fighting,  and  uttering  bold 
and  eloquent  words,  had  no  vital  hold  upon  his 
soul. — Ibid. 


ASA. 

I.  His  General  Char.\cter. 

He  was   prudent  and   pious,   and  "  his   heart 
was  perfect  with  God  all  his  days." 

[18028]  Asa  is,  in  the  main,  commended  in 
the  Scriptures.  As  soon  as  he  ascended  the 
throne  of  his  fathers  he  began  a  vigorous  refor- 
mation of  abuses,  overthrew  the  idol  altars, 
restored  in  every  place  of  his  dominions  the 
worship  of  Jehovah,  and  repaired  the  fenced 
cities.  In  consequence  of  such  pious  and  pru- 
dent conduct,  according  to  the  promise  of  the 
Lord  "  the  land  had  rest."  This  peace,  how- 
ever, was  at  length  interrupted  by  the  appear- 
ance on  his  borders  of  Zerah,  the  Ethiopian, 
with  a  host  of  a  thousand  thousand,  and  three 
hundred  chariots.  In  this  extremity,  as  might 
have  been  expected  from  Asa's  previous  con- 
duct, he  called  upon  the  Lord  for  assistance 
with  great  earnestness  of  spirit  and  a  strong 
faith.  .  .  .  The  Lord  heard  his  prayer ;  and 
the  Ethiopians  were  destroyed  before  the  Lord 
and  before  his  host.  After  this  interruption 
Asa  resumed,  under  the  directions  of  the 
prophet  Azariah,  his  measures  of  pious  reform, 
doing  now  for  that  part  of  Israel  which  the 
recent  war  had  thrown  into  his  hands  what  he 
had  done  before  for  his  own  hereditary  king- 
dom. Not  that  he  did  all  that  he  ought  to  have 
done  ;  for  the  high  places,  that  is,  the  altars 
which  were  usually  on  hill-tops,  were  not,  at 
least  all  of  them,  taken  away  in  Israel.  Never- 
theless the  heart  of  Asa,  we  are  told,  was  perfect 
all  his  days  ;  z'.^.,  though  in  the  midst  of  many 
errors  he  honestly  sought  to  do  his  duty  in  that 
state  of  life  to  which  it  had  pleased  God  to  call 
him. — Rev.  IV.  Sparrow. 


II.  His  Failure  in  Faith. 

[18029]  The  old  war  between  the  severed 
portions  of  Jacob's  race  still  continued.  In  the 
northern  kingdom,  Baasha,  having  exterminated 
the  posterity  of  Jeroboam,  sat  upon  his  throne. 
Insolently  he  built  Ramah,  on  the  very  dividing 
lines  between  the  kingdoms,  menacing  Jeru- 
salem, to  the  intent  "that  he  might  let  none  go 
out  or  come  in  to  Asa,  king  of  Judah."  And  to 
strengthen  himself  in  his  bold  pretensions  he 
had  formed  a  league  with  the  king  of  Syria, 
that  dwelt  at  Damascus.  Asa,  by  a  stroke  of 
policy,  bought  off  the  Syrian  king,  exhausting 
for  the  purpose  the  treasury  of  the  kingdom, 


18029—18033] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


245 

[ASA. 


and  even  the  gathered  wealth  of  the  temple. 
The  measure  was  successful  ;  Baasha  retreated, 
and  the  materials  which  he  had  gathered  at 
Ramah  Asa  employed  in  erecting  fortresses  to 
strengthen  his  frontier.  This  was  prudence  ; 
but  it  was  trust  in  man  and  not  in  God,  and  it 
met  with  a  severe  reproof.  "  Hanani  the  seer 
came  to  Asa,  and  said  unto  him,  Because  thou 
hast  relied  on  the  king  of  Syria,  and  not  relied  on 
the  Lord  thy  God,  therefore  is  the  host  of  the  king 
of  Syria  escaped  out  ofthyhand."  If  thy  faithhad 
been  stronger,  thy  victory  had  been  greater  ; 
"  yet  because  thou  didst  rely  on  the  Lord  " — 
because  thou  hadst  some  faith — "  He  delivered 
them  into  thine  hand."  So  it  always  is  :  "Ac- 
cording to  thy  faith  be  it  unto  thee." — Rev.  R. 
Hallafii,  D.D. 

[18030]  On  a  trying  occasion  his  faith  in  God 
proved  insufficient.  He  resorted  to  worldly 
policy.  He  hired  the  help  of  a  heathen  neigh- 
bour, the  powerful  king  of  Syria  even  with  the 
treasures  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  diverted 
from  their  sacred  purpose  to  this  worldly  use, 
to  defend  himself  against  the  attacks  of  the 
successor  of  Jeroboam  in  the  kingdom  of  the 
ten  tribes.  This  was  political  wisdom,  but  it 
was  spiritual  folly.  Yet  for  the  time  it  prospered. 
By  the  aid  of  this  alliance  he  was  successful, 
and  triumphed  in  the  war.  It  was  a  costly 
triumph,  however,  and,  as  all  worldly  policy  in 
the  Church  does,  entailed  mischiefs  that  far 
overbalanced  the  gain.  He  set  open  a  door  to 
the  heathen  that  could  never  be  shut.  He 
excited  a  cupidity  in  them  that  was  satisfied 
with  nothing  but  conquest.  He  provided  an 
instrument  which,  when  the  nation's  iniquity  was 
full,  God  used  to  destroy  it.  In  this  respect  his 
conduct  contrasts  unfavourably  with  that  of  his 
less  religious  father  Abijah  in  like  circumstances, 
who  stood  grandly  up  as  the  champion  of  his 
kingdom  in  danger,  and  single-handed  achieved 
a  signal  victory.  Yet  of  Abijah  it  is  said  that 
"  he  walked  in  all  the  sins  of  his  father,"  and 
his  heart  was  not  perfect,  not  sound  and  upright 
with  the  Lord  his  God  ;  while  of  Asa  it  is  re- 
corded that  "he  did  that  which  was  r/^///  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord."  The  Lord  drew  the  line,  and 
it  was  an  infallible  line  ;  men  cannot  draw  such 
lines.  Courage  and  manhood  and  patriotism  are 
one  thing,  piety  is  another  ;  man  cannot  always 
distinguish  them,  God  can.  He  knows  the  differ- 
ence between  blemished  goodness  and  specious 
irreligion.— /Zi/V/. 

[18031]  Asa  had  now  been  long  enough  in 
peace  for  his  own  and  for  his  people  s  good  ; 
therefore  the  Lord  let  loose  another  enemy 
upon  him.  Baasha,  king  of  Israel,  attacks  him  ; 
and  what  now,  in  this  second  emergency,  was 
it  to  be  expected  Asa  would  do.-*  With  his 
previous  piety  of  character,  and  the  delightful 
lessons  he  had  learned  from  experience  of  the 
truth  and  faithfulness  of  God,  we  look  for 
nothing  but  the  same  simple,  childlike  reliance 
on  Jehovah's  promises,  united  with  the  same 
diligent  use  of  means.     Alas  !  our  expectations 


are  disappointed  !  He  uses  means  indeed,  but 
with  such  an  exclusive  and  therefore  irreligious 
trust  in  them,  as  would  be  utterly  unaccountable 
in  his  case,  were  not  the  instability  of  man, 
yea,  of  the  best  of  men,  so  common  and  so 
natural.  Nay,  not  only  does  he  dishonour  (lOil 
by  a  misplaced  confidence  in  the  creature,  but 
when  Hanani  the  prophet  is  sent  to  reprove  him 
for  this  trusting  in  the  king  of  Syria,  and  not  in 
the  Lord  his  God,  Asa  is  wroth  with  the  seer 
and  thrusts  him  into  a  prison-house.  Besides 
thiii  we  learn  but  two  things  more  of  the  king, 
and  they  equally  painful  to  learn.  One  is,  that 
not  content  with  persecuting  the  prophet  for  his 
faithful  reproofs,  which  as  a  prophet  he  was  sent 
and  bound  to  give,  he  "  oppressed  some  of  the 
people  at  the  same  time."  The  other,  that 
soon  after  he  was  seized  with  a  violent  and 
mortal  disease  in  his  feet,  and  that  in  his 
disease,  though  he  had  now  had  a  lesson  in  the 
way  of  judgment,  as  formerly  in  the  way  of 
mercy,  against  trusting  in  an  arm  of  flesh,  he 
sought  not  to  the  Lord,  but  to  the  physicians. — 
Rev.  VV.  Sparrow. 

III.  His  Pertinacity  in  Wrong-doing. 

[18032]  Asa  exhibited  pertinacity  in  his  sin, 
and  in  consequence  one  transgression  led  on  to 
another.  David  committed  some  most  fearful 
sins,  and  a  prophet  was  sent  to  reprove  and  warn 
him.  A  parable  was  made  the  medium  of  the 
message,  and  when  Nathan  came  to  the  appli- 
cation with  the  direct  and  heavy  charge,  which 
involved  murder  and  adultery,  "  thou  art  the 
man  ;  "  he  at  once  was  conscience-smitten,  and 
became  melted  down  in  penitence  :  his  con- 
fession vvas,  "  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord." 
Not  so  Asa.  His  crime,  though  indeed  not  so 
horrible,  was  equally  certain  ;  yet  when  the  pro- 
phet reproves  him,  the  historian  tells  us  "  he 
was  in  a  rage  with  him  because  of  this  thing  ;" 
and  added  to  the  sin,  and  to  a  denial  of  it,  per- 
secution of  God's  servant  for  delivering  God's 
message.  The  sin  of  Asa,  though  certain  and 
heinous,  as  I  have  said,  was  not  so  palpable  and 
overt  as  that  of  David.  It  lay  more  exclusively 
between  God  and  his  own  soul.  It  was  an 
offence  which  short-sighted  men,  who  cannot 
read  the  heart,  could  not  with  propriety  charge 
him  with  ;  when,  therefore,  the  prophet  laid  the 
sin  at  his  door,  for  aught  we  know  perhaps  in 
the  presence  of  his  courtiers,  his  poor  fallen 
heart  took  advantage  of  the  circumstance,  and 
instigated  him  to  deny  the  charge  as  unjust, 
and  then,  as  a  further  apparent  refutation  of  it, 
to  punish  him  who  made  it. — Ibid. 

[18033]  The  sins  which  are  known  with  cer- 
tainty only  to  Omniscience  are  the  last  which 
corrupt  human  nature  is  willing  to  acknowledge. 
It  hides  itself  from  its  own  guilt  and  from  its 
obligation  to  confess  and  forsake  its  sin,  under 
the  cover  of  its  fellow-creatures'  ignorance. 
From  this  hiding-place,  to  which  Asa  had 
manifestly  fled,  man  could  not  dislodge  him. 
God's  resources,  however,  were  not  exhausted. 


246 

i8o33— 18036] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEHOSHAPHAT, 


When  His  prophet  failed  to  do  it  He  sent  another 
messenger  to  the  king  in  the  shape  of  a  most 
painful  disease  which  finally  proved  mortal. 
What  the  issue  was,  perhaps  cannot  be  con- 
fidently asserted.  In  view  of  the  general  cha- 
racter which  the  Scriptures  give  of  the  man,  we 
may  hope  that  this  merciful  expedient  was 
finally  successful  in  bringing  him  to  feel  and 
confess  his  guilt,  and  so  to  humble  himself  that 
he  was,  through  grace,  when  he  died,  exalted  to 
heaven.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  a  melancholy 
truth  that  in  the  beginning  of  his  sickness  he 
was  far  from  a  proper  frame  of  mind,  as  our  text 
plainly  testifies,  "in  his  disease  he  sought  not 
to  the  Lord,  but  to  the  physicians."  Whatever 
the  continuance  of  pain  and  the  near  approach 
of  death  may,  by  the  aid  of  God's  Spirit,  have 
done,  the  first  onset  of  disease  found  him  in- 
dulging a  self-justifying  spirit  and  even  repeat- 
ing the  sin,  for  cloaking  which  God  was  now 
chastising  him.  This  I  say  is  a  striking  ex- 
ample of  pertinacity  in  sin,  which  carries  with 
it  a  solem.n  warning.  Who  would  have  expected 
this  of  the  once  devotedly  pious  Asa  !  What 
an  urgent  enforcement  does  this  example 
furnish  of  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle :  "  Take 
heed,  brethren,  lest  there  be  in  any  of  you  an 
evil  heart  of  unbelief  in  departing  from  the  living 
(iod.  But  exhort  one  another  daily,  while  it  is 
called  to-day,  lest  any  of  you  be  hardened 
through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin."  That  indeed 
must  be  a  most  treacherous  and  deceitful  thing, 
which  could  lead  a  rational  and  religious  being 
so  far  away  from  truth  and  piety,  as  thus  to 
persist  in  his  iniquity  and  attempt  to  justify 
himself  before  God  ;  yea,  more  than  that, 
virtually  to  engage  in  an  unequal  warfare  with 
heaven  and  to  accomplish,  by  unblessed  means, 
what  God  had  pronounced  impracticable. — Ibid. 


IV.  HoMii.ETiCAL  Hints. 

I       The  history  of  Asa  emphasizes   the   need 
of  humility  and  watchfulness. 

[18034]  "  Lord,  what  is  man  !  In  his  best 
estate,  moral  as  well  as  physical,  he  is  alto- 
gether vanity."  Here  is  a  person  that  appears 
to  have  been  piously  educated,  that  in  his  youth 
was  piously  and  deeply  impressed  ;  that  when 
clothed  in  royal  purple  still  remembered  his 
responsibility  to  a  higher  power,  and  felt  and 
acknowledged  his  dependence  on  it  ;  that  in 
his  mature  years  departed  not  from  the  way  in 
which  he  had  been  trained  up  ;  and  that  knew 
by  a  single  personal  experience  that  it  is  a  way 
of  pleasantness  and  a  path  of  peace  ;  in  his  old 
age  guilty  of  the  greatest  inconsistencies,  to  say 
the  very  least.  If  the  facts  mentioned  do  not 
prove  that  the  Divine  life  in  his  soul  was  really 
extinct,  they  manifest  most  decisively  that  the 
things  which  remained  were  indeed  ready  to 
perish.  May  we  not  reasonably  suppose  that 
during  his  long  prosperity  his  heart  had  become 
in  a  measure  hardened  by  the  deceitfulness  of 
sin  ;  that  indolence  had  corrupted,  and  pride, 
taking   occasion  from  the  happy   condition    of 


his  people,  of  which  he  had  been  the  instru- 
ment, had  puffed  him  up  ;  and  that  prayer,  in 
consequence,  had  been  restrained  before  God? 
However  this  lamentable  declension  of  religion 
in  his  soul  was  brought  about,  his  case  stands 
forth,  as  a  beacon  light,  to  warn  all  those  who 
have  put  forth  to  sea  and  are  now  voyaging 
towards  the  haven  of  everlasting  rest.  Be 
sober,  be  vigilant,  be  prayerful,  be  humble  is  the 
moral  of  this  melancholy  tale. — Ibid. 

2  The  history  of  Asa  teaches  that  our 
strongest  point  of  character  may  in  fact 
prove  our  weakest. 

[18035]  Asa's  distrust  in  Divine,  and  over- 
trust  in  human  power,  was  the  last  sin,  most 
probably,  which  he  thought  would  ever  beset 
him  ;  and  had  it  been  foretold  to  him  as  his 
cruelties  were  to  Hazael,  like  him  he  would 
have  said,  ''  Is  thy  servant  a  dog  that  he  should 
do  this  thing  }  "  So  improbable,  so  foolish,  so 
inconsistent,  so  ungrateful  would  it  have  ap- 
peared to  him,  that  he  would  have  been  very 
slow  to  believe  it,  thinking  that  however  frail 
and  liable  to  fall,  and  however  desperately 
wicked  and  deceitful  the  human  heart,  this  sin 
could  not  be  committed  till  every  remnant  of 
religion  was  banished  from  his  heart,  and  his 
conscience  was  seared  as  with  a  red-hot  iron. 
....  But  in  spiritual  things,  when  we  are 
weak,  then  are  we  strong,  and  when  we  are 
strong,  then  are  we  weak.  That  is,  when  we 
are  conscious  of  weakness,  and  in  consequence 
lean  constantly  on  an  Almighty  arm,  then  our 
strength  never  faileth.  How  can  it?  It  is  a 
borrowed  strength,  not  our  own — it  is  Divine, 
not  human.  .  .  .  The  lesson,  then,  to  be  learned 
from  the  history  of  Asa,  in  this  view  of  it, 
plainly  is,  to  glory  in  nothing  as  of  ourselves, 
to  distrust  ourselves  in  our  strongest  point,  a^d 
to  count  all  our  sufficiency  as  of  God  through 
Christ. — Jbid. 


JEHOSHAPHAT, 

\.  His  General  Uprightness. 

[18036]  The  general  uprightness  of  Jehosha- 
phat,  his  sincerity  in  serving  God,  is  expressly 
acknowledged  and  commended  by  the  prophet  in 
the  very  act  of  condemning  his  sin  (2  Chron.  xix. 
3) :  "  Nevertheless  there  are  good  things  found  in 
thee,  in  that  thou  hast  taken  away  the  groves 
out  of  the  land,  and  hast  prepared  thine  heart 
to  seek  the  Lord."  And  this  high  and  honour- 
able commendation  corresponds  with  what  we 
elsewhere  read  concerning  his  character  and 
conduct.  The  seventeenth  chapter  of  Second 
Chronicles  gives  an  account  of  his  piety  and 
zeal  at  the  beginning  of  his  reign,  and  before 
the  event  to  which  the  prophet  refers  ;  and  the 
nineteenth  and  twentieth  chapters  prove  the 
continuance  of  these  excellent  dispositions, 
even  after  that  most  sad  and  untoward  occur- 


18036 — 180431 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


247 

[JEHOSHAI'HAT. 


rence.  We  read  of  his  labours  in  removing 
idolatry  out  of  the  land,  and  restoring  the  wor- 
ship of  the  true  Ciod  (xvii.  3) — of  his  attention 
to  the  religious  instruction  of  the  people  (xvii.  7) 
— of  his  concern  for  the  administration  of  justice 
(xix.  5) — and  of  his  care  for  the  defence  of  his 
people  against  their  enemies,  by  the  best  of  all 
resources — an  appeal  to  God  (\x.)  ;  on  all  which 
accounts  he  was  especially  favoured  by  God 
with  prosperity  at  home  and  honour  from 
abroad  ;  the  attachment  of  his  people,  the  sub- 
mission of  his  hostile  neighbours,  the  tribute  of 
many  nations,  and  the  blessing  of  Jehovah,  the 
God  of  David,  whom  he  feared. — Rev.  R. 
Cafidlish,  D.D. 


[18037]  Jehoshaphat  was  a  good  king,  one  of 
the  best  of  the  Jewish  sovereigns.  He  was,  too, 
a  prosperous  and  successful  monarch.  His 
country  flourished  under  his  sway.  He  sought 
to  do  his  subjects  good,  and  he  did  them  good. 
God  blessed  and  honoured  him  in  his  ways. 
He  died  in  peace,  and  in  favour  with  God.  He 
rests  among  the  righteous  in  Paradise,  and 
awaits  the  resurrection  of  the  just.  But  he 
leaned  to  his  own  understanding  in  a  matter  of 
great  moment.  He  put  policy  for  principle, 
conciliation  for  frank  dissent,  worldly  advantage 
for  manly  firmness,  and  sowed  the  seeds  of 
evil,  that  lived  and  thrived  and  bore  fruit 
centuries  after  his  decease. — Rev.  R.  Uallam, 
D.D. 


II.  His  Besetting  Sin. 
A  tendency  to  connect  himself  with  idolaters. 

{i)  As  displayed  in  the  treaty  of  marriage 
that  he  made  with  Ahab. 

[18038]  Jehoshaphat  thought  there  had  been 
war  long  enough.  He  resolved  that  there  should 
be  war  no  longer.  He  determined  on  a  pacific 
policy.  He  thought  it  was  wise.  In  the  eyes  of 
men  it  was  wise.  I  am  not  about  to  say  that 
it  was  not  wise  in  substance  ;  but  it  certainly 
was  not  wise  in  form.  "Jehoshaphat  joined 
af^nity  with  Ahab,"  and  cemented  it  by  the 
marriage  of  his  son  and  Ahab's  daughter. 
There  might  not  have  been  an  obligation  to 
perpetuate  a  national  feud,  but  it  was  not  well 
to  staunch  it  by  the  admission  of  a  domestic 
taint  which  in  the  end  would  prove  to  the 
country,  whose  royal  line  it  infected,  a  worse 
evil  than  war — far  worse.  Peace  is  good,  but 
it  may  be  purchased  too  dearly.  From  the 
times  before  the  l^ood,  when  the  sons  of  God 
took  wives  of  the  daughters  of  men,  matrimonial 
alliances  with  the  wicked  had  been  a  prolific 
source  of  the  spread  and  increase  of  sin.  God 
had  told  His  people  not  to  make  marriages  with 
the  idolaters  around  them,  and  plainly  fore- 
warned them  of  the  evils  that  would  follow. 
But  Ahab  was  an  idolater,  and,  not  satisfied 
with  the  worship  of  Jeroboam's  calves,  had 
brought  in  the  viler  abominations  of  the  Phoe- 
nician superstition. — Ibid. 


[18030]  He  "joined  affinity  with  Ahab"  by 
marrying  his  son  to  Ahab's  daughter  (2  Kings 
viii.  18).  This  was  the  first  overture  towards 
an  alliance.  It  is  a  policy  common  among  princes 
— though,  alas  !  too  often  ineffectual — for  uniting 
their  royal  families  and  their  respective  nations. 
...  In  accordance  with  tliis  policy,  then,  the 
king  of  Judah  sought  to  conciliate  the  friendship 
of  the  king  of  Israel  by  mingling  the  blood  of 
their  royal  races  ;  .  .  .  but,  as  it  turned  out,  with 
most  disastrous  results. — Rev.  R.  Cafid/ish,  D.D. 

(2)  As  twice  displayed  in  a  league  of  war 
with  the  kings  of  Israel. 

[18040]  Jehoshaphat  twice  joined  in  a  league 
of  war  with  the  kings  of  Israel — first,  in  the 
expedition  against  Syria,  .  .  .  and  again  shortly 
after  in  an  attack  upon  the  Moabites.  This 
last  confederacy  being  formed  against  a  common 
enemy,  who  had  given  both  of  them  provocation, 
was  not  so  unjustifiable,  nor  was  it  so  unfortunate 
as  the  other  :  it  received  the  sanction  of  Elisha's 
counsel,  and  of  the  Lord's  signal  interposition. 
But  the  warlike  alliance  into  which,  of  his  own  ac- 
cord, he  entered,  issued  in  nought  but  evil. — Ibid. 

(3)  As  displayed  in  a  comtnercial  alliance 
of  his  people  with  the  ten  tribes. 

[18041]  Jehoshaphat  consented,  though  re- 
luctantly, in  the  close  of  his  reign,  to  a  com- 
mercial alliance  of  his  people  with  the  ten 
tribes.  It  appears  (i  Kings  xxii.  48)  that  once 
before,  when  asked  by  the  king  of  Israel  to 
concur  in  a  joint  expedition  of  their  two  navies 
to  Ophir  for  gold,  Jehoshaphat  promptly  and 
peremptorily  refused,  having  then  had  fresh  and 
recent  experience  of  the  danger  of  his  connection 
with  Ahab.  But  yet  afterwards  (2  Chron.  xx. 
37)  he  agreed  to  a  similar  proposal,  on 
which  occasion  he  was  again  rebuked  by  the 
prophet  of  the  Lord,  and  again  visited  with  the 
judgment  of  God.  "The  ships  were  broken," 
and  the  expedition  ruined  ;  they  were  not  able 
to  go  to  Ta.rs\\is\i.— Ibid. 

III.  Probable  Reasons  for  the  Fasci- 
nation OF  HIS  Besetting  Form  of 
Evil. 

Mistaken    views   of  policy,    and    a    too    great 
anxiety  to  conciliate. 

[18042]  As  to  the  sin  itself  with  which  Jeho- 
shaphat is  charged,  and  the  probable  reasons 
or  motives  of  its  commission,  we  cannot  sup- 
pose that,  in  forming  an  alliance  with  the  un- 
godly, Jehoshaphat  was  actuated  by  any  fond- 
ness for  the  crime,  or  by  any  complacency  in 
the  criminals.  We  must  seek  an  explanation 
of  his  conduct  rather  in  mistaken  views  of  policy 
than  in  any  considerable  indifference  to  the 
honour  of  God,  or  any  leaning  to  the  defections 
of  apostasy  and  idolatry. — Ibid. 

[18043]  Iri  his  anxiety  to  pacify,  to  conciliate, 
and  to  reclaim,  he  was  tempted  to  go  a  little  too 
far — even  to  the  sacrificing  of  his  own  high  in- 
tegrity, and  the  apparent  countenancing  of 
Israel's  corruptions.     Here  lay  the  error  of  this 


248 

18043— 18048] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


FjEHOSHAPHAT. 


pious  prince  ;  and  here  it  was  that  he  suffered 
the  subtlety  of  worldly  wisdom,  and  the  spurious 
kindness  of  worldly  liberality,  to  interfere  with 
the  simplicity  of  an  upright  and  honourable  faith 
i  n  God,  and  a  godly  love  towards  men.  To  desire 
the  restoration  of  his  brethren  of  Israel  to  the 
privileges  of  the  covenant  which  they  had  re- 
nounced was  natural,  just,  and  right,  in  one  who 
himself  valued  these  privileges  so  highly.  But 
with  this  view,  and  under  this  pretence,  to  make 
friendly  advances  towards  them,  and  show  a 
disposition  to  unite  with  them,  in  their  present 
state  of  apostasy  and  idolatry — this  was  impru- 
dence—this was  sin. — Ibid. 

IV.  Contrast  with  Ahab. 

[18044]  In  Ahab  we  have  an  instance  of  a 
wicked  man  partially  reclaimed,  frequently  ar- 
rested, but  yet  finally  hardened  in  his  iniquity. 
In  Jehoshaphat,  again,  we  have  a  still  more 
affecting  example.  We  see  how  a  man— up- 
right before  God,  and  sincere  in  serving  Him — 
may  be  betrayed  into  weak  compliances,  and 
how  dangerous  and  melancholy  the  conse- 
quences of  these  compliances  may  be. — Ibid. 

V.  Homiletical  Reflections. 

I      Jehoshaphat     attempted     the     impossible 
task  of  serving  two  masters. 

[18045]  See  illustrated  in  the  case  of  Jeho- 
shaphat  the  vital  necessity  of  singleness  and 
unity  in  the  religious  life.  The  want  of  it  may 
not  destroy  its  genuineness  and  reality,  but  it 
will  greatly  mar  its  symmetry,  its  comfort,  and 
Its  usefulness.  "  Their  heart  is  divided  ;  now 
shall  they  be  found  faulty."  "  Ephraim  is  a 
cake  not  turned,"  says  Hosea.  "  Unite  my  heart 
to  fear  Thy  name,"  prays  the  Psalmist  ;  bring 
all  the  power  of  my  soul  into  harmonious  and 
concentrated  action  in  Thy  service.  Let  no  one 
feeling  or  faculty  stray  away  after  alien  and 
contrary  interests.  Alas,  what  want  of  unity 
there  is  in  most  Christian  lives,  what  an  alloy 
of  the  world  cleaves  to  them  and  disfigures 
them,  how  little  there  is  of  that  gathering  up  of 
all  the  forces  of  the  life  into  one  single  purpose 
which  spoke  in  St.  Paul's  "  This  one  thing  I  do  "  ! 
Alas  that  men  will,  despite  the  Saviour's  warning^ 
essay  the  impossible  task  of  serving  God  antl 
mammon,  and  make  their  religious  life  like  the 
religion  of  the  Samaritans,  who  "feared  the  Lord 
and  served  other  gods  "  !  Our  renunciation  of 
evil,  in  any  and  in  all  of  its  forms,  can  never  be 
too  absolute,  too  thorough,  and  too  complete, 
nor  our  watch  against  its  intrusions  too  constant^ 
too  vigilant,  and  too  earnest.  In  our  lives,  if  we 
leave  it  there,  or  let  it  in,  it  can  only  be  a  cause 
of  wickedness,  deformity,  and  failure.— i^^z/  R 
Hallatn,  D.D. 

2      Jehoshaphat    exceeded    the    due    limit    of 
compromise   and  conciliation. 

[18046]  Consider  how  great  the  temptation  to 
compromises  is  ;    in   what  seemly   forms    the  ' 


temptation  presents  itself ;  with  what  specious 
pleas  it  asks  for  admission.  Peace  was  a  good 
thing,  war  was  a  sad  calamity.  Surely  it  was 
well  to  put  an  end  to  it.  And  friendly  neigh- 
bours must  reciprocate  friendly  acts  and  form 
ties  of  friendship.  Jehoshaphat  at  peace  with 
Ahab  must  admit  Ahab's  daughter  into  his 
family.  And  having  family  bonds  with  him,  he 
must  espouse  his  quarrel,  and  help  him  in 
battle,  and  join  his  ungodly  son  in  sending 
ships  to  sea.  So  the  evil  crept  in  under  a  very 
seemly  disguise.  So  it  is  wont  to  do.  It  is  too 
wise  to  show  its  ugly  face  naked.  It  comes  in 
a  mask.  Scrutinize  things  carefully  ;  see  if  they 
will  bear  examination  ;  see  if  they  are  indeed 
what  they  profess  to  be.  Beware  of  careless 
alliances  and  hasty  engagements.  There  may 
be  that  in  some  very  well-looking  associations 
that  will  poison  our  whole  lives,  and  do  harm 
to  generations  unborn. — Ibid. 

[18047]  If  there  are  any  in  the  Church  of 
Christ  who  are  sometimes  tempted  —and  who 
shall  say  that  he  is  not .'' — to  advance  too  far 
in  the  way  of  concession  and  conciliation, 
and  the  overtures  of  friendly  conformity  to  the 
world,  and  to  plead  that  they  are  not  thus  con- 
taminated themselves,  but  that  they  rather 
season  the  world's  corruption  in  the  circles  in 
which  they  move  by  the  admixture  of  their  own 
purer  principles  and  practices — we  bid  them 
look  to  Jehoshaphat  and  his  unholy  alliance  with 
the  idolatrous  king  of  Israel,  and  consider  what 
the  real  effect  of  such  conduct  was  in  his  case, 
and  what  must  be  the  effect  of  similar  conduct 
in  theirs.  Let  them  observe  its  vanity  and  folly  ; 
for  it  fails  to  serve,  or  rather  tends  to  hinder, 
the  good  purpose  they  intend — its  sin,  as  it  re- 
gards their  own  testimony  for  God  and  mainten- 
ance of  sound  principle — its  danger,  as  it  hazards 
their  peace  and  safety— and  its  mischievous  ten- 
dency to  encourage  the  evil  course,  andaccelerate 
the  ruin  of  the  very  men  whom  they  profess  that 
they  desire  to  benefit.— T^^t/., 7?.  Candlish,  D.D. 

[18048]  If,  like  Jehoshaphat,  you  make  con- 
cessions to  the  weak,  the  wicked,  or  tlie  worldly, 
and  enter  into  their  plans,  and  sit  down  with 
them  in  their  indulgences,  you  renounce  the 
advantage  which  the  consciousness  of  untar- 
nished honour  and  unimpeached  consistenc)' — 
and  that  alone — can  give  you  over  them  ;  you 
put  yourself  on  their  level  ;  you  are  at  their 
mercy  ;  you  are  one  of  themselves  ;  and  it  must 
be  with  an  ill  grace  and  a  feeble  effect  that  you 
venture  timidly  to  stand  forth  either  as  God's 
witness  or  as  their  reprover.  Whatever  you 
gain  by  conciliation,  you  lose  far  more  by  for- 
feiting the  respect  and  reverence  which  firm  in- 
tegrity commands.  You  may  consent  to  mix 
with  them  familiarly  on  terms  of  friendship  and 
companionship — you  may  thus  gain  their  easy 
and  indolent  goodwill— but  you  gain  something 
very  like  their  contempt  too;  and  a  sort  of  feeble 
paralysis  comes  over  you  in  the  very  attempt  to 
be  faithful.  Your  voice  of  censure  loses  all  its 
commanding  energy  ;  your  look  of  disapproba- 


I8048-I8053] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEHORAM. 


;49 


tion  loses  all  its  keenness  ;  your  presence  is  no 
longer  felt  to  be  a  restraint  on  folly  ;  your  se- 
verity cannot  awe,  your  tenderness  cannot  touch  ; 
you  can  but  feebly  "hint  a  doubt,  and  hesitate 
dislike."  To  assume  a  high  tone  and  take  high 
ground  now,  would  but  excite  ridicule  by  its 
absurdity,  or  anger  by  its  impertinence.  Your 
right  to  testify,  your  influence  to  persuade,  your 
power  of  rebuke — are  all  gone. — Ibid. 

3      Jehoshaphat    found    the    impossibility    of 
retracing  a  false  step  once  taken. 

[18049]  A  wrong  step  once  taken  cannot  easily 
be  retraced,  and  an  injurious  engagement  once 
entered  into  will  hold  us  fast  beyond  possibility 
of  extrication.  If  we  watch  the  life  of  Jehosha- 
phat we  shall  see  this  strikingly  exemplified. 
That  bond  which  fastened  him  to  Ahab  was  a 
tether  beyond  which  he  could  never  go  ;  we  see 
him  all  his  life  struggling  to  be  a  good  man,  to 
serve  God,  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  His 
kingdom,  to  strengthen  God's  Church,  promote 
virtue,  religion,  truth.  And  he  did  it.  But  it 
was  in  shackles,  and  at  a  fearful  disadvantage. 
How  could  he  drive  out  idolatry,  who  must  con- 
nive at  an  idolatrous  daughter-in-law  in  His 
court,  and  go  to  battle  with  an  idolatrous  ally, 
attended  by  a  retinue  of  four  hundred  lying 
prophets,  and  see  the  only  true  prophet  there 
mocked  and  insulted  by  Zedekiah  the  son  of 
Chenaanah  ?  He  could  not  do  it.  Yet  from 
this  alliance,  which  he  looked  upon  as  a  master- 
stroke of  policy,  he  could  not  disengage  himself, 
he  could  not  unmarry  his  son,  he  could  not 
brave  Ahab's  wrath.  "  He  that  committeth  sin 
is  the  servant  of  sin."  It  is  so  universally.  Be- 
ware of  a  false  step.  Pray  God  to  keep  you 
from  it.  Once  taken  there  may  be  no  escape, 
and  "no  place  for  repentance,"  though  you  seek 
it  "carefully  with  tears." — Rev.  R.HaUa/ii,  D.D. 

[18050]  Here  we  might  speak  of  the  many 
evils  which  the  weak  and  worldly  policy  of  Jeho- 
shaphat entailed  upon  his  family  and  people. 
We  might  show  how  his  connection  by  marriage 
with  the  house  of  Ahab  led,  in  another  genera- 
tion, to  the  introduction  of  all  the  vices  and 
abominations  of  that  idolatrous  house  into  his 
own  court  and  kingdom.  We  might  show  also, 
how,  in  the  present  instance,  notwithstanding 
his  own  escape,  his  army  and  his  subjects  suf- 
fered by  his  rashness  ;  and  we  might  remind 
you  of  the  harm  which  you  may  do,  by  involving 
your  friends,  your  children,  or  your  dependents 
in  the  consequences  of  your  folly,  from  which 
you  may  yourselves  be  delivered,  by  encouraging 
them  through  your  example,  and  leading  them 
on  in  the  way  of  sin,  and  shame,  and  sorrow. — 
Rev.  R.  Candiisk,  D.D. 

[1805 1 ]  See  what  hazard  Jehoshaphat  ran. 
Not  only  did  he  sin  with  Ahab,  but  he  well-nigh 
perished  with  him  in  his  sin.  Betrayed  by  his 
false  ally  and  associate,  who  could  meanly  con- 
sult his  own  safety  by  exposing  his  friend,  Jeho- 
shaphat was  saved,  but  scarcely  saved,  by  faith 
and  prayer,  and  that  only  in  the  last  e.xtremity. 


"And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  captains  of 
the  chariots  saw  Jehoshaphat,  that  they  said,  It 
is  the  king  of  Israel.  Therefore  they  comjKissed 
about  him  to  fight  :  but  Jehoshaphat  cried  out, 
and  the  Lord  helped  him  ;  and  God  moved  them 
to  depart  from  him''  (2  Chron.  xviii.  31).  And 
late  and  seasonable  as  the  interposition  was, 
was  it  not  more  than  he  had  any  reason  to  ex- 
pect ?  Was  it  not  a  deliverance  on  which  he 
had  no  right  to  calculate?  It  was  by  his  own 
fault,  and  against  express  Divine  warning,  that 
he  was  involved  in  this  danger,  and  he  might 
justly  have  been  left  to  take  the  consequences 
of  his  own  perversencss.  His  narrow  escape 
was  a  cause  of  peculiar  thankfulness  to  himself, 
but  not  a  warrant  of  presumptuous  confidence 
to  others.  It  was  a  signal  and  special  act  of 
most  undeserved  mercy.  And  think  not,  O 
Christian  !  that  you  may  depend  upon  a  similar 
act  of  mercy  when  you  tempt  the  Lord  as  he 
did.  If  you  consent  to  the  schemes  of  vain, 
wicked,  or  worldly  men,  and  compromise  your 
devotion  to  God  out  of  courtesy  and  com- 
plaisance to  them,  you  may  be  very  sure  that, 
as  in  Jehoshaphat's  case,  they  will  take  advan- 
tage of  your  easy  and  accommodating  spirit  to 
put  the  blame  and  the  danger  on  you.  But  you 
cannot  be  at  all  sure  that  God  will  come  so  very 
opportunely  to  your  rescue.  He  is  in  no  way 
bound  to  do  so.  For  it  is  not  a  hazard  which 
in  His  service  and  at  His  call  you  have  encoun- 
tered, but  a  risk  incurred  by  your  own  weak 
folly  or  wilful  self-confidence.  And  why  should 
you  not  be  left  to  reap  the  fruit  of  your  com- 
pliance with  the  world's  sin  by  sharing  the 
world's  doom  ? — Ibid. 


JEHORAM. 

I.  His  Flagrant  Transgressions. 

Idolatry  and  fratricide. 

[18052]  He  plunged  into  the  idolatry  of  his 
wife's  family  with  eagerness,  and  compelled  his 
subjects  to  conform  to  the  vile  practices  which 
it  brought  in  its  train.  His  brethren  of  his 
father's  house,  which  were  better  than  he,  true 
to  their  father's  principles,  probably  opposers  of 
his  infatuated  and  ruinous  cause,  he  put  to 
death.  And  soon  the  sad  spectacle  was  pre- 
sented of  a  king  and  people,  in  that  land  where 
alone  the  true  God  had  revealed  Himself, 
forsaking  His  service,  and  giving  themselves  up 
to  the  gravest  excesses  and  abominations  that 
disgrace  the  heathen. — Rev.  R.  Hallani^  D.D. 


II.  His  Punishment. 

[18053]  And  now  came  the  terrible  retribu- 
tion, the  awful  fulnhnent  of  the  prophet's  threat. 
"  Moreover  the  Lord  stirred  up  agamst  Jehoram 
the  spirit  of  the  Philistines,  and  of  the  Arabians, 
that  were  near  the  Ethiopians  ;  and  they  came 


25° 

i8oS3- 


-18058] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[ahaziah. 


up  into  Judah  and  brake  into  it,  and  carried 
away  all  the  substance  that  was  found  in  the 
king's  house,  and  his  sons  also  and  his  wives  ; 
so  that  there  was  never  a  son  left  him  save 
Jehoahaz,  the  youngest  of  his  sons.  And  after 
all  this,  the  Lord  smote  him  in  his  bowels  with 
an  incurable  disease.  And  it  came  to  pass  that 
in  process  of  time,  after  the  end  of  two  years, 
his  bowels  fell  out  by  reason  of  his  sickness  : 
so  he  died  of  sore  diseases.  And  his  people 
made  no  burning  for  him,  like  the  burning  of 
his  fathers.  Thirty  and  two  years  old  was  he 
when  he  began  to  reign,  and  he  reigned  in 
Jerusalem  eight  years,  and  departed  without 
being  desired.  Howbeit  they  buried  him  in  the 
city  of  David,  but  not  in  the  sepulchres  of  the 
kings." — Ibid. 

[18054]  So  died  Jehoram,  drawn  in  his  youth 
by  a  good  but  unwise  father's  ambition  into  a 
fatal  alliance  with  wickedness,  the  husband  of 
the  wicked  daughter  of  the  wicked  Jezebel, 
corrupted,  spoiled,  ruined  by  association  with 
irreligion  and  idolatry,  visited  with  God's  heavy 
displeasure,  till  in  his  royal  palace,  turned  by 
suffering  into  a  hospital  and  a  tomb,  impover- 
ished and  bereft,  loathsome  to  himself,  a 
nuisance  to  others,  at  the  early  age  of  forty  he 
departed  without  being  desired.  Not  loved  in 
life,  not  lamented  in  death,  denied  a  royal 
tomb,  and  only  allowed  a  grave  in  Jerusalem 
out  of  respect  for  his  exalted  station.  What  a 
picture  !     What  a  moral ! — Ibid. 


III.  HoMiLETicAi.  Hints. 

z  The  history  of  Jehoram  exemplifies  the 
mischief  of  close  association  with  the 
wicked. 

[18055]  All  his  misconduct  and  his  suffering, 
and  the  evils  his  course  bequeathed  to  succes- 
sive generations  of  his  descendants,  which  so 
afflicted  his  family,  his  kingdom,  and  the  Church 
of  God,  grew  out  of  the  root  of  his  marriage 
with  Atbaliah,  the  daughter  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel. 
It  neutralized  the  effect  of  a  pious  education, 
and  all  the  good  influences  which  must  have 
surrounded  the  early  days  of  the  son  of  the  good 
Jehoshaphat.  Sad  is  it  to  see  that  the  father, 
for  reasons  of  state  and  temporal  advantage, 
betrayed  the  son  into  the  ruinous  connection 
— a  warning  to  parents  not  to  sacrifice  their 
children's  spiritual  good  to  worldly  interest,  and 
especially  in  the  fundamental  particular  of  their 
associations  in  life.  It  made  him  an  idolater,  a 
worldling,  and  a  profligate.  It  diffused  its  cor- 
rupting venom  into  every  department  and  stage 
of  his  life.  It  made  him  a  bad  ruler,  a  bad 
father,  a  bad  man.  It  filled  his  life  with  sin  and 
his  death  with  despair,  and  sent  him  unprepared 
to  the  bar  of  God,  and  then  it  transmitted  its 
evil  influence  to  successive  generations  of  his 
posterity.  Oh  !  how  true  is  it  that  "  he  that 
walketh  with  wise  men  shall  be  wise,  but  the 
companion  of  fools  shall  be  destroyed" — true 
as  an  aphorism,  on  philosophical  grounds,  but 


truer  as  an  instance  in  the  pregnant  illustrations 
of  such  an  example  as  that  before  ns.—Ibid. 

2  The  history  of  Jehoram  affords  a  warning 
to  parents  against  forcing  their  children 
into  marriages  of  convenience. 

[18056]  No  doubt  Jehoshaphat  thought  he 
was  making  a  grand  connection  for  his  son 
when  he  was  allying  him  to  the  daughter  of 
Israel  and  the  granddaughter  of  Tyre  ;  and 
unquestionably,  upon  worldly  principles  and 
calculations,  he  was  strengthening  himself  and 
his  kingdom.  But  he  was,  in  fact,  weakening 
both.  He  might  better  have  married  his  son 
to  the  humblest  of  Judah's  daughters  that  was 
virtuous  and  religious.  Such  things  are  being 
done  continually  in  courts,  and  not  in  courts 
alone,  in  the  marriages  of  policy  or  profit  which 
ambitious  fathers  and  scheming  mothers  pro- 
mote, receiving,  as  in  the  case  before  us,  the 
reward  that  is  meet  in  misery  to  themselves  and 
their  posterity.  Let  piarents  guard  well  the 
associations,  the  intimacies,  the  alliances  of  their 
children.  Let  the  young  carefully  avoid  those 
who  are  wrong  in  opinion  or  evil  in  life,  and  in 
seeking  associates  and  companions  in  any  rela- 
tions of  life,  but  especially  in  those  which  are 
closest,  never  forget  the  paramount  claims  of 
truth,  of  goodness,  of  right  principles,  of  worthy 
conduct.  Their  character,  their  honour,  their 
usefulness  in  life,  their  hope  in  death,  largely 
depend  upon  it. — Ibid. 


AHAZIAH, 

I.  His  Character. 

Irreligious  and  licentious  (it  was  the  outcome 
of  the  wicked  counsels  of  his  mother). 

[18057]  The  poor  young  king  had  no  good 
training,  much  bad  training.  If  he  was  bad — 
and  bad  he  was,  for  the  Bible  tells  us  that  "he 
did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  " — it  is  not 
strange,  when  we  consider  what  his  parentage 
was,  and  what  his  bringing  up  had  been.  He 
was  born,  nurtured,  and  bred  up  to  early  man- 
hood in  a  foul,  wicked,  and  idolatrous  court. 
"  His  mother  was  his  counsellor  to  do  wickedly," 
says  the  historian,  and  little  more  need  be  said. 
The  fountain  of  his  life  was  poisoned. — Ibid. 

[18058]  Athaliah  survived  to  be  the  ruin  of 
her  son,  as  she  had  been  already  the  bane  of 
her  husband.  She  was  a  woman  of  strong 
impulses  and  a  determined  will,  and  the  young 
sovereign  gave  himself  up  to  her  directions. 
Under  her  counsels  he  began  that  career  of 
irreligion  and  licentiousness  which  speedily 
ended  in  his  destruction.  The  succinct  and  for- 
cible statement  of  one  of  the  two  of  the  historians 
of  his  reign  is,  "  He  also  walked  in  the  ways  of 
the  house  of  Ahab  :  for  his  mother  was  his 
counsellor  to  do  wickedly.  Wherefore  he  did 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  like  the  house  of 
Ahab  :  for  they  were  his  counsellors  after  the 


18058—18062] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    EKA. 


[JEIIOASH. 


death  of  his  father  to  his  destruction  ; "  and  of 
the  other,  "  And  he  waliced  in  the  way  of  the 
house  of  Abab,  and  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  as  did  the  house  of  Ahab  :  for  he  was  the 
son-in-law  of  the  house  of  Ahab.'' — Ibid. 


II.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

The  character  of  Ahaziah  displays  the  strength 
of  a  mother's  influence  for  good  or  evil. 

[1S059]  He  had  a  bad  mother,  and  his  bad 
mother  was  the  evil  genius  of  his  life  and  reign. 
She  was  evil.  She  taught  him  evil.  She  set 
him  an  example  of  evil.  Her  strong  qualities 
gave  evil  in  her  hands  a  tremendous  and  de- 
structive force.  She  made  him  evil.  He  was 
evil.  And  he  came  to  an  evil  end.  He  did  not 
"live  out  half  his  days."  Misfortune  slew  the 
ungodly.  And  though  a  veil  conceals  what  is 
beyond,  we  know  that  "  the  wicked  is  driven 
into  darkness,"  that  outer  darkness  where  is 
"  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  The  record 
is,  "His  mother  was  his  counsellor  to  do 
wickedly" — Athaliah,  the  evil  daughter  of  an 
evil  mother,  proud,  energetic,  daring,  fierce,  the 
devotee  of  a  religion  that  fed  the  worst  passions 
of  our  nature  under  a  semblance  of  duty  and 
devotion.  She  formed  him  in  childhood.  She 
advised  and  directed  him  as  a  man. — Ibid. 

[18060]  A  mother  :  there  is  no  one  else  in 
whom  the  life  of  a  child  is  so  much,  as  it  were, 
contained,  that  so  forms  the  atmosphere,  in 
which  it  moves  and  has  its  being.  And  this 
influence  is  put  forth  at  the  period  when  the 
subject  of  it  is  the  most  impressible,  the  most 
ready  to  take  its  mould  and  colour  from  the 
objects  around  it.  And  of  all  these  objects 
there  is  none  so  potent  as  the  mother,  none  that 
works  at  so  great  an  advantage,  and  with  such 
powerful  effect.  There  is  none  with  which  the 
child  is  so  constantly  and  familiarly  associated, 
and  to  which  he  is  so  strongly  drawn  by  depen- 
dence, and  the  natural  instincts  of  confidence 
and  affection.  He  that  has  the  making  of  the 
mothers  of  the  nation  makes  the  nation. 
Maternal  influence  is  continually  flowing  forth  ; 
and,  entering  deeply  by  avenues  which  the  hand 
of  time  has  opened  for  it,  it  embeds  itself,  as  it 
were,  in  the  child's  nature,  and  sends  itself  into 
every  department  of  its  life,  communicating  a 
line  of  thoughts,  ideas,  feelings,  sentiments, 
opinions,  conceptions,  as  they  come  forth  into 
shape  from  the  chaos  in  which  its  life  begins. 
And  as  the  process  of  development  goes  on, 
impression  grows  more  and  more  into  guidance, 
and  the  young  being  learns  to  look  with  a  more 
conscious  intention  for  instruction  and  direction 
to  her  on  whom  his  eyes  have  gazed  with  a  blank, 
indefinite  reliance,  ever  since  they  opened  on  an 
external  world.  A  child  when  it  begins  to 
exercise  a  conscious  will  needs  a  guide,  a  guide 
to  think,  and  a  guide  to  act,  and  the  mother  is 
at  hand  to  fulfil  that  office.  None  can  do  it  so 
well  or  so  eft'ectively.  She  will  discharge  it  if 
she  has  no  deliberate  intention.     She  discharges 


it  of  necessity.  And  never  had  a  being  a  sub- 
stance easier  to  work  upon.  The  child  is 
unsuspicious,  uncritical,  trustful.  He  puts  f^iith 
in  the  mother.  To  him  the  mother  is  the 
standard  of  right  and  truth.  What  the  mother 
thinks,  or  says,  or  does,  he  is  not  disposed  to 
question  or  doubt  about.  The  presumption  in 
liis  mind  is  always  that  she  is  what  she  ought  to 
be,  and  that  her  beliefs,  views,  maxims,  are 
worthy  of  confidence  and  adoption.  Her  very 
obliquities  are  not  oblique  to  him  ;  and  so  her 
obliquities  are  adopted  by  him,  and  he  does  not 
begin  to  suspect  them  to  be  obliquities  till  his 
mind  is  so  warped  that  he  is  incapable  of  judging 
of  the  question  fairly.  And  now  he  is  fashioned 
into  her  image  ;  and  if  she  is  evil,  she  has  made 
him  "  two-fold  more  the  child  of  hell ''  than  her- 
self.—7^^^/. 


JEHOASH. 

I.  Introduction. 

By  his  preservation  when  a  child  he  furnished 
a  notable  instance  of  the  truth  of  God's 
promises. 

[18061]  The  young  prince  had  been  snatched 
from  the  destroying  fury  of  his  ruthless  grand- 
mother, the  miscreant  Athaliah,  by  his  Aunt 
Jehosheba,  the  high  priest's  wife  ;  and  was 
securely  kept  and  nurtured  in  secret  in  the 
ample  courts  of  the  temple  till  a  fit  time  should 
come  to  throw  ofl"  the  hateful  usurpation  that 
oppressed  the  nation,  and  restore  the  rightful 
heir  to  his  lineal  inheritance.  Thus  within  the 
very  shadow  of  the  palace  was  growing  under 
God's  care  an  unknown  branch  of  the  royal 
house,  by  whom,  in  God's  good  time,  his  "  faith- 
ful oath  unto  David  "  was  to  be  secured  from 
failure,  and  the  sceptre  of  Judah  made  sure  till 
Shiloh  should  come.  The  light  of  David  had 
burnt  down  to  its  socket,  but  there  it  still 
flickered.  The  stem  of  Jesse  was  cut  down  to 
the  very  roots  ;  one  tender  shoot  was  all  that 
remained  ;  on  him  rested  the  whole  hope  of 
carrying  on  the  lineage  of  David. — Ibid. 

II.  His  Instability. 

His  religion  was  the  child  of  circumstances,  not 
of  principles. 

(i)  Utider  the  hitclage  of  Jchoiada  he  luas 
apparetitly  pious  and  even  zealous  for  God. 

This  was  especially  shown  in  his  restoration 
of  the  temple. 

[18062]  That  which  sheds  the  distinguishing 
glory  over  the  reign  of  Joash  among  those  of  the 
kings  of  Judah  is  the  repairing  of  the  temple, 
and  its  restoration  to  its  original  beauty  and 
perfection.  Under  the  growing  ascendency 
of  heathenism  in  the  reigns  of  Jeiioram  and 
Ahaziah,  and  still  more  under  the  openly  idola- 
trous usurpation  of  Athali.di,  the  temple  had 
sufitered  from   neglect    and    still    more    from 


252 
i8o62- 


-18067] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEHOASH. 


spoliation.  Its  treasures  had  been  given  away 
to  invaders  ;  it  had  been  plundered  by  Egyptians 
and  by  Arabs  ;  and  it  had  probably  been  used 
as  a  quarry  in  Athaliah's  time  to  furnish 
materials  for  the  temple  of  Baal  and  her  other 
costly  constructions.  It  now  retained  but 
marred  and  faded  remnants  of  its  first  glory, 
and  dishonoured  the  religion  of  a  people  whose 
proudest  boast  it  was  that  they  had  the  Lord 
for  their  God.  To  Joash  the  temple  must 
have  been  peculiarly  dear,  as  the  asylum  and 
nursery  of  his  childhood,  and  the  abode  of  those 
who  in  its  courts  had  shielded  him  from  harm, 
and  watched  over  his  lonely  orphanhood  with  a 
more  than  parental  solicitude  and  tenderness. 
An  early  act  of  his  reign,  doubtless  under  the 
advice  of  the  good  high  priest,  was  to  make 
provision  for  the  removal  of  this  national 
scandal,  and  put  back  the  proud  shrine  of  the 
nation,  so  far  as  he  might,  into  that  condition  of 
grandeur  and  dignity  in  which  his  great  ances- 
tors left  it.  A  pleasing  act  of  gratitude,  as  well 
as  of  religion,  it  was  in  the  young  king  to  restore 
and  beautify  the  courts  and  cloisters  which  had 
formed  the  shelter  and  playground  of  his  hap- 
less childhood.  Yet  the  work  went  on  languidly 
in  the  hands  of  the  Levites,  one  cannot  determine 
whether  owing  to  the  indifference  or  the  in- 
ability of  the  priestly  tribe,  to  whom  it  was  at 
first  appropriately  committed,  so  that  "  in  the 
three  and  twentieth  year  of  King  Jehoash  the 
priests  had  not  repaired  the  breaches  of  the 
house."  At  last,  however,  in  more  efficient 
hands  the  work  was  happily  consummated,  and 
stood  the  glory  of  Joash's  reign  and  of  Jehoiada's 
administration. — Ibid. 

(2)  At  the  death  of  Jehoiada  he  made  ship- 
tvreck  of  his  faith  and  became  both  an  idolater 
and  sacrilei^ious  murderer. 

[18063]  With  Jehoiada's  death  came  a  dismal 
change  in  Joash.  The  good  genius  of  his  reign 
departed  with  the  aged  high  priest.  Accustomed 
to  lean  upon  his  wise  and  conscientious  counsel- 
lor, when  the  prop  was  removed  it  appeared  that 
he  could  no  longer  stand  upright.  He  had  no 
root  in  himself;  his  virtuewas  but  parasitical,  and 
when  the  tree  died,  the  mistletoe  that  clung  to 
it  withered  away.  Sadly  does  the  last  third  of 
his  reign  compare  with  its  earlier  portion.  A 
similar  contrast  there  is  in  secular  history  in  the 
Emperor  Nero,  before  and  after  the  death  of  his 
tutor,  the  philosopher  Seneca. — Ibid. 

[18064]  Joash  was  not  possessed  of  much 
natural  force  of  character  ;  and  religion,  albeit 
he  had  been  for  a  time  its  patron  and  protector, 
had  gained  no  deep  lodgment  in  his  soul.  De- 
prived of  his  wonted  support  when  the  high 
priest  died,  he  looked  about  for  another,  and 
there  was  one  at  hand.  The  vices  of  idolatry 
had  not  died  with  Athaliah.  Doubtless  there 
were  many  who  looked  back  to  the  sensuality 
and  license  of  her  reign  with  regret,  and  were 
ready  to  persuade  her  too-yielding  successor  to 
emancipate  himself  from  the  vigorous  restraints 
imposed  by  his  venerated  monitor.     Joash  was 


yet  young.  He  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  : 
and  it  was  in  the  twenty-third  year  of  his  reign 
that  he  set  about  the  completion  of  the  work  on 
the  temple  more  vigorously.  This  must  have 
been  when  he  was  thirty  years  old.  Within  a 
few  years  of  this  time  the  work  was  finished 
and  Jehoiada  died.  A  period  of  ten  years  or  a 
little  more  remains  for  his  downfall  in  character 
and  condition.  He  was  in  the  maturity  of  his 
powers,  when  the  restraints  that  had  before 
holden  him  back  were  removed,  and  he  was  left 
free  to  follow  his  own  royal  will.  A  fatal  free- 
dom it  proved  to  be,  involving  shipwreck  for 
time  and  shipwreck  for  eternity. — Jbid. 

[18065]  The  reign  of  Joash  stands,  in  one 
aspect  of  it,  marked  with  a  singular  honour,  in 
another  stained  witli  a  remarkable  disgrace. 
The  re-edifier  of  the  temple  li\ed  to  be  the 
murderer  of  the  priest  that  ministered  at  its 
altar.  The  grateful  ward  of  Jehoiada  was  the 
destroyer  of  his  son  ;  and  now  by  the  lips  of 
the  Son  of  Man  Himself,  the  blood  of  "Zacha- 
rias  the  son  of  Barachias,  who  was  slain 
between  the  temple  and  the  altar,"  stands 
coupled  with  the  "  blood  of  righteous  Abel," 
and,  strange  to  tell,  Jehoash,  whose  care  had 
once  restored  that  temple  and  that  altar,  was 
his  slayer,  the  murderer  of  his  kinsman,  of  the 
son  of  his  best  benefactor,  of  the  head  of  his 
religion  and  its  priesthood  ;  and  the  memory  of 
a  king  of  hopeful  indications  and  beginnings 
stands  branded  with  the  mark  of  Cain,  in  whose 
way  he  went. — Ibid. 

III.  His  Disastrous  End. 

[18066]  Invasion,  defeat,  disease,  and  a  bloody 
death  came  in  quick  succession.  Hazael,  king 
of  Syria,  came  up  against  him,  and,  after  strip- 
ping him  of  all  his  treasures  as  the  purchase  of 
a  respite,  soon  returned,  and  a  very  great  host 
was  delivered  into  his  hand.  The  disheartened 
and  impoverished  king  was  seized  with  great 
diseases  ;  and,  while  languishing  on  his  bed,  in 
anguish  of  body  and  mind,  in  the  fortress  of 
Millo,  "Jozachar  the  son  of  Shimeath,  and  Je- 
hozabad  the  son  of  Shomer,  his  servants,  smote 
him  and  he  died."  "And  they  buried  him  in  the 
city  of  David,  but  they  buried  him  not  in  the 
sepulchres  of  the  kings."  The  slayer  of  the 
son  might  not  sleep  with  that  father  whose 
memory  he  had  so  ungratefully  and  atrociously 
dishonoured.  So  did  the  fair  morning,  for  the 
want  of  depth  and  steadfastness  of  principle, 
give  place  to  an  evening  of  darkness  and  storm  ; 
and  the  hopeful  signs  of  early  youth  led  into 
apostasy,  crime,  misery,  disgrace,  and  ruin. — 
Jbid, 

IV.  HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 

I  The  history  of  Jehoash  demonstrates  the 
worthlessness  of  a  mere  religion  of  cir- 
cumstances. 

[18067J  It  stands  by  props,  and  when  the 
props  are  withdrawn  it  totters  and  falls.     It  has 


18067—18071] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[AMAZIAH. 


no  deep  roots  well  set  in  the  earth  that  can 
support  it  when  it  is  left  to  depend  upon  its  own 
resources  ;  and  no  inward  channels  of  supply 
that  can  carry  into  all  parts  of  it  the  vital 
current,  and  keep  it  fresh  and  living.  The 
religion  of  Joash  was  but  the  reflection  of 
Jehoiada's.  It  shone  in  the  lustre  cast  upon  it 
by  his  brightness.  But  when  this  sun  went 
down  the  reflected  brightness  departed  with  it. 
Yet  the  goodness  of  Joash  was  both  specious 
and  useful.  For  years  he  stood  the  apparent 
bulwark  of  truth  against  error,  of  Jehovah's 
worship  against  idolatry  ;  and,  from  his  lofty 
position,  "  a  city  set  on  a  hill  that  could  not  be 
hid,"  he  was  conspicuously  the  representative  of 
the  true  God  in  the  sight  of  men.  And  yet,  all 
the  time,  "  his  heart  was  not  right  in  the 
sight  of  God  ;"  circumstances  and  not  prin- 
ciples made  him  what  he  was  ;  and  with  change 
of  circumstances  his  life  changed  its  phase,  and 
the  patron  of  truth  became  an  idolater  and  a 
persecutor.  All  his  religion  was  mechanical 
and  external.  It  was  on  the  outside  of  the 
man,  and  did  not  go  down  into  his  heart  to 
possess  its  convictions,  affections,  and  pur- 
poses. It  arrayed  him,  but  it  did  not  inhabit 
him.  And  while,  perhaps,  he  was  by  no  means 
a  conscious  hypocrite,  but  was  religious  accord- 
ing to  his  conception  of  religion,  he  did  but 
move  through  a  routine  of  forms,  under  which 
lay  hidden  a  cold,  selfish,  and  unloving  heart. 
The  outward  life  obeyed  the  mould  into  which 
the  high  priest  cast  it,  but  there  was  not  con- 
sistency and  firmness  enough  in  its  texture  to 
keep  the  shape  when  the  pressure  of  the  mould 
was  withdrawn. — Ibid. 

2  The  history  of  Jehoash  illustrates  the  ex- 
posure  which  frequently  v^aits  on  the 
hollowness  of  a  spurious  virtue. 

[18068]  The  guardian  is  removed,  enticers 
and  flatterers  ply  their  seductive  arts  ;  the 
heart  yields  and  shows  its  evil  bent,  and  the 
life  falls  into  sin,  very  often  rushes  into  its 
excesses.  The  builder  of  the  temple  is  the 
destroyer  of  the  priest.  Alas  for  that  religion 
that  depends  for  its  stability  upon  circum- 
stances !  For  circumstances  are  changeful. 
This  world  "  never  continueth  in  one  stay." 
A  religious  education  and  virtuous  association 
put  a  fair  varnish  on  the  life  that  passes  for 
goodness.  The  open  world  dissolves  the 
varnish,  and  underneath  is  nothing  but  de- 
formity. The  stream  runs  quietly  in  the 
straight  channel  that  is  cut  for  it.  The  bank 
gives  way,  and  off  it  gambols  in  curves,  through 
thickets,  down  dark  ravines  and  foaming  rapids. 
And,  not  unlikely,  the  life,  once  emancipated 
from  an  unnatural  restraint,  avenges  itself  on 
the  power  that  kept  it  in.  Who  so  bold  and 
bitter  and  cruel  as  a  renegade?  Zechariah, 
foster-brother,  playmate,  cousin,  holy  priest  of 
God,  painful  remembrancer  of  better  days,  thou 
shalt  die.  A  lapsed  professor  of  godliness  is 
apt  to  be  a  strenuous  enemy  of  God.  And 
seldom   will   a   Hfe   that   has  clothed  itself  in 


seemly  semblance  be  allowed  to  run  undetected 
to  its  close.  Providence  alters  its  outward  rela- 
tions, and  then  comes  undisguised  sensuality  or 
vengeful  hate,  or,  as  is  strangely  but  not  un- 
commonly the  case,  the  two. — Jdid. 


AMAZrAII. 

I.  Chief  Traits  of  Character. 

1  lie   was  the  slave  of  a  restless  ambition. 
[18069]  He  seems  to  have  been  a  hardy  man, 

of  an  adventurous  and  uneasy  nature,  ambitious 
of  conquest  and  military  renown,  prone  to 
"meddle  to  his  hurt,"  when  in  fact  "his 
strength  was  to  sit  still,"  and  his  real  wisdom 
to  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace  and  develop  and 
improve  the  internal  resources  of  his  kingdom, 
to  abide  at  home,  as  the  historian  phrases  it. 
This  craving  to  be  a  warrior  and  a  conqueror, 
and  the  ill-judged  acts  into  which  it  led  him,  are 
the  great  blemishes  of  his  character  and  reign. 
"  He  did  that  which  was  right  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,"  says  the  historian  of  the  Kings  in 
the  parallel  narrative,  "  yet  not  like  David  his 
father  :  he  did  according  to  all  things  as  Joash 
his  father  did." — Ibid. 

[18070]  The  great  failing  of  Amaziah  seems 
to  have  been  a  weak  but  restless  ambition.  He 
was  always  aiming  to  do  grand,  brilliant  things 
beyond  his  power,  and  neglecting  to  do  the 
simple  ordinary  things  within  his  reach,  in  the 
faithful  performance  of  which  lay  his  plain  duty, 
his  true  usefulness,  and  his  real  honour  ;  and 
the  measure  of  success  which  attended  his 
efforts  in  this  direction  led  him  on  to  new 
undertakings  which  involved  him  in  defeat  and 
disgrace. — Ibid. 

2  He  allowed  himself  to  be   ruled  by  pride 
and  revenge. 

[18071]  He  is  now  settled  in  his  kingdom, 
but  alas  !  he  is  also  an  idolater,  and  he  has 
acquired  a  passion  for  conquest  and  renown. 
He  cannot  keep  still  and  cultivate  the  arts  of 
peace.  There  is  pride,  hereditary  ambition 
and  bitter  revenge  in  his  heart,  but  there  is  no 
fear  of  God  in  him,  to  check  them  ;  and  he  does 
not  know  that  an  evil  fruit  of  the  victory  in 
which  he  is  exulting  is  that  for  his  desertion  of 
God,  God  has  deserted  him,  and  so  the  strength 
in  which  he  glories  is  gone,  and  weakness  has 
come  in  its  stead.  He  cannot,  I  say,  sit  still 
and  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace.  He  must 
punish  his  neighbour  Israel  for  the  wrong  done 
him  in  his  absence.  His  heart  is  burning  with 
revenge  and  the  pride  of  fancied  power.  How 
true  it  is  that  "  the  prosperity  of  fools  destroys 
them "  !  So  he  sends  to  Joash,  the  son  of 
Jehoiada,  the  son  of  Jehu,  king  of  Israel,  and 
says,  "  Come,  let  us  look  one  another  in  the 
face."  In  other  words,  he  proclaims  war  against 
him  and  challenges  him  to  the  combat.  How 
bitter  and  contemptuous,  and  yet  how  wise  and 


254 

18071 — i3o75] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[amaziah. 


monitory  is  the  king  in  his  parable  of  the 
thistle  !  .  .  .  The  warning  was  not  heeded. 
On  proud  and  wilful  hearts  admonitions  fall 
with  little  force.  The  challenge  was  repeated. 
"  So  they  went  up  and  looked  one  another  in  the 
face  at  Bethshemesh  which  belongeth  to  Judah. 
And  Judah  was  put  to  the  worst  before  Israel, 
and  they  fled  away  every  man  to  his  tent." 
Amaziah  was  taken  prisoner,  the  wall  of  Jeru- 
salem was  demolished,  and  the  gold  and  silver 
and  the  vessels  of  the  Lord's  house  were  carried 
to  Samaria. — Ibid. 


II.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I       The     case     of    Amaziah     illustrates     the 
natural  fruits  of  a  fool's  prosperity. 

(i)  hi  its  idolatry. 

[1S072]  He  went  into  Edom  and  conquered 
it,  and  then  brought  home  the  idols  of  Edom, 
and  worshipped  them.  That  was  paying  a  dear 
price  for  his  victory,  a  perfectly  gratuitous  one 
moreover,  for  nobody  asked  it  of  him.  And  it 
was  a  very  senseless  thing,  for  these  idols  had 
just  shown  their  inability  to  protect  their  wor- 
shippers. Yet  he  adopts  them,  and  brings 
them  to  Jerusalem,  and  puts  them  in  the  place 
of  Jehovah.  Probably  there  was  some  pomp 
and  splendour  in  their  worship  that  fascinated 
him,  and  led  him  to  take  it  to  himself,  and 
idolatry  is  always  attractive  to  the  unholy.  We 
borrow  idols  from  the  world.  We  make  them 
in  our  hearts,  we  find  them  in  our  ways,  and 
fall  in  love  with  them  ;  success  and  prosperity 
cherish  and  develop  the  tendency.  We  worship 
ourselves  as  all- wise,  all-puissant;  we  worship 
our  instruments,  and  "  sacrifice  to  our  net." 
We  see  the  garish  show  of  the  world,  and  fall 
down  to  it.  It  is  very  dangerous  to  succeed  if 
we  do  not  remember  and  serve  God.  It  will 
estrange  us  further  from  Him.  It  will  bind  us 
faster  to  the  worship  of  the  false,  unworthy 
gods  of  the  world.  Beware !  idolatry  is  de- 
struction. The  prosperity  of  fools  destroys 
them. — Ibid. 

(2)  In  its  presianptiott. 

[18073]  The  appetite  which  unsanctified  suc- 
cess begets  is  insatiable.  It  grows  by  that  it 
feeds  upon.  Like  the  grave,  it  saith  not,  It  is 
enough.  It  becomes  bold,  confident,  daring. 
It  presumes  upon  its  strength,  and  fancies  that 
there  is  nothing  that  it  cannot  attain,  nothing 
that  it  cannot  do.  Its  spirit  is  restless,  boastful, 
aggressive.  Amaziah  has  conquered  Edom, 
and  now  he  must  avenge  Israel's  insult,  and 
conquer  that  also.  The  king  of  Israel  warned 
him  of  his  folly,  but  he  would  not  listen.  Thou 
hast  conquered  Edom.  Be  content.  Tarry  at 
home,  and  mind  thine  own  business.  Take  care 
of  thy  kingdom,  and  the  welfare  of  thy  people. 
Why  wilt  thou  meddle  to  thy  hurt  ?  It  was 
good  counsel,  but  it  was  not  heeded.  The  bold, 
bad  spirit  that  unsanctified  success  had  produced 
would  not  be  quiet.  The  fire  of  revenge  and 
ambition  must  find  fuel  to  feed  upon.     This  is 


not  Amaziah,  it  is  human  nature.  There  is 
nought  in  it  peculiar  to  him,  we  share  it  with 
him.  Let  a  man  in  whom  religion  has  not  its 
proper  ascendency  have  his  way,  and  he  always 
grows  bold,  arrogant,  rapacious.  His  desire 
rapidly  increases.  There  is  nothing  that  he 
will  not  aspire  after,  nothing  that  he  will  not 
essay  to  achieve.  "  He  is  a  proud  man,  neither 
keepeth  at  home,  who  enlargeth  his  desire  as 
hell,  and  is  as  death,  and  cannot  be  satisfied." 
Alexander  conquers  the  world,  and  weeps  for 
other  worlds  too.  Ah,  there  is  nothing  that 
will  still  conquer  and  satisfy  the  heart  but  God 
and  His  service.  A  restless,  insatiable  craving, 
that  grows  with  success,  and  is  hungrier  the 
more  it  is  fed — this  is  the  fruit  of  ungodly  pros- 
perity. Is  it  not  a  destruction  .''  Beware  ! 
surely  the  prosperity  of  fools  destroys  them. — 
Ibid. 

(3)  In  its  incurable  faibtre. 

[18074]  "The  triumphing  of  the  wicked  is 
short."  The  exultation  is  the  prelude  of  a  down- 
fall, the  more  dismal  and  complete  for  the 
previous  eminence.  "  Thou  hast  lifted  me  up," 
says  the  Psalmist,  "  and  cast  me  down." 

"  And  thou,  to  make  my  fall  more  great, 
Didst  lift  me  up  on  high." 

How  much  more  was  Amaziah's  defeat  by 
Israel  to  him,  because  of  his  prior  victory  over 
Edom,  coming  as  it  did  upon  him  in  the  exult- 
ing flush  of  gratified  ambition,  and  the  confident 
expectation  of  continued  victory.  This,  again, 
is  not  Amaziah,  but  man.  There  is  no  real  per- 
manent success  to  the  ungodly.  In  every  suc- 
cess there  is  hidden  a  defeat,  in  every  achieve- 
ment a  failure.  All  that  is  glorious  and  great 
about  him  is  a  "  fading  flower."  He  is  but  a 
gilded  bubble  that  quickly  bursts,  an  inflated 
film  painted  with  iris,  that  shortly  collapses  and 
disappears.  He  may  have  reverses  in  life. 
Probably  he  will.  But  if  he  does  not,  death 
comes,  and  what  a  reverse  is  that  !  His  gains, 
his  achievements,  his  honours,  buried  in  the 
dust  of  the  grave,  himself  a  wreck,  naked  in 
the  presence  of  God.  Do  you  crave  such  a 
prosperity  1  God  forbid  !  "  Seek  first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.'' — Ibid. 

2  The  case  of  Amaziah  affords  a  practical 
illustration  of  the  truth  that  the  pros- 
perity of  fools  shall  destroy  them. 

[18075]  This  man  began  seemingly  well. 
His  first  work  was  patriotic,  lawful,  perhaps 
commendable,  the  reduction  of  a  rebellious 
tributary.  He  alloyed  it  indeed  by  a  resort  to 
instruments  which  God  had  not  authorized. 
The  Lord  reproved  his  folly,  and  he  yielded  to 
the  reproof;  but  there  was  in  the  submission 
no  principle  of  fixed  and  conscientious  obedi- 
ence to  the  Divine  government.  Success  fol- 
lowed, large,  illustrious,  complete.  But  the  false 
step  at  the  beginning,  and  the  worldly  wisdom 
in  which  it  originated,  clung  to  it,  and  turned  it 


1 8075—18080] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


255 

[UZZIAH. 


in  the  end  into  a  misfortune.  It  was  an  un- 
sanctified  etiort,  and,  though  prosperous,  its 
issue  was  unblest.  It  awakened  resentment, 
and  that  in  turn  brought  retaliation,  and 
kindled  those  fires  of  an  unholy  vengeance, 
and  a  restless  ambition,  which  ended  in 
calamity  and  disaster ;  and  so  the  victory  was 
effaced  in  the  defeat  that  followed.— /<J;V/. 


UZZIAIL 

I.  His  Success  as  a  King. 

[18076]  As  a  king  he  looks  well.  There  are 
about  him  unequivocal  signs  of  ability  and  use- 
fulness. He  acts  his  part  in  the  stage  of  life 
nobly.  He  fills  his  high  office  with  credit  to 
himself  and  with  benefit  to  the  nation.  And  in 
such  capability  as  he  has  shown  there  is  much 
promise  for  the  future.  If  his  course  is  pro- 
longed, to  what  may  it  not  attain  ?  There  is 
even  a  seeming,  perhaps  a  real,  goodness  in 
him,  while  under  the  tutelage  of  the  good  high 
priest. — Ibid. 


[18077]  Success  crowned  all  his  enterprises, 
and  very  signally,  till  he  committed  the  fatal 
error  that  blasted  his  reign  and  his  life.  "He 
built  Eloth,  and  restored  it  to  Judah."  This 
was  a  port  on  the  Red  Sea,  from  which  Solomon 
had  carried  on  his  lucrative  traffic  with  the 
East.  Thus  he  resuscitated  and  strengthened 
the  commercial  interests  of  his  kingdom.  He 
was  also  a  brave  and  victorious  warrior.  "He 
went  forth  and  warred  against  the  Philistines, 
and  brake  down  the  wall  of  Gath,  and  the  wall 
of  Jabneh,  and  the  wall  of  Ashdod,  and  built 
cities  about  Ashdod,  and  among  the  Philistines. 
And  God  helped  him  against  the  Philistines  and 
against  the  Arabians  that  dwelt  in  Gur-baal, 
and  the  Mehunim.  And  the  Ammonites  gave 
gifts  to  Uzziah,  and  his  name  spread  abroad 
even  to  the  entering  in  of  Egypt  ;  for  he 
strengthened  himself  exceedingly."  He  gathered 
a  large  army,  fortified  Jerusalem  strongly,  and 
provided  a  large  store  of  weapons,  and  all  the 
implements  and  resources  of  war. — Ibid. 

[18078]  He  was  equally  assiduous  and  active 
in  promoting  works  of  internal  improvement. 
"  He  built  towers  in  the  desert,  and  aigged 
many  wells  ;  for  he  had  much  cattle  both  in  the 
low  country  and  in  the  plains  ;  husbandmen 
also,  and  vine- dressers  in  the  mountains  and  in 
Carmel  ;  for  he  loved  husbandry."  Surely 
Judah  might  congratulate  itself  upon  its  active, 
efficient,  enlightened,  prosperous  young  sove- 
reign. The  palmy  days  of  Solomon  and  David 
seemed  coming  back,  and  the  disgraces  and 
failures  of  preceding  reigns  about  to  be  wiped 


away.  And  so  says  the  historian,  waxing  elo- 
quent with  his  theme,  "his  name  spread  abroad, 
for  he  was  marvellously  helped,  till  he  was 
strong." — Ibid. 


II.   His  Failure  as  a  Man. 

Enervated  by  continuous  prosperity,  he  gave 
way  to  arrogance  and  presumption. 

[18079]  Prolonged  and  uniform  prosperity, 
especially  when  united  with  high  place  and  the 
ostentation  and  subserviency  that  inevitably 
cling  to  its  skirts,  is  a  severe  trial  which  none 
but  a  robust  and  hardy  virtue  can  long  endure. 
Uzziah's  goodness  gave  way  under  it.  Not 
content  with  his  kingly  honours,  he  will  fain  be 
a  priest  also.  He  is  unwilling  to  admit  that 
there  is  any  important  thing  in  his  kingdom  that 
he  cannot  do,  any  honourable  function  that  he 
may  not  discharge.  It  seemed  a  disparage- 
ment and  limitation  of  his  supremacy.  Per- 
haps he  argued  that  priestly  powers  were 
inherent  in  royalty,  and  that  in  exercising  them 
he  was  but  reviving  suspended  rights,  and 
bringing  back  the  usage  of  primitive  times. 
The  king  was  the  priest  of  the  nation  in  patri- 
archal days,  as  in  the  case  of  "  Melchizedek, 
king  of  Salem,  priest  of  the  most  high  God," 
and  there  would  be  no  lack  of  flatterers  to 
applaud  his  purpose,  for  the  opinions  of  kings 
easily  find  advocates  and  supporters.  And  so 
"  when  he  was  strong,"  says  the  narrator — 
notice,  it  is  strength  that  makes  men  presump- 
tuous and  arrogant  and  daring — "his  heart  was 
lifted  up  to  his  destruction  :  for  he  transgressed 
against  the  Lord  his  God,  and  went  into  the 
temple  of  the  Lord  to  burn  incense  on  the  altar 
of  incense.  And  Azariah  the  priest  went  in 
after  him." — Ibid. 

[18080]  He  intruded  into  the  priesthood, 
and  on  a  single  occasion  undertook  to  minister 
at  God's  altar.  God  treated  the  oftence  with 
great  severity,  as  though  it  were  in  His  eyes  a 
crime  of  magnitude.  It  mattered  not  that 
Uzziah  was  a  king,  and,  under  the  theocratic 
constitution  of  the  Jewish  monarchy,  the  earthly 
head  of  the  Church.  A  king  without  a  sacer- 
dotal commission  is  no  more  a  minister  than  a 
private  man.  Might  does  not  make  right,  any 
more  than  popular  notions  of  freedom  and 
equality.  David  must  not  intrude  into  Aaron's 
office,  any  more  than  Aaron  into  his.  Uzziah 
was  smitten  with  a  leprosy,  and  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  days  in  seclusion,  and  the 
government  till  his  death  was  administered  in 
his  name  by  a  regency.  Crown,  palace,  sceptre 
he  was  forced  to  lay  aside,  and  though  still 
nominally  the  sovereign,  he  dwelt  in  a  "  several 
house" — shut  up  in  a  retirement,  which,  though 
it  may  have  been  royally  adorned  and  splendid, 
no  appliances  could  render  aught  but  a  virtual 
imprisonment,  "and  Jotham  his  son  was  over 
the  king's  house,  judg,ng  the  people  of  the 
land  "  in  the  father's  stead. — Ibid. 


256 


18081—18085] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[UZZIAH. 


III.  His  Punishment. 

It  was  completely  retributive. 

Havmg  invaded  an  office  ?«  which  he  had 
no  right,  he  was  debarred  from  ihe  exercise  of 
those  powers  which  came  properly  within  his 
province. 

[ 1 8081]  "And  Uzziah  the  king  was  a  leper 
unto  the  day  of  his  death,  and  dwelt  in  a 
several  house,  being  a  leper,  for  he  was  cut 
off  from  the  house  of  the  Lord  ;  and  Jotham 
his  son  was  over  the  king's  house,  judging  the 
people  of  the  Lord."  Wretched  eclipse  of 
bright  hopes  and  cheering  promises  !  Miserable 
termination  of  a  fair  and  successful  begin- 
ning !  And  all  because  a  man  in  his  heady 
pride  and  grasping  ambition  could  not  be  con- 
tent with  a  position  and  a  sphere  grand,  dig- 
nified, and  ample  enough  to  satisfy  every 
reasonable  desire,  but  must  grasp  at  more  ; 
and  because,  moreover,  a  man  not  lawfully 
called  and  appointed  to  it  would  presume  to 
usurp  that  sacred  office,  which  none,  however 
high  in  place,  or  abundant  in  gifts,  can  inno- 
cently and  safely  assume,  but  he  that  is  called 
of  God,  as  was  Aaron. — Ibid. 

[18082]  Uzziah  who,  being  a  king,  would  in 
his  greedy  pride  and  presumptuous  hardihood 
be  a  priest  also,  shall  for  his  punishment  be  not 
even  king,  but  his  office  shall  be  given  to 
another,  and  he  must  live  and  see  that  other 
exercising  those  functions  the  dignity  and  im- 
portance of  which  he  had  failed  rightly  to  esti- 
mate.—iJ/.  /. 

IV.  HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  sin  of  Uzziah  illustrates  forcibly  the 
sacredness  of  the  priesthood,  and  the 
danger  of  an  unauthorized  intrusion  on 
its  peculiar  functions. 

[18083]  The  act  of  Uzziah,  however  he  might 
seek  to  cover  it  by  a  claim  of  prerogative,  did 
in  fact  involve  a  virtual  abrogation  of  the 
priestly  office,  and  a  defiance  of  the  decree  to 
which  the  older  rebellion  of  Korah  had  given 
occasion,  that  no  "stranger,  which  is  not  of  the 
seed  of  Aaron,  come  near  to  offer  incense  be- 
fore the  Lord."  If  it  was  not  rebuked,  the 
barrier  which  hedged  in  the  sacred  calling 
would  be  broken  down,  and  all  the  benefits 
which  God  proposed  to  confer  upon  the  Church 
and  upon  mankind  by  its  institution  be  dissi- 
pated and  lost.  It  was  rebuked  in  the  person  of 
Uzziah,  signally,  impressively,  awfully  ;  and  the 
leprous  king,  that  aspired  to'be  a  priest  without 
a  Divine  calling  and  commission,  stands  a  warn- 
ing to  all  ages  that  men  are  not  to  take  it  upon 
them  to  "minister  for  men  in  things  pertaining 
to  God,"  without  a  clear  and  well-authenticated 
commission,  on  penalty  of  His  awful  dis- 
pleasure. Where  the  act  is,  there  the  displea- 
sure is,  and  as  long  as  the  act  is  prolonged  the 
displeasure  continues.  Time  can  never  sanctity 
or  make  valid  that  which  began  in  disorder  and 
self-will,  though  it  may  cover  it  with  a  show  of 


venerableness  and  dignity. — Rev.  R.  Hallani. 
D.D. 

[18084]  A  chain  grows  no  stronger  by  length- 
ening if  its  first  link  is  not  properly  attached. 
And  though  now  no  opening  in  the  earth  or 
leprosy  in  the  forehead  marks  God's  anger  as 
of  old,  because  God  no  longer  speaks  to  men 
supernaturally,  an  attentive  observation  of  the 
signs  of  the  times  may  perhaps  discover  proof 
of  it  in  tokens  scarcely,  if  at  all,  less  unam- 
biguous and  decisive :  in  division  and  insta- 
bility, in  endlessly  multiplying  schism,  in  the 
decay  of  sound  doctrine,  and  the  substitution 
of  fitful  paroxysms  of  religious  feeling  for  a 
steady  and  equable  flow  of  spiritual  life.  We 
do  not  believe  that  the  Christian  ministry  is 
any  less  Divine  than  the  Levitical  priesthood, 
or  that  the  commission  it  bears  is  less  clear 
and  definite.  The  conclusion  is,  that  the  in- 
trusion into  it,  an  usurpation  of  its  powers,  or  a 
violation  of  its  order,  be  it  by  prince  or  peasant, 
by  scholar  or  unlearned,  by  i;ood  men  igno- 
rantly,  or  by  evil  men  presumptuously,  cannot 
be  anything  else  but  oftensive  to  God,  and 
fruitful  of  mischief  to  mankind.  'Nay,  as  the 
gospel  is  holier,  purer,  more  perfect,  the  cor;-upt- 
ing  and  marring  of  its  institutions  must  be  so 
much  the  more  criminal  and  injurious.  God 
may  deal  graciously  with  individuals  and  bodies 
unconsciously  and  involuntarily  involved  in  the 
evil,  and  gather  among  them  bright  gems  in  the 
day  when  He  makes  up  His  jewels  ;  but  the  act 
in  which  it  began,  and  all  by  which  it  is  pro- 
longed, He  will  always  discover  and  frown 
upon.  And  while  this  is  so,  King  Uzziah, 
leprous  at  the  altar  in  his  unlawful  offering  of 
incense,  will  continue  to  be  to  the  Church  and 
the  world,  a  profitable  and  instructive  object 
of  contemplation. — Ibid. 

2  The  sin  of  Uzziah  demonstrates  the  ne- 
cessity of  due  regard  to  the  correlative 
obligations  of  life. 

[18085]  In  the  Church  we  are  to  obey  them 
that  are  over  us  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  family 
the  child  is  to  submit  to  the  parent,  the  wife  to 
duly  respect  the  headship  of  the  husband.  We 
cannot  all  be  chief.  The  result  would  be  as 
monstrous  and  harmful  as  the  absorption  of  all 
the  limbs  into  the  head.  Nor  are  those  in 
governing  places  to  forget  that  they  are  under 
equal  obligation  to  respect  the  rights  of  those 
inferior  powers,  which  in  their  place  rule  by  a 
right  as  Divine  as  their  own.  The  huslxind  is 
to  "  give  honour  unto  the  wife,"  the  parent  to 
the  child,  the  magistrate  to  the  citizen,  the 
bishop  to  the  inferior  minister,  the  minister  to 
the  private  Christian  ;  "  yea,"  says  the  apostle, 
"all  of  you  be  subject  one  to  another,"  and 
"  honour  all  men."  The  sun  must  not  leave  his 
supreme  brightness  to  run  in  the  orbit  of  an 
attendant  planet.  The  system  would  be  a  wreck 
at  once.  Uzziah  was  a  very  good  king,  but  he 
lost  all  honour  when  he  undertook  to  play  the 
priest ;  a  sceptre  became  him  ;  a  censer  made 
him    a   leper.       You    would    gain   nothing   by 


18085 — i8ogo] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[ahaz. 


climbing  up  into  the  pulpit,  and  I  do  no  good 
by  giving  orders  in  your  ships,  offices,  par- 
lours, and  kitchens.  The  effect  would  only  be 
"envying  and  strife"  in  which  is  "confusion 
and  every  evil  work."  Nor  is  the  inconvenience 
and  discomfort  the  worst  of  it  :  look  at  the  sin  ; 
it  is  rebellion  against  God.  God  has  set  us  in 
our  places.  To  stay  in  them,  to  be  content  with 
them,  and  patiently,  modestly,  and  faithfully  to 
do  the  duty  that  pertains  to  them,  is  the  obedi- 
ence He  asks — the  measure  of  our  service  and 
our  salvation  if  faith  work  in  it.  If  we  will  not, 
there  will  be  a  leprosy  upon  us,  a  worse  leprosy 
than  Uzziah's,  a  leprosy  of  the  soul,  a  leprosy 
that  will  consume  us  in  everlasting  death. — 
Idid. 


AHAZ. 

I.  General  View  of  his  Character. 

I       It    was    exceptionally   and    unmitigatedly 
wicked. 

[180S6]  King  Ahaz  is  one  of  the  stupendous 
monuments  of  guilt  in  Israelitish  history.  He 
is  one  of  the  few  men  in  any  history  of  whom 
not  one  good  thing  is  recorded.  His  career 
was  one  uniform  and  unmitigated  stream  of 
iniquity  from  beginning  to  end.  Not  one  virtue 
or  virtuous  act  is  thought  worthy  of  mention  in 
his  whole  life.  So  black  and  disgraceful  was 
his  reign,  that  when  he  died,  the  indignant  and 
revolted  conscience  of  the  nation  refused  him 
burial  in  the  royal  sepulchre. — Rev.  A.  Phelps, 
D.D. 

[1S0S7]  Ahaz  was  Jotham's  evil  son,  intensely 
evil,  God-defying,  mischievous,  bold,  and  ener- 
getic in  his  iniquity.  How  wickedness  reached 
such  an  extraordinary  development  in  him  does 
not  appear.  Who  his  mother  was  neither  of  the 
histories  that  record  his  reign  tell  us.  If  Jotham 
had  a  bad  wife,  his  weak  goodness  may  have 
easily  been  neutralized  by  the  corrupt  example 
and  influence  of  a  wicked  woman.  So  it  was, 
at  any  rate,  that  Ahaz  was  bad,  very  bad — so 
bad  that  his  name  became  a  sort  of  proverb  of 
badness.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but 
twenty  years  old,  and  at  that  immature  age  he 
ascended  the  throne  to  encounter  the  tempta- 
tions of  power  and  wealth  which  none  but  well- 
settled  principles  can  successfully  surmount. 
Doubtless  there  hung  around  the  young  king  a 
crowd  of  satellites  and  sycophants,  ready  to 
flatter  and  debauch  him,  like  those  who  so 
fatally  misled  his  ancestor  Rehoboam.  He 
reigned  sixteen  years,  and  they  were  throughout 
years  of  abomination  and  disaster.  The  his- 
torian says  of  him  that  he  did  not  that  which 
was  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  his  God,  like 
David  his  father.  But  he  walked  in  the  way  of 
the  kings  of  Israel,  yea,  and  made  his  son  to 
pass  through  the  fire,  according  to  the  abomi- 
nations of  the  heathen,  whom  the  Lord   cast 

VOL.   VI. 


18 


out  from  before  the  children  of  Israel.  "  He 
sacrificed  and  burnt  incense  in  the  high  places 
and  in  the  hills  and  under  every  green  tree." 
He  "  made  also  molten  images  for  Baalim." 
"  He  burnt  incense  in  the  valley  of  the  son  of 
Hinnom,  and  burnt  his  children  in  the  fire." 
He  was  a  great  patron  of  idolatry,  a  zealot  for 
it.  All  the  forms  and  varieties  of  heathenism 
known  among  the  Israelites  he  maintained  and 
practised. — Rev.  R.  Haliain,  D.D. 

[18088]  He  was  not  content  with  the  paganism 
which  he  found  already  in  the  kingdom.  He 
imported  new  shapes  of  idol  worship.  For 
when  "  King  Ahaz  went  to  Damascus  to  meet 
Tiglath-pilcser,  king  of  Assyria,  and  saw  an 
altar  that  was  at  Damascus,  King  Ahaz  sent  to 
Urijah,  the  priest,  the  fashion  of  the  altar  and 
the  pattern  of  it,  according  to  all  the  workman- 
ship thereof."  .  .  .  Thus  "  he  sacrificed  unto 
the  gods  of  Damascus  which  smote  him." 
"They  were  the  ruin  of  him,"  says  the  historian, 
"and  of  all  Israel."  Meanwhile  the  true  God 
and  His  temple  and  worship  he  treated  with 
scorn. — Jbid. 

2  It  was  entirely  unimproved  by  the  deal- 
ings of  God  with  him. 

[18089]  The  hand  of  God  was  lifted  up  to 
terrify  and  chastise  him  by  the  aggressive  pride 
and  cupidity  of  his  neighbours.  The  timorous 
monarch,  mean-spirited  as  well  as  base,  quailed 
at  the  menace.  "It  was  told  the  house  of  David, 
saying,  Syria  is  confederate  with  Ephraim. 
And  his  heart  was  moved,  and  the  heart  of  his 
people,  as  the  trees  of  the  woods  are  moved 
with  the  wind."  It  was  now  that  the  Prophet 
Isaiah  was  sent  to  the  terrified  king,  with  an 
admonition  not  to  be  faint-hearted,  of  the  "two 
tails  of  their  smoking  firebrands,"  as  he  con- 
temptuously calls  the  fierce  and  menacing  allies  ; 
for  it  was  God's  purpose  to  frighten  but  not  to 
destroy  King  Ahaz ;  and  when  the  king  in  mock 
humility  or  superstitious  terror  declined  the 
otifer  of  a  sensible  sign  of  God's  promise  of 
forbearance,  he  gave  him  that  wonderful  pre- 
diction of  the  Virgin-born,  which,  whatever 
proximate  fulfilment  it  may  have  had  in  days 
close  at  hand,  found  its  true  and  only  adequate 
completion  ages  after  in  the  Divine  Son  of 
Mary.  The  oracle  was  fulfilled,  and  Ahaz  and 
Jerusalem  were  spared.  .  .  .  But  no  dealings  of 
God  could  cure  him  of  his  rooted  love  of  idolatry 
and  its  attendant  vices.  "  In  the  time  of  his 
distress  did  he  trespass  yet  more  against  the 
Lord.     This  is  that  King  Ahaz."— Ih'd. 

II.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  career  of  Ahaz  illustrates  that  law 
of  character  by  which  the  wickedness  of 
a  man  is  proportioned  to  the  amount  of 
holy  influence  which  he  has  conquered. 

[18090]  This  Juda;an  king  broke  through  a 
combination  of  holy  influence,  and  therefore  he 
became  the  man  he  was.  The  depth  of  his  fall 
was  proportioned  to  the  momentum  acquired  in 


258 

18090 — 18095] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEVVIbH    ERA. 


[aiiaz. 


bursting  the  bonds  which  held  him.  Such  is 
the  natural  working  of  things  in  the  experience 
of  sin.  It  is  a  fundamental  law  of  character. 
As  virtue  is  proportioned  in  vigour  to  the 
temptations  resisted,  so  depravity  is  propor- 
tioned to  the  forces  of  conscience,  and  inheri- 
tance, and  education,  and  example,  and  persua- 
sion, and  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  have  been 
fought  with  and  conquered.  This  must  always 
be  reckoned  in  forecasting  a  man's  future  in  a 
career  of  sin.  The  best  things  perverted  are 
the  worst.  Christian  birth  abused  becomes  a 
curse.  Religious  education  trampled  on  be- 
comes a  fountain  of  moral  disease.  Sabbaths 
broken  become  an  opportunity  to  vice.  Natural 
sensibilities  to  religion,  indurated  by  transgres- 
sion, become  a  foundation  for  towering  iniquity. 
Convictions  of  sin  resisted  are  often  transformed 
into  beliefs  of  falsehood.  The  strivings  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  quenched  become  the  basis  of 
Satanic  conquest.  Devils  fill  the  place  from 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  been  ejected.  It 
used  to  be  proverbial  in  the  days  of  American 
slavery,  that  the  most  ferocious  overseers  were 
Northern  men  who  had  to  override  the  convic- 
tions of  their  youth  and  their  inherited  faith  in 
order  to  become  slave-drivers.  This  was  one 
variety  of  the  universal  law  which  governs  the 
degree  of  character,  good  or  bad.  Tell  me 
what  good  influence  a  man  has  defied  and 
scorned  in  becoming  what  he  is,  and  I  will  give 
you  the  gauge  of  his  depravity.  The  worst  of 
men  are  apostates  from  the  best  of  faiths. — Rcik 
A.  Phelps,  D.D. 

2  The  career  of  Ahaz  illustrates  the  faith- 
fulness of  God  in  chastising  wicked  men 
for  their  good. 

[18091]  "The  Lord  brought  Judah  low  be- 
cause of  Ahaz."  From  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  his  reign  he  experienced  the  truth  that 
the  way  of  transgressors  is  hard.  In  war  he 
was  whipped  all  around.  In  alliances  he  was 
cheated  and  checkmated.  His  people  were 
made  captives  by  thousands.  Nothing  went 
well  with  him.  His  public  life  was  one  long 
career  of  defying  God,  despite  God's  persistent 
efforts  to  save  hnn  by  chastising  him.  This  is 
repeated  over  and  over  again  in  the  experience 
of  wicked  men.  Such  men  often  think  it  a 
great  mystery  that  they  suffer  so  much.  They 
do  not  understand  why  it  is  that  misfortune 
pursues  them  so.  "Just  my  luck,"  says  one, 
when  ill  success  attends  his  business.  Yet 
often  the  secret  reason  is  that  God  is  trying  to 
save  the  man.  He  is  contending  with  God  in 
one  way,  and  God  is  contending  with  him  in 
another.  There  is  no  luck  about  it.  It  is  God's 
faithfulness  to  the  soul  at  the  expense  of  the 
pocket. — Ibid. 

[18092]  The  sufferings  of  this  world  are  not 
in  the  strict  sense  retributive.  They  are  dis- 
ciplinary. The  world  of  retribution  lies  farther 
on.  In  love,  God  holds  the  rod  over  many  a 
bad  man.  He  strikes  him  here,  and  He  strikes 
him  there.     God's  flail  threshes  him  like  wheat. 


He  surrounds  him  with  trouble.  He  heaps  up 
misfortunes.  They  come  thick  and  fast.  Lite 
is  one  long  disappointment.  "  Few  and  evil 
have  my  days  been,"  is  his  lament  as  he  looks 
backward  :  "  all  is  vanity  and  vexation  of 
spirit."  Is  not  this  the  general  feeling  with 
which  men  reach  old  age  without  the  con- 
solations of  religion  ?  "  Oh  that  I  had  never 
been  born  !  "  exclaimed  Voltaire  in  his  old 
age.  But  in  this  experience  of  the  wicked, 
God  is  never  vindictive.  This  is  His  way  of 
striving  to  save  men  from  eternal  death.  Some- 
times He  pursues  it  to  the  very  last,  till  the 
grave  closes  over  the  incorrigible  sinner,  and  he 
passes  on  to  a  world  where  the  retributive  de- 
cisions of  eternity  displace  the  benign  discipline 
of  time.— /^zV/. 

3  The  career  of  Ahaz  illustrates  the  ex- 
treme which  sin  reaches  when  men  fight 
successfully  against  God's  chastisements. 

[18093]  "In  the  time  of  his  distress  did  he 
trespass  yet  more  against  the  Lord."  This  is 
the  tearful  phenomenon  sometimes  witnessed  in 
the  developments  of  sin  in  this  world.  Some 
men  are  not  subdued  by  suffering.  They  refuse 
to  bow  to  chastisement.  The  more  they  suffer, 
the  more  they  sin.  Trouble  angers  them  against 
God.  They  indicate  their  growing  fitness  for 
the  world  of  woe  in  this  induration  of  heart  by 
which  susceptibility  to  the  softening  effect  of 
sorrow  is  destroyed.— /(^/if/. 

[18094]  Few  things  are  so  truthful  a  touch- 
stone to  the  character  of  men  as  the  way  in 
which  they  treat  the  suffering  which  God  sends 
as  chastisement.  One  man  turns  at  its  bidding, 
and  becomes  an  heir  of  glory  ;  another  defies  it, 
and  becomes  a  monument  of  perdition.  Lord, 
who  maketh  us  to  differ  ? — Ibid. 

4  The  career  of  Ahaz  illustrates  the  disap- 
pointments which  wicked  men  experience 
in  their  hopes  of  happiness  in  sin. 

[18095]  "He  said.  Because  the  gods  of  the 
kings  of  Syria  help  them,  therefore  will  I 
sacrifice  to  them,  that  they  may  help  me.  But 
they  were  the  ruin  of  him."  True  to  the  life, 
every  word  of  it  !  In  no  more  truthful  figure 
can  we  express  the  experience  of  many  young 
men  who  enter  on  a  career  of  worldliness. 
They  see  other  men  living  for  this  world  alone, 
as  it  seems  to  a  looker-on,  on  the  top  of  the 
wave  of  human  felicity.  A  rich  man  seems  to 
them  a  supremely  happy  man.  A  successful 
statesman  appears  to  have  all  that  an  aspiring 
man  can  ask  for.  A  man  who  has  gained  the 
summit  of  social  rank  and  splendour  becomes, 
to  many  who  are  below  him,  the  model  of 
earthly  bliss.  Any  man  at  the  top  of  the  ladder 
seems  very  high  up  to  a  man  at  the  bottom.  So 
a  young  man  is  apt  to  look  on  the  world  to 
which  he  proposes  to  devote  his  being.  "  The 
world  makes  these  men  happy,"  he  says  ;  "  and 
I  will  try  it,  that  it  may  make  me  happy  too." 
This  is  the  secret  experience,  probably,  of  all 
who   give   themselves  deliberately  to  a  life  of 


18095— iSioi] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[hezekiau. 


irreligion.  They  are  allured  by  the  glamour  of 
irreligious  prosperity.  But  when  tliey  try  the 
experiment  for  themselves  "  it  is  the  ruin  of 
them."  The  fruit  turns  to  ashes.  No  such 
young  man  ever  finds  the  world  to  be  what  it 
looked  to  be  when  he  surveyed  it  from  afar.  It 
is  a  beautiful  mirage.  The  testimony  of  experi- 
ence is  proverbial,  that  the  richest  men  are  not 
the  happiest  men.  The  most  successful  ambitious 
men  are  not  the  happiest  men.  The  pleasure- 
seekers  who  seem  to  have  their  fill  of  all  they 
planned  for  in  life  are  not  the  happiest  men. 
One  word  expresses  the  issue  of  all  such  ex- 
periments— disappointment.  The  world  is  full 
of  soured  and  disappointed  men.  The  more 
irreligious  men  are,  the  more  profoundly  they 
experience  this  inward  consciousness  of  failure 
in  their  life's  plans.  They  have  "  hewed  out  to 
themselves  broken  cisterns  that  can  hold  no 
water." — Ibid. 

5  The  career  of  Ahaz  illustrates  the  dis- 
tinction which  it  is  possible  for  a  man  to 
gain  in  this  world  as  a  monument  of  guilt. 

[18096]  "  He  did  trespass  more  against  the 
Lord.  This  is  that  king  Ahaz  !  "  Such  is  the 
rerlection  of  the  annalist,  after  enumerating 
the  monarch's  crimes.  "This  is  that  king 
Ahaz.  Look  at  him  ;  mark  him  !  let  him  stand 
in  history  as  a  monster  of  iniciuity  ;  let  the  world 
stand  aghast  at  him."  Such  seems  to  be  the 
spirit  of  the  inspired  recorder.  We  all  naturally 
crave  distinction, — one  man  for  one  thing, 
another  for  another  :  all  hanker  for  it  in  some- 
thing. Anything  to  lift  us  up  and  out  of  the 
common  herd  !  This  is  the  temper  of  a  world 
without  God.  It  is  possible  for  a  man  of  reck- 
less impiety  to  become  illustrious  for  guilt,  and 
that  only.  Some  such  names  stand  out  in 
history,  and  will  stand  thus  for  ever.  Where 
all  are  sinners,  some  become  guilty  above  their 
fellows — princes  in  depravity  ;  royal  dukes  in 
iniquity  ;  men  so  like  to  Satan  in  character, 
that  he  dwells  with  and  takes  possession  of 
them  before  the  time. — Ibid. 

[18097]  This  is  the  legitimate  ending  of  a 
long  career  of  alternate  chastisement  and  sin 
without  repentance.  A  Cornish  proverb  says, 
"He  that  will  not  be  ruled  by  the  rudder  must  be 
ruled  by  the  rock."  This  is  the  rock  on  which 
haughty  and  defiant  guilt  is  wrecked.  It  is  simply 
left  to  itself,  to  become  what  it  has  chosen  to  be 
— such  a  demon  of  iniquity  as  to  be  abhorred 
of  God  and  man.  God  save  us  from  ourselves  ! 
We  carry  within  us  the  elements  of  hell  if  we  but 
choose  to  make  them  such.  Ahaz,  Judas,  Nero, 
Borgia,  Alva — all  were  once  prattling  infants  in 
happy  mothers'  arms.  The  first  babe  of  our 
race — a  marvel  of  joy  to  the  first  mother — was 
the  first  murderer.  Who  shall  dare  to  encounter 
the  possibilities  of  human  guilt  without  the 
grace  of  God  .'' — Ibid. 


HEZEKIAII. 

\.  Graces  of  Character. 

I       He   displayed   conspicuous   piety   and  re- 
forming zeal. 

[18098]  None  of  the  kings  of  Judah  sank 
lower  in  wickedness  than  Ahaz  ;  none,  before 
or  after  him,  rose  to  so  high  a  pitch  of  goodness 
as  Hezekiah.  An  exception  is  not  made  even 
in  favour  of  his  pious  and  exemplary  great- 
grandson  Josiah.  For  worth  and  usefulness 
Hezekiah  stands  foremost  among  the  kings  of 
Judah.  None  were  equal  to  him  that  preceded 
or  followed  him.  This  is  large  praise  in- 
deed. And  as  it  is  inspired  praise,  it  must  be 
just  praise — "  praise  of  God,"  and  who  shall 
gainsay  that  ?  He  was  a  reformer,  and  his 
work  was  one  of  great  magnitude  and  difficulty. 
—Rev.  R.  Hal  lam,  D.D. 

[18099]  ^^  possessed  true  riches,  without 
which  a  man,  whatever  be  the  abundance  of 
liis  worldly  possessions,  is  poor.  He  "  wrought 
that  which  was  good,  and  right,  and  truth  be- 
fore the  Lord  his  God.  And  in  every  work 
that  he  began  in  the  service  of  the  house  of 
God,  and  in  the  law,  and  in  the  commandments 
to  seek  his  God,  he  did  it  with  all  his  heart, 
and  prospered. '  "  He  clave  to  the  Lord,  and 
departed  not  from  following  Him,  but  kept  His 
commandments  which  the  Lord  commanded 
Moses."  A  true  lover  of  God,  a  true  keeper  of 
His  law,  a  zealous  maintainer  of  His  ordinances, 
a  liberal  supporter  of  His  worship,  looking 
amidst  his  power  and  splendour  for  a  heavenly 
crown,  and  setting  his  heart  upon  heavenly 
treasures.  Such  was  Hezekiah  spiritually  ; 
and  if,  in  the  annals  of  the  kings  of  Judah,  by 
deeds  and  services  he  came  to  be  accounted 
the  great,  yet  by  virtues  and  acts  of  religion 
none  earned  for  himself  more  truly  the  higher 
title  of  the  good. — Ibid. 

[18 100]  The  temple  worship  was  reinstated  ; 
the  passoverwas  kept  with  a  splendour  not  wit- 
nessed for  many  years,  the  scattered  remnants 
of  the  Ten  Tribes,  whose  territory  had  been 
ravaged  and  depopulated  by  the  Assyrians, 
were  invited  to  participate  in  the  solemnity  ; 
the  altars  and  images  of  false  gods  were  re- 
moved and  destroyed  ;  and  even  the  brazen 
serpent  which  Moses  made  in  the  wilderness,  for 
fear  of  its  perversion  to  superstitious  purposes, 
was  broken  in  pieces  and  called  Nehushtan. 
In  all  this  work  the  king  took  a  personal  part, 
guiding  the  actors  in  it  by  his  example,  and 
cheering  them  by  his  counsel  and  instruc- 
tion. So  Hezekiah's  reformation  stands  as  a 
pattern  of  a  true  reformation.  Its  design  and 
eftect  were  restoration,  not  the  invention  and 
establishment  of  new  methods  and  forms.  He 
did  not  believe  in  development  and  progress  of 
religious  institutions. — Ibid. 

[18101]  The  erection  of  altars  in  all  parti  of 


26o 

i8ior- 


-18106] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[IIEZEKIAH. 


the  country  had  diffused  the  idolatrous  venom 
into  all  orders  and  ranks  of  men.  The  palace 
and  the  cottage  alike  did  homage  to  Baal,  and 
Ashtaroth,  and  Moloch  ;  and  the  rustic  villager, 
as  well  as  the  elegant  courtier,  was  poisoned 
and  befouled  with  the  reeking  pollution. 
From  the  prophets  of  Jerusalem  had  profane- 
ness  gone  forth  into  all  the  land,  so  that  "  the 
whole  head  was  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint." 
To  purify  such  a  country  was  indeed  to  cleanse 
an  Augean  stable,  and  called  for  a  man  of 
faith,  nerve,  zeal,  energy,  and  wisdom  ;  such 
a  man  was  Hezekiah  ;  and  in  his  successful 
performance  of  the  mighty  work  he  won  for 
himself  the  high  praise  contained  in  our  text. 
And  if  his  work  was  not  as  radical  and  per- 
manent as  his  pious  ardour  aimed  to  make  it, 
it  was  only  because  "  man's  breath  is  in  his 
nostrils  ;  and  wherein  is  he  to  be  accounted 
of.'"'  Before  a  good  man's  work  has  had  time 
to  harden  into  sufficient  strength  to  abide,  he 
is  forced  to  leave  it,  in  obedience  to  the  in- 
exorable decree  of  mortality,  to  him  that  shall 
come  after  him  ;  and  "  who  knoweth  whether 
he  shall  be  a  wise  man  or  a  fool  V — Ibid. 

2  He  possessed  a  childlike  faith, 

[18 102]  Sennacherib  was  a  mighty  monarch, 
and  his  invasion  of  the  land  filled  it  with 
terror  and  dismay.  Isaiah,  the  noblest  and 
most  eloquent  of  the  prophets,  was  the  king's 
counsellor  and  comforter  in  this  and  in  every 
emergency.  From  him  the  king  gained  the 
serene  confidence  with  which  he  viewed  the 
threatening  danger,  and  the  people  too  grew 
calm  under  the  example  of  their  monarch. 
"The  people  rested  themselves  on  the  words 
of  Hezekiah,  king  of  Judah."  Well  might  any 
nation  repose  on  one  to  whom  even  now  the 
world  may  turn  as  a  signal  example  of  what 
is  meant  by  faith,  as  distinct  from  fanaticism. 
A  threatening  and  insulting  message  comes 
from  the  boastful  invader.  Hezekiah  goes  up 
to  the  temple,  and  spreads  it  before  the  Lord, 
and  receives  through  Isaiah  an  assurance  of 
safety.  The  land  is  overrun,  and  a  mighty 
host  is  encamped  near  Jerusalem.  To  human 
eyes  escape  is  impossible.  But  the  king  and 
the  prophet  are  calm,  for  their  trust  is  in  God, 
and  their  confidence  is  not  misplaced.  "  It 
came  to  pass  that  night  that  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  went  forth  and  smote  in  the  camp  of  the 
Assyrians  a  hundred  fourscore  and  five  thou- 
sand."— Ibid. 

3  He  exhibited   resignation    to    the    will   of 
God. 

[18103]  The  prophet  was  sent  to  say  to  him, 
"  Behold,  the  days  come,  that  all  that  is  in  thy 
house,  and  that  which  thy  fathers  have  laid 
up  in  store  unto  this  day,  shall  be  carried  to 
liabylon  :  nothing  shall  be  left,  saith  the  Lord. 
And  of  thy  sons  which  shall  issue  from  thee,  .  . 
shall  they  take  away  ;  and  they  shall  be  eunuchs 
in  the  palace  of  the  king  of  Babylon."  This 
was  the  distressing  message  to  which  the 
penitent  king  made  reply  :  "  Good  is  the  word 


of  the  Lord  which  thou  hast  spoken."  He 
"  humbled  himself  for  the  pride  of  his  heart," 
and  with  a  chastened  and  subdued  spirit  con- 
sented that  the  will  of  the  Lord  should  be 
done.  Here  was  submission  :  here  was  a 
glorious  triumph  over  a  selfish  heart  :  here 
was,  what  every  creature  ought  to  render,  a 
cheerful  and  absolute  subjection  to  the  empire 
of  eternal  rectitude  and  love. — Rev.  E.  Grijftti, 
D.D. 

II.  Defects  of  Character. 

He   weakly  gave  way  to  vanity  and    ostenta- 
tion. 

[18(04]  He  was  one  of  the  three  eminent 
names,  in  after  ages,  held  in  chief  estimation 
among  the  Jews.  "All,"  says  Ecclesiasticus, 
"except  David  and  Ezekias  and  Josias  were 
defective  ;  for  they  forsook  the  law  of  the  Most 
High,  even  the  kings  of  Juda  failed.  Yet  he 
was  not  a  perfect  man  ;  success  betrayed  him 
into  pride,  and  pride  led  him  into  ostentation. 
He  was  smitten  and  miraculously  delivered  from 
the  jaws  of  death.  A  sign  akin  to  that  vouch- 
safed to  Joshua,  in  the  going  back  of  the 
shadow  on  the  dial  of  Ahaz  ten  degrees,  attested 
the  Divine  purposes  of  mercy  to  him.  To  the 
ambassadors  of  the  king  of  Babylon,  who 
came  to  inquire  after  this  wonder,  he  unwisely 
displayed  his  wealth,  and  provoked  God's 
anger. — Rev.  R.  Haliain,  D.D. 

[18105]  "  God  left  him,  to  try  him  ;  and  that 
He  might  know  all  that  was  in  his  heart."  It 
was  too  much  for  Hezekiah.  The  latent  pride 
of  his  heart  showed  itself.  He  was  betrayed 
into  an  ostentatious  display  of  his  wealth  and 
greatness.  Hezekiah  was  glad  of  them,  and 
"  showed  them  all  the  house  of  his  precious 
things,  the  silver,  and  the  gold,  and  the  spices, 
and  the  precious  ointment,  and  all  the  house  of 
his  armour,  and  all  that  was  found  in  his  trea- 
sures ;  there  was  nothing  in  his  house  nor  in  all 
his  dominion  that  Hezekiah  showed  them  not." 
Dangerous,  fatal  ostentation.  The  sight 
awakened  the  cupidity  that  was  never  satisfied 
till,  a  few  generations  later,  Babylon  made  the 
country  a  prey. — Ibid. 

III.  A  Modern  Parallel   in   Reforma- 
tion. 

[18106]  When  he  would  get  things  right,  he 
would  get  them  as  they  were  when  they  came 
from  the  hand  of  God.  There  is  in  this  par- 
ticular a  striking  analogy  between  this  reform 
and  the  English  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  The  design  was  not  to  make  a 
Church,  or  to  adorn  a  Church  with  novel  de- 
vices of  man's  wisdom  ;  but  to  cleanse  the 
Church  from  defilement  and  corruption,  and 
make  it  what  it  was  when  it  came  from  the 
hand  of  its  Creator,  and  he  pronounced  it  very 
good.  And  when  religion  has  fallen  into  decay 
in  any  age,  we  are  to  profit  by  this  hint,  and 


i8io5 — 18110] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


261 

[hezekiaii. 


not  to  seek  its  resuscitation  by  new  measures, 
by  novel  devices  calculated  to  promote  excite- 
ment or  act  upon  the  nervous  sensibilities  of 
men,  but  by  a  more  diligent,  careful,  and 
serious  use  of  appointed  means  and  instru- 
mentalities that  have  upon  them  the  stamp  of 
a  Divine  authority,  the  reparation  of  God's 
house,  the  orderly,  solemn,  seemly  celebration 
of  His  ordinances,  the  regular  and  reverent 
observance  of  His  worship,  a  due  regard  for 
His  ministers  and  their  sacred  commission  ;  in 
fine,  by  putting  into  a  condition  to  act  with 
more  freedom  and  efficiency  those  old  institu- 
tions which  God  has  given,  and  promised  to 
bless  to  the  accomplishment  of  their  sacred 
design. — Ibid. 


IV.    HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 


the 


1  The     piety    of    Hezekiah     illustrates 
sovereignty  of  God  in  conversion. 

[18107]  He  was  one  of  the  model  princes  of 
Judah.  Yet  early  in  his  life  his  conversion  was 
one  of  the  most  improbable  of  events.  He  was 
the  son  of  one  of  the  most  impious  monarchs 
that  ever  sat  on  the  throne  of  Israel.  Bad 
blood  was  in  his  veins.  His  youth  was  cursed 
by  a  most  polluted  parental  example.  The 
abominations  of  Oriental  idolatry  were  the  at- 
mosphere of  his  childhood.  ...  It  is  the  mys- 
terious lot  of  many  other  men  to  be  born  and 
educated  under  circumstances  which  render 
their  conversion  to  God  intrinsically  improbable. 
They  seem  born  to  vice.  They  are  trained  to 
immorality.  Childish  and  even  infantile  lips 
are  taught  to  profane  God's  name.  This  is  not 
always  the  lot  of  the  poor  and  the  ignorant  only. 
It  was  the  favourite  pastime  of  one  of  the 
statesmen  of  the  first  period  of  our  Republic, 
to  teach  his  beautiful  little  motherless  daughter 
at  four  years  of  age  to  prattle  the  oaths  with 
which  his  own  conversation  was  polluted. 
It  is  one  of  the  unsolved  mysteries  of  God's 
government,  that  such  enormities  are  permitted. 
Humming-birds  seem  to  have  a  more  blessed 
existence  than  the  children  of  such  impious 
fathers  and  mothers.  Yet  God  often  enters 
such  homes  with  His  saving  grace.  He  speaks 
the  word,  "  Thou  art  Mine,"  and  a  child  of  im- 
mortality is  s2Lwed.—Rev.  A.  Fhclps,  D.D. 

2  The  piety  of  Hezekiah  is  an  encouragement 
to  the  children  of  ungodly  parents. 

[18108]  So  much  is  often  said,  and  justly,  of 
the  covenant  of  God  with  Christian  parents,  that 
sometimes  in  the  contrast  a  cloud  seems  to  rest 
over  the  destiny  of  those  who  do  not  share  that 
blessing.  Said  one  child  of  vice  :  "  My  father 
was  a  drunkard,  and  my  grandfather  was  a 
drunkard  before  him.  I  shall  be  a  drunkard 
too  ;  we  belong  to  a  race  of  drunkards.  I  may 
as  well  accept  my  lot  first  as  last:  it  is  my  fate." 
Said  another,  a  man  of  high  culture,  but  noto- 
rious for  his  ungoverned  passions:  "My  father 
was  just  so  :  his  boys  are  all  so.  We  cannot 
live  in  peace  together:  we  never  did.     We  are 


all  possessed  of  the  devil :  I  can't  help  it." 
Not  so  does  God  reason.  "  All  souls  are  Mine," 
He  declares.  "The  son  shall  not  bear  the 
inicjuity  of  his  father,"  is  His  law.  .  .  .  True, 
it  is  a  great  blessing  to  have  been  born  in  the 
line  of  a  godly  ancestry.  But  it  is  a  greater 
blessing  to  have  been  born  at  all,  under  the 
grace  of  (iod,  in  a  Christian  land,  amidst  sab- 
baths. Bibles,  churches,  and  under  the  gracious 
providences  of  God.  Some  of  the  best  of  men 
have  been  illustrations  of  Divine  grace  to  the 
worst.  What  of  heathen  converts  to  Chris- 
tianity ?  Heaven  is  already  becoming  populous 
with  the  children  of  idolaters,  liars,  drunkards, 
thieves,  adulterers,  murderers.  Go  back  far 
enough  in  the  ancestral  line  of  any  of  us,  and 
we  come  to  a  generation  of  cannibals.  What 
but  the  love  of  God  first  took  off  that  ancestral 
curse  ? — Ibid. 

3  The  piety  of  Hezekiah  suggests  that  the 
conversion  of  men  is  often  assisted  by 
their  natural  recoil  from  extreme  wicked- 
ness. 

[181C9]  The  young  monarch  must  have  come 
to  the  throne  in  a  state  of  disgust  with  his 
father's  crimes.  He  must  have  felt  the  dis- 
honour of  them  to  the  royal  name.  He  must 
have  seen  the  wretched  condition  of  the  king- 
dom on  account  of  them.  His  subsequent  lite 
shows  that  as  a  young  man  he  must  have  been 
thoughtful  and  of  tender  conscience.  He  was 
just  the  man  to  blush  for  his  father's  disgrace, 
and  to  recoil  with  a  young  man's  pride  from 
his  country's  shame.  This  is  one  of  the  be- 
nevolent devices  of  God  for  the  defeat  of  sin. 
Sin  is  often  so  used  as  to  defeat  itself.  One  of 
the  reasons  why  it  is  permitted  to  run  its  course, 
and  come  to  a  head,  is  that  men  may  see  it  in 
its  hideous  maturity.  Only  thus  can  we  know 
it  as  it  is.  The  delay  of  God  in  its  punishment 
may  be  often  due  to  this  law.  And  it  often 
works  to  the  salvation  of  souls.  God  uses  sin 
to  defeat  sin.  When  a  prairie  is  on  fire,  and  the 
traveller  is  in  danger  of  being  surrounded  and 
suffocated  by  the  roaring  flame,  he  has  a  way  of 
fighting  fire  with  fire.  So  the  Spirit  of  God 
sets  guilt  against  guilt.  Temptation  is  check- 
mated by  the  very  ghostliness  of  the  crime 
which  it  proposes.  The  young  should  cherish 
then,  as  for  dear  life,  their  first  revolt  of  con- 
science from  abounding  sin. — Ibid. 

4  The  reforming  zeal  of  Hezekiah  illustrates 
the  fact  that  when  God  converts  men  from 
amidst  surroundings  of  great  depravity,  He 
often  has  some  great  and  signal  service  in 
prospect  for  them  to  perform. 

[iSiioJ  God  summoned  him  to  the  reforma- 
tion of  a  kingdom.  He  trained  him  for  it  by 
permitting  him  to  see  the  guilt  and  the  ruin  of 
his  father's  reign.  When  the  critical  time  came 
He  lifted  him  out  of  the  slough  of  iniquity,  and 
made  him  one  of  the  signal  examples  of  a  godly 
prince,  whose  name  should  give  lustre  to  the 
Jewish  throne  for  ever  after.  Thus  God  often 
works  in  humbler  life.     One  of  the  most  sue- 


262 

i8iio— 18114] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[hezekiah. 


cessful  clergymen  in  the  history  of  the  New 
England  pulpit  was  the  son  of  a  drunkard  and 
a  thief.  His  youth  was  spent  in  extreme 
poverty  and  disgrace.  The  family  name  was  a 
byword.  When  he  resolved  to  work  his  way  to 
college  and  to  the  pulpit,  his  father  overwhelmed 
him  with  parental  curses.  In  that  man's  boy- 
hood, his  ruin  for  this  world  and  the  next  seemed 
to  human  view  well-nigh  certain.  '*  Like  father, 
like  son,"  said  his  neighbours.  But  God  had 
other  plans  for  the  unfortunate  youth.  That 
masterly  pulpit  was  preparing  for  him,  and  he 
preparing  for  it.  The  earthly  father's  curses  and 
theheavenjy  Father's  blessing  were  pittedagainst 
each  other.  God  brought  him  safely  through 
those  fires  of  Moloch.  He  called  him  to  stand 
in  a  place  more  honourable  than  the  courts  of 
kings.  He  became  greatly  successful  in  revivals 
of  religion.  Before  his  death,  more  than  twelve 
hundred  persons  were  known  to  him  who  at- 
tributed their  conversion  to  his  ministry. — Ibid. 

5  The  reforming  zeal  of  Hezekiah  illustrates 
the  moral  power  of  one  man  in  effecting  a 
great  work  to  which  God  has  called  him. 

[181 11]  It  appears  that  the  reformation  of 
the  kingdom  was  at  first  the  idea  of  Hezekiah 
alone.  "  It  is  in  my  heart,"  he  says,  "  to  make 
a  covenant  with  the  Lord."  Nobody  seems  to 
have  put  him  up  to  it.  No  prophet  came  to 
warn  or  to  stimulate  him.  The  movement  grew 
up  silently  in  his  own  heart.  God  and  he 
planned  it  alone.  Probably  he  had  been  brood- 
ing over  it  and  praying  over  it  for  years.  Men 
do  not  spring  into  such  honour  at  a  bound.  At 
last  he  was  the  soul  of  the  reform.  The  idea 
was  his  ;  the  measures  were  his  ;  the  execution 
was  his.  So  it  often  is  in  other  great  works  of 
God.  Some  one  man  heads  it  ;  puts  his  soul 
into  it  ;  gives  his  life  to  it ;  rouses  other  men, 
and  energizes  them  in  it.  There  is  almost  no 
limit  to  the  power  of  a  live  man  called  of  God 
to  a  great  life's  work.  Other  men  fall  back  to 
the  right  and  to  the  left,  and  let  such  a  man  go 
up  the  highway  of  the  King,  while  they  fall  in  at 
the  rear,  and  acknowledge  His  lead. — Ibid. 

6  The  reformation  effected  by  Hezekiah  illus- 
trates the  suddenness  with  which  God 
often  achieves  by  the  hand  of  such  men 
great  changes  in  the  progress  of  His  king- 
dom. 

[181 12]  Following  the  story  of  this  ancient 
reformation,  we  learn  at  the  end  of  the  narrative 
that  "  Hezekiah  rejoiced,  and  all  the  people, 
that  God  had  prepared  the  people,  for  the  thing 
was  done  suddenly."  It  was  an  instance  of  a 
very  rapid  work  of  grace.  Although  the  king 
had  originated  the  movement,  and  set  others  to 
work  out  the  idea  over  which  he  had  long 
brooded,  he  found  things  ready  to  his  hand. 
God  had  "  prepared  the  people  for  it."  They 
had  been  reading  God's  providence  as  well  as 
he.  Secret  currents  of  feeling  were  swelling  in 
their  hearts.  All  that  they  needed  was  a  leader. 
When,  therefore,  the  leader  api  eared  in  the 
person  of  their  youthful  prince,  events  moved 


quickly.  Results  ripened  fast.  Before  they 
had  time  to  dally  over  it,  the  thing  was  done. 
The  kingdom  was  righted,  and  brought  once 
more  into  line  in  the  service  of  the  living  God. 
This  is  another  of  the  common  laws  of  God's 
working.  He  prepares  different  agencies  in 
different  channels  secretly.  Each  is  quietly 
fitted  to  another  by  unseen  strategy.  The  leader 
is  fashioned  for  the  people,  and  the  people 
trained  for  the  leader.  Unknown  to  each  other, 
men  are  set  to  thinking  of  the  same  thing.  The 
same  fire  is  kindled  in  many  hearts  ;  the  same 
resolves  are  created,  the  same  hopes  cherished. 
—Ibid. 

[181 13]  The  abolition  of  American  slavery 
illustrated  this.  How  we  used  to  talk  and  pray 
on  that  subject  twenty  years  ago.  We  thought 
it  one  of  the  far  distant  events  in  our  coming 
history.  Centuries  hence,  in  some  golden  age 
we  dreamed  that  some  happy  generation  of  our 
successors  would  arise,  who  would  devise  some 
way  of  putting  an  end  to  the  atrocious  system. 
Nobody  conceived  it  possible  that  the  end  was 
so  near  and  would  come  so  suddenly.  But  God 
was  fitting  events  to  events,  and  men  to  men. 
Had  our  spiritual  senses  been  mqre  alert,  we 
should  have  heard  the  chariot  wheels  and  the 
tramping  of  steeds.  At  last,  when  he  was  ready, 
the  end  came  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  Such 
phenomena  suggest  the  possibility  that  the 
conversion  of  the  world  may  be  nearer  than  we 
think. — Ibid. 

7  The  confidence  of  Hezekiah  at  a  critical 
period  in  his  history  points  to  the  true 
source  of  all  strength  and  power  in  the 
emergencies  of  life. 

[181 14]  That  question,  "What  confidence  is 
this  wherein  thou  trustest  ? "  how  it  brought 
Hezekiah  face  to  face  with  what  was  in  reality 
the  source  of  his  trust  and  strength  !  The  ex- 
tremity brought  the  question,  and  the  question 
solidified,  so  to  speak,  his  faith  in  God.  The 
same  question  is  asked  of  all  of  us  at  various 
times  in  life.  It  is  asked  in  temptations,  trials, 
adversity  of  all  kinds,  but  with  emphatic  in- 
sistance  upon  the  approach  of  death — "  What 
confidence.^''  The  question  has  to  do  with  the 
greatest  realities  of  our  inmost  being.  It  re- 
minds us  that  practically  it  is  to  us  all  one,  as 
though  there  were  but  two  beings  in  the  world — 
God  and  each  one's  self.  "What  confidence.?"  Not 
the  least  terribly-mistaken  reed-prop  in  the  hour 
of  some  emergency  will  be  found  to  have  trusted 
in  the  shadow  of  a  religion,  to  have  gone  through 
life  imagining  that  we  had  a  religion,  and  to  find 
in  the  hour  of  trial  or  of  death  that  we  have  had 
it  not.  Let  us  not  wait  till  some  dread  crisis 
arrives  before  seeking  honestly  to  answer  to 
ourselves  this  question  of  questions.  What  is 
it  wherein,  above  all  else,  we  are  at  present  in 
reality  trusting  .?  Is  it  the  world  ?  is  it  wealth  ? 
is  it  fashion  ?  is  it  friends  ?  is  it  the  outward 
profession  of  religion — attendance  at  a  round 
of  services  }  Or  is  it  God  in  Christ — His  word, 
His  work,  the  Rock  of  Ages  .?     In   that   upon 


i8ii4 — 18119] 


OLD    TESTAMENr  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


263 

[manasseh. 


which  we  are  at  present  in  reahty  resting,  we 
shall,  in  all  probability,  find  ourselves  trusting 
at  the  last.— i^/.  J. 


MANASSEH. 

I.  His  Apostasy. 

1  It  was  conspicuous  for  its  exceptional 
depravity. 

[18115]  He  fell  back  to  the  disgraceful  level 
of  his  grandfather  Ahaz.  The  catalogue  of  his 
crimes  is  fearful.  "He  made  judah  to  do  worse 
than  the  heathen,"  says  the  historian.  He 
practised  sorcery  and  necromancy,  and  restored 
the  furnace  to  Tophet.  He  worshipped  the 
stars.  He  sacrificed  his  own  children  to  pagan 
deities.  He  named  his  son  Anion  after  an 
Egyptian  idol.  He  was  the  first  persecutor  in 
Judah  of  the  true  religion.  He  removed  the 
ark  out  of  the  holy  of  holies.  Tradition  says 
that  the  name  of  Jehovah  was  erased  from  all 
public  documents  and  inscriptions.  His  reign 
was  a  "  reign  of  terror  "  to  the  prophets  of  the 
Most  High.  The  secular  historian  says  that 
''day  by  day  a  fresh  batch  of  the  prophetic 
order  were  ordered  to  execution.  From  end  to 
end  of  Jerusalem  were  to  be  seen  traces  of  their 
blood."  Tradition  says  that  the  prophet  Isaiah, 
nearly  ninety  years  of  age,  perished  by  Manas- 
seh's  order.  Yet  the  same  tradition  declares 
that  his  mother  was  Isaiah's  daughter.  He  was 
one  of  three  kings  who  in  Jewish  story  had 
no  part  in  the  life  to  come — Jeroboam,  Ahab, 
Manasseh.  His  name  became  in  Jewish  annals 
the  synonym  of  infamy. — Rev.  A.Phelps.,  D.D. 

2  It  was  probably  due  in  great  measure  to 
the  early  loss  of  his  father  and  the  counsels 
of  evil  advisers. 

[181 16]  How  different  might  have  been  his 
career  and  character  if  he  had  grown  up  under 
the  reforming  and  restraining  hand  of  such  a 
father  as  Hezekiah  !  How  irreparable  to  a  child 
the  loss  of  a  good  parent,  especially  if  he  be 
born  to  the  inheritance  of  wealth  and  conse- 
quence !  We  know  not  into  whose  hands  he 
fell  upon  his  father's  demise,  but  probably  into 
the  hands  of  such  men  as  were  wont  to  haunt 
the  court  and  palace  of  a  minor  king — men  bent 
only  on  their  own  selfish  schemes  of  aggran- 
dizement and  gain  ;  men  ready  to  ingratiate 
themselves  with  their  youthful  and  confiding 
sovereign,  by  flattering  his  vanity  and  minister- 
ing to  the  gratification  of  his  desires,  that  they 
may  prey  upon  his  bounty  and  use  his  name  to 
justify  and  sustain  their  deeds  of  rapacity  and 
oppression.  It  was  the  misfortune  of  Manasseh 
to  pass  the  most  critical  period  of  his  life,  his 
transition  from  youth  to  manhood,  in  an  atmo- 
sphere so  fraught  with  moral  corruption,  un- 
favourable to  the  formation  of  manly  sentiments, 
holy  purposes,  and  virtuous  habits — a  court,  the 
court  of  d  youth,  himself  the  victim  of  a  deadly 


miasma  ;  the  beams  of  his  own  glory  exhaled 
under  such  influences,  and  the  better  impres- 
sions of  earlier  teachings  were  speedily  erased  ; 
and  he  emerges  into  notice  a  worldling  and  an 
idolater,  a  stain  upon  his  country's  annals,  for 
fifty  years  a  scourge  and  corrupter,  himself  at 
last  saved,  but  only  "in  the  furnace  of  afflic- 
tion," and  "  so  as  by  fire." — Rev.  R.  Haiiajit, 
D.D. 

[181 17]  He  became  his  own  master  and  the 
master  of  a  kingdom  before  he  had  attained  any 
fitness  for  the  clifficult  office  of  governing  him- 
self or  others  ;  unprincipled  and  selfish  men, 
sycophants  and  corrupters,  stood  around  his 
throne  ready  to  pervert  his  principles  and  mis- 
lead his  counsels  for  their  own  benefit  or 
pleasure.  Power  and  luxury  tend  to  intoxicate 
youthful  minds,  powerfully  operating  to  fill  them 
with  pride,  wantonness,  and  presumption.  To 
such  men  and  such  circumstances  a  child  well- 
taught  and  well-trained,  yet  a  child,  fell  an  easy 
prey.  .  .  .  He  plunged  headlong  into  a  career 
of  irreligion  and  wickedness,  and  persevered  in 
it  many  years.  The  beginnings  of  good  in  him, 
if  any  had  been  made,  were  destroyed  and  lost. 
—Ibid. 

/ 

II.  His  Repentance. 

1  It  was  an  exceptional  instance. 

[18118]  The  remarkable  distinction  of  his 
career  is  that  he  is  the  only  case  clearly  re- 
corded in  the  Scriptures  of  a  youth  breaking 
away  from  the  restraints  and  example  of  a 
religious  parentage,  who  was  recovered  by  the 
grace  of  God  and  brought  to  repentance. — Rev. 
A.  F kelps,  D.D. 

2  It  followed  upon  an  exceptionally  severe 
affliction. 

[181 19J  God  sent  upon  him  at  last  a  reverse 
of  fortune,  seemingly  in  wrath,  really  in  un- 
speakable compassion.  He  was  dethroned  and 
carried  into  captivity.  "  By  the  rivers  of  Baby- 
lon we  sat  down  and  wept."  Splendour,  plenty, 
power,  were  gone.  The  greatness  of  his  former 
condition  served  by  contrast  to  aggravate  the 
sense  of  his  present  wretchedness.  But  his 
tears  were  healing  and  restorative.  To  him,  as 
an  immortal  and  accountable  being,  Babylon 
was  better  than  Jerusalem,  his  house  of  exile 
than  his  royal  court.  The  departure  of  his 
pomp  and  honour  made  room  for  the  entrance 
of  salutary  reflections.  The  season  of  sadness 
carries  the  soul  back  to  childhood.  Happily 
for  him  childhood  contained  provisions  and 
promises  of  a  better  life  than  his  history  had 
realized.  He  heard  once  more  his  father's 
voice.  He  beheld  once  more  his  father's  ways, 
and  his  father's  prayers  were  pleading  for  him 
on  high,  even  as  his  father's  goodness  was 
pleading  with  him  below  ;  and  so  "  when  he 
was  in  affliction  he  besought  the  Lord  his  God, 
and  humbled  himself  greatly  before  the  (^od  of 
his  fathers,  and  prayed  unto  Him  ;  and  He  was 
entreated  of  him,  and  heard  his  supplication, 


264 
i8ii9 — 1812 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[manasseh. 


and  brought  him  again  to  Jerusalem  into  his 
kingdom.  Then  Manasseh  knew  that  the  Lord 
He  was  God." — Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

3  It  was  in  accordance  with  God's  law  of 
showing  mercy  to  Manasseh's  father,  as 
one  of  the  "thousands  of  them  that  love 
Him  and  keep  His  commandments." 

[18120]  There  were  other  influences  besides 
the  natural  operation  of  His  reverses  in  Manas- 
seh's recovery,  influences  of  truth  and  grace  :  of 
truth  long  before  implanted  and  smothered,  but 
not  extinguished  ;  of  grace,  that  came  not  for- 
tuitously or  capriciously  or  arbitrarily,  but 
according  to  a  law  of  God's  spiritual  kingdom, 
the  law  whereby  He  shows  "mercy  to  thousands 
of  them  that  love  Him  and  keep  His  command- 
ments ;  "  the  law  by  which  the  prayers  and 
deeds  of  good  men  are  kept  in  heaven  as  a 
precious  and  enduring  treasure  ;  the  law  whereby 
Hezekiah  wrought  in  the  prevalency  of  his  in- 
tercessions, after  he  had  lain  in  his  grave  a  half 
century,  intercessions  that  were  living  seeds  of 
a  rich  and  happy  harvest  after  long  years  of 
barrenness  and  apparent  death  ;  a  law  which 
brought  upon  the  sinful  monarch  that  severe 
but  merciful  dispensation,  which,  by  virtue  of 
the  sources  of  spiritual  life  which  were  mingled 
with  it,  became  the  occasion  of  delivering  his 
soul  from  death. — Ibid. 

4  Its  degree  was  in  proportion  to  the  hein- 
ousness  of  his  former  iniquity. 

[18121]  We  are  told,  too,  that  in  his  captivity 
"he  humbled  himself  _^ri?^;//y."  A  certain  pro- 
portion runs  through  his  history.  A  great 
sinner,  a  great  sufferer,  a  great  penitent.  God 
works  thoroughly.  He  is  faithful  in  adjusting 
the  discipline  to  the  exigency.  Whom  He  loves, 
He  chastens  proportionately  to  his  necessities. 
He  spares  not  the  rod  at  the  expense  of  the 
child's  soul.  He  plans  for  eternity,  not  for  time. 
So  would  we  have  it— would  we  not.'' — in  the 
experience  of  our  children. — Rev.  A.  Phelps., 
D.D. 

5  It  was  permanent  and  reformatory  in  its 
effects. 

[18122]  His  repentance  was  not  superficial 
and  transitory.  It  brought  forth  in  him  "the 
fruit  of  good  living."  It  yielded  to  him  the 
"  peacealjle  fruit  of  righteousness."  He  devoted 
the  remnant  of  his  days  to  God  and  duty,  to 
reform  and  reparation,  to  the  practice  of  piety 
and  virtue,  and  to  the  promotion  of  religion 
among  his  people.  For  we  are  informed  by  the 
historian  that  "he  took  away  the  strange  gods 
and  the  idol  out  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and 
all  the  altars  that  he  had  built  in  the  mount  of 
the  house  of  the  Lord  and  in  Jerusalem,  and 
cast  them  out  of  the  city.  And  he  repaired  the 
altar  of  the  Lord,  and  sacrificed  therein  peace- 
offerings  and  thank-offerings,  and  commanded 
Judah  to  serve  the  Lord  God  of  Israel."  He 
went  to  his  grave  in  peace,  and  was  gathered  at 
last  to  the  company  of  his  fathers  and  of  all  the 
faithful  departed  in  the  paradise  of  God.     Is  not 


this  "a  brand  plucked  from  the  burning"? — 
Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

III.  Comparison  with  Ahaz. 

[18 1 23]  Place  these  two  royal  sinners  side  by 
side.  Both  had  the  example  and  teachings  and 
prayers  of  godly  parents.  Both  broke  loose 
from  these  restraints,  and  ran  a  career  of  wild 
and  defiant  crime.  One  was  saved,  the  other 
lost  ;  one  taken,  the  other  left.  Why  the  dif- 
ference, we  know  not.  It  is  the  way  of  God  to 
do  autocratic  things.  But  woe  to  him  who 
presumes  upon  God's  regal  mercy,  to  defy  His 
laws  and  trample  on  His  grace  !  The  probabili- 
ties are  incalculably  great  that  he  will  be  left  to 
his  own  chosen  way,  and  to  mourn  at  last.  The 
thorns  which  I  have  reaped  are  of  the  tree  I 
planted. — Rev.  A.  Phelps,  D.D. 


IV.    HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 

1  The  fall  of  Manasseh  was  an  exception  to 
the  general  law  respecting  the  history  of 
children  of  a  godly  parentage. 

[18124]  The  charge  has  been  exultingly  used 
against  the  credit  of  religion  that  the  sons  of 
Christian  fathers  are  generally  worse  than 
others.  The  sons  of  bishops  and  clergymen 
and  deacons  and  elders  are  often  said  to  be 
proverbially  wicked.  The  restraints  of  a  reli- 
gious home  are  sometimes  criticised  as  tending 
by  reaction  to  the  extremes  of  vice.  This 
assertion  is  not  true  historically.  Statistics 
disprove  it.  In  a  certain  New  England  town 
of  some  thousands  of  people  the  records  of  the 
Christian  families  were  once  examined  tho- 
roughly to  test  this  question.  I  am  unable  to 
recall  the  exact  numbers  ;  but  the  proportion  of 
the  children  of  such  families  who  became  reli- 
gious men  and  women,  as  related  to  those  who 
did  not,  was  more  than  five  to  one.  Three  or 
four  such  investigations  have  come  within  my 
knowledge,  all  ending  in  a  similar  result.  In 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover  some 
years  ago  it  was  found  on  inquiry  that  out  of 
its  hundred  and  twenty  students  preparing  for 
the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  more  than  the  hun- 
dred were  from  Christian  homes,  and  more  than 
twelve  were  sons  of  Christian  ministers.  A 
similar  inquiry,  with  similar  results,  was  once 
instituted  in  Amherst  College.  Had  the  com- 
mon proverb  on  the  subject  been  true,  no  such 
proportions  as  these  would  have  been  at  all 
probable.  The  reverse  should  be  the  law  ;  the 
Church  should  look  for  her  clergy  to  families  in 
which  children  have  not  the  misfortune  of  reli- 
gious restraints  to  lay  the  foundation  for  profane 
reactions. — Ibid. 

2  The  fall  of  Manasseh  illustrates  the  fact 
that  when  the  children  of  the  godly  become 
vicious  they  become  worse  than  the  average 
of  wicked  men. 

[18 1 25]  The  brief  records  of  Manasseh's 
reign  clearly  hint  this.  .  .  .  It  is  also  an  obviously 


i8i25 — 18129] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


265 

[manasseh. 


natural  working  of  things.  A  steel  spring  will 
recoil  one  way  with  a  force  proportioned  to  the 
power  with  which  it  has  been  bent  the  other 
way.  A  cannon-bail  dropped  from  the  summit 
of  a  shot-tower  reduplicates  its  velocity  as  it 
descends,  and  it  strikes  the  earth  with  a  con- 
cussion proportioned  to  the  height  of  the  tower. 
Similar  is  the  law  of  character.  Both  virtue 
and  depravity  are  in  exact  ratio  to  the  resistance 
overcome.  'I'hc  child  of  godly  parentage,  there- 
fore, if  he  becomes  an  outcast,  does  fall  lower 
than  the  average  of  outcasts.  In  the  natural 
course  of  things  he  becomes  a  more  hardened 
sinner  in  the  sight  of  God.  His  conscience 
suffers  a  more  fatal  violence.  His  subsequent 
conversion  is  less  probable.  Such  is  the  law  of 
natural  progress  in  the  evolution  of  character. 
This  doubtless  is  the  foundation  of  the  proverb 
that  the  sons  of  ministers  and  elders  and  deacons 
generally  become  monuments  of  superlative  vice. 
When  they  do  so  they  attract  the  attention  of 
observers  by  the  very  extreme  of  their  wicked- 
ness and  its  contrast  to  the  homes  of  their 
childhood.  The  child  of  godly  progenitors 
cannot  tamper  with  temptation  without  in- 
curring greater  peril  of  the  loss  of  the  soul  than 
that  incurred  by  other  men.  Exalted  to  heaven 
in  privilege — thrust  down  to  hell  in  guilt  ;  such 
is  the  contrast  as  the  Bible  paints  it. — Ibid. 

3  The  salvation  of  Manasseh  affords  strong 
encouragement  to  continued  prayer  and 
spiritual  labour  for  the  conversion  of  sinful 
men. 

(i)  Generally. 

[i8i2tij  How  much  encouragement  is  there 
to  hope  and  pray  and  labour  perseveringly  for 
the  conversion  of  sinful  men,  and  especially  of 
those  whose  early  youth  has  been  blessed  with 
holy  prayers  and  pious  instructions  .''  We  are 
not  to  despair  of  any  man.  Few  cases  ever 
presented  a  more  desperate  and  discouraging 
aspect  than  that  of  Manasseh.  His  wickedness 
began  early  and  continued  long.  He  grew  into 
manhood  a  bold  transgressor.  He  "  framed 
iniquity  for  a  law."  His  sin  was  high-handed, 
public,  and  shameless.  He  grew  hoary-headed 
in  sin.  He  had  not  only  thrown  aside  the 
restraints  of  truth,  but  he  had  sanctified  false- 
hood, and  found  a  religion  to  sanction  his  sins 
and  turn  them  into  a  semblance  of  piety.  Still 
he  was  not  bej'^ond  repentance,  not  incapable  of 
repentance,  for  he  did  repent.  There  were 
avenues  to  his  heart  still  open  to  the  approaches 
of  the  Spirit.  There  were  resources  in  Divine 
providence  sufficient  to  bring  back  his  soul  from 
the  pit.  May  it  not  be  so  of  any  man  who  is 
going  on  still  in  his  wickedness .''  Ah  !  let  us 
never  despair  of  the  sinner.  Let  the  sinner 
never  despair  of  himself.  God  may  not  have 
given  him  up  ;  it  may  be  that  He  yet  waits  to 
be  gracious  to  him.  It  is  not  ours  to  utter 
decrees  of  reprobation  on  ourselves  or  on 
others.— AVz/.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

[181 27]  Let  us  not  give  over  prayer  and  effort 
for  any  irreligious  friend  or  relative  on  whom 


time  is  setting  the  footprints  of  decay,  and 
marking  them  for  the  grave.  Who  knows  what 
purposes  of  mercy  (Jod  may  entertain  toward 
them,  and  by  us  ?  Is  their  case  more  desperate 
than  Manasseh's.?  And  yet  he  was  saved.  Why 
may  not  they  be  saved  ?  If  their  case  ever  does 
become  desperate,  it  may  be  our  neglect  to 
pray  and  labour  for  them  shall  make  it  so. 
God  reclaimed  Manasseh  by  adversity.  But 
He  has  other  reclaiming  agencies.  Our  word, 
our  example  might  be  such.  While  the  wicked 
live,  then,  let  us  not  cease  to  hope  that  they  live 
to  be  subjects  of  mercy,  nor  fail  to  live  and  act 
before  and  toward  tliem  as  those  whose  blessed 
mission  it  may  be  to  become  to  them  instru- 
ments of  mercy. — Ibid. 

(2)  Specially  to  godly  f)ni-c7its. 

[18 1 28]  This  consideration  is  forceful  and 
inspiriting  to  religious  parents.  We  are  im- 
patient beings,  and  not  ready  to  believe  that 
we  accomplish  anything  unless  we  see  our 
tokens,  and  those  very  plain  and  unequivocal. 
The  hearts  of  parents  are  too  often  discouraged 
because  they  are  not  favoured  with  immediate 
and  visible  evidences.  They  have  had  their 
children  baptized  ;  they  have  taught  them  ; 
they  have  prayed  for  them  ;  they  have  endea- 
voured to  exemplify  the  influence  of  the  gospel 
in  their  presence.  Still  they  are  worldly  and 
wayward.  They  evince  little  sensibility  to  reli- 
gious considerations,  little  tenderness  of  con- 
science, little  knowledge  of  the  truth.  They 
are  growing  up  in  irreligion,  as  they  have  grown 
up  to  the  service  of  the  world,  if  not  to  "  sit  in 
the  seat  of  the  scornful."  Now  all  this  is  truly 
melancholy,  and  yet  it  is  no  argument  for  un- 
belief or  despair  or  negligence.  It  does  not 
warrant  them  in  saying  that  their  labour  has 
been  in  vain,  nor  authorize  them  or  others  to 
withhold  their  efforts  in  other  instances.  Though 
we  believe  not,  "  yet  He  remaineth  faithful ;  He 
cannot  deny  Himself."  It  may  be  that  God 
hath  not  forsaken  your  child  ;  that  "  His  seed 
remaineth  in  him  "  still  ;  that  your  prayers  are 
not  forgotten,  your  labours  not  obliterated,  the 
grace  of  holy  baptism  not  withdrawn.  Not 
every  seed  that  is  sown  springs  up  and  grows 
immediately.  Not  every  seed  that  is  buried  in 
the  soil,  and  mingled  with  it  till  it  is  no  longer 
distinguishable,  is  lost.  There  is  life  in  the 
Egyptian  bulb  that  has  lain  in  the  shrivelled 
hand  of  the  dead  for  thousands  of  years  ;  and 
genial  warmth  and  moisture  will  yet  cause  it  to 
grow.  "  Be  not  weary  in  well  doing,  for  in  due 
season  ye  shall  reap  if  ye  faint  not."  "  Cast  thy 
bread  upon  the  waters,  for  thou  shalt  find  it 
after  many  days." — Ibid. 

[18129]  God  remembers  your  prayers  though 
He  does  not  yet  visibly  answer  them.  Your 
good  seed  is  embedded  in  the  soil,  and  will  yet 
spring  up  and  bear  fruit.  Hezekiah's  piety 
bore  fruit  after  fifty  years  on  the  distant  banks 
of  the  Euphrates.  You,  too,  shall  reap  sooner 
or  later,  you  cannot  tell  when  or  how  ;  it  may 
be   on  a  death-bed,    in  a   felon's   cell,   on   the 


266 

i8i29 — 18134] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[amon. 


battle-field,  or  the  sinking  wreck.  Yes,  then 
a  parent's  prayer  and  counsel  may  come  into 
remembrance  and  save  a  soul  from  death. — Ibid. 

4  The  salvation  of  Manasseh  should  be  both 
an  encouragement  and  a  warning  to  those 
children  of  godly  parents  who  have  left 
the  paths  of  virtue. 

[18130]  Often  is  it  said  of  the  penitent  thief 
on  the  cross,  that  one  such  case  is  recorded  in 
the  Scriptures,  that  none  may  despair  of  repent- 
ance on  a  deathbed  ;  and  bitt  one,  that  none 
may  presume.  Similar  is  the  twofold  lesson  to 
be  learned  from  the  recovery  of  this  fallen 
monarch.  He  tried  the  fearful  experiment  of 
abandoning  the  God  of  his  fathers,  and  be- 
coming a  monument  of  illustrious  guilt.  Through 
bitter  disappointment  and  humiliating  sorrow 
he  was  saved.  The  Scriptures  expressly  con- 
tradict the  Jewish  tradition.  But  he  was  one  of 
a  thousand.  No  other  such  is  clearly  declared 
in  the  Scriptures  to  have  run  that  risk  with 
safety  at  the  last.  God  can  save  a  soul  in  such 
an  extremity  of  sin  ;  but  it  is  like  lifting  to  its 
place  again  a  fallen  star.  Fallen  stars  gene- 
rally go  out  in  darkness.  That  is  an  excep- 
tional hazard  which  a  young  man  incurs  in  such 
an  experience.  It  is  like  crossing  Niagara  over 
the  rapids  on  a  tight-rope.  One  Blondin  out 
of  forty  millions  may  have  done  it,  and  reached 
the  other  shore  in  safety  ;  but  would  you  or  I 
risk  it  for  that 't  The  general  law  of  God's 
dealings  with  men  is  that  strange  and  un- 
natural wickedness  shall  be  left  to  itself  to  work 
out  its  own  penalties.  This  it  did  in  the  case 
of  King  Ahaz.— 7?^7/.  A.  Phelps,  D.D. 

5  The  salvation  of  Manasseh  should  be  a 
source  of  great  encouragement  to  all  true 
penitents. 

[18131]  Manasseh's  was  a  true  and  a  deep 
repentance,  and  well  it  might  be,  for  he  had 
been  a  giant  in  sin.  He  had  caused  Jehovah's 
name  to  be  despised  in  Judah  ;  he  had  carried 
back  the  nation  into  the  abominable  idolatry 
from  which  his  father  had  rescued  it,  and  a 
relapse  is  more  formidable  than  the  original 
attack  of  disease.  The  sins  of  the  whole  people 
lay  in  a  measure  at  Manasseh's  door.  And  yet, 
notwithstanding  even  this,  such  is  the  mercy  of 
God  that  he  was  pardoned  and  saved.  Who 
then  need  despair.?  Are  you  a  great  sinner.? 
I  will  be  bold  to  say  Manasseh  was  a  greater. 
Have  you  influenced  others  for  evil  ?  Yet  not 
so  many  certainly  as  Manasseh  damaged  in 
soul.  Take  courage,  then,  all  true  penitents, 
and  hope  for  pardon  on  the  strength  of  this 
case  of  Manasseh's,  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
caused  to  be  recorded  for  our  learnmc^. — 
M.  J.  ^ 


AMON. 

I.  His  General  Character. 

1  It  is  summed  up  in  the  words  :  "  He  did 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord." 

[18132]  The  two  historians  who  tell  us  what 
little  we  know  about  him  unite  in  saying  that 
he  was  a  bad  man.  He  did  evil  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord.  He  imitated  the  wickedness  of  his 
father  Manasseh,  but  he  did  not  imitate  his 
repentance  and  reformation.  He  maintained 
the  gross  and  manifold  idolatry  which  Manas- 
seh had  established  and  patronized.  He  "  sac- 
rificed unto  all  the  carved  images  that  Manasseh 
his  father  had  made  and  served."  He  walked 
in  all  the  ways  that  his  father  walked  in,  and 
served  the  idols  that  his  father  served,  and  wor- 
shipped them.  "  And  he  forsook  the  Lord  God 
of  his  fathers,  and  walked  not  in  the  way  of  the 
Lord."  In  all  that  was  wrong  and  sinful  he  was 
like  his  father  before  him  ;  but  in  the  single 
particular  that  formed  the  redeeming  feature 
of  his  father's  Hie  he  was  unlike  him.  "  He 
humbled  not  himself  before  the  Lord,  as  Ma- 
nasseh his  lather  humbled  himself;  but  Amon 
trespassed  more  and  more."  His  wickedness 
grew  and  increased  to  the  very  end  of  his  brief 
career. — Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

2  It  may  be  urged,  in  extenuation  of  his  evil 
reign,  that  idolatry  was  hereditary  and 
educational  to  him. 

[18133]  His  very  name,  Amon,  supposed  to 
have  been  given  him  in  compliment  to  an 
Egyptian  god,  stamped  it  upon  him.  It  was 
the  form  of  religion  in  which  he  had  been 
reared,  and  was  all  the  religion  that  he  knew  or 
had  opportunity  of  knowing.  As  he  was  but 
twenty-two  when  he  came  to  the  throne,  it  is 
evident  that  his  whole  previous  life  must  have 
been  spent  under  the  influence  of  that  base, 
gross  superstition,  which,  saving  in  the  few 
closing  years  of  life,  his  father  had  delighted  to 
promote  and  foster.  And  these  years  of  reform 
at  the  close  of  Manasseh's  life  were  all  too  few 
to  undo  the  mischiefs  of  his  many  years  of 
transgression,  or  loosen  the  hold  of  a  showy 
and  sensual  worship  on  a  youth  who  had  grown 
up  under  the  influence  of  a  creed  that  preached 
to  him  indulgence  and  luxury  as  a  religious 
service. — Ibid. 

XL    HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS, 

The  corruptions  of  Amon's  reign  following 
upon  the  reforms  effected  by  his  repentant 
father  illustrate  the  fact  that  a  late  re- 
pentance will  not  arrest  the  consequences 
of  previous  sin. 

[18 134]  The  reforming  effects  of  Manasseh's 
repentant  years  but  imperfectly  remedied  the 
mischiefs  of  his  earlier  course,  and  he  handed 
on  an  idolatry  in  which  his  son  had  been 
reared  and  educated,  to  become  again,  under 
his  favour  and  patronage,  the  religion  of  the 


18134— I8I401 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTER:: 
JEWISH    ERA. 


267 

[JOSIAH. 


court  and  of  the  kingdom.  A  late  repentance, 
though  it  may  avail  to  save  the  soul,  will  not 
undo  the  consequences  of  a  protracted  lite  of 
error  and  wickedness. — Jbid. 

[18135]  Manasseh  might  repent  and  reform, 
ay,  and  be  accepted  by  God,  but  could  he  undo 
the  consequences — the  effects  upon  others— of 
his  life  of  wickedness  .''  Nay,  as  well  expect  to 
prevent  the  appearance  of  disease,  after  having 
used  every  effort  to  spread  infection.  The 
father  jnay  turn  to  God  in  true  sorrow  of  heart, 
but  the  son  he  begat  shall  follow  in  his  parent's 
course  of  evil  and  never  turn  from  it.  Oh,  how 
fearful  a  thing  is  sin  !  If  we  put  our  hands  to 
it  we  know  not  what  we  do.  The  thought  of  the 
irrevocable,  irremediable  consequences  of  sin 
should  help  to  keep  us  from  sinning. — AI.  J. 


JOSIAH. 

I.  His  Character. 

I       It   was    conspicuous  for   early   piety   and 
zeal. 

(l)  As  displayed  hi  his  refor77is. 

[18 1 36]  Early  in  Josiah's  life,  in  "the  eighth 
year  of  his  reign,  while  he  was  yet  young" — 
but  sixteen  years  old  — "he  began  to  seek  after 
the  God  of  David  his  father  ;  and  in  the  twelfth 
year,"  at  twenty,  "he  began  to  purge  Judah  and 
Jerusalem  from  the  high  places,  and  the  groves, 
and  the  carved  images,  and  the  molten  images." 
Having  before  purified  his  own  life,  he  now 
entered  zealously  upon  the  work  of  a  reformer 
of  his  kingdom.  He  prosecuted  the  work  from 
the  first  with  energy  and  success  ;  but  an  inci- 
dent which  occurred  six  years  later,  when  he  had 
arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  gave  a  new 
impulse  to  his  zeal,  and  roused  him  to  higher 
conceptions  of  the  necessity,  and  urgency,  and 
solemnity  of  the  work  before  him.  Henceforth 
he  engaged  in  it  with  greater  intelligence,  and 
with  exacter  ideas  of  its  nature  and  details. 
The  temple,  during  the  long  reign  of  his  idola- 
trous grandfather,  and  the  short  but  corrupt  rule 
of  his  father,  had  fallen  into  neglect  and  dis- 
repair. Deserted  for  showier  and  more  popular 
worship,  it  had  become  shabby  and  dilapidated  ; 
perhaps  it  had  even  been  rifled  and  damaged  to 
furnish  adornment  and  material  for  the  fanes  of 
Manasseh's  fanatic  paganism.  To  restore  the 
temple  to  its  pristine  and  rightful  beauty  was 
one  of  the  good  king's  worthy  undertakings. — 
Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

[18 1 37]  Jehovah's  land  was  to  tolerate  no 
signs  or  reminders  of  the  worship  of  the  "gods 
many''  that  had  defiled  and  dishonoured  it. 
The  idols  were  burned  or  ground  to  powder, 
and  scattered  to  the  winds.  The  shrines  of  all 
false  deities  vvei^e  obliterated  so  as  to  be  no 
more  reverenced  or  recognized.  And  even  the 
sacred  groves,  which  partial  reformations  had 


hitherto  spared,  were  cut  down  and  burned  with 
fire.  The  nation  was  solemnly  reconciled  to  its 
God  by  a  formal  renewal  of  its  covenant  to  be 
the  Lord's.  The  services  of  the  temple  were  re- 
sumed and  performed  with  a  punctilious  obedi- 
ence to  tlie  ritual  injunctions  of  the  Law.  And 
such  a  passover  was  kept  as  had  not  been  seen 
in  Israel  since  the  days  of  Samuel  the  prophet. 
The  contagion  of  reform  spread  itself  into  the 
territory  of  the  old  kingdom  of  Israel,  portions 
of  which  along  the  border  were  now,  it  might 
seem,  subject  to  Josiah's  authority.  And  at 
last  the  calf  worship  instituted  by  Jeroboam 
ceased,  and  the  bones  of  its  priests  were  dug  up 
and  scattered  upon  the  altars  ;  those  of  "  the 
man  of  God  which  came  from  Judah,"  who  had 
been  told  the  event  in  the  days  of  jehoram,  and 
of  that  "old  prophet"  that  beguiled  him,  were 
alone  excepted.  The  impetus  of  the  royal 
earnestness  carried  the  people  alcng  with  it. 
The  nation  seemed  to  be  regenerated,  and 
henceforth  during  the  remaining  fifteen  years  of 
Josiah's  reign  stood  before  the  eyes  of  mankind 
a  God-fearing,  a  God-honouring,  God-serving 
people. — Ibid. 

(2)  As  displayed  i7i  his  bearing  on  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Book  of  the  Laiv. 

[18138]  Hilkiah,  the  high  priest,  found  in 
some  obscure  corner  of  the  sacred  edifice  a 
book  of  the  "law  of  the  Lord  given  by  Moses," 
which  had  lain  neglected  and  forgotten  during 
the  long  preceding  period  of  apostasy.  .  .  .  Yet 
the  discovery  filled  the  king  with  consternation 
and  dread.  The  book  was  a  book  of  terror  to 
him,  and  when  Shaphan  read  it  before  the  king 
"the  king  rent  his  clothes.'  Its  awful  denun- 
ciations showed  him  the  imminent  danger  into 
which  his  kingdom  had  brought  itself  by  its 
departure  from  God's  service.  The  warning, 
however,  did  not  benumb  but  stimulate  his 
endeavours. — Ibid. 

2       It    was  remarkable    for   undeviating    con- 
sistency in  well-doing. 

[18139]  His  was  the  glorious  distinction  of  a 
life  in  all  its  main  course  without  deflection  from 
the  path  of  rectitude,  a  steady  stream  of  good- 
ness and  righteousness  and  truth,  the  well- 
developed  and  matured  fruit  of  the  Spirit. — Ibid. 

[18140]  It  is  remarkable  that  through  the 
whole  of  Josiah's  long  reign — one  of  the  longest 
in  Judsean  annals — not  one  wrong  thing  is  re- 
corded of  him.  Doubtless  he  had  faults,  and 
did  wrong  things  ;  but  not  one  was  important 
enough  to  be  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  Other 
great  and  good  men  are  mentioned  in  the 
Scriptures,  who  were  very  inconsistent.  They 
did  some  very  wicked  things.  Some  of  them 
had  long  periods  of  wickedness,  in  which  they 
displeased  God  exceedingly,  and  had  to  sufler 
for  it.  The  Bible  is  very  honest  about  its  great 
men.  It  does  not  conceal  their  faults,  nor 
make  them  out  better  than  they  were.  But  of 
King  Josiah  it  has  not  a  thing  to  say  with  which 
God  finds  fault.     The  only  important  mistake 


268 
18140 — 18145] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEHOIAKIM, 


recorded  of  him  was  that  in  which  he  lost  his 
flife  by  fighting  with  the  king  of  Egypt.  The 
narrative  appears  to  indicate  that  God  incited 
the  Egyptian  Icing  to  warn  him  that  he  would 
lose  his  life  if  he  went  into  the  battle.  But 
there  is  no  evidence  that  he  knew  that  the 
warning  came  from  God.  He  thought  it  was 
the  notion  only  of  his  enemy.  He  determined 
that  his  enemy  should  not  outwit  him  in  that 
way.  Therefore,  like  the  brave  man  he  was, 
and  the  father  of  his  country,  he  plunged  into 
the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and  died  as  brave 
soldiers  love  to  die.  Except  that  one  mistake 
of  excessive  bravery  and  patriotism,  not  a  thing 
is  recorded  of  him  that  went  wrong. — Rev.  A. 
Fheips,  D.D. 

3  It  was  thoroughly  appreciated  by  his 
subjects. 

[18141]  Of  the  sovereigns  of  Judah,  Josiah 
was  in  many  respects  the  most  remarkable  and 
illustrious  ;  certainly  the  most  valued  in  life, 
and  the  most  lamented  in  death.  We  do  not 
even  except  his  great-grandfather  Hezekiah,  of 
whom  it  is  said  that  none  excelled  him  who 
went  before  him  or  followed  after  him,  but  who 
seems  not  to  have  so  enshrined  himself  in  the 
nation's  heart.  His  case  stands  in  very  striking 
contrast  to  that  of  that  ancestor  of  his  of  whom 
it  is  said  by  the  inspired  writer  that  he  departed 
"  without  being  desired."  Our  text  tells  us 
what  grief  his  death  occasioned  ;  how  universal, 
deep,  and  lasting  it  was.  It  pervaded  all  classes 
in  the  nation.  It  awoke  a  universal  wail  among 
his  people.  A  prophet  made  it  his  theme.  The 
sons  and  daughters  of  music  uttered  the  national 
sorrow  in  mournful  numbers.  Poets  told  it 
forth  in  elegiac  verses.  A  permanent  observ- 
ance kept  it  alive. — Rev.  R.  Hallam,  D.D. 

II.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS, 

1  The  piety  of  Josiah  shows  that  a  child  may 
become  godly  very  early  in  life. 

[18142]  He  was  but  fifteen  years  old  when  he 
is  spoken  of  as  "  seeking  the  God  of  his  father 
David."  That  was  the  first  that  people  knew  of 
it.  But  probably  he  had  been  a  prayerful  boy 
long  before  that.  He  had  been  a  king  then  for 
seven  years.  If  he  had  been  a  wild  wayward 
youth,  this  would  probably  have  been  men- 
tioned. There  is  no  more  difficulty  now  in  a 
young  person's  becoming  a  Christian  than  there 
was  in  the  case  of  King  Josiah  or  of  Samuel. 
"When  youth  has  been  spent  in  sin,  sin  has 
become  a  habit.  The  habit  of  sin  is  quick  in 
forming.  Once  formed,  it  is  a  powerful  hin- 
drance to  conversion.  The  natural  and  easy  way 
for  a  child  is  to  grow  up  a  Christian,  so  as  never 
to  remember  the  time  when  he  was  not  one. — 
Rev.  A.  Phelps,  D.D. 

2  The  piety  of  Josiah  shows  that  young 
persons  may  become  godly  just  when  the 
pleasures  of  the  world  are  most  attractive. 

[18 1 43]  He  was  at  an  age  when  the  world  is 
fresh  and  new  to  a  young  man.    He  was  a  king. 


This  world  is  a  beautiful  place  to  a  youthful 
prince  who  has  health  and  wealth  and  leisure 
and  princely  companions  to  make  it  such.  One 
could  be  happy  in  such  a  world  for  ever.  The 
young  often  plead  it  as  an  excuse  for  neglecting 
to  obey  God,  that  they  are  so  young  ;  the  world 
so  new  ;  so  many  of  their  associates  are  irre- 
ligious ;  and  they  have  so  much  to  make  a 
worldly  life  enjoyable.  Not  so  did  the  youthful 
king  reason.  Life  could  scarcely  look  more 
attractive  to  anybody  than  it  did  to  him.  He 
might  have  made  one  long  holiday  of  it.  That 
was  the  fashion  of  the  time.  Nobody  thought 
it  necessary  to  be  religious  but  a  few  old  grey- 
haired  prophets.  It  would  have  attracted  no 
notice,  and  nobody  would  have  blamed  him,  if 
he  had  lived  a  life  of  respectable  neglect  of  God. 
But  he  loved  God.  He  wished  to  please  God. — 
Ibid. 

3  The  piety  of  Josiah  suggests  that  one  who 
becomes  godly  early  in  life  is  likeh-  to  be  a 
better  man  than  one  who  first  lives  through 
a  career  of  sin. 

[18144]  He  is  likely  to  be  a  more  consistent 
Christian.  He  will  probably  have  fewer  faults 
to  get  rid  of,  and  fewer  habits  which  his  piety 
must  break  up.  .  .  .  Other  things  being  equal, 
those  become  the  best  men  and  women  who 
spend  the  largest  portion  of  their  lives  in  serv- 
ing God.  They  have  the  least  to  undo,  in  con- 
secrating their  lives  to  Christ,  the  tewest  old 
sins  to  overcome,  the  least  headway  of  sinful 
habit  to  get  rid  of. — Ibid. 


JEHOIAKIM. 

I.  His  Evil  Character. 

I       He  exhibited  impious  defiance  of  God. 

[18145]  It  was  this  king,  Jehoiakim,  that  in 
his  impious  defiance  of  God,  and  his  messenger, 
cut  the  prophet's  roll  in  strips,  and  burnt  it  in 
the  fire,  when  "Jehudi  read  it  in  the  ears  of  the 
king,  and  in  the  ears  of  all  the  princes  that  stood 
beside  the  king  ; "  as  though  God's  threats 
would  vanish  in  its  ashes,  and,  "  the  Word  of 
God,  which  liveth  and  abideth  for  ever,"  would 
depart  with  the  shrivelling  parchment  on  which 
it  was  inscribed.  The  futility  of  such  a  thought 
has  been  demonstrated  oftentimes  since.  There 
is  always  a  Baruch  to  revive  perished  truth  and 
"  write  again  the  same  words."  Once,  indeed, 
the  sound  advice  of  the  prophet  was  taken,  and 
"the  plague  was  stayed"  for  a  little  time,  by 
Jehoiakim's  submission  and  vow  of  fealty  to 
Nebuchadnezzar.  But  Jehoiakim  was  faithless. 
His  covenant  with  Nebuchadnezzar  was  soon 
broken.  The  people  at  this  time  were  given  up 
to  idolatry.  The  temple  was  the  scene  of  such 
abominations  as  Ezekiel  saw  in  it  in  his  vision 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  Chebar.  "Every  form 
of  creeping  things"  was  portrayed  upon  its 
venerable  walls.     "  There  sat  women  weeping 


i8i45— iSiSr] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


269 

[ZEDEKIAH. 


for  Tammuz,"  and  there  were  "  men  with  their 
backs  toward  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  and  their 
faces  toward  the  east." —  I\ev.  R.  Ha/la>n,  D.D. 

2  He  lived  in  luxury  sustained  by  oppression. 

[18146]  The  infatuated  king  was  busy  con- 
structing a  splendid  palace,  and  exacting  from 
the  impoverished  people  ruinous  and  oppressive 
taxes  to  sustain  his  luxury  and  magnificence  ; 
"building  his  house  by  iniquity,  and  his  cham- 
bers by  wrong  ;"  "closing  himself  with  cedar," 
and  painting  his  gorgeous  apartments  "  with 
vermilion;"  living  in  oppression  and  luxury, 
and  in  reckless  indifference  to  his  approaching 
doom.  But  all  this  was  only  to  provoke  God, 
and  dare  the  indignation  of  the  resistless  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and  so  deepen  and  accelerate  the 
deluge  that  was  rolling  toward  him. — Ibid. 

3  He  was  wholly  incorrigible. 

[18147]  Warning  was  lost  upon  him.  He 
lived  in  the  present  just  for  the  enjoyment  of  the 
passing  hour.  He  would  not  look  at  the  future 
or  provide  for  it,  clear  as  were  its  portents  of 
disaster.  He  disregarded  God,  and  when  men 
dared  to  tell  him  the  truth  they  felt  his  wrath, 
and  were  oppressed  and  distressed  as  enemies 
of  the  State.  His  father  had  fallen  in  battle  as 
the  penalty  of  an  unwise  meddling.  His  brother, 
after  a  short  usurpation,  had  been  carried  cap- 
tive, and  was  languishing  in  exile  somewhere  in 
Egypt.  He  himself  held  his  throne  only  by 
Pharaoh's  sufferance  ;  and  now  that  Pharaoh 
was  unclosing  his  grasp  through  weakness, 
Nebuchadnezzar  stood  ready  to  pounce  upon 
the  deserted  prey.  If  anything  could  make  a 
man  think,  it  might  seem  to  be  such  a  position 
of  affairs.  But  Jehoiakim  would  not  think. 
"  Eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,"  was  his  motto  ; 
and  he  counted  him  an  enemy  who  dared  to 
suggest  any  such  disagreeable  business  as 
thinking.  He  is  my  enemy  that  is  the  enemy 
of  my  pleasure.  And  if  some  bold  man  shall 
presume  to  bring  his  book  of  solemn  warning 
into  my  royal  presence,  I  will  cut  it  in  pieces,  and 
burn  it  in  the  fire,  and  it  will  be  well  for  him 
that  he  is  not  with  it  to  share  its  fate. — Ibid. 


n.    HOMILETICAL   HINTS. 

The  career  of  Jehoiakim  is  a  warning  against 
the  folly  of  living  for  the  present  only, 
without  regard  to  the  future. 

[18148]  Shut  up  your  views  within  this  space 
of  being,  and  care  for  nothing  but  to  make  the 
most  of  it.  Shut  out  from  your  mind  that  awful 
retribution  that  soon  will  come  in  the  shape  of 
an  inquiry  into  the  use  you  have  made  of  it. 
Let  there  be  no  entrance  into  your  minds  of  the 
summons,  "Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship." 
Grow  unscrupulous  and  hard-hearted  in  your 
chosen  pursuit,  and  treat  all  threats  of  a  reckon- 
ing as  a  dream.  If,  startled  into  seriousness  by 
some  close  pressure  of  troubles,  you  make  a 
covenant  with  God  to  serve  Him,  forget  it  as 
soon  as  the  pressure  is  removed,  and  live  as  be- 


fore, as  Jehoiakim  did — like  him,  too,  resolutely 
shutting  your  eyes  to  the  account  to  which  you 
will  soon  be  called  for  it.  Let  your  heart  grow 
lax  with  sensuality,  vain  with  display,  contracted 
with  avarice,  or  empty  with  thoughtlessness. 
Be  willing  to  practise  fraud,  unkindness,  and 
oppression,  if  they  will  advance  your  objects. 
You  may  think  it  all  judicious  self-love,  making 
the  most  of  life  ;  but  it  is  the  self-love  of  a  fool. 
"  God  is  not  mocked  ;  whatsoever  a  man 
sovveth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.  He  that  soweth 
to  the  flesh,  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  corruption." 
"  Men  do  not  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  nor  figs 
of  thistles."  You  may  not,  like  Jehoiakim,  be 
"  buried  with  the  burial  of  an  ass."  "  The  rich 
man  died  and  was  buried," no  doubt  sumptuously, 
expensively,  with  a  grand  funeral.  "  But  in  hell 
he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torment." — Ibid. 


ZEDEKIAH, 

I.  His  Feeble  Character. 

1  He  evinced  moral  weakness. 

[18149]  Zedekiah  was  far  from  being  the 
most  flagitious  of  the  evil  kings  of  Judah.  In- 
deed, though  not  a  high-principled  man,  he 
seems  to  have  been  rather  weak  than  wicked, 
and  "  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  "  chiefly 
in  maintaining  the  idolatry  which  he  found 
established,  and  in  the  exhibition  of  that  mixture 
of  pride  and  irresolution  which  is  common  to 
feeble  characters  when  raised  to  a  position  of 
difficulty  and  responsibility  in  a  critical  juncture 
of  affairs,  and  which  leads  them  into  vacillation 
and  faithlessness.  He  was  not  equal  to  his 
place,  nor  to  its  emergencies,  nor  to  his  own 
ambitious  views  and  aims. — Ibid. 

2  He  displayed  restlessness  and  faithlessness. 

[181 50]  He  was  weak  and  restless  and  aspir- 
ing and  untrue.  He  could  not  acquiesce  in  a 
condition  which  he  felt  to  be  humiliating.  The 
yoke  was  galling,  and  he  longed  to  throw  it  off. 
He  would  be  a  king  in  reality,  and  not  in  such 
a  marred  and  restricted  sense.  He  soon  began 
to  intrigue  with  neighbouring  peoples  for  con- 
certed action  in  resistance  of  Babylonish  tyranny, 
and  thus  render  Jerusalem  a  nucleus  of  disaffec- 
tion against  the  government  of  Nebuchadnezzar. 
Covert  insubordination  after  a  time  ripened  into 
open  rebellion.  His  vows  of  allegiance  were  for- 
gotten or  disregarded,  and  he  stood  forth  in 
avowed  opposition  to  the  gigantic  power  on 
whose  sufferance  alone  the  shadow  of  dominion 
that  was  left  him  hung  for  its  preservation. — 
Ibid. 

II.  His  Doom. 

He  suffered    more    for  the   sins  of  his  prede- 
cessors than  for  his  own  sins. 

[181 51]  Nebuchadnezzar,  having  wreaked  his 
vengeance  on  his  offending  tributary,  had  re- 


270 

18151—18155! 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEROBOAM. 


tired  to  Riblah,  on  the  northern  frontier  of 
Palestine.  Thither  the  captive  king  was 
brou^^ht,  and  there,  in  the  dismal  fate  that  was 
appointed  to  him,  fultiiled  the  oracles  both  of 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  though  seemingly  con- 
tradictory and  incompatible,  that  he  should 
speak  to  the  king  of  Babylon  "  mouth  to 
mouth,"  and  his  eyes  should  behold  his  eyes, 
and  that  he  should  be  brought  to  Babylon,  yet 
not  see  it,  though  he  should  die  there.  For 
after  being  brought  before  the  victor,  and  be- 
holding him,  and  seeing  his  children  slain,  he 
was  deprived  of  sight,  and  led  off  to  the  royal 
city,  there  to  languish  and  die  in  a  hopeless 
and  cheerless  captivity.  The  catastrophe  had 
come.  The  consummation  of  the  woe  that  had 
been  gathering  through  many  generations  had 
arrived.  The  ripened  fruit  of  the  evil  seed 
that  had  been  sown  centuries  before  by  the 
good  Jehoshaphat  in  mistaken  views  of  ex- 
pediency and  conciliation  fell  from  the  tree. — 
Jbid. 

[18 1 52]  Upon  him  fell  the  accumulated  woes 
of  long  ages  of  misrule.  The  heaped-up  guilt  of 
many  generations  of  his  predecessors  fell  upon 
him,  and  upon  his  people  ;  they  were  in  a  sense 
included  in  him  and  represented  by  him,  and 
partook  the  same  degeneracy  and  corruption. 
Nor  is  this  caprice,  but  the  working  of  a 
Divine  law.  A  nation,  a  community,  any  or- 
ganized society  of  men  has  a  corporate  life 
and  personality,  and  in  consequence  has  also 
a  corporate  character  and  accountability  which 
is  quite  independent  of  the  individual  liability 
of  its  members  taken  singly  ;  and  its  character 
is  good  or  bad  according  as  it  is  or  is  not  true 
to  the  end  contemplated  in  its  existence,  pro- 
vided that  be  innocent  or  salutary  in  itself,  and 
to  its  conformity  to  the  law  under  which  it  is 
established. — Jbid. 


III.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

The  history  of  Zedekiah  exemplifies  the 
sacredness  of  solemn  engagements,  and 
the  guilt  and  danger  of  infringmg  them. 

[18153]  It  is  a  special  count  in  the  indict- 
ment of  Zedekiah  that  "  he  rebelled  against 
Nebuchadnezzar,"  who  had  made  him  "  swear 
by  God."  And  yet  how  much  might  be  said  in 
palliation,  if  not  defence  of  his  breach  of  faith. 
No  allegiance  was,  on  grounds  of  natural 
equity,  due  to  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  he  had  no 
original  right  to  demand  or  exact  it.  It  was 
yielded  under  compulsion,  and  was  a  mere  en- 
forced concession  of  weakness  to  overmastering 
power.  The  moral  obligation  of  such  an  oath 
it  may  be  thought  must  always  have  been  weak 
— the  mere  resort  of  necessity,  the  device  of 
the  time — and  was  always  covertly  underlaid 
by  the  condition  that  its  force  should  only  con- 
tinue till  the  exigency  should  terminate.  So 
Zedekiah  may  have  reasoned.  So  nations  and 
their  rulers  are  apt  to  reason.  And  under  such 
reasoningtreaties  and  covenants  become,  like  the 


bonds  of  Samson,  "  threads  of  tow  touched  by 
the  fire,"  when  strength  and  opportunity  re- 
turn. Such  are  man's  thoughts,  but  such  are 
not  God's  thoughts.  With  him  Zedekiah's 
oath,  under  whatever  circumstances  made,  was 
sacred,  and  he  could  not  be  absolved  from 
guilt  in  disregarding  it  on  any  plea  of  expe- 
diency or  utility.  Nay  ;  the  slighting  of  it  was 
the  drop  that  made  the  cup  of  the  nation's 
guilt  run  over.  The  good  man  of  Scripture  is 
the  man  that  "sweareth  unto  his  neighbour 
and  disappointeth  him  not,  though  it  were  to 
his  own  hindrance.'' — Jbid, 

[181 54]  We  live  in  an  age  when  the  sanctity 
of  oaths  and  the  obligation  of  all  promises  and 
engagements  are  fearfully  relaxed ;  when  public 
swearing  for  official  purposes  has  come  to  be 
little  more  than  a  legal  form  ;  when  the  mar- 
riage vow  is  lightly  regarded  and  dissolved  on 
slight  pretexts  ;  and  truth  between  man  and 
man  is  set  at  nought  with  little  ceremony  or 
compunction.  Is  it  a  foretokening  of  coming 
doom  in  a  nation  precociously  old,  and  it 
may  be  feared  precociously  corrupt  ?  Oh, 
if  God  be  angry  with  us,  small  good  will  the 
rapid  growth  of  wealth  and  knowledge  and 
power  accomplish  for  us  ;  little  way  will  it  go 
to  shield  us  from  His  ruinous  displeasure.  Let 
us  rather  imitate  the  fidelity  of  Joshua,  who, 
though  misled  by  false  disguises  into  a  cove- 
nant with  the  heathen  Gibeonites,  held  it 
sacred  and  inviolable.  Let  our  contracts  with 
all  peoples  of  the  earth,  and  not  the  least  with  the 
poor,  dependent  race  that  are  vanishing  before 
our  advancing  steps,  be  sacredly  kept.  And 
in  every  relation  of  life,  by  our  solemn  respect 
for  engagements  and  obligations,  let  us  be 
examples  of  fidelity  and  steadfastness.  We 
shall  so  save  ourselves,  and  help  to  save  our 
country. — Ibid. 


JEROBOAM. 

I.  His  Solitary  Virtue. 

He  displayed    a    praiseworthy   industry    early 
in  his  career. 

[181 55]  We  meet  with  his  name  first  in  i 
Kings  xi.  26.  He  is  there  an  example  of  the 
truth  of  that  proverb  of  Solomon  his  master, 
"  Seest  thou  a  man  diligent  in  his  business  .''  he 
shall  stand  before  kings;  he  shall  not  stand  before 
mean  men."  Jeroboam  was  the  industrious  son 
of  a  widowed  mother,  industrious,  perhaps,  for 
her  sake  at  first,  rather  than  for  his  own.  And 
yet  even  the  widow's  son,  who  is  under  the 
special  protection  of  God  the  Father,  does  not 
always  use  his  special  opportunities  of  learning 
faith  in  Him.  At  this  time,  when  Jeroboam 
was  grown  up,  Solomon  was  engaged  upon  the 
great  public  works  and  buildings  which  were 
a  part  of  the  glory  of  his  reign.  On  these 
buildings  he  employed  chiefly  the  old  inhabi- 


-i8i59] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


271 

[JEROBOAM. 


tants  of  Canaan,  the  remnant  of  the  seven 
nations  whom  the  Lord  had  doomed  to  be 
destroyed.  But  he  had  also  levied  30,000 
Israelites,  a  very  unpopular  action,  as  the  con- 
sequences proved,  and  he  wanted  an  able  and 
vigorous  overseer  for  them.  Jeroboam  was  the 
man  for  the  place  :  "  And  Solomon  seeing  the 
young  man  that  he  did  work,  he  made  him 
ruler  over  all  the  burden  or  charge  of  the  house 
of  Joseph."  The  house  of  Joseph  probably 
means  the  ten  tribes,  who  always  considered 
themselves  to  be  a  separate  party  in  the  nation, 
and  were  called  the  house  of  Joseph  even  in 
the  days  of  the  Judges. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 


II.  His  Notorious  Sin. 
By  idolatry  he  "  made  Israel  to  sin." 

Idolatry  sprMig  in  his  case  from  a  want  of 
faith  in  the  promises  of  God,  and  the  siibslitution 
of  a  worldly  and  sinful  policy. 

[18 1 56]  Disregarding  both  the  command- 
ment and  the  promise  of  God,  "Jeroboam  said 
in  his  heart,  Now  shall  the  kingdom  return  to 
the  house  of  David  :  if  this  people  go  up  to  do 
sacrifice  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  at  Jerusalem, 
then  shall  the  heart  of  this  people  turn  again 
unto  their  lord,  even  unto  Rehoboam  king 
of  Judah,  and  they  shall  kill  me,  and  go 
again  to  Rehoboam  king  of  Judah.  Where- 
upon the  king  took  counsel,  and  made  two 
calves  of  gold,  and  said  unto  them.  It  is 
too  much  for  you  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  : 
behold  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which  brought  thee 
up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  he  set  the 
one  in  Bethel,  and  the  other  put  he  in  Dan  " 
(i  Kings  xii.  26,  &c.).  What  can  we  say  to 
such  reasoning  and  such  policy.''  God  had 
given  him  the  kingdom  in  spite  of  his  inistakes 
at  the  first,  in  spite  of  the  attachment  of  Israel 
to  David's  memory  and  David's  house,  in  spite 
of  the  mighty  army  of  Rehoboam,  the  trained 
followers  of  Joab,  and  all  David's  valiant  men  ; 
in  spite  of  the  wisdom  of  Solomon's  counsellors, 
God  had  given  the  ten  tribes  to  Jeroboam. 
Yet  now  he  brings  in  worldly  wisdom  and  sin- 
ful policy  to  help  out  the  promises  of  God  ! 
His  reasoning  is  like  that  of  many  others,  who 
can  make  every  possible  allowance  for  the 
weaknesses  and  passions  of  men,  can  under- 
stand all  human  probabilities,  but  can  put  no 
faith  whatever  in  the  power  and  providence  of 
God. — Ibid. 

[18157]  He  was  far-sighted,  as  regards  this 
world,  in  making  the  two  calves  ot  gold.  A 
people  must  have  some  religion.  The  law  of 
God  required  that  every  man  of  Israel  should 
go  up  to  the  house  of  God  three  times  a  year. 
That  house  was  at  Jerusalem  :  a  temple  of  un- 
earthly design  and  almost  unearthly  magnifi- 
.  cence  stood  there.  1  he  religion  of  all  Israel 
had  its  centre  in  the  chief  city  of  Judah.  Was 
it  likely,  thought  Jeroboam,  that  the  people's 
treasure  could  be  in  one  place  and  their 
heart    in    another  ?  .  .  ,  How    could   he   keep 


the  hearts  of  his  people  from  the  house  of 
David  if  they  went  on  visiting  the  temple 
three  times  every  year  ?  To  answer  this  ques- 
tion there  was  need  of  faith,  and  faith  Jeroboam 
had  none  ;  and  so  he  made  the  worship  of  the 
calves  a  part  of  the  constitution  of  his  kingdom. 
—Ibid. 


III.  Contrast  with  Saul  and  David. 

[18158]  Jeroboam  is  put  forward,  in  some  re- 
spects, just  as  Saul  had  been,  just  as  David 
had  been.  Jeroboam  had  been  told  by  a 
prophet  that  he  was  to  be  the  future  king  of 
the  ten  tribes,  and  therefore  might  plead  a 
Divine  warrant  for  all  that  he  did.  But  when 
we  read  the  history,  the  difference  between 
him  and  either  Saul  or  David  is  visible  at  a 
glance.  Saul  kept  in  the  background  when  he 
was  chosen,  and  even  after  the  election  went 
quietly  home  to  wait  till  the  need  of  him  should 
be  felt.  David  made  no  effort  to  possess 
himself  of  the  throne  till  he  was  regularly  in- 
vited. But  from  the  first  mention  of  him 
Jeroboam  appears  as  the  mere  demagogue.  He 
stands  forward  at  once  as  the  leader ;  and 
when  he  has  gained  his  end,  and  sits  on  the 
throne,  he  thinks  above  everything  else  of  his 
own  security.  No  religious  consideration 
stands  in  his  way.  He  fears  that  the  worship 
at  Jerusalem  may  lead  his  people  back  to  their 
old  allegiance,  so  he  sets  up  a  new  worship. 
And  that  he  may  make  this  more  attractive,  he 
degrades  it  by  yielding  to  the  weakness  not 
yet  cured  in  the  Hebrew  people,  and  sets  up 
images  of  gold. — Bp.  Temple. 


■   IV.  Homiletical  Hints. 

I  Jeroboam  is  an  example  of  the  worldly 
man,  who  walks  not  by  faith,  but  by 
sight. 

[18 1 59]  Would  to  God  that  Jeroboam,  the 
son  of  JSlebat,  stood  alone  in  the  records  of  the 
Book  !  But,  alas  !  it  is  not  so.  We  have  only 
to  interpret  his  name,  and  inspiration  itself 
tells  us  that  there  are  many  more  than  he. 
Jeroboam  is  he  whose  people  are  many,  and 
the  son  of  Nebat  is  the  Son  of  Sight.  All  his 
evil  doings  arise  from  one  source  in  the  be- 
ginning. He  walks  not  by  faith,  but  by  sight, 
"in  the  way  of  his  own  heart  and  according  to  the 
sight  of  his  own  eyes."  This  is  the  man  who  can- 
not see  the  harm  of  breaking  this  precept,  or  the 
good  of  obeying  that  command.  Or  he  is  the  man 
who  thinks  he  sees,  in  Holy  Scripture,  some 
apparent  contradiction,  some  witless  puzzle, 
and  so  he  sets  himself  up  above  Moses  and  the 
prophets,  the  apostles,  and  evangelists,  and 
even  our  blessed  Lord.  He  knows,  of  course, 
all  that  they  meant  to  say.  They  meantime 
did  not  quite  understand  what  thev  were 
writing,  and  so  he  sows  doubts  in  the  minds  of 
his  brethren  concerning  the  truth  and  inspira- 
tion of  Holy  Scripture.  And  oh,  how  many 
are  his   followers  !       "  Wide   is   the  gate  and 


272 
I8I59— I8I641 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[ahab. 


broad  is  the  way  that  leadeth  to  destruction, 
and  many  there  be  that  go  in  thereat." — Rev. 
C.  Waller. 

2  Jeroboam  should  be  a  beacon  of  warn- 
ing against  that  covetousness  which  is 
idolatry. 

[18160]  The  particular  sin  of  this  first  Jero- 
boam was  idolatry.  Is  there  no  danger 
amongst  us  that  the  covetousness  which  is 
idolatry  should  take  hold  upon  us  ;  that  the 
corrupt  practices,  "the  sin  which  sticks  close 
between  buying  and  selling,  as  a  nail  sticketh 
fast  between  the  joinings  of  the  stones,"  should 
be  mixed  up  with  the  lawful  business  of  our 
lives,  as  Jeroboam  connected  calf-worship  with 
the  constitution  of  his  kingdom  .■'  He  could 
not  keep  his  kingdom  without  the  golden 
calves  ;  so  said  the  Son  of  Sight.  Surely  we 
need  not  thus  seek  what  we  shall  eat  and  what 
we  shall  drink,  for  if  we  seek  first  the  kingdom 
of  God,  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto 
us,  and  it  is  our  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give 
us  the  kingdom.  But  "  No  covetous  man  who 
is  an  idolater  hath  any  inheritance  in  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  and  of  God." — Ibid. 


AHAB. 

I.  His  General  Character. 

[18161]  The  keynote  of  his  character  is  the 
weakness  of  wickedness,  and  the  wickedness  of 
weakness.  Think  of  hini.  Weakly  longing — 
as  idle  and  weak  minds  in  lofty  places  always 
do — after  something  that  belongs  to  somebody 
else ;  with  all  his  gardens,  coveting  the  one  little 
herb-plot  of  the  poor  Naboth  ;  weak  and  worse 
than  womanly,  turning  his  face  to  the  wall  and 
weeping  when  he  cannot  get  it ;  weakly  desiring 
to  have  it,  and  yet  not  knowing  how  to  set  about 
accomplishing  his  wish  ;  and  then — as  is  always 
the  case,  for  there  are  always  tempters  every- 
where for  weak  people— that  beautiful  fiend  by 
his  side,  like  the  other  queen  in  our  great  drama, 
ready  to  screw  the  feeble  man  that  she  is  wedded 
to,  to  the  sticking-place,  and  to  dare  anything, 
to  grasp  that  on  which  the  heart  was  set.  And 
so  the  deed  is  done  :  Naboth  safe  stoned  out  of 
the  way  ;  and  Ahab  goes  down  to  take  posses- 
sion !  The  lesson  of  that  is,  my  friend — Weak 
dallying  with  forbidden  desires  is  sure  to  end 
in  wicked  clutching  at  them. — Rev.  A.  Maclarefi, 
D.D. 

[18 1 62]  This  monarch  was  by  no  means  the 
weakling  he  is  commonly  supposed  to  have 
been.  Now  and  again,  indeed,  his  whole  nature 
seems  to  have  been,  for  the  time,  paralyzed  under 
the  operation  of  what  Maurice  has  described  as 
"a  troublesome  conscience,  checking  an  evil 
will,"  but  in  general  he  manifested  those  quali- 
ties which  have  secured  for  other  kings  the  title 
"  great."     He  was  brave  and  successful  on  the 


field  of  battle.  Once  and  again  he  vanquished 
the  army  of  the  proud  Benhadad  ;  and  at  last 
he  met  his  death  while  fighting  valiantly,  though 
in  disguise,  at  Ramoth-gilead.  This  personal 
prowess  was  combined  in  him  with  a  love  of  art 
and  a  desire  to  promote  the  commercial  pros- 
perity of  his  people.  He  made  streets  for  him- 
self in  the  great  trading  city  of  Damascus.  He 
reared  for  himself  a  palace  of  ivory,  and  was, 
besides,  the  founder  of  several  cities.  But  all 
this  outward  magnificence  was  dimmed  by  a 
darker  shadow  of  iniquity  than  that  which  fell 
on  the  glory  of  any  of  his  predecessors. — Rev. 
W.  Taylo)-. 


II.  His  Particular  Sins. 

I       In    his    utter   repudiation    of  Jehovah,  he 
exceeded  all  his  predecessors  in  idolatry. 

(l)  His  transgression  in  this  respect  was  more 
heinous  than  that  of  Jeroboam  the  son  0/ Nebat, 
"  who  made  Israel  to  sin." 

[18 163]  This  was  the  policy  of  Jeroboam  and 
his  successors,  to  make  the  ten  tribes  indepen- 
dent of  Jerusalem  in  things  sacred  as  well  as  in 
things  civil,  by  erecting  separate  altars,  as  well  as 
a  separate  throne.  Still  they  did  not  profess  to 
differ  in  the  object  of  their  worship  from  their 
brethren  of  the  two  tribes,  who  continued  sub- 
ject to  the  house  of  David.  But  Ahab  improved 
upon  this  device;  he  completed  the  separation, 
and  consummated  the  apostasy.  Having  mar- 
ried, against  the  law,  a  heathen  princess,  he 
openly  adopted  the  heathen  worship.  The 
daughter  of  the  king  of  Zidon  easily  introduced 
and  established  the  Zidonian  idolatry,  the  wor- 
ship of  Baalim,  or  the  heavenly  hosts.  This 
fierce  and  persecuting  idolatry  well-nigh  sup- 
pressed the  religion  of  Jehovah,  and  extermi- 
nated His  prophets. — Rev.  R.  Candlish,  D.D. 

[18164]  There  is  a  clear  distinction  drawn 
between  the  sin  of  Jeroboam  and  that  of  Ahab. 
It  is  intimated  that,  as  the  son  of  Nebat  took  a 
new  departure  from  the  worship  at  Jerusalem, 
when  he  set  up  the  golden  calves  at  Dan  and  at 
Bethel,  so  the  son  of  Omri  took  a  new  departure 
from  the  practice  of  Jeroboam,  when  he  built  a 
temple  and  set  up  an  altar  to  Baal.  The  act  of 
Jeroboam  was,  in  the  main,  political.  He  fore- 
saw that  if  the  tribes  who  had  chosen  him  to 
be  their  king  continued  to  go  to  Jerusalem  to 
attend  the  three  great  annual  religious  festivals, 
the  spiritual  union  would  speedily  overcome  the 
political  division.  So  he  established  separate 
centres  of  worship  at  Bethel  and  Dan  ;  and 
knowing  the  craving  of  the  heart  for  some  visible 
emblem  of  the  Divine  glory,  he  set  up  the 
Egyptian  symbol  of  the  calf.  He  could  not 
have  the  real  Shechinah,  but  he  did  set  up  an 
outward  representation  ;  and  his  particular 
selection  of  the  calf  may  be  traced  to  the 
influence  upon  him  of  Egyptian  ideas  conse- 
quent upon  his  long  residence  as  an  exile  in 
that  land.  But  he  had  no  desire  to  give  up  the 
covenant  claim  of  the  people  on  Jehovah.     In- 


18164— i8id 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   k';a. 


[ahab. 


deed,  he  would  not  have  admitted  that  he  had 
ceased  to  serve  Jehovah.  His  view  of  the  case 
was  that  he  was  serving  Jehovah  under  the 
symbol  of  the  golden  calf;  and  therefore  the 
sin  which  he  committed  was  not  a  violation  of 
the  first  commandment,  but  of  the  second.  He 
had  not  a  thought  of  worshipping  any  other 
god  than  Jehovah  ;  but  he  guiltily  made  to  him- 
self and  to  his  people  an  outward  symbol  to 
represent  Jehovali.  That  was  bad  enough  ;  but 
the  guilt  of  Ahab  was  greatly  more  heinous,  for 
he  abjured  Jehovah  altogether,  denying  His  ex- 
clusive claim  to  deity,  and  repudiating  anything 
like  a  covenant  relationship  between  Him  and 
Israel. — Rev.  VV.  Taylor. 

(2)  The  policy  he  had  in  vie^v  was  probably  to 
increase  the  iinportance  of  the  jiatioti  by  unitini^ 
it  with  a  stroma  heathen  power. 

[18165]  He  could  strengthen  himself  to  the 
fullest  extent  against  his  Syrian  enemies,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  he  developed  the  material  re- 
sources of  his  country  by  an  alliance  with  the 
Zidonians  who  held  the  seaboard.  If  he  could 
only  succeed  in  welding  Israel  and  Zidon  to- 
gether, he  felt  that  he  could  defy  the  dynasty  of 
Damascus,  and  look  forward  to  a  time  of  great 
prosperity,  from  a  participation  in  the  unrivalled 
commerce  of  the  Phoenicians.  But  there  is  no 
unifying  influence  so  strong  as  that  of  religion. 
Hence  he  determined  to  carry  the  nation  over 
bodily  into  the  Zidonian  worship  ;  and,  as  the 
first  step  in  that  direction,  he  allied  himself  to 
the  royal  house  of  Zidon  by  marrying  Jezebel, 
the  daughter  of  Ethbaal,  king  of  the  Zidonians. 
Thus,  if  I  have  read  the  record  aright,  his  wor- 
ship of  Baal  was  not  the  result  of  his  marriage 
with  Jezebel,  but  his  marriage  with  her  was  the 
consequence  of  his  determination  to  establish 
Baal-worship  throughout  his  dominions.  For 
political  reasons,  Jeroboam  set  up  his  calves  ; 
and  now  again,  for  political  reasons,  Ahab  de- 
termines to  convert  the  nation  into  worshippers 
of  Baal.  In  this  effort  he  found  Jezebel  a  most 
efficient  and  unscrupulous  assistant.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  one  who,  being  himself  a  priest 
of  Baal,  had,  as  Josephus  tells  us,  murdered  his 
own  brother  in  order  to  gain  the  crown  ;  so  that 
he  was  both  priest  of  Baal  and  king  of  Zidon. 
She  inherited  both  the  religious  fervour  of  the 
priest  and  the  unscrupulous  cruelty  of  the  man. 
She  united  in  herself  the  strongest  intellectual 
powers,  the  fiercest  passions,  and  the  fieriest 
will,  while  her  moral  sense  was  hardened  almost 
into  insensibility. — Ibid. 

[18166]  He  dethroned  Jehovah,  and  on  the 
v^acant  seat  he  placed  Baal  and  Ashtaroth,  the 
two  divinities  of  the  Zidonians.  These  were 
the  deities  of  the  old  Canaanites,  for  their 
homage  to  which  these  ancient  tribes  were 
driven  out  to  make  way  for  the  descendants  of 
Abraham.  Hence  the  adoption  of  their  wor- 
ship by  the  ten  tribes  was  a  total  apostasy  from 
Jehovah,  and  a  return  to  the  ancient  idolatry  of 
the  land.  It  was' not  merely  a  violation  of  the 
second  commandment,   in  that  there    was  an 

VOL.  VI.  19 


image  of  Baal  in  stone,  and  of  Ashtaroth  in 
wood  ;  but  it  was  also  a  breaking  of  the  first 
commandment,  in  that  it  involved  the  repudia- 
tion of  Jehovah,  and  the  adoption  of  another 
god  in  His  room.  And  so  Ahab,  who  intro- 
duced this  new  sort  of  idolatry,  did  worse  than 
all  that  had  gone  before  \\\m.—Ibid. 


He    gave    way 
covetousness. 


to    the    most    inordinate 


As  notoriously  exemplified  in  respect  to  Na- 
both's  vineyard. 

a.  Covetousness  indulged  produced  in  him 
the  sulky  petulance  of  a  spoiled  child. 

[18 1 67]  He  lies  on  a  bed  in  one  of  the  royal 
chambers  in  helpless  dejection,  moaning  and 
tossing  in  feverish  and  restless  misery.  What 
catastrophe  has  overtaken  that  regal  mourner  .? 
Why  that  settled  gloom  on  these  regal  brows  .'' 
Has  the  hand  of  death  been  in  the  palace  halls.'' 
Has  one  of  the  princes  of  the  blood  royal  been 
borne  to  the  sepulchre  of  the  kings  of  Israel — 
and  left  the  aching  void  of  bereavement  in  that 
smitten  heart .''  Or  has  it  been  some  sudden 
overwhelming  national  disaster  .''  Have  the 
billows  of  war  swept  over  his  territories?  Is 
the  tramp  of  Benhadad's  conquering  armies 
heard  at  his  gates,  threatening  to  desolate  his 
valleys,  and  carry  the  flower  of  his  subjects 
captive  to  Damascus.-'  No,  no.  His  family 
circle  is  unbroken  ;  and  the  trophies  of  recent 
victory  adorn  his  walls.  It  is  a  far  more  insig- 
nificant cause  which  has  led  the  weak  and  un- 
worthy monarch  to  wrap  himself  in  that  cover- 
let, and  to  pout  and  fret  like  a  petulant  child. 
This  lordly  possessor  of  palaces  cannot  obtain 
a  little  vineyard  he  has  coveted,  and  life  is, 
forsooth,  embittered  to  him. — Rev.  J.  Macduff, 
D.D. 

[18168]  Great  prosperity  had  only  filled  his 
heart  with  pride  and  covetousness,  and  he  de- 
sired to  signalize  his  victories  by  making  some 
splendid  additions  to  the  park  surrounding  his 
ivory  palace  at  Jezreel.  As  it  happened,  there 
was  a  vineyard,  the  situation  of  which  was  hard 
by  his  land.  Indeed,  it  probably  abutted  in 
upon  his  grounds,  making  what  he  conceived  to 
be  an  ugly  angle  in  his  possessions.  What  more 
natural,  therefore,  than  that  he  should  wish  to 
straighten  his  boundary?  or  what  apparently 
more  honest  than  his  offer  to  its  owner  :  "  Give 
me  thy  vineyard,  that  I  may  have  it  for  a  garden 
of  herbs,  because  it  is  near  unto  my  house,  and 
I  will  give  thee  for  it  a  better  vineyard  than  it, 
or,  if  it  seem  good  to  thee,  I  will  give  thee  the 
worth  of  it  in  money."  Perfectly  fair,  and  in 
ordinary  circumstances,  or  in  another  land,  one 
would  have  expected  that  Naboth,  to  whom  the 
vineyard  belonged,  would  have  been  glad  of  an 
opportunity  of  obliging  his  royal  neighbour  by 
complying  with  his  request.  But  the  tenure  by 
which  the  Israelite  held  his  land  was  peculiar  ; 
and  there  was  another  party  to  all  such  transac- 
tions, of  whom  Ahab  took  no  note.  Through- 
out Judah  and  Israel,  Jehovah  was    the    real 


274 

i8i68- 


-18174] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[ahab. 


owner  of  the  soil  ;  and  every  tribe  received  its 
territory  and  every  family  its  inheritance  by  lot 
from  Him,  with  this  added  condition  :  "The  land 
shall  not  be  sold  for  ever,  for  the  land  is 
Mine."  .  .  .  Therefore  it  was  with  true-hearted 
loyalty  to  the  covenant  God  of  Israel  he  made 
reply,  "  The  Lord  forbid  it  me  that  I  should 
give  the  inheritance  of  my  fathers  unto  thee." 
.  .  .  Like  a  spoiled  child,  who  has  been  so  much 
accustomed  to  his  own  way  in  everything  that 
he  knows  not  how  to  bear  refusal,  and  lies  down 
sprawling  on  the  floor  in  the  impotence  of  rage 
and  disappointment,  the  monarch  was  actually 
so  much  affected  that  he  took  to  his  bed,  and 
refused  his  food,  at  the  same  time  declining  to 
see  or  converse  with  any  of  his  courtiers. — Rev. 
IV.  Taylor. 

b.  Covetousness  indulged  led  to  the  murder 
of  Naboth,  and  an  increased  ascendency  of 
Jezebel  over  Ahab. 

[18 169]  Soon  he  was  still  further  misled  by 
that  covetousness  which  in  his  case  most  em- 
phatically was  idolatry.  The  longing  eye  which 
he  cast  on  Naboth's  vineyard  seduced  him  into 
a  compliance  with  his  wife's  diabolical  counsel, 
to  get  Naboth  stoned  to  death  on  a  false  charge 
of  blasphemy  ;  and  that  unscrupulous  and  un- 
principled woman  having  regained  her  influence 
over  him,  soon  hurried  him  again  into  the  worst 
excesses  of  his  former  idolatry  ;  insomuch  that 
"  there  was  none  like  unto  Ahab,  which  did  sell 
himself  to  work  wickedness  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,  whom  Jezebel  his  wife  stirred  up;  and  he 
did  very  abominably  in  following  idols"  (i  Kings 
xxi.). — Rev.  R.  Candlish,  D.D. 

[18170]  Ahab  evidently  had  no  thought  of 
forcing  Naboth  to  yield  to  his  desires,  or  of 
laying  violent  hands  either  upon  himself  or  on 
liis  property.  But  Jezebel  was  not  burdened 
with  any  such  conscientious  regard  for  the  rights 
of  others  ;  and  when  she  learned  what  the  cause 
of  her  husband's  moping  was,  she  bitterly  taunted 
liim  with  his  scrupulous  timidity,  and  intimated 
that  she  would  make  short  work  with  Naboth 
and  his  inheritance.  "What,"  said  she,  "you, 
the  king  of  Israel  !  and  allow  yourself  to  be 
thus  disobeyed  and  defied  by  a  common  yeo- 
man !  You  have  been  altogether  too  courteous 
and  considerate  in  the  offer  you  have  made  him. 
I  will  give  you  his  vineyard,  and  pay  nothing  for 
it  either  !"  So,  taking  the  royal  seal,  she  wrote 
letters  to  the  elders  of  Jezreel,  intimating  that 
some  dreadful  sin  had  been  committed  in  their 
city,  for  which  it  was  needful  that  a  fast  should 
be  proclaimed,  in  order  to  avert  the  wrath  of 
Heaven.  At  the  same  time  she  named  Naboth 
as  the  special  object  of  the  king's  displeasure, 
and  commanded  that  two  false  witnesses  should 
be  obtained,  who  should  declare  that  he  had 
blasphemed  God  and  the  king,  for  which,  as  she 
well  knew,  the  law  condemned  every  convicted 
one  to  death.  To  this  precious  document  she 
affixed  the  royal  seal,  and  transmitted  it  to  Jez- 
reel.— Rev.  IV.  Taylor. 


c.  Covetousness  indulged  hardened  his  heart. 
[18171]  One  might  have  thought  that  Ahab 

would  have  expressed  some  condemnation  of 
this  awful  conspiracy,  culminating  in  such  a 
tragic  horror  !  But  no.  Like  many  in  modern 
times,  though  he  was  restrained  by  his  con- 
science from  committing  murder  himself,  he 
had  no  scruple  of  the  results  of  such  a  crime 
when  perpetrated  by  another.  .  .  .  So,  sum- 
moning Jehu  and  Bidkar  to  accompany  him,  he 
drove  down  from  Samaria  to  Jezreel. — Ibid. 

d.  Covetousness  indulged  brought  about  his 
conviction  by  Elijah. 

[18172]  Haman  thought  he  was  sure  to  bring 
his  scheme  for  the  massacre  of  the  Jews  to  a 
successful  issue,  and  caused  the  gallows  to  be 
erected  upon  which  Mordecai  was  to  hang  ;  but 
Esther  was  watching  him  all  the  time,  and  when 
she  fastened  his  crime  upon  him  in  the  presence 
of  the  king,  he  might  have  said,  "  Hast  thou 
found  me,  O  mine  enemy  .'' "  And  so  it  was  in 
the  case  before  us.  The  covetous  king  cast  his 
eyes  upon  Naboth's  little  vineyard,  and  would 
have  had  God's  commands  set  at  nought  (Lev. 
XXV.  23  ;  Numb,  xxxvi.  7)  to  gratify  his  desire. 
And  though,  when  he  could  not  get  it,  he  was 
too  cowardly  to  do  anything  beside  sulk  upon 
his  bed,  he  had  a  wife  who  would  stand  at 
nothing.  "  Dost  thou  now  govern  the  king- 
dom of  Israel,  arise,  and  eat  bread,  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  vineyard  of  Naboth,  the  Jezreelite" 
(verse  7).  Through  the  murder  of  the  innocent 
man,  she  fulfilled  her  promise,  and  was  soon  in 
a  position  to  say  to  her  husband,  "  Arise,  take 
possession  of  the  vineyard."  But  one  who  had 
not  been  reckoned  in  this  transaction  said  to 
another  man,  "Arise,  and  go  down  to  meet 
Ahab  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  ; "  and  so  the 
monarch,  just  entering  into  his  newly  acquired 
property,  is  confronted  by  God's  detective, 
Elijah,  saying,  "  Hast  thou  killed,  and  also 
taken  possession  ?  " — Anon. 

e.  Covetousness  indulged  produced  in  him  a 
distorted  estimate  of  character. 

[18173]  "Mine  enemy."  So  Ahab  regarded 
Elijah.  What  we  see  an  object  to  be,  depends 
very  much  upon  the  medium  through  which  we 
view  it.  The  most  glorious  landscape  in  the 
world  will  appear  dull  if  looked  at  through  a 
blackened  glass,  and  the  fairest  face  looks  ugly 
if  the  mirror  which  reflects  it  is  imperfect.  .  .  . 
So  Ahab  regarded  Elijah  as  his  enemy,  though 
he  was  the  truest  friend  he  had  in  all  the  land, 
because  he  dared  to  speak  openly  to  him  con- 
cerning the  fruit  of  his  evil  doings. — Ibid. 


III.  His  Repentance. 

It  was  but  half-hearted,  and  partook  of  the 
nature  of  remorse,  yet  it  was  accepted  by 
God, 

[18174]  There  was  yet  some  sense  of  justice 
in  him  ;  and  the  outward  symbols  of  sorrow 
were  not   hypocritical.     He  did  not  feign   the 


i8i74 — 18179] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ahad. 


feelings  of  which  they  were  the  signs.  He  was 
humiliated.  He  was  sad.  If  it  had  been  to 
be  done  again,  he  would  not  have  allowed 
Naboth  to  be  put  to  death.  For  so  much  let 
us  give  him  credit.  But  though  his  repentance 
was  sincere,  so  far  as  it  went,  yet  it  did  not  go 
far  enough.  He  feared  the  punishment  of  his 
sin  more  than  he  hated  the  sin  itself.  There 
was  no  word  of  restitution.  There  was  no 
change  in  the  general  current  of  his  life.  Yet, 
to  show  his  gentleness  unto  him,  and  to  give 
him  another  opportunity  of  coming  to  his  full 
self,  by  returning  wholly  to  his  God,  Jehovah  said 
unto  his  servant,  "  Seest  thou  how  Ahab  hum- 
bleth  himself  before  Me  ?  because  he  humbleth 
himself  before  Me,  I  will  not  bring  the  evil  in 
his  days  :  but  in  his  son's  days  will  I  bring 
the  evil  upon  his  house." — Rev.  IV.  Taylor. 

[18175]  Elijah's  address  evidently  produced 
unusual  terror  in  Ahab's  mind,  and  induced 
him  to  humble  himself  in  some  degree  before 
God.  Nor  does  this  surprise  us  :  for  it  con- 
tained not  only  an  awful  accusation  which 
Ahab  could  not  deny,  but  likewise  an  awful 
sentence  upon  himself  and  his  posterity,  pro- 
nounced, as  from  the  mouth  of  God  Himself, 
with  singular  impressiveness  and  power.  .  .  , 
But  the  repentance  of  Ahab  was  not  of  a  per- 
fect kind.  His  enmity  against  the  law  was  not 
abolished  and  slain  by  faith  and  love.  It  was 
the  punishment,  and  not  the  sinfulness  of  sin, 
that  made  him  tremble.  Had  no  curse  followed, 
his  transgressions  would  have  pained  him  but 
little.  Nay,  because  this  punishment  was 
delayed,  he  turned  back  into  the  path  of  de- 
struction, and  by  so  doing  furnished  the 
clearest  evidence  that  his  sorrow  proceeded 
only  from  selfishness,  and  that  the  dominion 
and  love  of  sin  still  prevailed  within  him. — 
Krmiwiacher. 

[181 76]  Though  Ahab's  repentance  was  far 
from  genuine,  it  was  nevertheless  regarded  by 
the  Almighty  with  some  favour.  He  therefore 
sent  His  word  to  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  and  said 
to  him,  "  Seest  thou  how  Ahab  humbleth  him- 
self before  Me?  Because  he  humbleth  himself 
before  Me,  I  will  not  bring  the  evil  in  his  days  : 
but  in  his  son's  days  will  I  bring  the  evil  upon 
his  house."  Here  was  a  delay  of  execution  ; 
but  no  revocation  of  the  sentence.  The  curse 
still  rested  upon  Ahab  and  his  house.  Yet  even 
this  respect  shown  to  a  repentance  which  had 
so  little  intrinsic  worth,  this  exemption  of  Ahab 
from  personally  experiencing  those  storms  which 
impended  over  his  house,  was  an  instance  of 
great  condescension  and  favour.  But  why,  it 
may  be  asked,  if  Ahab's  humiliation  was  so 
little  worth,  was  any  Divine  regard  shown  towards 
it  ?  This,  we  answer,  was  to  show  by  a  living  ex- 
ample that  self-condemnation  and  abasement 
before  God  is  the  way  to  escape  His  anger,  and 
obtain  His  favour.  Just  as  a  novice  in  any  art 
or  trade  may  be  cheered  by  words  of  encourage- 
ment at  the  first  favourable  attempt  which  he 
makes,  however  imperfect  it  may  be  ;  so  the  ex- 


emption which  the  Lord  made  in  Ahab's  favour 
on  his  repenting,  was  calculated  to  encourage 
him  to  aim  at  something  better.  Self-condem- 
nation, self-abasement,  and  giving  God  the 
glory,  are  the  first  steps  from  spiritual  death  to 
spiritual  life. — Ibid. 

[i  8 1 77]  The  repentance  of  Ahab  was  awakened 
by  the  fearful  prediction  of  coming  vengeance 
which  Elijah  delivered  at  the  moment  he  had 
taken  possession  of  Naboth's  vineyard.  This 
ten  ible  denunciation  strikes  Ahab  to  the  very 
soul.  It  is  no  longer  national,  but  personal 
vengeance,  ready  to  fall  upon  his  head.  He 
sees  himself  singled  out  from  the  nniltitude,  the 
guilty  leader  of  a  guilty  people  :— his  own 
slaughter  ;  the  slaughter  of  every  child  upon 
whom  his  hopes  rested  ;  the  horrible  destruc- 
tion of  Jezebel  herself;  the  dogs  licking  up  the 
blood  ;  the  birds  of  the  air  tearing  and  carrying 
off  the  flesh  ;  these  were  the  frightful  images 
presented  to  the  sight  of  Ahab,  and  »hese  made 
his  knees  to  tremble,  and  his  eyes  to  weep. 
They  stripped  from  him  his  robes  of  pride, 
covered  him  with  sackcloth,  and  showed  him, 
in  the  sight  of  God  and  men,  a  conscience- 
stricken  penitent. — Rev.  J.  Aiidcrsoii. 

[18178]  It  was  no  mockery  in  Ahab,  when  he 
trembled  before  Elijah.  Yet,  after  all,  it  was 
but  the  trembling  of  the  hypocrite.  He  had  no 
root  in  himself — no  sincerity,  no  constancy, 
no  depth  of  feeling  in  his  heart  whereby 
the  precious  seed  which  fell  there  might  be 
treasured  up  and  saved  from  withering. — Rnd. 

[18 179]  The  repentance  of  Ahab,  however 
defective,  seems,  in  a  temporal  sense,  to  have 
been  accepted  ;  for  the  punishment,  denounced 
against  him  by  Elijah,  was  suspended  in  his  own 
days.  "  Because  he  humbleth  himself  before 
Me,  I  will  not  bring  the  evil  in  his  days,"  is  the 
language  of  the  narrative  before  us.  How  can 
this  be.''  Hath  not  the  Lord  said,  by  His 
prophet  Isaiah,  that  He  will  not  hear  the 
prayers  of  men  "whose  hands  are  full  of  blood," 
and  that  His  soul  hateth  the  iniquity  of  their 
"  solemn  meeting  "  ?  They  may  afllict  their 
souls,  bow  down  their  heads  as  a  bulrush,  and 
spread  sackcloth  and  ashes  under  them,  but 
that  is  not  the  fast  which  the  Lord  hath 
chosen  ;  it  is  an  abomination  unto  Him.  There 
are,  in  fact,  no  denunciations  more  frequent  or 
more  awful  than  those  which  the  sacred  volume 
contains  against  the  offerings  of  the  hypocrite 
and  impenitent.  How,  then,  are  we  to  under- 
stand the  word  of  the  Lord  coming,  as  we  find 
it  did  in  the  present  instance,  to  Elijah  the 
Tishbite,  and  reversing  the  sentence  which  he 
had  before  pronounced  .•*  Is  it  possible  that  the 
unchangeable  God  can  change  .-*  or  the  specious 
semblance  of  piety  deceive  Him  that  knoweth 
all  things?  Nay,  say  not  so.  Say  rather,  that 
it  is  possible  that  the  God  of  mercy  should 
show  mercy,  and  that  His  mercy  should 
rejoice  against  judgment.  The  history  of  our 
own  lives,  still  spared  and  still  prolonged,  not- 


276 

i8i79— 18183] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ahab. 


withstanding  our  manifold  transgressions,  is  an 
evidence  of  this  certain  truth. — Ibid. 

[18 1 80]  Grief  is  not  ever  a  sign  of  grace.  Ahab 
rends  his  clothes  ;  he  did  not  rend  his  heart  :  he 
puts  on  sackcloth,  not  amendment  :  he  lies  in 
sackcloth,  but  he  lies  in  his  idolatry  ;  he  walks 
softly,  he  walks  not  sincerely.  Worldly  sorrow 
causeth  death  ;  happy  is  that  grief  for  which 
the  soul  is  the  holier. — Bp.  Hall. 


IV.  His  Defeat  and  Death. 

Although  he  endeavoured  to  avoid  impending 
destruction  by  cunning  and  meanness, 
the  hand  of  God  sought  him  out  un- 
erringly. 

[18181]  The  prophet  has  announced  that  it  is 
the  shepherd,  or  the  king,  that  is  to  fall  ;  and 
accordingly,  as  it  turns  out,  the  orders  of  the 
Syrian  commander  are  (i  Kings  xxii.  31),  that 
his  troops  are  to  spare  all  meaner  enemies,  and 
bend  their  whole  force  against  the  royal  captain 
of  the  Jewish  host.  Ahab,  knowing  the  hazard, 
cunningly  proposes  to  resign  the  post  of  honour 
to  his  ally  :  "And  the  king  of  Israel  said  unto 
Jehoshaphat,  I  will  disguise  myself,  and  enter 
into  the  battle  ;  but  put  thou  on  thy  robes.  And 
the  king  of  Israel  disguised  himself,  and  went 
into  the  battle  "  (ver.  30).  While  Ahab  is  to  dis- 
guise himself,  or,  in  other  words,  to  go  forth  in 
the  ordinary  armour  of  a  common  soldier,  Jeho- 
shaphat is  to  retain  his  royal  robes  and  assume 
the  command.  The  design  of  the  crafty  prince 
thus  far  succeeds.  His  too  easy  friend  accepts 
the  post  of  honour,  as  being  the  post  of  danger 
too.  The  dauntless  spirit  of  this  honourable 
man  suspected  no  fraud  in  his  ally,  and  shrunk 
from  no  force  of  the  foe.  How  narrowly  he 
escaped  without  paying  the  penalty  of  his  con- 
fidence and  complaisance,  we  may  afterwards 
remark.  Meantime,  what  are  we  to  think  of 
the  meanness  of  him  who  could  thus  treacher- 
ously impose  upon  another  the  conduct  and 
hazard  of  his  own  unholy  enterprise,  and  that 
other,  too,  his  sworn  comrade,  his  friend  ? 
What  but  that  there  can  be  no  friendship,  no 
honour  at  all,  in  a  confederacy  of  sin,  a  con- 
federacy against  God  .''  Cowardice,  treachery — 
these  are  the  characteristics  of  an  evil  con- 
science and  a  doubtful  cause.  Ahab  was,  per- 
haps, no  coward  naturally,  no  traitor  to  the 
sanctities  of  friendship.  Yet,  how  unscrupu- 
lously does  he  sacrifice  his  friend  and  ally  to 
the  dastardly  hope  of  shifting  away  from  him- 
self the  sin  and  danger  of  the  step  that  he  is 
taking?  .  .  .  But  God  is  not  mocked.  He  sees 
the  trembling  caitiff  under  his  mean  disguise. 
And  in  the  random  shot  which  struck  the  guilty 
prince  we  recognize  the  immediate  hand  of  the 
Lord  in  judgment  :  "  And  a  certain  man  drew  a 
bow  at  a  venture,  and  smote  the  king  of  Israel 
between  the  joints  of  the  harness  :  wherefore  he 
said  unto  the  driver  of  his  chariot.  Turn  thine 
hand,  and  carry  me  out  of  the  host  ;  for  I  am 
wounded"  (ver.  34). — Rev.  R.  Candlish,  D.D. 


V.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  marriage  of  Ahab  with  Jezebel,  and 
its  consequences,  remind  us  that  an  un- 
hallowed alliance  or  an  intimate  relation- 
ship may  be  a  contributing  cause  towards 
an  immortality  of  infamy. 

[18182]  But  for  Jezebel,  Ahab  had  not  sub- 
jected himself  to  his  dreadful  doom.  In  this 
scene,  more  than  in  any  other  of  their  history, 
we  see  the  distinctive  character  of  each.  Ahab 
was  ambitious  ;  he  was  brave  ;  he  had  in  him 
many  elements  of  nobleness,  and  was  not  the 
weakling  that  many  have  portrayed  him.  Where 
his  conscience  was  clean,  too,  he  could  be  bold. 
But  he  was  less  daring  and  decided  in  evil  than 
Jezebel,  just  because  he  had  more  conscience 
than  she.  This  kept  him  both  from  the  full  en- 
joyment of  the  world,  and  from  the  invention  of 
such  diabolic  plans  as  that  which  Jezebel  laid 
on  the  present  occasion.  He  was,  indeed, 
bitterly  mortified  by  Naboth's  refusal  to  grant 
his  request ;  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  he 
would  ever  have  thought  of  murdering  Naboth 
to  get  his  vineyard  ;  while  his  cry  of  anguish 
to  Elijah,  "  Hast  thou  found  me,  O  mine 
enemy.'"'  shows  that  his  conscience  was  quick 
to  respond  to  the  admonition  of  the  prophet. 
Now,  if,  at  the  moment  of  his  disappointment, 
he  had  been  blessed  with  a  godly  wife,  she 
would  have  led  him  to  think  of  the  comforts 
which  he  already  possessed,  and,  far  from 
setting  herself  to  acquire  for  him  the  object  of 
his  desire  by  unlawful  means,  she  would  have 
urged  him  to  seek  his  happiness  in  something 
nobler  than  the  vineyard  of  his  neighbour.  As 
it  was,  however,  Jezebel  added  the  guilt  of  con- 
spiracy and  murder  to  that  of  covetousness  ;  and 
so  their  names  have  come  down  to  us  stained 
with  the  infamy  of  a  deed  which  has  few  paral- 
lels for  cruel  injustice  and  cold-blooded  malig- 
nity. When  he  wedded  her,  he  thought  only  of 
the  glory  of  his  Zidonian  alliance,  and  the 
strengthening  of  his  hands  against  his  Syrian 
foes  ;  but  now  she  makes  him  participator  in  a 
crime  which  drew  down  the  curse  of  extermina- 
tion on  his  house,  and  poisoned  the  happiness 
of  his  remaining  years  upon  the  earth.  Thus 
the  very  means  which  he  used  to  secure  the 
glory  of  his  kingdom  and  the  permanence  of 
his  dynasty  proved  the  ruin  of  both. — Rev.  IV. 
Taylor. 

[18183]  How  often,  alas  !  in  humbler  instances 
have  similar  results  followed  a  similar  course  to 
that  of  Ahab  !  Dazzled  with  the  glitter  of  a 
fortune,  or  the  glare  of  an  exalted  position,  a 
young  person  enters  into  the  sacred  alliance  of 
matrimony  with  one  who  has  no  moral  stability 
or  Christian  excellence,  and  the  issue  is  certain 
misery,  with  the  probable  addition  of  crime  and 
disaster.  For  in  such  an  intimate  union  there 
cannot  but  be  a  constant  influence  exerted  by 
the  one  upon  the  other  ;  and  if  it  should  happen 
that  the  greater  decision  of  character  is  with 
the  less  scrupulous  of  the  two,  then  both  to- 
gether shall  descend  to  depths  of  wickedness 


18183—18187] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


277 

[ahab. 


of  which,  at  first,  the  more  worthy  had  not 
dreamed.  For  weal  or  for  woe,  for  eternity  as 
well  as  for  time,  few  things  are  more  impor- 
tant in  a  man's  or  woman's  history  than  the 
matrimonial  connection  which  may  be  made  ; 
and  yet  with  what  thoughtlessness  and  frivolity 
too  often  is  that  connection  formed  !  It  is  a 
thing  for  joking  and  buffoonery  ;  or,  perhaps, 
a  matter  of  worldly  wisdom  or  convenience  ; 
whereas  it  ought  to  be  entered  into  "only  in 
the  Lord."  Let  young  people  prayerfully  ponder 
this  important  lesson  ;  and  let  them  resolve  that 
whensoever  they  take  this  solemn  step,  it  shall 
not  be  "  lightly  or  unadvisedly,"  but  "  soberly, 
discreetly,  and  in  the  fear  of  God." — Ibid. 

[18184]  "There  was  none  like  unto  Ahab, 
whom  Jezebel  his  wife  stirred  up"  (i  Kings  xxi. 
25).  That  has  been  on  record  for  nearly  3000 
years,  and  has  been  read  by  millions  as  the  ages 
have  rolled  on.  Young  men  and  women,  I  be- 
seech you  to  take  care  with  whom  you  connect 
yourselves  in  marriage  union ;  an  ungodly 
person  may  drag  you  down  to  their  level,  and 
cause  your  very  memory  to  be  held  in  dis- 
honour ;  while  a  godly  husband  or  wife  will  lift 
you  up  to  a  higher  standard  of  goodness,  and 
make  you  a  blessing  to  yourselves  and  others 
throughout  eternity. — Anon. 

2  The  covetousness  of  Ahab  reminds  us 
that  those  who  are  most  frequently  liable 
to  fall  into  this  sin  are  those  whose  pos- 
sessions are  not  less  but  greater  than 
those  of  their  neighbours. 

[18185]  The  singular  and  sad  thing  is,  that 
such  inordinate  longings  are  most  frequently 
manifested,  as  with  Ahab,  in  the  case  of  those 
who  have  least  cause  to  indulge  them.  The 
covetous  eye  cast  on  the  neighbour's  vineyard 
is,  strange  to  say,  more  the  sin  of  the  affluent 
than  of  the  needy — of  the  owner  of  the  lordly 
mansion  than  of  the  humble  cottage.  The  man 
with  his  clay  floor,  and  thatched  roof,  and  rude 
wooden  rafters,  though  standing  far  more  in 
need  of  increase  to  his  comfort,  is  often  (is 
generally)  more  contented  and  satisfied  by  far 
than  he  whose  cup  is  full.  It  was  Alexander, 
not  defeated,  but  victorious— Alexander,  not 
the  lord  of  one  kingdom,  but  the  sovereign  of 
the  world,  who  wept  unsatisfied  tears.  Ahab 
had  everything  that  human  ambition  could 
desire.  The  cities  of  Israel  his  father  had 
lost,  had  been  all  restored  ;  peace  was  within 
his  walls,  and  prosperity  within  his  palaces. 
His  residences  were  unparalleled  for  beauty. 
His  lordly  park  and  demesne  and  gardens  at 
Jezreel — stretching  for  miles  on  every  side  of 
the  city — had  every  rare  tree  and  plant  and 
flower  to  adorn  them.  But  what  pride  or 
pleasure  has  he  now  in  all  these.''  Plants 
bloom,  and  birds  sing,  and  fountains  sparkle, 
in  vain.  So  long  as  that  one  patch  of  vineyard- 
ground  belonging  to  Naboth  is  denied  him,  his 
whole  pleasure  is  blighted.  He  cannot  brook 
that  insult  of  refusal.     It  has  stung  him  to  the 


quick,  and  sends  him  to  pout  and  fret,  in  un- 
royal tears,  on  his  couch  in  Samaria. — Rev.  J. 
MacduJJ]  D.D. 

[181 86]  How  many  there  are,  surrounded  with 
all  possible  affluence  and  comfort,  who  put  a 
life-thorn  in  their  side  but  some  similar  chase 
after  a  denied  good,  some  similar  fretting  about 
a  denied  trifle.  They  have  abundance ;  the 
horn  of  plenty  has  poured  its  contents  into 
their  lap.  But  a  neighbour  possesses  some- 
thing which  they  fancy  they  might  have  also. 
Like  Haman,  though  their  history  has  been  a 
golden  dream  of  prosperity,  advancement  and 
honour  such  as  the  brightest  visions  of  youth 
could  never  have  pictured— yet  all  this  avails 
them  nothing,  so  long  as  they  see  Mordecai  the 
Jew  sitting  at  the  king's  gate  ! — Ibid. 


3  The  covetousness  of  Ahab  reminds  us  of 
the  danger  of  a  want  of  restraint  on  evil 
glances  and  desires,  and  of  the  necessity 
for  watchfulness  in  respect  of  besetting 
sins. 

[18187]  If  Ahab,  knowing  his  own  weakness 
and  be;setting  sin,  had  put  a  restraint  on  his 
covetous  eye,  and  not  allowed  it  to  stray  on  his 
neighbour's  forbidden  property,  it  would  have 
saved  a  black  page  in  his  history,  and  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  a  heinous  crime.  Let  us  beware 
of  tampering  with  evil.  "  If  thy  right  eye  offend 
thee,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee."  "Avoid 
it,"  says  the  wise  man,  speaking  of  this  path  of 
temptation,  "pass  not  by  it,  turn  from  it,  and 
pass  away."  If  Achan  had  not  cast  his  eye  on 
the  goodly  Babylonish  garment,  the  shekels  of 
silver,  and  the  wedge  of  gold,  he  would  have 
saved  Israel  a  bloody  discomfiture  and  him- 
self a  fearful  end.  But  he  saw  them  ;  and  the 
sight  fed  and  fostered  and  stimulated  the  covet- 
ous master-passion — the  latent  avarice  of  his 
greedy  heart.  It  was  David's  wandering  eye 
that  led  to  the  twin  crime  of  adultery  and  mur- 
der. He,  too,  ventured  to  the  place  of  tempta- 
tion. He  had  become  an  idler  when  he  should 
have  been  a  worker.  The  old,  heroic,  chivalrous 
days  were  over,  when  he  would  have  despised 
luxurious  ease,  and  been  away  rather  to  share 
the  hardships  of  his  brave  army  than  in  the  field. 
Instead  of  this,  he  was  basking  in  inglorious, 
unsoldierlike  fashion,  after  his  noontide  meal,  on 
the  roof  of  his  palace.  He  was  out  of  the  way 
of  duty,  and  in  the  way  of  temptation,  and  one 
fatal  look,  and  one  fatal  thought,  entailed  a 
heritage  of  bitter  sorrow  on  himself  and  on  his 
children's  children.  Each  has  his  own  strong 
temptation -the  fragile  part  of  his  nature — his 
besetting  sin.  That  sin  should  be  specially 
watched,  muzzled,  curbed  ;  that  gate  of  temp- 
tation specially  padlocked  and  sentinelled.  One 
guilty  dereliction  of  duty,  one  unhappy  aban- 
donment of  principle,  one  inconsistent,  thought- 
less word  or  deed — may  be  the  progenitor  of 
unnumbered  evils. — Ibid. 


278 


i8i88— iSigol 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ahab. 


4  The  covetousness  of  Ahab,  with  its  issues, 
reminds  us  of  the  price  that  must  be  paid 
for  sin. 

[18 1 88]  What  weighty  words  are  these  of 
Elijah  to  Ahab,  "  Thou  hast  sold  thyself  to  work 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ! ''  They  imply  not 
only  that  Ahab  had  given  himself  entirely  over 
to  iniquity,  but  also  that  he  had  done  so  at  the 
price  of  himself.  The  great  German  poet  has 
elaborated  this  thought  into  that  weird  produc- 
tion wherein  he  represents  his  hero  as  selling 
his  soul  to  the  mocking  Mephistopheles.  And 
it  were  well  that  every  evil-doer  laid  to  heart 
the  moral  of  his  tragic  tale.  That  which  the 
sinner  gives  for  his  unhallowed  pleasure  or  dis- 
honest gain  is  himself.  Consider  it  well.  O 
drunkard  !  you  thought  that  you  paid  for  your 
dissipation  when  you  laid  out  your  money  on 
the  counter  of  Boniface  ;  but,  bad  as  that  was, 
there  is  another  and  far  longer  reckoning  behind. 
You  sold  your  senses  into  inactivity  ;  your  in- 
tellect into  stupidity  ;  your  conscience  into  in- 
sensibility ;  your  character  into  weakness  ;  your 
business  into  bankruptcy  ;  nay,  if  you  continue 
in  your  dreadful  habit,  you  will  sell  your  life  on 
earth,  and  your  everlasting  salvation  too.  The 
bill  may  be  drawn  at  a  long  date  ;  but  it  will 
come  due,  and  when  it  comes,  you  will  be  held 
inexorably  to  your  bond.  All  this  is  the  price  ; 
and  for  what  ?  oh,  for  what .''  For  a  temporary 
exhilaration,  to  be  followed  by  a  degradation  to 
a  level  lower  than  that  of  the  brutes  that  perish  ! 
O  sensualist  !  when  you  left  the  haunt  of  wicked- 
ness, you  fancied  that  you  had  done  with  cost  ; 
but  no  !  You  sold  the  purity  of  your  nature,  the 
honour  of  your  manhood,  the  tenderness  of  your 
conscience,  the  health  of  your  body,  and  the  life 
of  your  soul.  In  one  express  word,  you  sold 
yourself,  and  that  self,  if  you  repent  not,  for 
eternity.  All  these  were  in  the  bond  you  sealed 
when  you  entered  on  your  course  of  iniquity  ; 
and  if  you  persist  in  it,  no  Shylock  will  hold  you 
with  a  more  remorseless  grasp  than  he  to  whom 
you  have  given  it. — Rev.  VV.  Taylor. 

5  The  covetousness  of  Ahab,  with  its  issues, 
reminds  us  of  the  curse  which  cleaves  to 
ill-gotten  gains,  and  points  the  moral  of 
Holy  Scripture,  "  Be  sure  your  sin  will 
find  you  out." 

[18189]  Jezebel  thought  that  by  her  cunning 
management  she  had  obtained  Naboth's  vine- 
yard for  nothing  ;  but  it  cost  her  very  dear.  It 
entailed  upon  her  the  loss  of  her  husband  and 
of  her  sons,  and  resulted  ultimately  in  her  own 
destruction.  God  is  not  indifferent  to  evil, 
though  He  do  not  interfere  by  miracle  to  prevent 
its  commission.  It  might  have  seemed,  indeed, 
that  His  moral  government  was  a  delusion  when 
such  a  one  as  Naboth  was  permitted  to  be  slain 
by  the  emissaries  of  Jezebel's  malignity.  But 
when  we  widen  our  range  of  observation,  we 
discover  that  for  all  such  dishonesty  and  oppres- 
sion there  is,  even  in  this  life,  a  terrible  retribu- 
tion. The  gains  of  ungodliness  are  weighted 
with  the  curse  of  God  ;  and,  sooner  or  later, 
that  will  be  made  apparent.     Let  no  one  think 


that  because  this  record  is  in  the  Bible,  and  the 
fearful  doom  upon  Ahab  and  his  house  was  pro- 
nounced by  Elijah,  therefore  there  must  be  a 
difference  between  it  and  any  modern  instance 
of  deliberate  wrong-doing  and  injustice.  For 
the  moral  government  of  God  to-day  is  adminis- 
tered on  the  same  principles  as  those  which  we 
find  underlying  this  narrative.  True,  the  dis- 
honest man  now  pursuing  his  purposes  in  secret 
may  have  no  Elijah  sent  to  him,  with  the  special 
commission  to  declare  to  him  the  sort  of 
punishment  which  shall  overtake  him  ;  but 
Elijah's  God  is  living  yet,  and  one  has  only  to 
open  his  eyes,  and  mark  the  progress  of  events 
from  year  to  year,  to  be  convinced  that  "  sorrow 
tracketh  wrong,  as  echo  follows  song — on,  on, 
on."  He  who  holds  gain  by  injustice  will, 
sooner  or  later,  come  to  ruin  ;  and,  if  no  resti- 
tution is  made,  they  who  inherit  from  him  his 
blood-stained  gold  will  be  made  sharers  of  his 
calamity.  Let  a  man  rudely  trample  upon  the 
weak,  and  take  by  violence  that  to  which  he  has 
no  right,  and  it  will  cost  him  much  ;  for  the  judg- 
ment of  God  is  already  on  the  way  to  him,  and 
though  it  tarry  long,  it  will  fall  heavily  when  it 
comes.  Let  a  nation  covet  its  neighbour's  ter- 
ritory, and  by  force  or  fraud  annex  it  to  its  own, 
then,  though  no  Elijah  come  specifically  to 
denounce  it,  the  issue  must  be  disastrous,  and 
may  be  fraught  with  evil  to  many  generations. 
"Be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out,"  said  Moses, 
on  a  solemn  day,  to  the  two  and  a  half  tribes 
that  remained  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan  ;  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  few  truths  need  to  be  more 
faithfully  proclaimed  in  the  ears  of  this  genera- 
tion. They  dwell  with  much  unction  on  the 
love  and  tenderness  of  God  ;  and  if  they  but  took 
in  the  whole  truth,  they  could  not  dwell  too 
much  upon  it  ;  but  they  forget  the  judicial  aspect 
of  Jehovah's  character,  and  the  awfully  terrible 
nature  of  some  of  His  retributions. — Ibid. 

[18190]  "  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out." 
Ahab  and  Jezebel  had,  indeed,  managed  to 
accomplish  their  accursed  plot.  The  wheels 
of  crane  had  moved  softly  along  without  one  rut 
or  impediment  in  the  way.  The  two  murderers 
paced  their  blood-stained  inheritance  without 
fear  of  challenge  or  discovery.  Naboth  was  in 
that  silent  land  where  no  voice  of  protest  can  be 
heard  against  high-handed  iniquity.  But  there 
was  a  God  in  heaven  who  maketh  inquisition  for 
blood,  and  who  "  remembered  them."  Their 
time  for  retribution  did  come  at  last,  although 
years  of  gracious  forbearance  were  suftered  to 
intervene.  As  we  behold  the  mutilated  remains 
of  that  once  proud,  unscrupulous  queen,  lying 
in  the  common  receptacle  of  oftal  and  carrion 
outside  the  city  of  her  iniquities,  her  blood 
sprinkling  the  walls  ;— or,  in  the  case  of  the 
partner  of  her  guilt,  as  we  see  the  arrow  from 
the  Syrian  bow  piercing  through  "'the  jointed 
mail," — or  as  he  lies  weltering  in  his  blood — 
his  eyes  closing  in  agony— the  wild  dogs,  by  the 
pool  of  Samaria,  lick  the  crimson  drops  from  the 
wheels  of  his  chariot  and  the  plates  of  his 
armour  ;  have  we  not  before  us  a  solemn  and 


iSigo — 18195] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


279 

[jEHU. 


awful  comment  on  the  words  of  Him  who 
judgeth  righteous  judgment  :  " — "  These  things 
hast  thou  done,  and  I  kept  silence  ;  thou 
thoughtest  that  I  was  altogether  such  an  one  as 
thyself  :  but  I  will  reprove  thee,  and  set  them 
in  order  before  thine  eyes.  Now  consider  this, 
ye  that  forget  God,  lest  I  tear  you  in  pieces,  and 
there  be  none  to  deliver."  "  He  that,  being 
often  reproved,  hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  sud- 
denly be  destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy." 
—Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

[18191]  Even  should  crime  and  wrong-doing 
be  successfully  hidden  from  the  eye  of  man, 
cofiscieme,  like  another  stern  Elijah  in  the  vine- 
yard of  Naboth,  will  confront  the  transgressor, 
and  utter  a  withering  doom.  How  many  such 
an  Elijah  stands  a  rebuker  within  the  gates  of 
modern  vineyards,  purchased  by  the  reward  of 
iniquity!  How  many  such  an  Eli  ah  stands  a 
ghostly  sentinel  by  the  door  ot  that  house  whose 
stones  have  been  hewn  and  polished  and  piled 
by  illicit  gain  !  How  many  an  Elijah  mounts 
on  the  back  of  the  modern  chariot,  horsed  and 
harnessed,  pillowed  and  cushioned  and  liveried 
with  the  amassings  of  successful  roguery  !  How 
many  an  Elijah  stands  in  the  midst  of  banquet- 
hall  and  drawing-room,  scowling  down  on  some 
murderer  of  domestic  peace  and  innocence,  who 
has  intruded  into  vineyards  more  sacred  than 
Naboth's — trampled  virtue  under  foot,  and  left 
the  broken,  bleeding  vine  to  trail  its  shattered 
tendrils  unpitied  on  the  ground  !  And  even 
should  conscience  itself  in  this  world  be  defined 
and  overborne,  at  all  events  in  the  world  to 
come,  sin  must  be  discovered,  retribution  (long 
evaded  here)  will  at  last  exact  its  uttermost 
farthing.  The  most  awful  picture  of  a  state  of 
eternal  punishment  is  that  of  sinners  surren- 
dered to  the  mastery  of  their  own  special  trans- 
gression ;  these  sins,  like  the  fabled  furies, 
following  them,  in  unrelenting  pursuit,  from  hall 
to  hall  and  from  cavern  to  cavern  in  the  regions 
of  unending  woe  ; — and  they,  at  last,  hunted 
down,  wearied,  breathless,  with  the  unavailing 
effort  to  escape  the  tormentors,  crouching  in  wild 
despair,  and  exclaiming,  like  Ahab  to  Elijah, 
"  Hast  thou  found  me,  O  mine  enemy .'' " — Jdld. 

6  The  half-hearted  repentance  of  Ahab  is, 
in  its  acceptance  by  God,  a  ground  of 
great  encouragement  to  all  true  penitents. 

[18192]  The  merciful  and  gracious  God  took 
account  of  this  little  evidence  of  sorrow  given 
by  Ahab,  and  withheld  some  judgment  on  ac- 
count of  it.  How  much  more  when  a  man  turns 
wholly  to  Him,  casting  behind  him  his  former 
rebellious  life,  and  seeking  strength  to  live  as  a 
new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus,  vv'hen  he  comes 
with  the  cry,  "  Father,  I  have  sinned  against 
heaven  and  in  Thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy 
to  be  called  Thy  son  ! " — Anon. 

[18 1 93]  Ahab  was  filled  with  bitter  regret  at 
what  had  been  done,  and  God,  who  will  not 
break  the  bruised  reed,  or  quench  the  smoking 
flax,  said  that  the  evil  should  not  come  in  his 


day.  He  thus  gave  him  another  opportunity  of 
becoming  truly  repentant.  This,  so  far  as  ap- 
pears from  the  narrative,  Ahab  did  not  improve; 
still,  that  God  should  have  given  it  to  him  is  an 
encouragement  to  the  real  penitent  to  come  to  Je- 
hovah's feet ;  while  the  fact  that  he  did  not  really 
and  truly  repent,  after  all,  is  a  warning  to  the 
trembling  procrastinator  that,  unless  he  avail 
himself  of  his  present  tenderness  of  feeling,  he 
may  never  attain  salvation.  If  God  were  so 
considerate  of  Ahab,  the  idolater,  the  murderer, 
the  thief,  will  He  not  regard  thee,  O  thou  tear- 
ful one,  who  are  bemoaning  the  number  and 
aggravation  of  thy  sins  ?— AVz/.  IV.  Taylor. 


JEHU. 
I,  Ruling  Characteristics. 

I       As  an   instrument    of   Divine    vengeance, 
he  displayed  deep  sagacity,  ready  promp- 
titude, and  indomitable  resolution, 
(i)  /«  Ms  inceptioti  of  the  revolution  and  the 
destruction  of  King  JeJiorani. 

[18 194]  In  the  conduct  of  the  revolution 
which  God  had  committed  to  his  hands,  Jehu 
displayed  as  much  wisdom  as  energy.  His  con- 
duct was  like  his  driving — "  he  drove  furiously  ;" 
but  the  times  demanded  it.  Dangerous  in  all 
cases  when  the  crisis  has  come,  hesitation  or 
delay  had  been  fatal  in  his.  Having — by  ap- 
pearing to  consult  them — won  the  favour  of  his 
companions  in  arms,  enlisted  them  in  his  cause, 
and  so  turned  into  partizans  those  who  might 
otherwise  have  been  rivals,  his  first  step  is  to 
catch  the  bird  in  the  nest.  He  must  seize  the 
king,  where  he  lay  in  Jezreel.  Should  tidings 
of  this  revolution  reach  him,  Joram  takes  the 
alarm  and  escapes  ;  so,  with  a  promptitude  that 
deserved  and  was  likely  to  secure  success,  Jehu 
hurries  trusty  men  to  the  gates  with  this  order  : 
"  Let  none  go  forth  nor  escape  out  of  the  city  to 
go  to  tell  it  in  Israel."  He  will  be  his  own 
messenger.  The  snake  rattles  before  it  strikes  ; 
but  the  lightning  strikes  before  it  thunders — 
whom  it  kills  never  hears  the  peal.  And  it  was 
with  the  suddenness  and  surprise  of  a  thunder- 
bolt Jehu  sought  to  launch  himself  on  the  head 
of  Joram.  So  the  cry  is.  To  horse,  to  horse  ! 
all  is  haste  and  bustle  ;  men  are  arming  ; 
women  are  weeping  ;  hasty  farewells  are  said; 
and  the  gate  thrown  open  at  his  approach,  out 
drives  Jehu  with  his  chosen  men  to  lash  his 
foaming  horses  along  the  road  that  lay,  a  day's 
march,  between  Jezreel  and  Ramoth  Gilead. — 
Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 

[18195]  Jehu  wastes  no  time,  nor  words,  upon 
the  king.  The  answer  has  hardly  left  his  lips 
when  an  arrow  leaves  his  bow  ;  and  swiftly 
cleaving  the  air,  directed  by  a  surer  hand  than 
his,  quivers  in  Joram's  heart.  He  dies.  The 
mother  speedily  follows,  treading  on  the  heels 
of  her  son.     Ere  another  hour  has  come,  this 


28o 

1819s — I820I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[jEHU. 


proud,  painted,  false,  treacherous,  cruel,  implac- 
able, bloody  woman,  flung  from  a  window  by 
her  slaves  in  answer  to  Jehu's  appeal,  Who  is  on 
my  side?  who?  is  turned  into  dog's  meat — the 
dogs  are  crunching  her  bones  on  the  streets  of 
Jezreel.  A  princess,  a  king's  daughter,  a  king's 
wife,  a  kmg's  mother,  what  a  fall  was  there  ! 
So  let  the  persecutors  of  the  righteous,  and  the 
iniquity  of  high  places  perish  ! — Ibid. 

(2)  In  his  slaughter  of  the  severity  sons  of 
Ahab. 

[18196]  Jehu  has  still  more  bloody  work  to  do  ; 
and  in  doing  it — as  when  the  lash  is  in  hand 
and  his  chariot  goes  bounding  on — "  he  driveth 
furiously."  His  eye  does  not  pity,  nor  his  hand 
spare,  till  he  has  emptied  the  last  drop  of  the 
vial  of  heaven's  vengeance  on  the  house  and 
seed  of  Ahab.  Seventy  sons  of  that  weak  and 
wicked  king  are  living  in  Samaria,  ready  to  fill 
the  vacant  throne,  and,  if  they  are  wanted, 
supply  kings  to  all  the  neighbouring  nations. 
These  cubs,  as  well  as  the  bear,  must  be  slain  ; 
these  saplings,  as  well  as  the  old  tree,  cut  down  ; 
nora  dropof  Ahab's  blood  be  left  in  a  living  vein. 
With  one  stroke  of  his  pen  Jehu  strikes  off  their 
heads.  A  letter,  couched  in  bitter  irony,  and 
borne  with  speed  to  Samaria,  challenges  its 
rulers,  adherents  of  the  house  of  Ahab,  to  setup 
the  best  and  bravest  of  the  seventy,  that  he  and 
Jehu  may  have  a  fair  fight  for  the  crown.  The 
proposal  fills  these  cowards  with  dismay.  "  Two 
kings  stood  not  before  him,"  they  said,  how 
then  shall  we  stand  ?  Honour,  oaths,  fidelity,  are 
given  to  the  wind.  False  to  their  God,  these 
men,  as  may  be  expected  of  all  false  to  Him, 
betray  their  trust.  False  to  their  masters,  they 
barter  their  lives  to  save  their  own  ;  and  seventy 
ghastly  heads  are  found  one  morning  piled  up 
by  the  gate  of  Jezreel.— /^/dT. 

(3)  hi    his    destructiojt    of  the    brethren    of 
Aviaziah. 

[18197]  Not  yet  appeased,  Naboth's  blood, 
and  that  of  the  righteous  whom  Jezebel  had 
slain,  still  cries  on  heaven  for  vengeance. 
Another  quarry  has  to  be  struck  down.  Two- 
and-forty  brethren  of  Amaziah,  king  of  Judah, 
whose  blood  was  tainted  with  that  of  Ahab,  are, 
unsuspecting  of  evil,  on  their  way  to  pay  a  visit 
to  their  cousins^those  whose  heads  are  bleach- 
ing in  the  sun  by  the  gate  of  Jezreel.  The 
cousins  meet,  but  not  in  this  world.  An  oppor- 
tune visit  for  Jehu  :  at  one  fell  sweep  he  en- 
closes the  whole  brood  in  his  net  ;  and  .  .  . 
Ahab  has  fulfilled  his  doom.  His  house  is  left 
unto  him  desolate  ;  cut  down  root  and  branch. 
—Ibid. 

(4)  In  his  plafi  for  puttins;  to  death  the  priests 
of  Baal. 

[  1 8198]  One  great  and  yet  bloodier  work  still 
waits  Jehu's  avenging  arm.  The  priests  and 
worshippers  of  Baal  must  be  destroyed.  For 
that  purpose,  and  for  such  a  sacrifice  as  was 
never  offered  in  the  idol's  temple,  he  has  a 
stroke  of  policy — a  coup  ^^M/~ arranged,  which 


only  a  man  with  cunning  as  profound  as  his 
daring  was  bold,  would  have  conceived  or 
ventured  on.  His  is  one  of  the  greatest,  boldest, 
bloodiest  plots  in  history  ;  and  he  is  on  his  way 
to  carry  it  into  execution,  and  so  finish  the  work 
God  had  given  him  to  do,  when  he  meets  Jona- 
dab,  the  son  of  Rechab.  Astute  enough  to  see 
that  though  he  held  a  Divine  commission  he 
must  neglect  the  use  of  no  means,  and  that  none 
was  more  likely  to  promote  his  object  than  the 
countenance  of  Jonadab— a  man  distinguished 
alike  for  his  patriotism  and  his  piety,  for  the 
severity  of  his  manners  and  the  universal  esteem 
of  the  people — Jehu  invites  him  to  a  seat  in  his 
chariot  ;  greeting  this  eminent  Israelite,  and 
original  founder  of  all  total  abstinence  societies, 
with  these  brave,  pious  words,  Come,  see  my 
zeal  for  the  Lord  ! — Ibid. 

2  He  was  apparently  governed  rather  by  am- 
bition for  his  personal  advancement  than 
by  zeal  for  the  honour  of  God. 

[18199]  Apparently  congenial  to  his  nature, 
he  found  in  his  mission  the  means  of  gratifying 
his  passions,  and  that  personal  ambition  which, 
rather  than  zeal  for  the  Lord,  was,  I  fear,  his 
animating,  ruling  principle.  We  would  not  deal 
unjustly,  nor  even  very  severely  by  him  ;  but 
when  he  had  reached  the  summit  of  his  ambi- 
tion, and,  leaving  a  bloody  footprint  on  every 
step,  had  climbed  to  the  throne,  where  was  the 
zeal  he  boasted  of — his  zeal  for  the  Lord  ?  It 
looks  as  if  he  had  all  along  been  consciously 
playing  a  part  ;  and,  finding  no  further  use  of 
it,  had  now  dropped  the  mask.  We  are  told 
that  "  he  took  no  heed  to  walk  in  the  law  of  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  with  all  his  heart,  but  de- 
parted not  from  the  sins  of  Jeroboam,  which 
made  Israel  to  sin." — Ibid. 

[18200]  It  may  be  that  Jehu  deceived  himself. 
We  are  unwilling  to  regard  him  as  a  hypo- 
crite :  and  it  is  certain  that  men — with  a  heart 
which  the  word  of  God  pronounces  to  be  de- 
ceitful above  all  things  as  well  as  desperately 
wicked — have  sometimes  deceived  themselves, 
more  than  the  most  famous  jugglers  or  impostors 
have  deceived  others.  And  what  made  it  easier 
for  Jehu  to  do  so  was  this,  that  the  reformation 
of  the  land  and  its  religious  interests  did  not 
conflict  with,  but  ratljer  ran  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  his  own  passions  and  ambition.  The 
public  interests  and  his  own  personal  objects 
were  in  dangerous  accord. — Ibid. 

II.  Summary  of  Char.^cter. 

[18201]  Jehu  was  one  of  those  quick,  ambi- 
tious men,  whom  God  raises  up  to  change  the 
fate  of  empires  and  execute  judgment  upon  the 
earth.  His  zeal  was  great  so  long  as  it  squared 
with  his  own  interests,  but  cooled  wonderfully 
when  directed  against  them.  He  was  not  a 
great  or  good  man,  but  an  agent  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  great  purposes.  In  his  sudden 
elevation  to  the  throne  ;  in  the  ruthlessness  with 
which  he  carried  out  his  purposes  ;  in  the  union 


i820i — 18205] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


2SI 

[ISAIAH. 


of  profound  dissimulation  with  fanatic  zeal,  he 
is  not  wilhout  his  likeness  in  modern  times. — 
y.  Wolfendale. 

III.  HoMiLETic.\L  Reflections. 

I  The  history  of  Jehu  furnishes  an  example 
of  fidelity  to  a  Divine  commission,  and  the 
reward  which  fidelity  inherits. 

[18202]  His  was  an  eye  looking  right  on,  an 
arm  ever  uplifted,  a  course  that  saw  nothing 
before  him  but  the  carrying  out  of  God's  word 
— "  Thou  shalt  smite  the  house  of  Ahab  thy 
master,  that  I  may  avenge  the  blood  of  my  ser- 
vants the  prophets,  and  the  blood  of  all  the 
servants  of  the  Lord,  at  the  hand  of  Jezebel." 
He  never  for  a  moment  looked  behind  till  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  had  finished  the  work  at  his 
hands — "  So  Jehu  slew  all  that  remained  of  the 
house  of  Ahab  in  Jezreel,  and  all  his  great  men, 
and  his  kinsfolk,  and  his  priests,  until  he  left 
him  none  remaining."  Oh  for  more  spiritual 
Jehus  !  Oh  for  more  of  such  faithfulness  unto 
death!  Now  mark  consecration's  reward  :  "And 
the  Lord  said  unto  Jehu,  Because  thou  hast 
done  well  in  executing  that  which  is  right  in 
Mine  eyes,  and  hast  done  unto  the  house  of 
Ahab  according  to  all  that  was  in  Mine  heart, 
thy  children  of  the  fourth  generation  shall  sit 
on  the  throne  of  Israel."  Here  the  faithful  one 
is  crowned.  Glory  rests  upon  him  and,  through 
him,  on  his  descendants.  "  I  will  give  thee  a 
crown  of  life  ;"     "  Him   that  overcometh  will 

1  grant  to  sit  with  Me  on  My  throne,  even  as  I 
also  overcame  and  am  set  down  with  My  Father 
in  His  throne."  Christian,  see  the  glory  that 
awaits  the  consecrated  life.  Is  this  life  thine? 
—Rev.  F.  Whitjidd. 

2  The  history  of  Jehu  suggests  the  necessity 
of  examining  into  the  real  grounds  and 
motives  of  apparent  religious  zeal. 

[18203]  Let  a  man  examine  himself,  says  an 
apostle  :  and  nothing  stands  more  in  need  of 
being  sifted,  analyzed,  and  tested  than  our  zeal 
for  the  Lord.  Have  not  men  preached  Christ 
for  contention  ?  Have  not  as  large  sacrifices 
been  otiered  at  the  shrine  of  party  as  were  ever 
laid  on  the  altar  of  principle  ?  Has  not  vanity 
often  had  fully  as  much  to  do  as  humanity  with 
raising  asylums  for  the  orphan,  the  houseless, 
and  the  sick — men  in  what  the  world  regards  as 
monuments  of  their  generosity  seeking  but  to 
gratify  their  ambition — a  monument  to  them- 
selves more  enduring  and  honourable  than  brass 
or  marble  ?  and  have  not  men  even  burned  at 
the  stake,  and  died  on  the  scaffold,  and  obtained 
a  place  for  their  names  on  the  roll  of  martyrs, 
with  no  higher  aim  than  that  earthly  glory  which 
the  soldier  seeks  in  the  deadly  breach  and  at 
the  cannon's  fiery  mouth?  I  do  not  say  that 
any  man's  motives  are  altogether  pure.  Such 
an  analysis  as  the  Searcher  of  hearts  could  make 
would  detect  what  was  "  of  the  earth  earthy  " 
in  our  noblest  sacrifices  and  most  holy  services. 
Our  wine  is  never  without  its  water,  nor  our 


silver  without  its  dross  ;  nor  we  less  entirely 
and  absolutely  dependent  on  the  mercy  of  God 
and  the  merits  of  His  Son  than  he  who,  when 
one  spoke  tb  him  of  his  good  works,  replied, 
I  take  my  good  works  and  my  bad  works,  and, 
casting  them  into  one  heap,  fly  from  both  to 
Christ — to  fall  at  His  feet,  crying,  Save  me, 
Lord,  I  perish.  Still,  when  zeal  for  our  own 
ends  and  interests  appears  so  like  zeal  for  God  ; 
when  the  counterfeit  bears  so  close  a  resem- 
blance to  good  money  that  it  needs  a  close  eye 
to  discern  the  difterence  and  detect  the  cheat  ; 
when  such  as,  in  their  natural  honesty,  would 
scorn  to  impose  on  others,  or  make  a  stalking- 
horse  of  religion,  may  impose  on  themselves  ; 
it  behoves  us  to  see  that  God,  and  not  self,  is 
the  centre  of  our  system  ;  and  that,  in  the  words 
of  the  apostle,  whether  we  eat  or  drink,  or 
whatsoever  we  do,  not  seeking  our  own  glory, 
we  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God.  —  Rev.  T. 
Ctiihrie,  D.D. 

[18204]  The  worst  passions  have  animated, 
and  the  most  shocking  crimes  been  committed 
by  such  as  have  said  with  Jehu,  Come,  see  my 
zeal  for  the  Lord  !  Paul  persecuted  the  Chris- 
tians ;  and  exceedingly  mad  against  them,  haled 
men  and  women  to  prison,  compelling  them  to 
blaspheme  ;  and  thought  the  while  that  he  did 
God  service.  Many  others  have  done  the  like. 
The  Inquisition,  with  all  its  unutterable  cruelty 
and  bloody  horrors,  sprung  from  religious  zeal — 
of  a  kind.  If  zeal  has  bravely  borne  the  fires 
of  the  stake,  zeal  also  has  kindled  them — all  the 
difference  in  some  cases  between  the  martyr 
whose  memory  we  revere  and  his  murderers 
whose  names  we  load  with  infamy  this,  in  the 
one  case  the  zeal  was,  and  in  the  other  it  was 
not,  according  to  knowledge.  Excellent  property 
as  it  is,  when  committed  to  such  poor  earthen 
vessels  as  we  are,  zeal  is  apt  to  turn  acrid  and 
sour.  We  have  need,  therefore,  when  most 
zealous  for  the  Lord,  or  fancy  ourselves  to  be 
so,  to  see  what  spirit  we  are  of.  Are  the  objects 
we  aim  at,  and  the  means  we  use  to  accom- 
plish them,  such  as  God  approves  ? — Ibid. 


ISAIAH. 

I.  His  Character. 
I       He  was  of  a  contemplative  habit. 

[18205]  It  is  not  aviolation  of  probability  that 
Isaiah,  after  the  death  of  Hezekiah,  being  an  old 
man,  withdrew  much  from  public  life  ;  that  he 
saw  and  felt  there  was  little  hope  of  producing 
reform  during  the  impious  career  of  Manasseh  ; 
and  that  in  the  distress  and  anguish  of  his  soul 
he  gave  himself  up  to  the  contemplation  of  the 
happier  times  which  should  yet  occur  under  the 
reign  of  the  Messiah.  It  was  during  this  period, 
probably,  that  he  composed  the  latter  part  of 
his  prophecies  from  the  fortieth  to  the  sixtieth 


282 

18205— i82o8] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ISAIAH. 


chapter.  The  nation  was  full  of  wickedness. 
An  impious  prince  was  on  the  throne  ;  purity 
was  banished,  and  the  friends  of  Jehovah  were 
bleeding  in  Jerusalem.  In  this  dark  and  disas- 
trous period  he  seems  to  have  withdrawn  him- 
self from  the  consideration  of  the  joyless  pre- 
sent, and  to  have  given  his  mind  to  the  contem- 
plation of  future  scenes.  He  thinks  and  feels 
and  acts  as  if  in  that  period.  His  mind  is  full 
of  the  contemplation,  and  he  pours  out,  in  de- 
scribing it,  the  most  elevated  language  and  the 
most  sublime  poetry.  It  was  in  meditations 
such  as  these,  we  suppose,  that  he  passed  the 
close  of  his  life,  and  in  such  visions  of  the 
glorious  future  that  he  sought  a  refuge  from  the 
gloom  and  despondency  which  must  have  filled 
a  pious  mind  during  the  early  part  of  the  reign 
of  the  impious  and  bloodthirsty  Manasseh. 
These  contemplations,  we  remember,  were  under 
the  teaching  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  but  they  show 
the  previous  bent  and  habit  of  the  prophet's 
mind. — Rev.  J".  Stonghtoii. 

2      He  was  a  lover  of  peace. 

[18206]  He  dwells,  indeed,  on  the  character  of 
the  Messiah,  as  a  conqueror,  as  coming  from 
the  winepress,  as  trampling  on  his  enemies  with 
fury,  as  staining  his  raiment, — feeling  very 
plainly  that  contlict  must  come  before  peace  ; 
that  justice  must  do  its  work  before  mercy  can 
have  its  reign  ;  that  before  that  bright  age,  which 
we  call  the  millennium,  there  must  be  over- 
turning after  overturning.  But  looking  on  the 
peaceful  sway  of  Christ  as  the  reward  of  a 
victory  involving  a  terrible  contest,  with  what 
intense  delight  does  he  dwell  on  the  dominion 
of  love  and  the  epoch  of  repose  !  From  what 
a  heart  full  of  manly  emotion  —  awakening 
sympathy  in  our  own — does  that  picture  of 
tranquillity  come  after  the  announcement  of 
Him  who  "shall  smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of 
His  mouth,"  and  who  "  with  the  breath  of  His 
lips  shall  slay  the  wicked."  "The  wolf  also 
shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall 
lie  down  with  the  kid  ;  and  the  calf  and  the 
young  lion  and  the  fatling  together  ;  and  a  little 
child  shall  lead  them.  And  the  cow  and  the 
bear  shall  feed  ;  their  young  ones  shall  lie 
down  together  :  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw 
like  the  ox.  And  the  sucking  child  shall  play 
on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned  child 
shall  put  his  hand  on  the  cockatrice'  den.  They 
shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  My  holy  moun- 
tain :  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 
Though  Isaiah  saw  that  war  might  be  a  stern 
necessity,  though  he  felt  that  only  through  con- 
flict of  some  kind  in  this  world  can  peace  be 
got  at;  though  he  acquiesced  in  Divine  judg- 
ments, and  preached  and  upheld  the  righteous- 
ness of  God  in  the  miseries  ot  men — yet  it  was 
on  the  reign  of  peace,  on  the  moral  repose  after 
the  conflict,  on  the  love  of  God  and  the  love  of 
man  which  are  to  shine  when  the  judgments 
are  over,  that  the  prophet's  spirit  rested  as  its 
desired  haven,  its  glad  home. — Ibid. 


3       He   was   the  possessor   of  wide-reaching 
sympathies. 

[18207]  He  was  a  Jew.  He  was  a  patriot.  He 
loved  his  country.  You  see  it  in  every  page. 
His  soul  was  bound  up  in  its  welfare.  He  felt 
for  its  calamities,  he  exulted  in  the  prospect  of 
its  returning  prosperity.  He  trusted  in  God 
and  did  not  despair  of  it,  and  came  forth  a 
moral  hero  for  its  help  when  the  hearts  of  king 
and  people  were  "  as  trees  moved  with  the 
wind."  With  the  patriotism  of  a  son  of  Israel 
he  uttered  prophecies  against  other  countries  ; 
he  meant  them,  as  God  did,  for  the  good  of  his 
country,  for  the  warning,  and  yet  for  the  en- 
couragement of  the  chosen  nation.  Does  not 
patriotism,  too,  throb  with  piety  when  he  records 
the  vow,  "  For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not  hold  my 
peace,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not  rest, 
until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as 
brightness,  and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a  lamp 
that  burneth  "  ?  Yet  with  this  patriotism  there 
blended  the  most  expansive  sympathies.  You 
see  no  bigotry  in  Isaiah,  no  hatred  of  other 
countries  and  other  men.  Rising  superior  to 
his  age  and  race,  he  had  a  heart  to  take  in 
Gentile  as  well  as  Jew.  He  saw  the  wall  of 
division  thrown  down,  and  exulted  in  its  over- 
throw. Again  and  again  he  spoke  of  the 
Gentiles  as  admitted  to  God's  Church,  and  it  is 
almost  with  these  words  that  he  ended  his 
ministry  :  "  It  shall  come,  that  I  will  gather  all 
nations  and  tongues  ;  and  they  shall  come  and 
see  my  glory.  They  shall  bring  all  your  brethren 
for  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  out  of  all  nations, 
as  the  children  of  Israel  bring  an  offering  in  a 
clean  vessel  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.  And 
I  will  also  take  of  them  for  priests  and  for 
Levites,  saith  the  Lord." — Ibid. 


II.  His  Call. 

I       It  was  directly  from  God,  and  its  vehicle 
was  a  vision  of  awe-inspiring  grandeur. 

[18208]  The  Divine  appearance  is  most 
august,  and  the  scenery  most  grand  ;  in  order, 
no  doubt,  to  impress  on  the  prophet,  and 
through  him  on  the  people,  a  sense  of  the  high 
authority  which  stamped  his  prophetic  life  and 
labours.  Not  simply  as  orator  or  poet,  as  a 
man  of  surpassing  genius,  having  wonderful 
powers  of  tiiought  and  expression,  who  could 
vary  his  modes  of  address  in  numerous  ways, 
and  excel  in  all  ;  not  simply  as  a  gifted  man, 
with  a  mind  of  many  coloured  hues  of  beauty 
and  glory,  did  Isaiah  appear  before  the  people  ; 
but,  as  a  man  of  God — a  servant  of  the  Most 
High,  receiving  and  delivering  messages  by 
immediate  inspiration.  It  was  not  simply  the 
music  of  his  song  and  the  force  of  his  eloquence 
that  established  his  claim  to  attention  ;  not 
merely  as  a  Homer  or  a  Demosthenes  that  he 
charmed  the  imagination  or  "  wielded  the  demo- 
cracy," but  it  was  as  a  minister  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  specially  and  miraculously  appointed, 
with  lips  touched  by  "  a  live  coal  off  the  altar  " 
of  altars,   that   Isaiah    stood   in    the   court    of 


i82o8— 18212] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


283 

[iSAIAH. 


kings,  or  preached  to  a  concourse  of  the  people. 
—Ibid. 

2  It  was  accompanied  by  Divine  grace, 
which  was  thus  united  to  the  high  natural 
endowments  of  the  prophet. 

[18209]  His  natural  endowments  ever,  be  it  ob- 
served— only  prior  endowments  from  God — fitted 
him  for  this  vision  and  his  whole  work.  Upon 
the  principle  that  he  would  never  lose  sight  of 
that,  there  was  harm<iny  between  the  constitution 
and  habits  of  the  prophet's  mind  and  the  cha- 
racter and  form  of  the  revelations  he  received  ;  it 
was  the  pure,  bright,  lofty  imagination  of  Isaiah, 
an  imagination  not  used  merely  to  the  grouping 
of  natural  objects,  as  the  exponents  of  spiritual 
thought,  but  familiar  with  the  temple  scenes  of 
worship,  and  employing  its  architecture  and  its 
adornments,  its  symbols  and  its  songs,  as  steps 
to  rise  to  heavenly  things,  as  notes  by  which  to 
indicate  the  beauty  and  glory  of  God  :  it  was 
that  imagination  of  his,  wont  to  be  so  sacredly 
employed,  which  capacitated  and  trained  him 
for  the  reception  of  this  symbolical  discovery 
of  God's  majesty,  holiness,  and  condescension. 
It  was  that  imagination  which  throughout  his  life 
served  for  the  warp  to  be  crossed  by  the  woof 
of  inspired  impulses,  covering  it  with  patterns 
of  manifold  dyes.  An  intellect  penetrating  and 
comprehensive,  a  character  firm,  strong,  bold, 
brave,  fitted  him  to  do  the  great  work  God 
called  him  to  accomplish  ;  and  the  Father  of 
spirits  having  gifted  him  with  all  he  needed  by 
nature,  superadded  all  that  was  wanted  by 
grace.  "  Then  flew  one  of  the  seraphim  unto 
me,  having  a  live  coal  in  his  hand,  which  he 
had  taken  with  the  tongs  from  off  the  altar,  and 
he  laid  it  upon  my  mouth,  and  said,  Lo,  this 
hath  touched  thy  lips  ;  and  thine  iniquity  is 
taken  away,  and  thy  sin  purged.  Also  I  heard 
the  voice  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Whom  shall  I 
send,  and  who  will  go  for  us?  Then  said  I, 
Here  am  I  ;  send  me." — Ibid. 

3  It  was  responded  to  by  the  prophet  with 
the  utmost  readiness  and  the  deepest 
humility. 

[18210]  Deeply  abased  by  the  sense  of  his 
own  unworthiness  and  exceeding  sinfulness, 
Isaiah  yet  hesitates  not  for  a  moment  to  respond 
to  the  Divine  call.  With  a  prompt  alacrity, 
that  reminds  us  of  Abraham's,  "  Here  am  I," 
the  prophet  waits  not  for  another  volunteer  to 
offer  himself.  Ignorant  of  the  arduous  nature 
of  the  enterprise  to  which  he  may  be  called, 
yet  feeling  safe  in  the  conviction  that  the  call  is 
a  Divine  one,  the  question, "Whom  shall  I  send, 
and  who  will  go  for  us .'' "  is  scarcely  asked 
before  the  answer  springs  to  Isaiah's  lips, 
"  Here  am  I  ;  send  me." — AI.  J. 

[1S211]  It  is  not  of  the  inferiority  of  the 
human  mind,  and  of  the  cloudless  height  and 
power  of  the  Divine  mind,  that  Isaiah  is  here 
led  to  think  so  much,  as  of  his  own  sinfulness 
and  of   God's  holiness.      The  moral  humility 


ever  goes  lower  than  the  intellectual.  A  sense 
of  sin  brings  us  down  more  than  a  sense  of 
ignorance.  .  .  .  Isaiah  hears  the  angelic  anti- 
phone,  ..."  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord 
of  hosts  :  "  and  the  pureness,  and  truth,  and 
equity,  and  justice,  and  love,  and  faithfulness  of 
God,  thus  expanded  and  revolved  before  the 
prophet's  thoughts,  lead  him  to  ponder,  on  the 
principle  of  contrast,  his  own  ways,  and  his  own 
heart,  and  he  exclaims,  "  Woe  is  me  !  for  I  am 
undone  ;  because  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips, 
and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people  of  unclean 
lips,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the 
Lord  of  hosts." — Rev.  J.  Stoiighton. 

III.  His  Mission. 

It  was  a  ministry  of  condemnation,  and  con- 
sequently of  depression,  yet  its  darkness 
was  relieved  by  one  ray  of  light. 

[18212]  He  is  forewarned  of  the  forlorn  hope- 
lessness of  his  mission.  The  louder  and  more 
earnest  is  his  cry,  the  less  will  they  hear  and 
understand  —  the  more  clearly  he  sets  the 
vision  of  truth  before  them,  the  less  will 
they  see.  "  Make  the  heart  of  this  people 
gross,  and  make  their  ears  heavy,  and  shut 
their  eyes,  lest  they  see  with  their  eyes,  and 
hear  with  their  ears,  and  understand  with  their 
heart,  and  be  converted  and  healed."  These 
mournful  words,  well  known  to  us  through  their 
fivefold  repetition  in  the  New  Testament  as  the 
description  of  the  Jewish  people  in  its  latest 
stage  of  decay,  Avere  doubtless  true  in  the 
highest  degree  of  that  wayward  generation  to 
which  Isaiah  was  called  to  speak.  His  spirit 
sank  within  him,  and  he  asked,  "  O  Lord,  how 
long?"  The  reply  unfolded  at  once  the  darker 
and  the  brighter  side  of  the  future.  Not  till 
successive  invasions  had  wasted  the  cities,  not 
till  the  houses  had  been  left  without  a  human 
being  within  them,  not  till  the  land  had  been 
desolate  with  desolation,  would  a  better  hope 
dawn  ;  not  till  the  invasions  of  Pekah  and 
Sennacherib  had  done  their  work,  not  till  ten 
out  of  the  twelve  tribes  had  been  removed  far 
away,  and  there  should  have  been  a  great  for- 
saking in  the  midst  of  the  land,  would  he  be 
relieved  from  the  necessity  of  delivering  his 
stern  but  fruitless  warnings  against  the  idolatry, 
the  dulness,  the  injustice  of  his  people.  But 
widely-spread  and  deeply-seated  as  was  the 
national  corruption,  there  was  still  a  sound 
portion  left,  which  would  live  on  and  flourish. 
As  the  aged  oak  or  terebinth  of  Palestine  may 
be  shattered,  and  cut  down  to  the  very  roots, 
and  yet  out  of  the  withered  stump  a  new  shoot 
may  spring  forth,  and  grow  into  a  mighty  and 
vigorous  tree,  so  is  the  holy  seed,  the  faithful 
few,  of  the  chosen  people.  This  is  the  true 
consolation  of  all  ecclesiastical  history.  It  is 
a  thought  which  is  but  little  recognized  in  its 
I  earlier  and  ruder  stages,  when  the  inward  and 
outward  are  easily  confounded  together.  But 
it  is  the  very  message  of  life  to  a  more  refined 
and  complex  age,  and  it  was  the  key-note  to  the 
whole  of  Isaiah's  prophecies. — Dean  Sta>tley. 


284 

18213 — i82i6] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[iSAIAH. 


IV.  His  Prophecies. 

1  They  are  remarkable  for  their  evangelical 

simplicity. 

[18213]  He  was  at  once  "great  and  faithful," 
in  his  "vision."  Nothing  escapes  him  in  the 
events  of  his  time.  The  older  prophetic 
writings  are  worked  up  by  him  into  his  own 
words.  He  does  not  break  with  the  past.  He 
is  not  ashamed  of  building  on  the  foundation  of 
those  who  have  gone  before  him.  All  that 
there  is  of  general  instruction  in  Joel,  Micah, 
or  Amos,  is  reproduced  in  Isaiah.  But  his 
style  has  its  own  marked  peculiarity  and  novelty. 
The  fierce  impassioned  addresses  of  Joel  and 
Nahum,  the  abrupt  strokes,  the  contorted  turns  of 
Hosea  and  Amos,  give  way  to  something  more 
of  a  continuous  flow,  where  stanza  succeeds  to 
stanza,  and  canto  to  canto,  with  almost  a  natural 
sequence.  Full  of  imagery  as  is  his  poetry,  it 
still  has  a  simplicity  which  was  at  that  time  so 
rare  as  to  provoke  the  satire  of  the  more 
popular  prophets.  They,  pushing  to  excess  the 
nervous  rhetoric  of  their  predecessors,  could 
not  bear,  as  they  expressed  it,  to  be  treated  like 
children.  "Whom  shall  he  teach  knowledge, 
and  whom  shall  he  make  to  understand  doctrine  } 
Them  that  are  weaned  from  the  milk,  and 
drawn  from  the  breasts  !  "  Those  constant  re- 
currences of  the  general  truths  of  spiritual 
rehgion,  majestic  in  their  plainness,  seemed  to 
them  mere  commonplace  repetitions  ; — "  pre- 
cept upon  precept,  precept  upon  precept,  line 
upon  line,  line  upon  line,  here  a  little,  there  a 
little."  It  is  the  universal  complaint  of  the 
shallow  inflated  rhetoricians  of  the  professedly 
religious  world  against  original  genius  and 
apostolic  simplicity,  the  complaint  of  the 
babblers  of  Ephesus  against  St.  John,  the  pro- 
test of  all  scholastic  and  pedantic  systems 
against  the  freeness  and  the  breadth  of  a 
greater  than  John  or  Isaiah. — Ibid. 

2  They  are  remarkable  for  their  high  degree 
of  evangelical  inspiration. 

[182 14]  To  him  with  a  distinctness  which 
makes  all  other  anticipations  look  pale  in  com- 
parison, a  distinctness  which  grew  with  his  ad- 
vancing years,  was  revealed  the  coming  of  a  Son 
of  David,  who  should  restore  the  royal  house  of 
Judah  and  gather  the  nations  under  its  sceptre. 
If  some  of  these  predictions  belong  to  that 
phase  of  the  Israelite  hope  of  an  earthly  empire, 
which  was  doomed  to  disappointment  and  re- 
versal, yet  the  larger  part  point  to  a  glory 
which  has  been  more  than  realized.  Lineament 
after  lineament  of  that  Divine  Ruler  was 
gradually  drawn  by  Isaiah  or  his  scholars,  until 
at  last  a  Figure  stands  forth,  so  marvellously 
combined  of  power  and  gentleness  and  suffering, 
as  to  present  in  the  united  proportions  of  his 
descriptions  the  moral  features  of  an  historical 
Person,  such  as  has  been,  by  universal  con- 
fession, known  once,  and  once  only,  in  the  sub- 
sequent annals  of  the  world.— Ibid. 

[18215]    Others,   indeed,   saw    something   of 


New  Testament  times  :  he  saw  more.  He 
has  been  called  a  fifth  evangelist — more  justly 
may  he  be  called  the  first.  He  received 
in  the  greatest  fulness,  before  the  Christian 
era,  gospel  revelations  ;  no  doubt  he  was 
pre-eminent  for  his  evangelical  spirit.  That 
he  fully  comprehended  all  that  he  uttered 
respecting  Messiah  and  His  kingdom,  it  would 
probably  be  going  too  far  to  say  ;  but  that  he 
was  a  diligent  inquirer  and  searcher  into  "  what 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  him  did 
signify,"  we  well  know.  He  caught  some  ex- 
perimental glimpses  of  gospel  truth.  Like 
Abraham,  but  with  still  greater  keenness  of 
vision,  he  saw  the  day  of  Christ  afar  off;  "  he 
saw  it  and  was  glad."  We  remark  the  compre- 
hensive range  of  his  evangelical  faith.  Guided 
by  the  Spirit,  he  took  in  and  pondered  the 
leading  particulars  of  Christ's  person,  history, 
and  work.  He  was  enabled  to  contemplate 
Him,  as  a  child  born,  as  a  son  given,  as  a  rod 
out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse,  as  a  branch  growing 
out  of  his  roots,  and  also  as  Wonderful,  Coun- 
sellor, the  mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father, 
and  the  Prince  of  Peace.  He  speaks  of  His 
teaching  and  of  His  miracles — of  His  life  and  of 
His  death  ;  fully  and  with  wonderful  exactitude 
does  he  portray  His  sufferings,  and  with  unmis- 
takable distinctness  declare  their  sacrificial 
nature.  He  proclaims  Messiah  as  Prophet, 
Priest,  and  King,  and  especially  amplifies,  under 
a  variety  of  the  most  beautiful  images,  the  glory 
and  blessedness  of  His  reign.  And  as  his  eye 
sweeps  over  this  range  of  evangelical  truth— as 
he  seems  as  if  reading  beforehand  the  pages  of 
the  New  Testament,  we  wonder  not  at  his  clear 
recognition  of  a  future  life,  of  the  living  again 
of  the  dead,  of  the  dwellers  in  the  dust  awaken- 
ing to  sing,  of  a  freshness  of  life  covering  them 
like  the  dew  of  herbs.  The  knowledge  of  a 
resurrection  and  a  blessed  immortality  seems 
inseparably  related  to  the  knowledge  of  a 
Saviour,  without  whom  there  could  be  no  resur- 
rection, and  future  existence  could  not  be  life, 
but  everlasting  death.  And  therefore  we  see 
how  to  the  man  before  whom  there  was  lifted 
up  the  veil  of  futurity,  to  behold  the  Messiah 
so  distinctly— there  was  also  lifted  up  the  veil 
for  the  beholding  of  immortalfty.  —  Rev.  J. 
Stoughton. 

3       They  are  remarkable  for  their  vivid  appre- 
hension of  evangelical  doctrine. 

[18216]  How  clearly  he  seems  to  see,  for 
example,  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement  of 
Christ.  .  .  .  He  saw  the  simple  but  glorious 
truth  in  a  rudimentary  form,  that  "all  we  like 
sheep  have  gone  astray,  and  we  have  turned 
every  one  to  his  own  way  ;  and  the  Lord  hath 
laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of  us  all."  How  touch- 
ingly,  because  experimentally,  does  he  put  it — 
how  like  a  man  who  felt  it — '■'■  All  we'" — identi- 
fying himself  with  all  Israel,  all  the  human 
race  with  the  whole  world  of  unclean  lips — "all 
we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray  ;  we  have  ttirned 
every  one  " — individualizing  as  well  as  general- 


i82i6 — 18221"! 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[ISAIAH. 


izing,  looking  distinctly  at  his  own  sins,  while 
he  felt  that  depravity  was  universal  —  "we 
have  turned  every  one  to  his  own  way  ;  and  the 
Lord  hath  laid  on  Him" — on  Him,  the  holy  and 
patient  One — "  hath  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of 
Its" — connecting  Himself  and  the  people  as  the 
object  of  His  wonderful  atoning  sacrifice — "  the 
iniquity  of  its  all." — Ibid. 


4      They  are  remarkable  for  their  full  assur- 
ance of  evangelical  faith. 

[18217]  Sceptics  have  doubted  whether  cer- 
tain prophecies  in  this  book  could  have  been 
written  till  after  the  events  they  referred  to  had 
taken  place,  because  he  speaks  of  them  as  if 
they  were  past.  No  one  can  doubt  whether 
Isaiah  wrote  before  Christ's  coming  and  king- 
dom ;  yet  he  speaks  of  Him  as  present,  and  of 
His  work  as  done.  In  this  we  see  the  full  assur- 
ance of  his  faith.  He  had  been  taught  by 
Divine  inspiration  what  was  determined  by 
God  :  he  therefore  looked  upon  it  as  good  as 
done.  He  had  the  belief  which  brings  the 
distant  nigh  ;  which  plants  its  foot  on  revelation, 
and,  towering  above  the  point  of  earthly  vision, 
looks  at  objects  in  the  light  of  the  Divine  pre- 
science, "and  calleth  those  things  which  be  not 
as  though  they  were."  With  such  faith  may  we 
look  on  things  promised  by  God  as  already 
done  ;  our  victory  over  all  our  enemies  as 
already  achieved  ;  our  safety  within  the  heavenly 
temple  as  already  secured  ;  on  the  resurrection 
of  the  body  as  already  accomplished ;  on  the 
days  of  a  glorious  eternity  as  already  come.  Yes  ; 
for  with  God  to  will  and  to  do  are  virtually  the 
same  :  and  it  must  be,  "  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  it." — Ibid. 


V.  His  Traditional  End. 

[18218]  It  is  said  that  Isaiah  died  a  martyr. 
The  tradition  is  that  he  was  sawn  asunder. 
Commentators  suppose  that  Paul  refers  to  him 
when  he  says  of  the  Old  Testament  samts,  they 
"  had  trial  of  mockings  and  scourgings,  yea, 
moreover  of  bonds  and  imprisonment  :  they 
were  stoned,  t'fiey  were  sawn  asunder."  This 
horrid  martyrdom  is  considered  to  have  taken 
place  in  the  reign  of  Manasseh,  who  made  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem  to  run  down  with  blood. 
But  Isaiah  has  had  more  than  two  thousand 
years  of  holy,  happy  life  since  then  ;  for  "  God 
is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living  : 
for  all  live  unto  Him."  In  the  contemplation 
of  the  glorious  future  he  now  rests  in  the  bosom 
of  Abraham,  waiting  for  the  resurrection  of  the 
holy  dead.  If  retired  on  earth  he  had  such 
absorbing  visions  of  Christ's  kingdom,  what 
visions  must  he  now  have  among  the  retired 
saints  in  heaven  !  What  a  place  for  contem- 
plation is  that  !  What  teaching,  what  inspira- 
tion and  helps  to  thought  are  there  !  What  a 
perfect  absence  of  all  that  darkens  and  agitates  ! 
—Ibid. 


VI.    HOMILETICAL   HINTS. 

1  The  prophet  Isaiah,  being  emphatically 
the  evangelical  prophet,  appeals  to  men 
in  his  writings  with  the  power  of  the 
gospel. 

[182 1 9]  How  well  may  he  be  called  the  evan- 
gelical prophet,  who  provides  us  with  so  many 
texts  for  gospel  sermons  ;  whose  words  so  often 
point  our  appeals,  and  wing  our  exhortations, 
and  have  been  found  many  a  time  full  of  com- 
fort for  broken  hearts,  pining  away  in  sin  and 
poverty,  in  the  workhouse  or  the  hospital.  "  It 
was  very  early,"  says  a  simple  narrative  of  a 
poor  young  man  named  Thomas,  who  had  been 
a  thief  and  in  prison,  and  was  now  in  an  in- 
firmary approaching  his  end — "  It  was  very 
early  on  the  last  morning  of  July,  when  a  rough 
sawyer,  who  lay  in  the  same  ward,  heard  the 
feeble  voice  of  Thomas  calling  upon  him  ;  he 
got  up  and  went  to  his  bed.  'Jim,'  he  said, 
'  read  a  piece  of  the  Bible  to  me — Isaiah  Iv.,  if 
you  can  find  it.'  The  sawyer  found  it,  and  read 
on  till  he  came  to  the  8th  verse  ;  when  the  sick 
youth  stopped  him,  saying,  'Jim,  think  of  thcni 
two  verses,  "Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  He  may 
be  found,  call  ye  upon  Him  while  He  is  near  : 
let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  un- 
righteous man  his  thoughts  :  and  let  him  return 
unto  the  Lord,  and  He  will  have  mercy  upon 
him  ;  and  to  our  God,  for  He  will  abundantly 
pardon."  Jim,  that's  good  news  for  us,  and  that 
comforts  me;'  then  clasping  his  hands,  he 
continued,  '  I  am  happy  ;  I  never  thought  I 
should  feel  like  this  ;  it  seems  so  easy  to  die.'" 
Isaiah  teaches  people  to  die  easy,  because  he 
preaches  the  gospel  so  fully. — Ibid. 

[18220]  No  other  prophet  is  so  frequently 
cited  in  the  New  Testament,  for  none  other  so 
nearly  comes  up  to  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  the 
apostles.  No  other  single  teacher  of  the  Jewish 
Church  has  so  worked  his  way  into  the  heart  of 
Christendom.  When  Augustine  asked  Ambrose 
which  of  the  sacred  books  was  best  to  be  studied 
after  his  conversion,  the  answer  was  "  Isaiah." 
The  greatest  musical  composition  of  modern 
times,  embodying  more  than  any  single  con- 
fession of  faith  the  sentiments  of  the  whole 
Christian  Church,  is  based  in  far  the  larger  part 
on  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah.  The  wild  tribes 
of  New  Zealand  seized  his  magnificent  strains 
as  if  belonging  to  their  own  national  songs,  and 
chanted  them  from  hill  to  hill  with  all  the  de- 
light of  a  newly  discovered  treasure. — Dea7i 
Stanley. 

2  The  prophet  Isaiah  as  an  example  of  the 
culture  of  contemplation  reminds  us  that 
a  contemplative  habit  is  the  growth  of 
time  and  discipline. 

[18221]  A  contemplative  habit  is  not  a  gourd 
which  grows  up  in  a  night  ;  it  is  of  growth  as 
slow  as  it  is  rich  of  fruitage.  Time,  care,  dis- 
cipline, and  supplication  must  be  given  to  it. 
It  will  more  than  repay  the  sacrifice  of  worldly 
things.     Rich  returns  will  come  out  of  the  mean 


286 

l822I — 18226] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEREMIAH. 


investments.  In  this  sense,  Isaiah's  beautiful 
words  shall  be  fulfilled,  "  For  brass  I  will  bring 
gold,  and  for  iron  I  will  bring  silver,  and  for 
wood  brass,  and  for  stones  iron."  In  this  sense, 
too,  the  bread-corn  cast  on  the  waters  shall  be 
found  after  many  days.  The  business  habits 
and  demands  of  the  age  are  unfavourable  to  the 
formation  and  culture  of  contemplative  habits  ; 
but  those  who  value  things  according  to  their 
true  worth,  will,  at  all  sacrifices,  attend  to  that 
self-training  which  will  yield  them  harvests  of 
comfort  in  old  age,  in  times  of  trouble,  and  on 
the  bed  of  death.  It  is  ever  the  way  of  the 
world  to  cast  men  off  when  they  need  soothing  : 
it  is  ever  the  way  of  religion  to  fold  the  weary 
to  its  heart.  Wise  and  happy  they,  who  in  life's 
fresh  morning,  and  at  busy  noon,  cultivate 
friendship  with  meditative  faith,  that  when  even- 
ing comes,  and  the  soul  is  weary  of  the  world's 
rude  noise  and  tumult,  faith  may  open  a  window 
into  the  blessed  future,  whence  there  come 
breezes  to  cheer  the  spirits,  and  where  there 
open  prospects  to  charm  the  soul. — Rev.  J. 
Stous:hton. 


JEREMIAH. 

I.  Introductory. 

I       State  of  Judah  at  the  period  of  Jeremiah's 
ministry. 

[18222]  The  whole  Jewish  nation  was  falling 
to  pieces  from  its  own  sins.  Brutish  and  filthy 
idolatry  in  high  and  low — oppression,  violence, 
and  luxury  among  the  court  and  the  nobility — 
shame,  and  poverty,  and  ignorance  among  the 
lower  classes — idleness  and  quackery  among  the 
priesthood — and  as  kings  over  all,  one  fool  and 
profligate  after  another,  set  on  the  throne  by  a 
foreign  conqueror,  and  pulled  down  again  by 
him  at  his  pleasure.  Ten  out  of  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel  had  been  carried  off  captive, 
young  and  old,  into  a  distant  land.  The  small 
portion  of  country  which  still  remained  inhabited 
round  Jerusalem,  had  been  overrun  again  and 
again  by  cruel  armies  of  heathens.  Without 
Jerusalem  was  waste  and  ruins,  bloodshed  and 
wretchedness  ;  within  every  kind  of  iniquity  and 
lies,  division  and  confusion.  If  ever  there  was 
a  miserable  and  contemptible  people  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth,  it  was  the  Jewish  nation  in 
Jeremiah's  time. — Rev.  C.  Kingsley. 

[18223]  Politically,  the  nation  was  rapidly 
approaching  its  ruin,  during  the  forty  years  over 
which  the  prophet's  mission  extended  :  for  mor- 
ally it  \yas  in  a  state  of  hopeless  and  incurable 
corruption.  It  is  with  nations,  as  with  indi- 
viduals :  the  process  of  descent  is  rapid,  the 
upward  process  of  recovery  is  difficult  and  slow  : 
and  if  it  was  true  in  Isaiah's  time  that  "  the 
whole  head  was  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint ;  " 
still  more  true  was  this  of  a  people,  who  had 
joined  greedily  in   the  cruelties  of  Manasseh, 


and  had  abandoned  the  worship  of  Jehovah  for 
that  of  Baal  and  Astarte. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bay  ley, 
B.D. 

2       State   of   the    neighbouring   chief  powers 
at  the  period  of  Jeremiah's  ministry. 

[18224]  At  the  time  of  Jeremiah's  entrance 
upon  public  life,  the  strength  of  Assyria  was 
rapidly  diminishing,  whilst  Egypt  had  lately 
grown  into  a  first-rate  power.  The  Jewish 
statesmen  were  not  slow  to  see  the  political 
importance  of  a  close  alliance  with  Egypt. 
The  youthful  Jeremiah  vehemently  opposed  this 
policy  apparently,  .  .  .  because  ...  it  was  a 
violation  of  the  principle  of  the  theocracy,  .  .  . 
and  .  .  .  because  he  foresaw  with  keen  pro- 
phetic insight  that  although  the  power  of  Assyria 
was  on  the  wane,  a  new  power,  that  of  Babylon, 
was  about  to  take  its  place,  before  which  that 
of  Egypt  must  give  way. — Ibid. 

II.  His  Call. 

[18225]  It  was  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  Jo- 
siah's  reign  that  "  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to 
Jeremiah.''  Two  symbols  were  shown  him,  by 
which  he  learned  the  main  purpose  and  scope 
of  his  mission.  By  the  first,  the  branch  of  an 
almond  tree  (Jer.  i.  11,  12),  he  was  taught  that 
judgment  was  awake  in  the  land.  The  time  of 
forbearance  had  passed.  Judah  must  make  her 
choice,  or  her  doom  would  be  irrevocable. 
For,  secondly,  by  the  symbol  of  the  seething 
caldron  (chap.  i.  13),  the  prophet  learned  that 
a  great  national  calamity  was  about  to  break 
over  his  country  from  the  north  ;  that  his  func- 
tion was  to  proclaiin  the  coming  woe  ;  and  that, 
whatever  comfort  he  might  minister  to  indi- 
vidual penitents,  his  ministry  to  the  nation  was 
to  be  one  of  judgment  :  "  See,  I  have  this  day 
set  thee  over  the  nations  and  over  the  kingdoms, 
to  root  out  and  to  throw  down,  to  destroy  and 
to  tear  in  pieces  "  (chap  i.  10,  "  Speaker's  Com- 
mentary "). — Ibid. 

III.  His  Ministry. 

I       It  was  one  of  denunciation  and  condem- 
nation. 

[18226]  The  mission  of  Jeremiah  differed 
widely  from  that  of  Isaiah  and  the  earlier  pro- 
phets. That  unshaken  belief  in  the  invincibility 
of  Jerusalem  which  Isaiah  had  preached,  it  was 
the  duty  of  Jeremiah  to  oppose.  "  Even  the 
yet  diviner  truth  of  the  possibility  of  restoration 
for  the  most  hardened  character,  which  Isaiah 
had  set  forth  in  words  whose  fire  lives  to  this 
day,  was  to  Jeremiah  overclouded  by  the  sense 
of  ingrained  depravity  which  seemed  to  have 
closed  up  every  entrance  to  the  national  con- 
science. The  message,  '  Though  your  sins  be 
as  scarlet,  tiiey  shall  be  white  as  snow  ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool,' 
was  exchanged  for  the  desponding  cry,  '  Can 
the  Ethiopian  change  his  skin  or  the  leopard 
his  spots  ? '    Jeremiah  saw  his  country,  not  as 


18226 — I823I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JKWISH  ERA. 


287 

[JEREMIAH. 


he  wished  and  hoped  it  to  be,  but  as  it  really 
was  :  he  was  prepared  not  merely  to  admit  as 
an  inscrutable  fate,  but  to  proclaim  as  his 
heaven-sent  message,  that  Jerusalem  was 
doomed.  He  was  to  acknowledge  that  the 
temple,  with  all  its  hallowed  associations,  was 
of  no  avail  ;  that  the  newly-discovered  law  had 
come  too  late.  .  .  .  He  was  the  prophet  of  un- 
welcome, unpalatable  truth,  from  whose  clear 
vision  all  illusions  had  vanished  away.  .  .  . 
Against  the  whole  land,  against  the  kings  of 
Judah,  against  the  princes,  against  the  priests, 
against  the  prophets,  he  was  '  to  gird  up  his 
loins,  and  arise  and  speak  ; '  he  was  to  be  the 
solitary  fortress,  the  column  of  iron,  the  wall  of 
brass,  fearless,  undismayed,  unconfounded — the 
one  grand,  immovable  figure,  which  alone  re- 
deems the  miserable  downfall  of  his  country  from 
triviality  and  shame." — Ibid. 

[1S227]  It  was  his  mission  to  tell  the  people 
of  their  sins,  to  rebuke  the  nobles  for  their  op- 
pression, the  humbler  orders  for  their  vilcness, 
the  priesthood  for  their  falseness,  even  his  fellow- 
prophets  for  their  infidelity  to  the  living  God. 
The  whole  nation,  from  prince  to  beggar,  had 
reached  the  very  bottom  of  national  depravity  ; 
and  this  lone  man  was  set  to  tell  them  of  it,  and 
to  forewarn  them  of  the  frightful  doom  which 
was  impending.  He  was  the  prophet  of  un- 
welcome truth.  He  had  to  face  the  facts  of  an 
age  of  retribution.  He  had  to  tear  away  the 
illusions  with  which  people  were  deceiving  them- 
selves. They  were  bragging  of  the  recovery  of 
the  Bible,  which  Josiah  had  found  in  the  rubbish 
of  their  desecrated  temple.  They  claimed  that 
that  sacred  treasure  was  going  to  make  all  things 
right  with  them.  They  treated  it  much  as  an 
African  savage  regards  the  fetich  which  he 
worships,  or  the  amulet  which  he  wears  around 
his  neck.  The  possession  of  the  Sacred  Book, 
they  thought,  would  save  them.  This  young 
prophet  knew  better,  and  he  had  to  tell  them 
so.—Kev.  A.  Phelps,  D.D. 

2  It  was  naturally  most  unpopular. 

[18228]  It  is  easy  to  see  that  a  ministry  which 
maintained  an  uncompromising  opposition  to 
the  dominant  party,  which  from  the  first  con- 
demned the  Egyptian  alliance,  and  in  its  later 
stages  counselled  submission  to  the  hateful  rule 
of  Babylon,  must  have  been  unpopular.  The 
prophet's  antagonism  to  Egypt  may  have  been 
looked  upon  as  folly  :  his  submission  to  Babylon 
was  treachery  to  the  state.  Hated  as  a  preacher 
of  righteousness,  he  was  hated  as  a  politician 
who  had  wrought  his  country's  ruin  :  and  no 
punishment  would  seem  too  great  for  one,  who, 
as  his  enemies  maintained,  had  abused  the 
highest  gifts  for  political  purposes,  and  who, 
claiming  to  speak  in  the  name  of  the  Most  High, 
had  sealed  the  fate  of  the  nation  and  contributed 
in  no  slight  degree  to  accelerate  its  fall. — Rev. 
Sir  E.  Bayley,  B.D. 

3  It  was  a  burden  to  himself. 

[18229]  He  struggled,  we  find,  again  and  again 


against  this  strange  and  sad  calling  of  a  prophet. 
He  cried  out  in  bitter  agony  that  God  had  de- 
ceived him  ;  had  induced  him  to  l)ecome  a 
prophet,  and  then  repaid  him  for  speaking  God's 
message  with  nothing  but  disappointment  and 
misery.  And  yet  he  felt  he  must  speak  ;  God, 
he  said,  was  stronger  than  he  was,  and  forced 
him  to  it.  He  said,  "  I  will  speak  no  more 
words  in  His  name  ;  but  the  Word  of  the  Lord 
was  as  fire  within  his  bones,  and  would  not  let 
him  rest  ; "  and  so,  in  spite  of  himself,  he  told 
the  truth,  and  suffered  for  it  ;  and  hated  to  have 
to  tell  it,  and  pitied  and  loved  the  very  country 
which  he  rebuked,  till  he  cursed  "  tlie  day  in 
which  he  saw  the  light,  and  the  hour  in  which 
it  was  said  to  his  f  ither.  There  is  a  man-child 
born."  You  who  fancy  that  it  is  a  fine  thing, 
and  a  paying  profession,  to  be  a  preacher  of 
righteousness,  and  a  rebuker  of  sin,  look  at 
Jeremiah,  and  judge  !  For  as  surely  as  you  or 
any  other  man  is  sent  by  God  to  do  Jeremiah's 
work,  so  surely  he  must  expect  Jeremiah's 
wages. — Rev.  C.  Kino^slcy. 

[18230]  A  sad  calling,  truly,  to  have  to  work 
at  ;  and  all  the  more  sad  because  Jeremiah  had 
no  pride,  no  steadfast  opinion  of  his  own  excel- 
lence to  keep  him  up.  He  hates  his  calling  of 
prophet.  At  the  very  moment  he  is  foretelling 
woe,  he  prays  God  that  his  prophecy  may  not 
come  true  ;  he  tries  every  method  to  prevent  its 
coming  true,  by  entreating  his  countrymen  to 
repent.  There  runs  through  all  his  awful  words 
a  vein  of  tenderness,  and  pity%  and  love  un- 
speakable, which  to  me  is  the  one  great  mark 
of  a  true  prophet  ;  a  sign  that  Jeremiah  spoke 
by  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  a  sign  that  too  many 
writers  nowadays  do  not  speak  by  the  Spirit  of 
God. — Ibid. 

IV.  His  Persecutions. 

They   may   be    divided    into    three    stages   of 
ever-increasing  tribulation. 

(i)  Under  yosiah,  consisting  of  reproach  and 
derision. 

[18231]  He  seems  to  have  confined  himself 
to  the  distinctly  religious  part  of  his  mission  ; 
from  time  to  time  he  appeared  in  his  native 
Anathoth  and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem, 
"  rising  early,"  and  repeating  the  great  summons 
of  God  to  mankind,  "  Turn  ye  again  now  every 
one  from  his  evil  way,  .  ,  .  and  I  will  do  you 
no  hurt "  (Jer.  xxv.  3-6).  His  earnest  warnings 
provoked  opposition  :  "  reproach  and  derision  " 
were  heaped  upon  him  "  daily"  (xx.  8)  ;  his  own 
relations,  as  Luther  translates,  joined  the  hue 
and  cry  against  him  (xii.  6)  ;  his  fellow-towns- 
men first  tried  to  frighten  him  into  silence,  and 
then  conspired  to  take  away  his  life  (xi.  21). 
Of  him,  first  in  the  sacred  history,  as  Dean 
Stanley  points  out,  was  the  saying  literally 
fulfilled,  "  A  prophet  hath  no  honour  in  his  own 
birthplace"  (Luke  iv.  24).  And  there  were 
inner  spiritual  trials,  as  well  as  these  outward 
ones.  Not  only  was  he  mocked  with  the  taunt- 
ing question,  "  Where  is  the  word  of  Jehovah?" 


288 
18231 — 18236] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JEREMIAH. 


(xvii.  15),  he  began  to  doubt  within  himself 
whether  his  whole  work  was  not  a  delusion  and 
a  lie  (xx.  7),  and  was  tempted  at  times  to  fall 
back  into  silence.  During  the  reign  of  Josiah, 
however,  the  king  was  his  friend  :  it  was  prob- 
ably owing  to  his  counsel  that  Josiah  opposed 
the  Egyptian  alliance  ;  and  the  death  of  the 
king  at  Megiddo  may  have  proved  the  first 
great  sorrow  of  Jeremiah's  life.  He  mourned 
over  him  as  a  personal  friend  :  he  mourned 
over  the  seeming  faikire  of  a  wise  policy  :  and 
he  mourned  over  the  sudden  and  disastrous 
close  of  a  righteous  reign.  During  the  first 
stage,  then,  of  Jeremiah's  ministry  he  was 
shielded  from  personal  injury  ;  but  a  most 
bitter  feeling  was  aroused  against  him.  Let  us 
rid  ourselves,  men  said,  of  this  prophet  of  evil  : 
let  us  catch  hold  of  his  words  :  let  us  watch  for 
his  halting  :  let  us  tell  our  rulers  of  his  treason 
(xx.  11).  The  spirit  of  persecution  was  awake  ; 
and  there  lay  before  the  prophet  the  prospect  of 
a  lifelong  martyrdom.  —  Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley, 
B.D. 

(2)  Under  Jehoiakim,  exfendins;-  to  a  detnaftd 
for  his  life  and  to  acts  of  perso7iai  viole7ice. 

[18232]  This  king  ascended  the  throne  as  the 
vassal  of  Egypt,  and  for  a  time  the  Egyptian 
party  was  dominant  in  Jerusalem.  The  policy 
therefore  of  submission  to  the  Chaldean  supre- 
macy which  Jeremiah  advocated  was  directly 
opposed  to  that  of  the  Jewish  rulers.  Soon 
after  the  accession  of  Jehoiakim  on  one  of  the 
solemn  feast-days,  the  prophet  appeared  in  the 
temple  court  and  proclaimed  before  the  as- 
sembled worshippers  that  Jerusalem  should 
become  a  curse,  and  that  the  temple  should 
share  the  fate  of  the  tabernacle  of  Shiloh  (Jer. 
xxvi.  6).  This  was  to  offend  the  most  cherished 
prejudices  of  the  nation  ;  and  priests  and 
prophets  and  all  the  people,  laying  aside  all 
respect  for  the  prophet  and  his  office,  loudly 
demanded  his  life  (xxvi.  8,  9). — Ibid. 

[18233]  The  fourth  year  of  Jehoiakim  was 
very  memorable.  The  battle  of  Carchemish 
overthrew  the  hopes  of  the  Egyptian  party  ; 
and  the  armies  of  Nebuchadnezzar  invaded  the 
land.  Again  the  great  prophet  stood  forth,  not 
to  counsel  resistance,  but  to  preach  repentance 
and  submission.  Prophecies  which  had  been 
long  uttered  were  gathered  together,  written  in 
a  book,  and  read  as  a  whole  in  the  hearing  of 
the  people.  The  king  vented  his  impotent  rage 
upon  the  scroll  which  Jeremiah  had  written. 
The  persecution  against  the  prophet  grew 
hotter  :  the  people  sought  his  life  :  and  on  his 
comparing  the  nation  to  a  potter's  vessel  dashed 
in  pieces  in  his  hands,  Pashur,  the  deputy  high- 
priest,  caused  him  to  be  arrested,  inflicted  upon 
him  the  legal  forty  stripes  save  one,  and  made 
him  pass  a  night  in  the  stocks,  exposed  to  the 
jeers  of  the  scoffers,  at  the  most  public  gate  of 
the  temple  (Jer.  xx.  i,  2).  Nor  was  the  inner  trial 
less  severe  than  the  outward  one.  There  came 
upon  him  as  before  the  sense  of  utter  failure  ; 
he   would   fain   have   withdrawn   himself  from 


public  life  ;  "  every  one  cursed  "  him  (xv.  10)  ; 
it  had  been  well  if  he  had  never  been  born 
(xx.  14);  he  fell  into  the  deepest  gloom,  "the 
gloom  of  many  a  lofty  soul  which  feels  itself 
misunderstood  by  men,  which  can  hardly 
believe  that  it  is  not  deserted  by  God." — Ibid. 

(3)  Under  Zedekiah  extending  to  imprison- 
ment, and  probably  to  tnartyrdom. 

[18234]  Zedekiah  was  not  unwilling  to  act 
upon  Jeremiah's  advice  to  accept  an  inevitable 
necessity  and  remain  true  to  his  allegiance  to 
Babylon,  but  the  chief  of  the  nation  still  clung 
to  the  Egyptian  alliance,  and  sought  to  rid 
themselves  of  their  great  opponent.  They 
seized  the  prophet,  denounced  him  as  a  traitor, 
beat  him,  and  cast  him  into  a  dungeon,  and  on 
the  king  having  somewhat  lessened  the  rigour 
of  his  imprisonment,  the  nobles  demanded  his 
immediate  death.  Taken  to  the  house  of  one 
of  his  most  bitter  enemies,  the  prophet  was  cast 
into  a  subterranean  cistern,  the  bottom  of  which 
was  deep  in  slime  ;  and  there  doubtless  he 
would  have  perished  either  from  hunger  or 
suffocation,  if  the  friendship  of  an  Ethiopian 
eunuch  and  the  king's  regard  for  him  had  not 
rescued  him  from  so  horrible  a  fate. — Ibid. 

[18235]  In  the  wild  confusion  which  followed 
the  capture  and  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  Jere- 
miah might  have  found  safety  and  even  honour 
in  Babylon  :  but  he  preferred  to  remain  in  his 
own  land.  Not  that  rest  was  thus  secured  to 
him.  The  massacre  of  the  Chaldean  governor 
by  Is.hmael  led  to  the  flight  of  the  remaining  Jews 
into  Egypt.  The  prophet  was  compelled  to 
accompany  them,  and  thus,  after  spending  his 
life  in  preaching  against  Egypt,  it  was  in  that 
country  that  his  last  warnings  were  uttered,  his 
last  recorded  counsels  addressed  to  unwilling 
ears.  Whether,  as  Christian  tradition  nar- 
rates, he  died  a  martyr's  death,  stoned  by  his 
own  countrymen  at  Tahapanes  ;  or,  according 
to  Jewish  tradition,  made  his  escape  to  Babylon, 
must  remain  uncertain. — Ibid. 

V.  His  Personal  Character. 

I       He  was  possessed  of  a  childlike  sensitive- 
ness, gentleness,  and  tenderness. 

[18236]  He  was  not  like  Isaiah,  a  flame  of 
fire ;  or  like  Hosea,'  a  peal  of  thunder  ;  or  like 
Elijah,  a  rushing  storm  ;  but  his  ministries 
show  him  to  have  been  gentle  as  a  child,  sensi- 
tive as  a  child,  retiring  as  a  child,  timid  as  a 
child.  It  is  not  so  much  any  particular  passage, 
as  the  general  tone  of  his  ministry,  that  conveys 
this  impression.  And  this  notice  of  his  physical 
and  mental  temperament,  taken  in  connection 
with  the  history  of  his  office,  suggests  three 
things  :  first,  that,  with  this  childlike  gentleness, 
sensitive  feeling,  retiring  habit,  and  timid  dis- 
position, he  should  have  faithfully  discharged, 
as  he  did,  difficult  tasks,  in  the  way  of  bearing 
heavy  and  grievous  burdens  from  the  Lord ; 
that  he  should  have  done  so  fully  what  was 
alien  from  his  natural  taste ;  that  with  a  voice 


18236—18240] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


289 

[JEREMIAH. 


naturally  tremulous  in  the  utterance  of  the  stern 
and  terrible,  he  could  with  calmness  and  bold- 
ness say  things  the  most  stern  and  terrible, 
when  bidden  of  God  to  do  so — shows  how  faith- 
ful was  his  allegiance  to  his  heavenly  Master, 
how  with  all  his  sensibility  he  had  a  resolute, 
because  sanctified  will,  impelling  him  to  walk  in 
paths  of  thorny  obedience.  And  secondly,  that 
he,  constituted  as  he  was,  should  have  done  this 
so  thoroughly,  indicates  how  grace  must  have 
wrought  in  his  soul,  how  the  blessed  Spirit  of 
God  must  have  influenced  his  heart  as  well  as 
his  intellect  ;  what  an  element  of  moral  strength 
the  religious  spirit,  which  God  had  filled  him 
with,  must  have  been  in  his  character  and  life  ; 
and  M'hat  a  monument  he  was  in  early  times  of 
that  truth  —  of  which  one  in  later  times,  still 
more  fully  taught,  was  so  fully  conscious  when 
he  said — "  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ 
which  strengthenethme."  And  yet,  thirdly,  the 
very  sensibilities  of  his  nature,  so  keen  and  deep, 
were  calculated  to  make  all  the  more  touching 
those  awful  denunciations  he  was  commissioned 
to  utter,  as  every  reader  feels  them  to  be.  Yes, 
the  agonies  of  a  mental  crucifixion,  which  are 
seen  throbbing  under  the  prophet's  words,  as  he 
tells  the  people  of  their  ruin,  while  his  heart  is 
yearning  with  a  love  no  speech  can  tell,  give  a 
pathetic  power  to  his  warnings,  which  coming 
from  one  of  a  rougher  nature  they  could  not 
have. — Rev.  J.  Stoiigliton. 

[18237]  A  singular  fact  is  it,  that  this  solitary 
preacher,  the  butt  of  a  nation's  ridicule,  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  made  for  such  work. 
Usually  God  fits  the  man  to  his  life's  work.  If 
he  is  to  have  stern  work  to  do,  he  is  made  of 
stern  stuff.  Lutherj  with  much  that  was  lov- 
able in  his  nature,  was,  on  the  whole,  a  rough, 
stout  man.  That  square  face  and  thick  neck, 
and  those  compact  lips  of  his,  indicate  a  man  of 
will,  who  could  bear  rougher  handling  than  other 
men.  He  was  to  contend  with  devils  ;  and  God 
gave  him  a  nature  which  devils  feared.  Nobody 
ever  called  Luther  the  "weeping  prophet."  If 
he  shed  tears,  it  was  on  his  knees  before  God 
only.  He  shed  no  tears  before  the  Diet  of 
Worms.  He  was  in  no  lachrymose  mood  when 
he  had  the  pope's  bull  to  deal  with,  outside  the 
Elster  Gate  of  Wittenberg.  The  mourning 
prophet  of  Judcca  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
of  stern  make.  He  had  a  delicate  and  retiring 
nature.  Gentle  and  unselfish  was  he,  like  a 
loving  woman.  When  the  sombre  truth  first 
dawns  upon  his  early  manhood,  and  he  sees  the 
work  he  has  to  do,  he  breaks  out  with  the 
despairing  cry,  "  Ah,  Lord  !  I  cannot  speak  ! 
I  am  but  a  child  !  "  So  overwhelmed  is  he  by 
the  sight  of  his  country's  shame,  and  the  fore- 
sight of  her  doom,  that  he  exclaims,  "  Oh  that 
my  head  were  waters,  that  I  might  weep  day 
and  night  for  the  daughter  of  my  people  !  "  His 
writings  show,  by  their  chosen  imagery,  that  he 
longs  for  solitude.  He  hungers  to  get  away 
from  the  sins  and  sorrows  of  his  time.  Cowper's 
refrain,  "  Oh  for  a  lodge  in  some  vast  wilder- 
ness ! "  would  have  expressed  the  habit  of  his 

VOL.   VI.  20 


mind.  He  "sits  alone,  and  keeps  silence, 
crouching  under  his  burden."  We  seem  to 
hear  him  crying  out  in  the  bitterness  of  his 
spirit — 

"  The  time  is  out  of  joint.     Oh,  cursed  spite. 
That  ever  I  was  born  to  set  it  right  ! " 

—Rev.  A.  Phelps,  D.D. 

[18238]  We  might  have  thought  that  one 
called  of  God  to  such  a  work  as  Jeremiah's 
would  have  been  a  man  cast  in  heroic  mould, 
stern,  and  self-reliant,  one  who  took  delight  in 
the  tumult  of  battle,  and  knew  not  what  it  was 
to  fear  the  fjice  of  man.  But  this  was  not  so. 
"  Of  all  the  prophets,  Jeremiah  is  the  most  re- 
tiring, the  most  plaintive,  the  most  closely 
compassed  with  ordinary  human  weaknesses." 
He  was  "sensitive,  timid,  shy,  hopeless,  de- 
sponding." He  was  no  second  Elijah.  The 
cry  which  he  uttered  as  the  dark  truth  first 
broke  upon  his  young  mind  was  characteristic 
of  his  whole  career:  "Ah,  Lord!  I  cannot 
speak  ;  I  am  but  a  child."  It  is  this  childlike 
tenderness  which  adds  force  to  the  severity  of 
his  denunciations,  to  the  bitterness  of  his  grief. 
— Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley,  B.D. 

2       He  occasionally  gave  way  to   impatience. 

[18239]  The  prophet's  natural  temperament 
distinctly  and  painfully  appears  in  the  record  he 
gives  of  his  calamities,  in  the  noting  down  of 
his  sighs  and  tears,  and  in  those  pathetic  lamen- 
tations which  form  a  distinct  portion  of  his 
writings.  The  flow  of  his  grief  sometimes  sur- 
passed the  bounds  of  reason,  and  broke  down 
the  restraints  of  duty.  So  turbulent  was  the 
stream  of  his  sorrow  once  that  it  washed  away 
all  resignation,  and  he  thoughtlessly  cursed  the 
day  of  his  birth.  Poor  Jeremiah  !  looking  at 
his  natural  constitution,  so  ill  fitted  to  bear  the 
rough  usage  that  he  met  with,  we  cannot  won- 
der at,  wliile  we  may  pity  and  must  blame,  the 
impatience  of  his  soul,  under  the  load  of  its 
agonies.  The  good  man  here  appears,  like 
other  good  men  in  the  Bible,  as  a  warning  to 
us,  who,  in  the  matter  of  repining  under  our 
trials,  will  be  far  more  blamable  than  Jeremiah  ; 
seeing  that  the  Divine  meaning  of  afflictive 
providences  is  so  much  more  fully  revealed 
under  the  New  Testament  than  the  Old. — Rev. 
J.  Stoughton. 

3       He  was  a  man  of  large-hearted  sympathies. 

[18240]  It  doubly  affects  us  to  see  how  he 
makes  the  calamities  of  the  nation  his  own — 
how  his  spirit  seems  to  throb  as  if  it  were  one 
of  the  nerves  of  the  great  social  body  of  the 
church  and  kingdom.  In  the  Lamentations,  we 
see  the  man  of  sorrows,  the  weeping  prophet  ; 
but  it  is  a  man  realizing  the  sorrows  of  the 
country,  more  than  his  own  mdividual  sorrows. 
It  is  the  prophet  shedding  tears  over  a  holy  and 
beautiful  temple  in  ruins,  and  God's  chosen 
land  made  desolate.  As  the  wailings  of  his 
soul  come  forth,  like  the  sighs  of  an  /Eolian 
harp,  under  the    touch   of  tempestuous  winds, 


290 

18240 — 18247] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[JEREMIAH. 


they  indicate  not  the  selfish  man,  but  the  man 
of  large  sympathies  —  one  feeling  so  much 
because  his  heart  was  so  big  as  to  take  in  a 
nation — because  his  affections  were  so  broadly 
spread,  that  they  covered  a  kingdom. — Ibid. 

4       He   was  the  possessor  of  a  firm  faith  and 
strong  confidence  in  God. 

[18241]  In  the  season  of  the  deepest  calamity, 
when  the  besieging  army  was  around  Jerusalem, 
and  he  was  shut  up  in  the  house  of  the  guard, 
did  he  evince  his  confidence  in  the  truth  of 
God's  word,  relative  to  the  return  from  captivity 
at  the  end  of  seventy  years  by  his  purchase  of 
patrimonial  property  at  Anathoth.  It  is  said 
that  when  the  city  of  Rome  had  an  army  at  its 
gates,  the  land  on  which  the  enemy  was  en- 
camped was  put  up  for  auction  on  the  forum 
and  bought  by  the  citizens.  Theirs  was  mere 
earthly  patriotism,  working  perhaps  in  the  way 
of  policy  with  a  view  to  check  national  despair. 
The  conduct  of  Jeremiah  manifested  a  faith  of 
Divine  warrant — a  trust  in  the  great  God  who 
is  not  a  man  that  He  should  lie,  or  the  son  of 
man  that  He  should  repent.  It  was  like  the 
faith  of  Abraham  who  believed  that  God  would 
give  him  Canaan,  though  at  the  time  "he  had 
no  inheritance,  no,  not  so  much  as  to  set  his 
foot  on."— J  bid. 

VI,  His  Typical  Character. 

[18242]  The  peculiarities  of  his  natural  dispo- 
sition combined  with  the  outward  circumstances 
of  his  calling  to  make  his  life  a  peculiarly  trying 
one  :  he  was  "  a  man  of  sorrows  "'  from  his 
youth  upwards,  and  as  such  has  always  been 
regarded  as  a  type  of  the  suffering  Saviour. 
This  typical  character  of  Jeremiah  deserves 
notice.  It  has  been  thought  indeed  by  some 
that  he  is  "  the  servant  of  God  "  spoken  of  in 
the  fifty-second  and  fifty-third  chapters  of  Isaiah, 
and  that  that  prophecy  was  fulfilled  in  his 
person.  No  doubt  the  essential  features  of  that 
sublime  description  meet  us  in  the  sufferings  of 
Jeremiah  ;  we  have  only  to  read  the  passage  to 
feel  how  striking  is  its  application  to  the  prophet. 
But  why  was  this  ?  Because  Jeremiah  was  not 
only  a  prophet,  but  a  prophecy,  a  signal  type  of 
Him  who  suffered  on  the  cross  and  conquered 
by  suffering. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bay  ley,  B.D. 

[18243]  When  we  read  in  Isaiah,  "He  is 
brought  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter"  (liii.  7); 
and  when  we  hear  Jeremiah  saying,  "  I  was  like 
a  lamb  brought  to  the  slaughter"  (xi.  19)  ;  when 
we  read  in  Isaiah  of  one  who  was  "  despised 
and  rejected  of  men  ;  a  man  of  sorrows  and 
acquainted  with  grief"  (liii.  3),  and  compare 
such  description  with  the  whole  course  of  the 
prophet's  life,  we  are  brought  to  the  conclusion 
that  in  his  history  we  have  a  "  foreshadowing  of 
the  gospel  ;  and  that  in  the  struggles  of  Jere- 
miah standing  alone  against  princes,  prophets, 
priests,  and  people,  contending  as  a  faithful 
witness  of  the  truth  amid  scorn,  calumny,  insult, 
injury,  and  violence  ;  foretelling  the  fall  of  Jeru- 


salem in  his  prophecies,  and  yet  weeping  over 
its  ruins  in  his  Lamentations  ;  we  have  a  vision  of 
the  agony  in  Gethsemane,  and  of  the  arraign- 
ment in  the  hall  of  Caiaphas,  and  of  the  precious 
death  on  Calvary  of  Him  who  shed  tears  of 
compassion  over  Jerusalem,  and  who  shed  His 
blood  upon  the  cross  to  redeem  her  from  her 
sins. — Ibid. 

VII.  His  Prophecies. 

1  Their  programme. 

[18244]  This  was  simple.  Their  central  theme 
was  the  coming  supremacy  of  the  Chaldean 
nation  :  and  this  at  a  time  when  nothing  was 
feared  from  Babylon,  and  Nebuchadnezzar  was 
unknown,  when  Egypt  was  ascendant  and 
Pharaoh-necho  the  terror  of  Judah.  He.  fore- 
told the  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  nation  by  this 
power  from  "  the  North  ;  "  defined  the  term  of 
the  Chaldean  ascendency  and  Judah's  captivity, 
and  predicted  the  emancipation  of  Judah  and 
restoration  of  Jerusalem  when  the  seventy  years 
had  expired. — Anon. 

2  Their  design. 

[18245]  The  design  of  Jeremiah's  prophecies 
was  threefold.  It  was  (a)  To  forezvarn  the 
Jews  of  impending  doom  on  account  of  national 
pollution  and  apostasy.  (j8)  To  invite  them  to 
repentance,  promising  immediate  Divine  for- 
giveness and  ultiip.ate  redemption  from  Babylon. 
(y)  To  assure  the  godly  among  them  by  predic- 
tions of  Messiah's  gracious  advent,  and  the 
spiritual  blessings  incident  to  His  reign. — Ibid. 

3  Their  literary  style. 

[18246]  The  book  is  an  admixture  of  prosaic 
narrative  of  events,  and  poetic  utterances  of 
prophecy.  While  his  style  in  the  narrative 
parts  may  sometimes  appear  unpolished  ["  rus- 
ticior,"  Jerome\  the  poetic  portions  are  often 
distinguished  by  an  eloquence  at  once  vigorous 
and  sublime.  His  writings  throughout  are 
characterized  by  a  reiteration  of  imagery  and 
phrase,  and  a  ruggedness  of  form  natural  to 
impassioned  sorrow  and  indignant  remon- 
strance. Though  there  are  marks  of  "  negli- 
gence in  diction  "  {Keil),  and  while  "  not  disre- 
garding art  altogether,  he  has  far  less  polish 
than  Isaiah"  {Lange)  ;  yet  "his  thought  is 
ever  rich,  and  his  speech  incisive  and  clear" 
(Keil)  ;  whilst  "  of  all  the  prophets  his  genius 
is  the  most  poetical"  {Umbriet). — Ibid. 

4  Their  composition  and  compilation. 

[18247]  His  prophetic .  utterances  were  first 
committed  to  writing  at  the  command  of  Je- 
hovah "  in  the  fourth  year  of  Jehoiakim  "  (Jer. 
xxxvi.  i),  for  the  purpose  of  their  being  read 
in  the  temple  by  Baruch  the  scribe  at  the 
approaching  national  fast.  The  king,  incensed 
by  their  contents,  destroyed  the  roll.  They 
were  immediately  rewritten  ;  Jeremiah  dic- 
tating them  afresh  to  Baruch,  with  important 
additions  (xxxvi.  32).  Other  portions,  sub- 
sequent   to    this    date    (4th     of    Jehoiakim — 


18247 — 18252] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


291 

[JEREMIAH. 


iith  of  Zedekiah,  over  eighteen  years)  were 
written  at  different  intervals  in  separate 
parts  (xxx.  2,  xxix.  I,  li.  60).  The  entire 
book,  therefore,  includes  the  roll  written 
by  Bariich,  the  various  fragments  penned  by 
Jeremiah,  with  subsequent  additions  by  the 
prophet,  either  while  he  lingered  in  Palestine 
under  Gedaliah,  or  while  in  Egypt  among  his 
exiled  people.  The  complete  prophecies  would 
speak  with  accumulated  emphasis  to  the  heed- 
less captives  of  the  steadfastness  of  God's  word 
and  the  consequences  of  disregarding  His 
voice. — Ibid. 

5  Their  order  and  arrangement. 

[18248]  {a)  Chronologically,  the  book  is  in  dis- 
order and  confusion  :  e.g.,  xxi.  and  xxiv.  8-10, 
belong  to  Zedekiah's  time,  the  latest  king  ;  while 
xxii.  II,  12,  refer  to  Jehoahaz,  the  second  king  ; 
and  XXV.  deals  with  Jehoiakim,  the  third  king. 
Distinct  prophecies  are  mingled  together  re- 
gardless of  date  of  delivery.  {b)  Topically, 
there  is  arrangement  :  the  book  divides  itself 
into  two  sections  according  to  the  reference  of 
the  prophecies.  Thus,  i.  to  xlv.  relate  to  the 
prophet's  own  country,  xlvi.  to  11.  to  foreign 
nations,  while  lii.  is  a  historic  account  of  the 
captivity  appended  after  the  whole  book,  i.-li., 
was  put  together,  and  the  inscription,  i.  1-3, 
written.  This  might  have  been  the  latest  act 
of  Jeremiah  himself. — Anon. 

6  Their  verification. 

[1S249]  During  JcrcmiaJi's  life,  his  predic- 
tions fulfilled  in  (a)  The  captivity  of  jehoia- 
kim and  his  queen-mother  (xxii.  24-26).  (/3) 
The  death  of  Hananiah  the  deceitful  proj^het 
at  the  time  foretold  (xxviii.  15-17).  (7)  The 
inglorious  end  and  shameful  burial  of  Jehoia- 
kim (xxii.  18,  19,  xxxvi.  30).  (^)  The  fate  of 
Zedekiah  (xxii.  2,  3).  (f)  The  invasion  of  Judah 
by  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  Jewish  captivity 
(xx.  4,  &c.).  (0)  The  rifling  of  the  temple 
by  Nebuchadnezzar  (xxvii.  19-22).  ()/)  The  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  by  fire  (xxi.  10,  xxxii.  29, 
xxxvii.  8-10).  (i)  The  Chalda^an  subjugation 
of  Egypt  (xliii.  10-12,  xliv.  29,  30),  and  su- 
premacy over  surrounding  nations  (xxvii.  1-8). 
After  the  prophet^s  decease:  (a)  The  ter- 
mination of  the  Babylonish  captivity  after 
seventy  years  (xxv.  11  ;  see  Dan.  ix.  2).  (/3) 
The  return  of  the  Jews  to  their  own  country 
(xxix.  10-14).  (y)  The  downfall  and  desolation 
of  Babylon,  and  date  of  the  event  (xxv.  12). 
(^)  The  advent  of  Messiah  (xxiii.  3-8,  xxxi. 
31-34,  xxxiii.  6-9). — Ibid. 

VIII.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  history  of  Jeremiah  illustrates  the 
truth  that  faithfulness  to  God  ever  pro- 
vokes opposition  on  the  part  of  man. 

[18250]  This  truth  is  the  key  to  all  religious 
persecution.  Let  a  man  fall  in  with  the  opinions 
of  the  day,  let  him  flatter  men's  prejudices  and 
tolerate  their  vices,  and  then,  be  he  priest  or 
prophet,  "  all  men    shall   speak   well  of  him." 


The  false  in  prophecy  has  ever  been  welcome 
to  the  false  in  life  :  it  lightens  the  yoke  of  God's 
law,  it  removes  His  fear  from  the  conscience, 
it  leaves  man  to  himself;  conceit  is  fostered, 
pride  flattered,  lust  left  undisturbed  :  and  the 
sinner  lives  on  in  the  illusion  of  contented 
ignorance:  "The  prophets  prophesy  falsely, 
and  the  priests  bear  rule  by  their  means  ;  and 
my  people  love  to  have  it  so  "  (Jer.  v.  31).  But  let 
a  true  prophet  appear  upon  the  scene  and  raise 
his  voice  on  behalf  of  God  and  truth  ;  let  him 
stand  in  the  way  with  the  flaming  sword  of 
God's  outraged  law,  and  bid  men  at  their  peril 
turn  and  repent  ;  the  enmity  of  the  heart  is 
aroused,  and  persecution  is  the  natural  result. 
Jeremiah  was  no  exception  to  this  rule.  Men 
did  not  listen  to  him,  they  smote  him  and  put 
his  feet  into  the  stocks  :  they  did  not  confute 
his  reasonings,  they  cast  him  into  the  dungeon 
and  left  him  to  perish.  This  has  ever  been 
man's  way  of  dealing  with  God's  truth  :  if  he 
does  not  accept  it,  he  hates  and  persecutes  it. 
— Rev.  Sir  E.  Bay  ley,  B.D. 

2  The  history  of  Jeremiah  illustrates  the 
truth  that  true  piety  accepts  what  is  in- 
evitable, and  patiently  awaits  the  unfold- 
ing of  God's  providence. 

[18251]  The  prophet  Jeremiah,  at  least  during 
the  later  years  of  his  ministry,  counselled  sub- 
mission to  the  yoke  of  the  king  of  Babylon, 
not  as  a  thing  good  in  itself,  but  as  an  in- 
evitable result  from  which  there  was  no  appeal. 
After  the  defeat  of  Necho  at  Carchemish  in  the 
fourth  year  of  Jehoiakim,  Judjea  virtually  be- 
came a  Babylonish  province.  Such  state  of 
dependence  was  a  judgment  which  could  not 
be  avoided  :  let  the  nation  submit,  and  it  might 
one  day  regain  its  independence  :  let  it  rise  up 
in  rebellion,  and  its  ruin  would  be  complete. 
Upon  a  smaller  scale  this  history  repeats  itself 
continually  in  Christian  experience.  Very  few 
are  willing  fully  to  accept  the  circumstances  of 
their  lives,  as  they  are  marked  out  for  them  by 
the  providence  of  God  :  they  blame  the  sur- 
roundings of  their  lot  :  they  blame  those  who  are 
in  part  responsible  for  them  :  they  blame  every- 
body and  everything  rather  than  themselves  : 
and  with  a  fretful  impatience  make  spasmodic 
efforts  to  escape  from  a  bondage  which  is  irk- 
some to  them.  And  even  when,  as  with  the 
Jews  of  old,  they  have  brought  evil  upon  them- 
selves, instead  of  repenting  of  the  evil,  they  rebel 
against  the  hand  which  smites  them. — Ibid. 

[18252]  The  story  of  Jeremiah  will  not  be 
lost  upon  us  if  it  teaches  us  the  duty  of  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  God.  It  was  not  the 
yoke  of  Babylon  that  was  at  fault  in  the  days 
of  Jeremiah,  so  much  as  the  yoke  of  unfor- 
saken  sin  :  it  was  not  by  turning  to  Egypt  for 
help  that  Judah  could  be  saved,  but  by  turning 
to  the  God  whom  they  had  forsaken  :  let  them 
bow  the  neck  to  His  law  and  accept  His  rule, 
and  all  would  be  well.  But  the  old  struggle 
continually  repeats  itself.  Whose  will  is  to  be 
supreme — the  will  of  God,  or  the  will  of  man  ? 


>92 

18252— 18257] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[JEREMIAH. 


All  spiritual  conflict  is  practically  the  battle  of 
the  wills  :  and  only  in  a  full  and  unreserved 
acceptance  of  the  Divine  will  can  we  find 
happiness  and  peace. — Jbzd. 

3  The  history  of  Jeremiah  illustrates  the 
truth  that  spiritual  depression  is  not  in- 
consistent with  true  faith. 

[18253]  Great  were  the  outward  sufferings  of 
Jeremiah's  life.  To  a  man  of  his  sensitive  and 
refined  nature,  the  indignities  to  which  he  was 
exposed  must  have  been  peculiarly  painful  : 
but  his  chief  trial  evidently  lay  within.  The 
failure  which  attended  his  labours,  the  hos- 
tility shown  by  his  nearest  relatives,  his  seeming 
desertion  by  God,  perplexed  and  afflicted  him. 
Why  was  he  given  so  weighty  a  charge,  and 
then  left  to  fight  the  battle  alone  ?  Why  did 
evil  prevail  unchecked  in  the  land,  and  God's 
truth  fail  in  its  effect .''  Spiritual  depression 
therefore  is  quite  consistent  with  the  existence 
of  a  true  faith  and  of  a  fixed  purpose  of  living 
to  God  :  but  if  with  advancing  knowledge,  and 
with  a  growing  spirit  of  inquiry,  the  Christian's 
mental  difiiculties  increase  rather  than  diminish, 
it  will  always  be  of  use  to  remember  that  the 
foremost  of  God's  servants  have  suffered  in  like 
manner  before  us,  and  that  the  most  exalted 
saintship  can  claim  no  exemption  from  the 
painful  discipline  of  mental  conflict. — Ibid. 

4  The  history  of  Jeremiah  suggests  that 
Christians  of  the  "broken  heart"  are  not 
apt  to  be  popular  with  the  world. 

[18254]  Very  hard  things  are  said  of  them. 
Very  unjust  judgments  they  have  to  bear  in 
silence.  The  world  cracks  many  a  jest  upon 
their  long  faces  and  their  "vinegar"  aspect. 
I  have  seen  tears  trembling  in  their  eyes,  as 
their  only  answer  to  the  gibes  of  men  for  whose 
souls  they  went  home  to  pray.  Yet  have  not  you 
heard  from  such  jesters  the  fling  at  our  com- 
mon faith,  "  If  I  believed  what  you  believe,  I 
should  move  heaven  and  earth  to  save  souls  : 
it  seems  to  me  I  could  never  laugh  again  " .'' 
So  said  an  estimable  woman  of  the  world  to  me 
last  summer.  It  is  hard  to  please  men  who  do 
not  feel  the  inner  life  which  many  humble 
Christians  lead.  Which  shall  we  do — hold 
on  to,  and  try  to  act  upon,  the  faith  that  gives 
us  "  long  faces,"  or  meet  your  charge  of  heart- 
less inconsistency  by  living  as  if  this  were 
already  a  saved  world,  and  our  home  were 
Eden  1—Rev.  A.  Phelps,  D.D. 

5  The  history  of  Jeremiah  suggests  that 
Christians  of  the  "broken  heart"  possess 
a  very  profound  style  of  Christian  cha- 
racter. 

[18255]  Not  perfect,  by  any  means.  We  all 
have  an  ideal  of  a  certain  robust  and  rounded 
Christian  life  superior  to  theirs.  On  the  whole, 
St.  Paul  was  a  nobler  character  than  Jeremiah. 
He  ought  to  have  been.  He  saw  at  its  meridian 
the  sun  which  the  prophet  only  fores^v;  long 
before  the  dawn.  Yet  it  is  unjust  not  to  give 
the  Jeremiahs  of  our   brotherhood   the   credit 


for  ploughing  deep  in  their  sense  of  eternal 
things.  They  may  not  be  as  happy  as  their 
faith  in  Christ  warrants  them  to  be.  Yet  they 
do  make  a  beginning  in  the  right  direction. 
Theirs  is  a  struggle  to  be  and  to  do  of  which 
they  have  no  reason  to  be  ashamed.  .  .  Eternity 
will  show  to  us  all  that  some  of  the  world's 
great  souls  are  among  them. — Ibid. 

6  The  history  of  Jeremiah  suggests  that 
Christians  of  the  "broken  heart"  are  men 
and  women  of  great  spiritual  powers. 

[18256]  The  world  does  not  like  them,  but 
cannot  help  respecting  them.  "  I  keep  clear 
of  unhappy  people,"  said  one  of  the  impatient 
ones.  Yet  I  observed  that  he  chose  for  his 
pastor,  and  honoured  as  a  great  man,  one 
whose  face  was  long,  and  whose  look  be- 
tokened secret  tears.  We  love  realities  after 
all.  We  feel  the  power  of  the  man  who  knows 
the  most  of  them,  and  feels  them  most  pro- 
foundly. The  man  or  woman  who  takes  God's 
views  of  things,  interprets  human  life  as  God 
interprets  it,  looks  out  on  eternity  as  God  re- 
veals it,  and  whose  visage  bears  the  marks  of 
inward  struggles  of  soul,  with  the  facts  of 
human  destiny,  as  God  declares  them,  is  a 
power  with  us  all.  If  we  come  into  deep 
waters,  and  the  billows  go  over  our  heads,  we 
look  around  gasping  for  the  friendly  word  or 
look  or  hand  of  such  to  cheer  us.  The  very 
men  we  have  laughed  at  or  shrunk  from,  be- 
cause they  were  "  uncou'  guid  men,"  are  those 
whose  experience  we  want  then.  Said  one 
man  of  the  world,  whose  misfortune  it  was  to 
have  a  "gay  parson"  for  his  pastor,  "Our 
pastor  is  a  capital  fellow,  a  born  wit,  a  splendid 
mimic  ;  he  keeps  the  table  in  a  roar  ;  and  in 
the  pulpit  he  is  not  afraid  to  make  us  laugh." 
Said  his  friend,  "  Suppose  that  you  had  lost 
your  only  child,  or  that  you  were  yourself  about 
to  die } " — "  Well,"  was  the  reply,  "  to  tell  you 
the  truth,  he  is  the  last  man  1  should  want  to 
see  then.  Still,  he  is  a  capital  fellow."  Some- 
how the  "  capital  fellows,"  in  the  ministry  or 
out  of  it,  are  a  little  limited  in  their  range  of 
usefulness.  They  do  for  picnics  or  the  croquet- 
ground.  When  we  come  to  those  passages  of 
life  or  death  at  which  eternity  looks  in  upon  us, 
we  turn  to  men  and  women  of  another  make. 
—Ibid. 

7  The  example  of  Jeremiah  should  be  an 
incentive  to  the  Christian,  who  has 
brighter  light  and  stronger  consolation 
to  "endure  unto  the  end." 

[18257]  Our  troubles  are  lighter  than  the 
prophet's — our  consolations  are  stronger.  He 
carried  His  cross,  shall  not  we  carry  ours  ? 
While  not  without  conflict  and  sorrow  we  pass 
through  this  life,  yet  Christ  has  taught  us,  "  If 
we  be  dead  with  Him,  we  shall  also  live  with 
Him  :  if  we  suffer,  we  shall  also  reign  with 
Him."  "Every  cross,"  it  has  been  beautifully 
said,  "hath  its  own  inscription  :  the  name  that 
is  inscribed  upon  it  of  the  person  for  whom  it 
was     shaped.       It    was     intended    for    those 


18257—18262] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[hosea. 


shoulders  upon  which  it  is  laid,  and  will  adapt 
itself  to  them."  Yes,  and  the  Lord  who  makes 
our  crosses  is  He  who  bore  His  own,  and  will 
give  the  weakest  of  us  grace  to  carry  ours. — 
Rev.  J.  Stoughton. 

[18258]  If  Jeremiah  was  the  prophet  of 
judgment,  he  was  also  the  prophet  of  hope  ; 
and  St.  Paul  did  but  take  up  and  enlarge  upon 
his  message,  when  he  preached  to  Jew  and 
Gentile  "Jesus  and  the  resurrection."  And 
surely,  if  in  all  sorrow  there  is  something  very 
much  akin  to  that  of  God's  much-tried  servant 
of  old,  there  is  also  for  every  suffering  be- 
liever the  same  animating  principle  of  Christian 
hope  :  the  truths  which  were  as  shadows  to 
Jeremiah  have  become  realities  to  us  ;  and  in 
that  suffering  but  now  glorified  Redeemer,  of 
of  whom  the  prophet  was  a  type,  we  have  One 
who  hath  "  carried  our  sorrows,'  and  won  for 
us  a  title  to  an  "endless  life." — Rev.  Sir  E. 
Bayley,  L.D. 


HOSEA. 

I.  Introduction. 
Character  of  his  times, 

[18259]  His  message  was  mainly  to  the  king- 
dom of  Israel,  the  ten  tribes  who  had  revolted 
from  Judah  ;  and  this  period,  during  which  he 
carried  God's  messages  to  them,  was  the  most 
frightful  in  their  history.  It  was  a  period  of 
change  and  confusion,  of  anarchy,  murder,  and 
usurpation.  After  Jeroboam's  death  there  was 
an  interregnum  of  ten  years,  and  then  Zechariah 
seized  the  sceptre.  In  six  months  he  was  slain  by 
Shallum.  In  four  weeks  this  man  was  murdered 
by  Menahem  :  and  the  murderer,  while  his 
hands  reeked  with  blood,  took  the  reigns  of 
government,  and  managed  to  hold  them  for  ten 
years,  while  the  chariot  of  the  state  rolled  over 
a  horrible  path,  enveloped  in  storms.  Pekahiah 
succeeded  him,  and  after  wearing  the  crown 
two  years,  was  put  to  death  by  Pekah  ;  and 
then  Pekah,  twenty  years  after,  was  put  to  death 
by  Hoshea.  Hoshea  brings  up  the  rear  of  these 
usurpers,  and  with  him  closes  the  history  of  the 
Israelitish  kingdom.  "  The  Lord  was  very 
angry  with  Israel,  and  removed  them  out  of  his 
sight.  So  was  Israel  carried  away  out  of  their 
own  land  to  Assyria  unto  this  day."  A  tragical 
period  truly.  What  events — not  particularly 
recorded,  but  which  are  implied  in  the  general 
narrative — must  have  transpired  !  How  would 
the  soul  of  the  good  prophet  be  shocked  by  the 
things  which  he  heard  !  How  would  his  old 
age  be  darkened  and  distressed  by  the  troubles 
of  his  nation  !  How  would  tears  trickle  down 
his  time-furrowed  cheeks,  because  of  the  hurt  of 
the  daughter  of  his  people  !  Hosea's  lot  was 
cast  on  times  far  different  from  ours  ;  such 
times,  indeed,  as  England  has  never  seen,  unless 
it  were  during  the  terrible  wars  of  the  Roses, 
in  the  fifteenth  century. — Rev.  J.  Stoui^liion. 


II.  His  Prophetic  Writings.    • 
Their  style  is  peculiar  and  vehement, 

[18260]  The  words  of  upbraiding,  of  judg- 
ment, of  woe,  burst  out,  as  it  were,  one  by  one, 
slowly,  heavily,  condensed,  abrupt,  from  the 
prophet's  heavy  and  shrinking  soul,  as  God 
commanded  and  constrained  him,  and  put  His 
words,  like  fire,  in  the  prophet's  mouth.  .  .  He 
delivers  his  message  as  though  each  sentence 
burst  with  a  groan  from  his  soul,  and  he  had 
anew  to  take  breath,  before  he  uttered  each 
renewed  woe.  Each  verse  forms  a  whole 
for  itself,  like  one  heavy  toll  in  a  funeral  knell. 
— Rev.  E.  Pusey,  D.D. 

[18261]  A  critic  has  spoken  of  Hosea's  style 
as  "abrupt,  unconnected,  and  ebullient,  his 
rhythm  hard,  leaping,  and  violent,  his  language 
peculiar  and  difficult."  Another  says,  with  an 
overlaying  of  imagery,  "  His  discourses  are  like 
a  garland  woven  of  a  multiplicity  of  flowers  ; 
images  are  woven  upon  images,  comparison 
wound  upon  comparison,  metaphor  strung  upon 
metaphor.  He  plucks  one  flower,  and  throws 
it  down,  that  he  may  directly  break  off  another. 
Like  a  bee,  he  flies  from  one  flower-bed  to 
another,  that  he  may  suck  his  honey  from  the 
most  varied  pieces.  It  is  a  natural  consequence 
that  his  figures  sometimes  form  strings  of  pearls. 
Often  he  is  prone  to  allegory  ;  often  he  sinks  down 
to  obscurity."  The  style  of  a  man's  thought  and 
expression  gives  the  image  of  his  mind,  and  in 
Hosea's  writings  we  recognize  a  gifted  thinker, 
ardent  and  impetuous,  full  of  fancy  and  full  of 
feeling,not  habituated  to  order  and  arrangement, 
but  pouring  forth  ideas  in  magnificent  profusion. 
We  do  not  see  the  refined  and  polished  teacher, 
but  one  like  Elijah,  of  rugged  aspect,  keen  and 
fiery  as  the  eagle,  bold  and  dauntless  as  the 
lion  ;  yet  withal  full  of  loving  tenderness  as  a 
little  child. — Rev.  J.  Sionghton. 

III.  His  Prophetic  Acts. 

I  They  were  not  imagined  to  have  taken 
place  in  a  vision,  but  were  actually  per- 
formed. 

[18262]  The  dealings  of  God  in  reference  to 
the  apostate  tribes  of  Israel,  Hosea  was  com- 
missioned to  unfold  and  explain,  and  this  he 
did  in  a  peculiar  manner,  as  related  in  the  first 
three  chapters.  The  style  of  the  narrative 
indicates  that  it  refers  not  to  something  which 
the  prophet  saw  in  vision,  or  imagined  and 
described,  but  to  something  which  he  actually 
did.  He  was  commanded  to  go  and  take  one, 
who,  on  account  of  her  infidelity,  is  called  a  wife 
of  whoredoms  :  she  bore  a  son  and  daughter, 
and  afterwards  another  son.  The  prophet 
repudiated  her,  because  of  her  breach  of  the 
marriage  covenant,  but  afterwards  he  was  com- 
manded to  receive  her  again.  Such  domestic 
transactions  taking  place  in  the  family  of  a 
well-known  man  like  Hosea  were  to  be  a  sign 
unto  Israel.  Of  course  this  appears  very  strange 
to  us,  since  it  is  utterly  out  of  keeping  with  the 


294 
18262 — 18267] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[hosea. 


habits  and  modes  of  instruction  pertaining  to 
present  times.  But  it  should  be  remembered, 
that  before  the  age  of  Christianity  there  was  far 
less  of  moral  correctness  and  delicacy  of  feeling 
than  there  is  now  ;  and  that  teaching  by  signs, 
by  the  performance  of  parabolic  events,  was 
characteristic  of  the  age  of  prophecy,  and  in 
accordance  with  the  oriental  genius  of  the 
Jewish  nation, — Ibid. 

2      They   were   strikingly   significant    of    the 
relative  positions  of  God  and  Israel. 

[18263]  The  meaning  conveyed  in  this  chap- 
ter of  the  prophet's  history  is  very  striking,  and 
a  part  of  it  very  beautiful.  The  wife  was  a  type 
of  the  whole  Jewish  people.  The  three  children 
probably  denoted  three  classes  among  them. 
The  first,  Jezreel— "  the  seed  of  God  " — the  son 
of  the  prophet,  seems  to  represent  the  pious 
portion,  the  true  Israel,  those  whom  God  had 
sown  and  made  to  grow.  The  second,  Lo-ru- 
hamah,  and  the  third,  Lo-ammi,  typify  those  who 
were  not  of  Jezreel,  but  who  were  cast  aside  by 
God.  Perhaps  these  last  two  were  not  children 
of  the  prophet,  and  hence  they  would  more 
strikingly  symbolize  the  degenerate  and  shame- 
ful condition  of  the  sinful  portion  of  the 
Israelitish  race.  .  .  .  The  period  of  separation 
between  the  prophet  and  his  unfaithful  com- 
panion betokened  the  Divine  rejection  of  the 
people  for  their  gross  idolatry.  But  the  over- 
tures of  compassion,  the  return  of  previous  love 
on  the  part  of  the  prophet,  very  touchingly 
illustrate  the  Divine  mercy  towards  the  outcasts. 
—Ibid. 

IV.  His  Character. 

•'The  style  is  the  man,"  and  in  his  writings 
several  virtues  make  themselves  apparent. 

( I )  A  bJiorrence  of  evil. 

[18264]  We  cannot  read  this  book  without 
feeling  that  the  writer  entered  into  the  senti- 
ments he  records.  Hosea  does  not  speak 
mechanically.  His  lips  are  not  mere  keys  on 
which  a  finger  plays,  evoking  sound  but  not 
eliciting  soul.  The  man's  heart  comes  out. 
Spiritual  sincerity  and  earnestness  mark  every 
page.  He  speaks  as  one  who  has  tasted  and 
felt  what  he  says.  It  is  God's  revelation,  but  it 
is  Hosea's  cardiphonia.  You  see  his  deep 
detestation  of  moral  evil.  How  he  speaks 
against  sin,  giving  it  odious  names,  and  de- 
picting it  by  loathsome  images.  How  he  traces 
all  misery  up  to  this  one  source  :  "  Samaria 
shall  become  desolate  ;  for  she  hath  rebelled 
against  her  God."  How  he  identifies  the 
punishment  of  sin  with  sin  itself:  "Their  own 
doings  have  beset  them  about."  How  he 
ignores  all  greatness  where  the  heart  is  vile. 
—Ibid. 

(2)  Large-hearted  sympathy. 

a.  He  sympathized,  if  we  may  say  so,  with 
God. 

[18265]  How  many  express  words  of  God  does 
he  repeat  !     How  much  he  speaks  in  the  very 


name  of  God!  .  .  .  We  cannot,  while  going  over 
this  book,  divest  ourselves  of  the  thought  that 
the  prophet  enters  most  fully  into  all  these  plead- 
ings and  expostulations,  that  they  come  from 
God's  heart  through  his  heart  ;  that  in  the 
Divine  indignation  against  sin,  he  participates  ; 
that  with  the  melting  overtures  of  heavenly  love, 
he  pours  out  the  tenderest  feelings  of  his  own 
soul.  Who  does  not  catch  the  sympathy  of  the 
prophet  in  those  wonderful  words,  "  How  shall 
I  give  thee  up  Ephraim  ?  How  shall  I  deliver 
thee  Israel .?" — Ibid. 

b.  He  fully  sympathized  with  man. 

[18266]  He  feels  the  woes  and  wants  of  Israel : 
he  identifies  Israel  with  himself.  Not  as  a 
spiritual  lordling,  but  as  a  poor  brother  like 
themselves,  he  urges  and  persuades.  "  Come," 
he  says,  "  and  let  us  return  unto  the  Lord,"  as 
one  feeling  that  he  had  need  to  return  as  well 
as  they  ;  as  one  who  would  take  them  by  the 
hand  in  the  path  in  which  he  felt  it  became 
himself  to  tread  : — "  Come,  and  let  us  return 
unto  the  Lord:  for  He  hath  torn,  and  He  will  heal 
us  ;  He  hath  smitten,  and  He  will  bind  us  up. 
After  two  days  He  will  revive  us — in  the  third 
day  He  will  raise  us  up,  and  we  shall  live  in  His 
sight."  And  again,  "  O  Israel,  return  unto  the 
Lord  thy  God  ;  for  thou  hast  fallen  by  thine 
iniquity.  Take  with  you  words,  and  turn  to  the 
Lord  :  say  unto  him.  Take  away  all  iniquity, 
and  receive  us  graciously  :  so  will  we  render  the 
calves  of  our  lips.  Asshur  shall  not  save  us  ; 
we  will  not  ride  upon  horses  :  neither  will  we 
say  any  more  to  the  work  of  our  hands,  Ye  are 
our  gods  ;  for  in  thee  the  fatherless  findeth 
mercy." — Ibid. 

(3)  Fidelity  in  the  discharge  of  his  mission. 

[18267]  Much  of  the  duty  he  had  to  perform 
was  painful.  It  must  have  wrung  the  heart  of 
a  man  like  him,  as  loving  as  he  was  courageous. 
It  was  indeed  a  burden  from  the  Lord  ;  but  he 
carried  it.  With  what  fidelity  did  he  probe  the 
wounds  of  Israel  !  How  honestly  he  laid  open 
before  the  people  the  true  cause  of  all  their 
troubles  !  He  did  not  lose  himself  in  general 
allusions  to  their  calamities  ;  he  set  to  work 
to  show  them  most  distinctly,  and  in  several 
discriminating  particulars,  their  sins.  Then  how 
solemnly  did  he  reveal  the  judgments  of  the 
Lord  against  the  whole  circle  of  the  ungodly. 
We  seem  to  behold  him  in  his  prophet's  mantle, 
with  a  sorrowful  countenance,  and  eyes  full  of 
tears  ;  first  going  to  the  house  of  sacrifice,  and 
looking  at  the  desecrated  altar,  and  then  to  the 
palace,  and  looking  at  the  profanation  of  the 
throne  ;  and  then  through  the  streets  of  the 
cities,  looking  on  the  vices  and  crimes  of  the 
populace,  and  saying,  "  Hear  ye  this,  O  priests  ; 
and  hearken,  ye  house  of  Israel  ;  and  give  ye 
ear,  O  house  of  the.  king  ;  for  judgment  is 
toward  you.  Blow  ye  the  cornet  in  Gibeah, 
and  the  trumpet  in  Ramah  :  cry  aloud  at 
Beth-aven,  after  thee,  O  Benjamin.  Ephraim 
shall  be  desolate  in  the  day  of  rebuke.  Among 
the  tribes  of  Israel  have  I   made  known  that 


18267— 18273] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


which  surely  shall  be.  The  princes  of  Judah 
were  like  them  that  remove  the  bound :  there- 
fore I  will  pour  out  my  wrath  upon  them  like 
water." — Ibid. 

(4)   The  spirit  of  hope. 

[18268]  His  sorrowful  expostulations,  his  ter- 
rible warnings,  are  illumined  by  hope.  They 
terminate  in  hope.  He  has  hope  for  his 
country,  and  hope  for  the  Church.  "The 
prophet's  mind  was  intensely  interested  in  the 
destinies  of  his  own  people.  The  nations  around 
him  are  unheeded  ;  his  prophetic  eye  beholds 
the  crisis  approaching  his  country,  and  sees  its 
cantons  ravaged,  its  tribes  murdered  or  enslaved. 
No  wonder  that  his  rebukes  are  so  terrible,  his 
menaces  so  "  alarming  that  his  soul  poured  forth 
its  strength  in  an  ecstasy  of  grief  and  affection. 
Invitations  replete  with  tenderness  and  pathos, 
are  interspersed  with  his  warnings  and  expostu- 
lations. Now  we  are  startled  with  a  vision  of 
the  throne,  at  first  shrouded  in  darkness,  and 
sending  forth  lightnings,  thunders,  and  voices  : 
but  while  we  gaze,  it  becomes  encircled 
with  a  rainbow,  which  gradually  expands  till 
it  is  lost  in  that  brilliancy  which  itself  had 
originated."  Yes,  amidst  the  storm  the  prophet 
shows  us  the  rainbow.  Cloud  after  cloud  comes, 
and  there  is  thunder,  but  the  rainbow  is  painted 
on  the  cloud.  The  prophet  hopes  and  teaches 
the  nation  and  the  Church  to  hope. — Ibid. 

[18269]  Entering  into  the  promises,  he  ob- 
tained the  spirit  of  hope,  the  only  source  out  of 
which  a  spirit  of  true  hope  can  ever  rise.  He 
repeated  them  as  one  who  believed  in  them  and 
rejoiced  in  them.  This  spirit  of  hope  appears 
when  he  takes  the  poor,  torn,  bleeding  children 
of  Israel  by  the  hand,  and  says,  "  Let  us  return 
unto  the  Lord  ;  He  will  heal  us  ;  He  will  bind  us 
up."  "  Then  shall  we  know,  if  we  follow  on  to 
know  the  Lord."  This  spirit  of  hope  is  breathed 
in  the  exhortation,  "  Sow  to  yourselves  in 
righteousness,  reap  in  mercy  :  break  up  your 
fallow  ground  ;  for  it  is  time  to  seek  the  Lord, 
till  He  come  and  rain  righteousness  upon  you." 
And  this  spirit  of  hope  blends  with  the  prophet's 
final  entreaty  that  Israel  would  turn  to  the  Lord, 
because  "  in  Him  the  fatherless  findeth  mercy." 
—Ibid. 

V.  HomilEtical  Hints. 

I       The  ministry  of  Hosea  furnishes  a  bright 
example  of  fidelity  to  God. 

[18270]  Hosea  comes  before  us  as  a  man 
earnestly  and  sorrowfully  doing  his  duty.  He 
hears  a  voice  from  heaven,  and  he  must  repeat 
it.  God  commands  him,  and  he  obeys.  Faith- 
fulness to  the  authority  of  the  Most  High,  in 
whatever  position  we  are  placed,  whatever  may 
be  the  particular  mission  we  have  to  fulfil — that 
is  the  trait  of  character  which  we  should  seek  to 
have,  and  exemplify,  as  the  covering  and  crown 
of  all  our  days.  We  have  said,  faithfulness  to 
the  authority  of  the  Most  High,  because  that  is 
really  the  only  form  of  faithfulness  which  meets 


295 

[JOEL. 


the  claims  of  religion.  Faithfulness  to  duty 
would  hardly  describe  Hosea's  faithfulness.  It 
was  faithfulness  to  God.  We  are  in  danger  of 
talking  about  duty  as  a  mere  abstraction,  of 
looking  at  it  apart  from  Him  who  binds  upon 
us  our  obligations,  whose  moral  perfection  is 
the  foundation  of  all  law.  We  are  apt,  amidst 
our  declamations  on  the  subject,  to  forget  that 
personal,  everlasting,  riglitcous,  blessed  and 
adorable  Being,  without  faith  in  whom,  and  love 
to  His  name,  and  worship  of  His  majesty,  and 
reverence  for  His  revealed  will,  our  homilies  may 
only  be  the  expression  of  a  refined  idolatrous 
sentiment,  the  putting  of  an  abstraction  in  tlie 
place  of  God.  Let  us  think  and  speak  of  things 
as  the  Bible  teaches  us,  and  ever  regard  God  in 
Christ  as  our  Lawgiver  and  King.  Be  this  the 
end  of  our  lives — as  the  Bible  phrases  it,  "  He 
served  his  own  generation  by  the  will  of  God." 
—Ibid. 

2  The  ministry  of  Hosea  emphasizes  the 
necessity  and  the  benefits  of  a  spirit  of 
hope. 

[18271]  Hope  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
traits  of  character  unfolded  in  the  ministry  of 
Hosea.  We  honour  him  for  his  faithfulness, 
and  love  him  lor  his  hope.  And  it  was  hope 
that  made  him  strong,  brave,  patient,  and 
loving.  It  was  hope  that  fitted  him  to  do  his 
work  as  a  minister,  which  sustained  and  com- 
forted him  as  a  man.  There  was  hope  in  his 
patriotism,  and  hope  in  his  piety,  hope  for 
himself  and  for  his  countrymen.  Nor  can  we 
labour,  and  suffer,  and  endure  without  hope. 
Without  hope  we  cannot  serve  God  and  save 
men.  Without  hope  our  hearts  will  sink,  or 
they  will  become  callous.  Without  hope  for 
ourselves  we  shall  give  up  our  work  ;  without 
hope  for  others  we  shall  do  it  harshly,  and  no 
love  will  blend  with  it  to  give  it  beauty. — Ibid. 

[18272]  We  thank  thee,  thou  prophet  of  the 
living  God,  for  this  example  of  hope,  amidst 
the  burdens  and  cares  of  human  life  ;  amidst 
the  sins  and  perils  of  the  nation  ;  amidst  the 
backslidings  and  afflictions  of  the  Church  ; 
amidst  the  troubles  and  sorrows  of  our  own 
souls  !  If  Judaism  was  a  religion  of  hope, 
so  is  the  gospel  :  a  religion  of  better  and 
brighter  hope — of  hope  based  on  fuller,  clearer, 
more  explicit  promises — of  hope  in  Christ. — 
Ibid. 


JOEL. 

I.  Introductory. 
Question  as  to  the  exact  period  of  his  ministry. 

[18273]  It  is  plain  that  Joel  was  a  prophet  in 
Judah,  not  in  Israel  ;  but  there  is  difficulty  in 
coming  to  any  conclusion  about  the  time  when 
he  lived.  Very  different  opinions  have  been 
expressed  on  the  subject.     Some  suppose  that 


296 

18273—18278] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[JOEL. 


he  is  the  earliest  of  the  prophets  whose  writings 
are  preserved.  They  date  his  ministry  in  the 
reign  of  Joash,  when  Jehoiada,  the  high  priest, 
had  reformed  the  kingdom  by  casting  down 
idolatry,  and  restoring  the  burnt  offerings  of 
the  Lord,  as  it  is  written  in  the  law  of  Moses, 
'•  with  rejoicing  and  with  singing,  as  it  was 
ordained  by  David."  This  judgment  is  formed 
chiefly  upon  the  absence  of  any  allusion  to 
idolatrous  practices  in  the  record  of  Joel's 
ministry  ;  and  upon  his  reference  to  the  priests 
as  ministers  of  the  Lord,  engaged  in  the  regular 
temple  service.  Others,  again,  rank  Joel  as  a 
contemporary  with  Hosea  and  Amos,  and  as 
engaged  in  the  prophetic  office  at  the  close  of 
the  reign  of  Uzziah.  The  omission  of  reference 
to  the  worship  of  idols  harmonizes  with  this 
period  no  less  than  the  other,  inasmuch  as 
though  Uzziah  did  evil  in  burning  incense  in 
the  temple,  thus  usurping  a  Divine  office,  which 
God  had  separated  from  the  office  of  king ;  yet, 
in  his  reign,  and  that  of  his  successor,  the 
worship  of  the  '  rue  God  was  preserved  in 
Jerusalem.  In  the  omission,  then,  of  all  indica- 
tions that  idolatry  was  prevalent  when  Joel 
ministei  ed  as  prophet,  we  have  nothing  decisive 
as  to  whether  he  lived  in  the  reign  of  Joash,  or 
in  that  of  Uzziah.  The  only  thing  in  the  book 
seeming  to  point  to  one  of  these  periods  rather 
than  the  other,  is  the  fact,  which  it  betrays,  that 
something  at  the  time  was  grievously  wrong  in 
Judah.  Such  judgments  could  not  have  come 
if  there  had  not  been  some  great  evil  to  provoke 
them.  Joel  expressly  alludes  to  the  sin  of 
intemperance.  Now  at  the  close  of  the  reign  of 
Uzziah,  and  at  the  opening  of  that  of  Joiham, 
we  are  e.xpressly  informed  that  though  the  king 
did  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  "  the  people 
did  corruptly."  This  would  well  enough  agree 
with  wliat  is  implied  in  the  prevalence  of  Divine 
judgments  noticed  by  Joel.  We  are  therefore 
inclined  to  consider  the  prophet  as  discharging 
his  functions  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  about  the 
time  when  Ho?ea  was  beginnirig  his  in  the 
kingdom  of  Israel. — Rev.  J.  Sioughion. 


II.  His  Character. 

It    might    be    described    as    that   of   a   pious 
naturalist. 

[18274]  He  had  an  eye  for  the  beautiful  in 
creation  ;  he  had,  not  without  study,  learned  to 
see  the  true  expression  of  the  face  of  nature. 
He  had  become  familiar  as  a  friend  with  the 
trees  of  the  forest  ;  he  had  watched  the  ways 
of  the  insects,  and  the  paths  of  the  cattle.  He 
had  mused  on  the  waters  of  the  valley,  and 
marked  "the  morning  spread  upon  the  moun- 
tains,' and  had  often  looked  up  with  eyes  of 
sympathy  on  the  heavens,  the  sun,  and  the  moon, 
and  the  stars.  No  one  can  attentively  read 
this  prophet  without  detecting  manifest  and 
frequent  tokens  of  a  soul  that  oft  communed  with 
nature,  that  loved  to  sit  silent  and  alone  in  that 
school  for  thought  which  God  has  built  around 
us  in  material  forms,  and  where  He  educates 


His  intelligent  creatures,  bringing  out  thereby 
their  richest  faculties. — Ibid. 

[18275]  Joel  saw  God  in  everything  ;  saw  Him 
pervading  all  nature;  saw  His  hand  beneath 
the  mountains,  and  over  the  heavens  ;  saw  Him 
drying  up  the  vine,  and  making  the  fig  to 
languish  ;  and  then,  again,  causing  the  rain  to 
come  down,  the  floors  to  be  full  of  wheat,  and 
the  vats  to  overflow  with  wine  and  oil  ;  saw  Him 
marshalling  the  insects— the  palmer-worm  and 
the  locust,  those  types  of  a  great  people  and  a 
strong — sending  them  forth  to  run  to  and  fro  in 
the  city,  to  run  upon  the  wall,  and  to  climb 
upon  the  house. — Ibid. 

III.  His  Style. 

It  is  even  and  methodical. 

[18276]  Joel  was  accustomed  to  think  metho- 
dically, and  to  gather  up  his  thoughts  in 
harmonious  arrangement — artistically  to  bind 
the  flowers  he  plucked,  architecturally  to  build 
the  stones  he  collected.  He  weighed  and 
balanced  his  words,  not  for  the  sake  of  orna- 
ment, but  for  the  sake  of  mental  impression 
and  moral  effect.  He  did  not  proceed  on  the 
principle,  that  it  does  not  matter  how  a  good 
thing  be  said,  if  it  be  only  said.  Joel  had 
evidently  studied  the  use  of  language,  feeling 
that  language  is  a  wonderful  exponent  of  thought 
— that  the  syllables  which  make  it  up  are 
mysterious  things — that  they  carry  with  them 
beauty  and  power — that  they  are  among  God's 
rich  gifts,  and  that  their  strongest,  fairest,  and 
best  are  to  be  sacred  to  him.  Three  short 
chapters  have  we  of  sanctified  thought  and 
expression,  indicating  more  with  regard  to  the 
mental  history  of  the  man  than  they  expressly 
record  ;  yielding  the  result  of  habits  of  medita- 
tion formed  before  these  sentences  were  woven  ; 
unfolding  the  mature  fruitage  of  a  vine  that 
had  been  dressed  and  pruned  with  laborious 
care. — Ibid. 

[18277]  Poetical  as  Joel's  language  is,  he 
does  not  use  much  distinct  imagery.  For  his 
whole  picture  is  one  image.  They  are  God's 
chastenings  through  inanimate  nature,  picturing 
the  worse  chastenings  through  man.  So  much 
had  he  probably  in  prophetic  vision,  the  symbol 
spread  before  his  eyes,  that  he  likens  it  in  one 
place  to  that  which  it  represents,  the  men  of 
war  of  the  invading  army.  But  this,  too,  adds 
to  the  formidableness  of  the  picture. — Rev.  E. 
Piisey,  D.D. 

IV.  His  Mission. 

It  was  the  preaching  of  repentance, 

[18278]  He  felt  that  God  was  the  accepter  of 
repentance.  Perhaps,  if  we  look  for  an  ex- 
pression to  characterize  Joel,  we  cannot  find  a 
better  than  the  prophet  of  repentance.  The 
judgments  on  which  he  dwells  are  motives  to 
repentance,  showing  its   need.     The   promises 


18278— 18283] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


297 

[amos. 


which  follow  are  also  motives,  showinc^  its 
blessed  consequences.  Did  not  Joel  understand 
repentance  to  be  a  spiritual  and  a  fiersinial 
duty?  that  though  he  lived  under  a  dispensa- 
tion of  forms  and  shadows,  he  did  not  rest  in 
them,  but  could  and  did  tear  off  the  garment, 
to  get  at  the  spirit  which  it  clothed  ;  that  he 
knew  God  could  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less 
than  the  offering  of  the  heart  ;  that  it  was  vain 
to  rend  the  mantle,  if  the  breast  it  covered 
were  not  pierced  by  pungent  sorrow  for  offences 
done  to  the  Holy  One  ;  that  repentance  was  a 
change  of  mind,  a  turning  of  the  soul  to  God  ; 
that  it  was  a  duty  which  could  not  be  performed 
by  representation,  or  in  the  mass  ;  but  by  each 
alone,  one  by  one,  by  the  children  alone,  and 
the  parents  alone,  the  bridegroom  alone,  and 
the  bride  alone,  and  the  priests  alone  ;  and 
seeing  in  this  the  enlightened  conviction  of  the 
prophet's  own  soul — a  conviction  so  enlightened 
that  it  looks  like  an  anticipation  of  gospel  senti- 
ments, may  we  not,  must  we  not,  conceive  of 
this  son  of  Pethuel  as  a  man  who  himself  was 
performing  the  duty,  whose  own  heart  was  I'ent, 
while  with  fasting,  weeping,  and  mourning  he 
led  the  train  of  sorrowful  suppliants  to  the  altar 
of  a  merciful  God  1—Rev.  J.  Stoughton. 


V.  Contrast  with  Hosea. 

[18279]  Joel,  as  to  the  order  of  his  mind,  was 
evidently  a  different  man  from  Hosea.  While, 
in  common  with  him,  he  has  a  fulness  and 
depth  of  thought  and  feeling,  and  a  wonderful 
power  of  illustration  by  imagery,  he  has  an 
order  and  regularity  in  his  ideas  such  as  are 
wanting  in  his  Israelitish  contemporary.  In 
contrast  with  Hosea,  we  would  introduce  a 
Judgment  on  Joel  from  an  English  commentator : 
— "  He  not  only  possesses  a  singular  degree  of 
purity,  but  is  distinguished  by  his  smoothness 
and  fluency,  the  animated  and  rapid  character 
of  his  rhythm,  the  perfect  regularity  of  his 
parallelisms,  and  the  degree  of  roundness 
which  he  gives  to  his  sentences."  Taking  style 
as  an  inlet  into  the  secrets  of  the  mind,  we 
picture  Joel  beside  Hosea,  as  a  calm  river 
flowing  past  a  stormy  cataract. — Ibid. 

VI.  HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

I  The  prophet  Joel  affords  an  example  especi- 
ally needed  in  our  own  day  of  perceiving 
that  God  is  a  moral  and  righteous  Judge. 

[18280]  While  Joel  as  a  pious  naturalist  saw 
God  in  everything,  he  did  what  even  devoutly 
disposed  naturalists  will  not  always  do — he  saw 
that  God  was  a  moral  and  righteous  Judge. 
Judgments  he  largely  speaks  of,  especially  a 
judgment  of  locusts  that  should  destroy  the 
land  ;  and  perhaps  under  the  image  of  this  he 
refers  to  a  still  more  dreadful  judgment  in  the 
form  of  an  invading  army  :  "  Like  the  noise  of 
chariots  on  the  tops  of  mountains, — like  the 
noise  of  a  flame  of  fire  that  devoureth  the 
stubble."     These  insects  and  these  soldiers  he 


distinctly  notices  as  servants  of  God.  "  And  the 
Lord  shall  utter  His  voice  before  His  army  :  for 
His  camp  is  very  great  :  for  he  is  strong  that 
executeth  His  word  :  for  the  day  of  the  Lord 
is  great  and  very  terrible."  He  looked  upon 
judgments  as  occasioned  by  sin  ;  upon  natural 
evil,  in  its  working  on  a  nation,  as  the  fruit  of 
moral  evil.  This  is  implied  in  his  call  to  re- 
pentance, as  a  means  of  deliverance. — Ibid. 

1       The  prophet  Joel  presents  us  v/ith  a  picture 
of  true  repentance. 

[18281]  We  hear  his  sighs  and  we  see  his  tears 
as  we  dwell  on  his  words.  He  comes  before  us 
as  an  embodiment  of  the  spiritual  and  personal 
duty  he  describes.  He  is  an  example  of  what 
he  inculcates.  And  as  he  shows  us  how  this 
parent  duty  of  a  sinner  is  to  be  discharged,  as 
we  see  him  before  us  pouring  out  his  own  soul 
by  the  altar  of  God,  there  comes  the  solemn 
question,  Have  we  repented  ?  Seeing  that  God 
is  a  righteous  God,  not  simply  the  enacter  of 
physical  laws,  but  the  giver  of  moral  command- 
ments, employing  those  physical  laws  as  sanc- 
tions of  those  commandments  ;  have  we,  who 
have  been  taught  by  the  troubles  and  sorrows 
of  life  to  believe  ourselves  sinners — have  we 
repented  yet?  Have  we  rent  our  hearts? — 
Ibid. 


AMOS. 

I.  Chief  Characteristics. 

1  He  was  a  lover  of  nature. 

[18282]  We  are  informed  that  his  pursuits 
had  been  pastoral.  He  had  been  among  the 
shepherds  of  Tekoa.  Much  of  the  imagery  of 
his  prophecies  arose  out  of  that  circumstance. 
He  alludes  to  the  height  of  the  cedars  and  the 
strength  of  the  oaks,  to  the  snaring  of  birds 
and  the  roaring  of  the  lion,  to  the  sifting  of 
corn  and  the  treading  of  grapes,  to  the  constella- 
tions of  the  heavens  and  the  changes  of  morning 
and  evening — natural  objects  which  had  been 
familiar  to  him,  as  he  tended  his  sheep  by  day, 
or  watched  over  his  flocks  by  night.  We  see,  too, 
in  him,  as  in  Joel  and  other  prophets,  an  intense 
sympathy  with  the  beautiful  and  magnificent  in 
nature,  while  throughout  his  discourses  he 
breathes  that  strong  faith  in  Jehovah,  as  the 
personal  Creator  and  Sustainer  of  all  things, 
which  distinguishes  the  Hebrew  from  the  Gen- 
tile sage  or  poet. — Rev.  J.  Stoughton. 

2  He  was  essentially  a  man  of  faith. 

[18283]  Amos  was  a  man  who  distinctly  saw 
God  in  all  the  events  of  human  history,  as  well 
as  in  all  the  scenes  of  the  material  universe, 
having  that  conviction  of  his  personal  and  ever- 
lasting presence  which  should  be  cherished  by 
us  as  we  study  the  annals  of  the  world,  leading 
us  to  paint  over  every  picture  of  the  past  and 
present  a  hand  which  the  ungodly  cannot,  will 
not  see.     "  .Shall  a  trumpet  be  blown  in  the  city, 


18283— 18287] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[AMOS. 


and  the  people  not  be  afraid  ?  shall  there  be  evil 
in  the  city" — a  misfortune  as  men  call  it — "  and 
the  Lord  hath  not  done  it  .f"'  Like  Joel,  too,  he 
saw  God  as  a  moral  Governor,  employing  natural 
agencies  for  the  punishment  of  sin.  With  a 
deep  sympathy  in  the  justice  of  the  Almighty, 
on  whomsoever  His  rod  might  fall,  he  calmly 
follows  and  records  the  sweep  of  the  Divine 
indignation,  from  Damascus  to  Gaza — from  Tyre 
to  Edom — from  Amnion  to  Moab  ;  noting  down 
the  three  transgressions  and  four  for  which  the 
judgment  came,  till  the  circle  narrows,  and  the 
wings  of  retribution  overshadow  the  very  centre, 
where  the  prophet  himself  is  standing  ;  and  for 
the  three  transgressions  and  four  of  Judah  and 
Israel,  he  declares  that  a  fire  shall  devour  the 
palaces  of  Jerusalem ;  while  the  most  courageous 
of  the  Israelites  "  shall  flee  away  naked  in  that 
day,  saith  the  Lord." — Ibid. 

3      He  was  a  man  of  moral  courage. 

[18284]  Relating  the  vision  of  a  symbolical 
act,  how  the  Lord  stood  before  him  with  a  plumb- 
line  in  His  hand,  to  indicate  that  as  the  builder 
applies  the  line  to  the  perpendicular  wall  to 
secure  exactitude  in  his  work,  so  the  Judge  of 
Israel  and  the  world  metes  out  His  dispensations 
according  to  rules  exact  and  infallible  ;  and 
going  on  to  denounce  the  house  of  Jeroboam, 
Amos  is  accused  of  conspiracy  against  Jeroboam, 
and  is  advised  by  one  of  the  priests  of  Bethel  to 
flee  into  the  land  of  Judah  and  eat  his  bread 
there.  But  with  the  heroism  of  a  true  servant 
of  God,  he  replies,  "  I  was  no  prophet,  neither 
was  I  a  prophet's  son  ;  but  I  was  an  herdman, 
and  a  gatherer  of  sycamore  fruit  :  and  the  Lord 
took  me  as  I  followed  the  flock,  and  the  Lord 
said  unto  me.  Go,  prophesy  unto  My  people 
Israel.  Now  therefore  hear  thou  the  word  of 
the  Lord  ; " — and  then  he  goes  on  to  repeat  the 
obnoxious  message,  to  unfold  still  further  the 
secrets  of  the  Divine  displeasure,  to  mark  the 
sovereign's  wife  and  children  for  ruin  ;  and, 
finally,  to  relate  the  vision  of  a  basket  of  sum- 
mer fruit,  which  rots  and  perishes  as  soon  as  it 
is  gathered,  to  show  the  speediness  of  the  de- 
struction which  he  had  announced. — Ibid.  ■ 

[18285]  Amos  was  called  from  very  lowly  toils 
to  preach  God's  Word  to  the  kingdom  of  Israel 
at  a  time  when,  in  spite  of  one  last  gleam  of 
delusive  splendour  under  Jeroboam  II.,  it  was 
fast  sinking  into  that  condition  of  degradation 
and  decrepitude  which  ended — as  end  the 
crimes  of  all  impenitent  nations — in  its  total  and 
irremediable  extinction.  Poor  he  was,  and 
ignorant,  as  were  the  apostles  after  him,  and 
as  a  check  to  false  scorn  and  fastidious  intel- 
lectualism  it  is  well  for  us  to  remember  that 
such  have  many  of  God's  grandest  champions 
been,  but  though  Amos  was  neither  a  prophet 
nor  a  prophet's  son,  but  a  rough  beadsman  and 
unlettered  gatherer  of  sycamore  leaves,  his  was 
one  of  those  masculine  indignant  natures  which 
burst  like  imprisoned  flame  through  the  white 
ashes  of  social  hypocrisy.     Prepared  like  Mac- 


cabeus of  old  to  die  in  his  simplicity,  he  was  not 
afraid  to  roll  God's  message  of  thunder  over 
apostate  nations,  and  hurl  the  flash  of  His 
threatenings  against  guilty  kings.  Like  Saul 
before  Samuel,  like  Elijah  before  Ahab,  like 
John  the  Baptist  before  Herod,  like  Paul  before 
Felix,  like  John  Huss  before  Sigismund,  like 
Luther  before  Charles  V.,  like  John  Knox  before 
Mary  Stuart,  so  Amos  testified  undaunted  before 
the  idolatry  of  courts  and  priests. — Afwn. 

4  He  was  the  exponent,  and  therefore, 
doubtless,  the  subject  of  the  theory  and 
practice  of  a  true  repentance. 

[18286]  Repentance,  according  to  Amos,  js  a 
p7'eparation  to  meet  God ;  to  stand  before  Him 
"that  formeth  the  mountains,  and  createth  the 
wind,  and  declareth  unto  man  what  is  his 
thought,  that  maketh  the  morning  darkness, 
and  treadeth  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth  ;" 
— repentance  is  to  leave  off  unrighteousness, 
and  to  "  seek  Him  that  maketh  the  seven  stars 
and  Orion,  and  turneth  the  shadow  of  death 
into  the  morning,  and  maketh  the  day  dark  with 
night :  that  calleth  for  the  waters  of  the  sea,  and 
poureth  them  out  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  ;" — 
— repentance  is  to  forget  all  but  God,  to  have 
the  soul  filled  with  thoughts  of  God,  to  feel  that 
God  can  do  everything,  that  man  must  be  safe 
and  happy  in  the  arms  of  God, — accursed  and 
undone  apart  from  God.  It  is  to  turn  away 
from  the  world,  and  from  sin,  and  from  the 
devil  ;  and,  full  of  love  and  sorrow — love  to  the 
God  who  saves,  sorrow  for  the  sin  that  destroys 
— to  cleave  to  the  arm  of  Omnipotence,  and  to 
rest  in  the  embrace  of  redeeming  mercy.  That 
is  the  sentiment  of  this  herdsman  of  Tekoa 
about  repentance.  So  we  imagine  he  had  felt, 
and  wept,  and  struggled,  and  resolved,  while 
keeping  his  sheep,  and  gathering  his  fruit,  among 
the  folds  and  sycamore  trees  of  his  early  home, 
and  thinking  of  that  God  who  had  covered  the 
pasture  and  the  orchard  with  manifold  life,  and 
had  drawn  over  the  earth  the  curtain  of  heaven, 
not  to  hide  His  presence,  but  to  indicate  that 
the  throne  of  the  Infinite  was  there.  To  repent, 
according  to  Amos'  teaching,  and  according  to 
what  we  doubt  not  was  Amos'  example,  this  is 
the  duty,  the  privilege,  the  highest  interest  of 
man. — Rev.  J.  Stoicghton. 

5  He  was  a  man  of  prayer. 

[18287 J  Amos  was  a  man  of  prayer.  How 
can  a  true  prophet  be  otherwise  ?  He  records 
two  beautiful  instances  of  the  power  of  his  inter- 
cessions. The  Lord  showed  him  grasshoppers 
just  at  the  time  of  the  shooting  up  of  the  latter 
crop  after  the  king's  mowings,  and  they  ate  the 
grass.  The  ravenous  insects  were  like  the  de- 
stroyers described  by  Joel.  The  vision  betokened 
a  judgment  impending  over  Israel  like  that 
which  had  desolated  Judah.  Mark  the  power 
of  the  prophet's  prayer,  "  O  Lord  God,  forgive, 
I  beseech  Thee  ;  by  whom  shall  Jacob  arise  ? 
(or,  who  is  Jacob  that  he  should  stand  before 
the  judgment)  for  he  is  small."     And  the  Lord 


18287 — 18292] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


299 

[AMOS. 


repented  of  this.  "  It  shall  not  be,  saith  the 
Lord  God."  And  again  there  was  fire,  and  it 
devoured  the  deep,  and  consumed  the  land. 
Perhaps  war  is  meant.  Again  the  prophet 
prays  in  the  same  words,  touching,  beautiful, 
heart-born  words  :  "  O  Lord  God,  cease,  I 
beseech  Thee  :  by  whom  shall  Jacob  arise  ? 
for  he  is  small."  Once  more  the  Lord  repented 
of  this  :  "This also  shall  not  be,  saith  the  Lord 
God."— Ibid. 

[18288]  Amos,  in  point  of  efficacious  prayer, 
as  well  as  earnest  desire,  is  to  be  numbered  with 
Abraham,  and  Jacob,  and  Moses,  and  Elijah, 
and  all  the  rest  who  have  had  power  with  God 
and  prevailed.  Oh,  wonderful  proof  of  that  law 
of  love  which  dwells  in  the  bosom  of  Jehovah, 
the  ground  and  guide  of  all  other  law — that  the 
helplessness  of  the  creature  has  power  with  the 
omnipotent  Creator — that  the  great  God  saves 
Israel  because  IsvaqWs  small  !  And  (marvellous 
encouragement  to  prayer !)  the  confession  of 
this,  not  lengthened  arguments,  but  the  simple, 
earnest  cry  of  conscious  feebleness,  arrests 
the  arm  of  Omnipotence  !  And  what  a  reason 
to  intercede  for  one's  church,  one's  country,  one's 
household,  one's  wife,  one's  child,  one's  friend, 
is  this,  that  the  Tekoan  herdsman  cried,  the  man 
oppressed  and  haled  by  kings  and  courts,  the 
poor  peasant  on  whom  the  nobles  at  Dethel 
looked  down  with  scorn — he  cried,  and  his  cry 
went  up  to  Him,  and  there  came  down,  if  not  a 
reprieve,  a  respite  for  a  whole  guilty  land  ! — 
Ibid. 

6      He  was   the   possessor  of  a   deep    hatred 
of  sin. 

[18289]  He  was  wont  to  dwell  on  its  intrinsic 
evil,  to  fire  his  soul  with  indignation  against  it. 
In  this  respect  he  writes  like  Hosea  rather  than 
Joel.  Indignation  with  him  takes  the  form  of 
irony,  as  it  did  with  Elijah,  as  it  did  with  Solo- 
mon. "  Come  to  Bethel,  and  transgress  ;  at 
Gilgal  multiply  transgression  ;  and  bring  your 
sacrifices  every  morning,  and  your  tithes  (or 
spoil)  after  three  years  :  and  offer  a  sacrifice  of 
thanksgiving  with  leaven,  and  proclaim  and 
publish  the  free  offerings  :  for  this  liketh  you." 
What  a  sting  is  there — "  this  liketh  you  ! " — 
how  it  should  pierce  the  conscience  of  every 
sinner — "for  this  liketh  you,  O  ye  children  of 
Israel."  Far,  indeed,  was  everything  like 
levity  from  the  prophet's  mind,  in  treating  such 
a  subject  as  the  sinfulness  of  the  people.  It 
was  holy  sorrow  that  prompted  the  irony. — 
Jbid. 


II.   HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

The  ministry  of  Amos  has  its  lesson  for  our 
own  day. 

[18290]  As  we  dwell  on  the  prophet's  indigna- 
tion and  sorrow  over  Israel,  there  comes  an  echo 
in  our  own  day  ;  and  from  the  pages  of  the 
Bible,  and  from  the  events  of  Providence,  and 
from  the  lips  of  the   Christian  ministry,  there 


fall  appeals  upon  our  conscience  ;  and  we  are 
many  of  us  led  to  think  how  God  has  visited  us 
in  all  manner  of  ways,  how  He  has  sent  us 
trouble  and  bereavement,  and  losses  and  dis- 
appointments, for  the  express  purpose  of  teaching 
us  to  renounce  a  hollow  world,  and  cleave  to 
Him,  the  all-sufficient  good,  and  yet,  alter  all, 
what  room  there  is  for  repeating,  day  after  day, 
and  year  after  year,  "  Yet— -yet— yet  ye  have  not 
returned  unto  Me,  saith  the  Lord."  These 
warnings  despised  too  long  will  provoke  the 
anger  of  the  Lord  of  patience.  "Therefore 
thus  will  I  do  unto  thee,  O  Israel,  and  because 
I  will  do  this  unto  thee,  prepare  to  meet  thy  God, 
O  Israel."  Happy  is  it  that  the  warning  and 
complaint  have  not  yet  ceased  in  reference  to 
us,  that  God  has  not  yet  in  anger  shut  up  His 
tender  mercies  ;  that  still  He  sends  the  message 
of  reconciliation,  and  waits  to  be  gracious. — 
Ibid. 

[18291]  No  one  could  feel  the  value  of  a 
Divine  revelation  and  ministry  more  than  Amos. 
He  prized  the  prophetic  missionas  one  of  Israel's 
richest  mercies  ;  to  hear  God  speaking  to  his 
own  soul  was  his  greatest  privilege  and  comfort. 
For  God  no  more  to  speak,  for  a  cessation  or  a 
suspension  to  come  of  the  condescending  inter- 
course of  the  Divine  teacher,  for  the  hoarse 
voice  of  reproof  as  well  as  the  gentle  tones  of 
pity  to  be  silent,  was  felt  by  him  to  be  the  greatest 
of  evils.  Amos  saw  that  that  was  coming. 
There  had  come  mildew,  and  blight,  and  scarcity, 
and  want,  and  the  land  had  groaned;  but  blacker 
clouds  of  evil  were  in  the  distance,  were  sailing 
nearer  and  nearer.  "  Behold,  the  days  come, 
saith  the  Lord  God,"  so  cries  the  prophet, 
"  that  I  will  send  a  famine  in  the  land,  not  a 
famine  of  bread,  nor  a  thirst  for  water,  but  of 
hearing  the  words  of  the  Lord  :  and  they  shall 
wander  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  north  even 
to  the  east,  they  shall  run  to  and  fro  to  seek  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  not  find  it."  We 
see  the  value  which  is  here  set  on  Divine  truth 
for  the  nourishment  of  man's  soul.  We  see  here 
a  comment  on  the  everlasting  maxim,  "  Man 
liveth  not  by  bread  alone."  We  see  here  how  in 
a  fulness  of  sufficiency  we  may  be  in  straits. — 
Ibid. 

[18292]  Blessed  be  God  that  this  worst  of 
judgments — this  famine  of  the  word  of  life — 
has  befallen  none  of  us  yet.  We  may  have  lost 
many  comforts  and  joys  that  we  greatly  prized  ; 
but  we  have  the  Bible  left,  we  have  the  inanna 
which  falleth  from  heaven,  the  gospel  and  the 
ordinances  of  Christ  left,  we  have  the  water  of 
life  left,  sheaves  upon  sheaves  of  Divine  in- 
struction are  being  reaped  every  Sabbath. 
God's  banquetting  house  is  open,  and  the  tables 
are  spread,  and  servants  come  to  us  week  after 
week,  telling  how  the  King  has  made  a  great 
supper,  and  all  things  are  ready,  and  we  are  to 
come  to  the  marriage.  But  if  men  will  not 
come  now,  and  eat  and  be  satisfied,  days  of 
famine  shall  follow;  they  shall  follow  in  eternity, 
they  shall  follow  in  hell  ;  and  then,  though  you 


300 

l82Q2 — 18299] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[JONAH. 


run  to  and  fro  to  seek  the  word  of  the  Lord,  you 
shall  not  find  it. — Jdid, 


JONAH. 

I.  Introduction. 

His  place  in  sacred  history. 

[1S293]  Jonah  was  a  native  of  Gath-hepher, 
a  town  of  Galilee  northward  from  Nazareth. 
The  exact  period  in  which  he  lived  is  uncertain. 
A  prophecy  which  he  had  uttered  regarding  the 
restoration  of  the  original  boundaries  of  Israel, 
after  the  long  continued  devastations  of  the 
Syrians,  is  spoken  of  (2  Kings  xiv.  25)  as  having 
been  fulfilled  in  the  days  of  Jeroboam  II.,  who 
reigned  B.C.  825-784.  The  form  of  the  refer- 
ence, however,  seems  to  imply,  that  though  the 
accomplishment  took  place  during  the  reign  of 
that  monarch,  the  prediction  itself  must  have 
preceded  it.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that 
Jonah  was  born  in  the  time  of  one  of  his  im- 
mediate predecessors,  though  at  what  precise 
date  cannot  now  be  known. — Rev.  R.  Sinith. 

[18294]  The  contents  and  the  texture  of  his 
book  tend  to  confirm  the  conclusion,  suggested 
by  chronological  data,  that  Jonah  must  be 
ranked  as  the  first  in  order  of  time  among 
the  prophets  whose  messages  were  recorded  in 
writing  for  the  benefit  of  after  ages.  He  formed 
the  connecting  link  between  Elijah  and  Elisha, 
with  their  compeers,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
long  line  of  prophets  who  flourished  during  the 
period  of  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  Hebrew 
monarchy,  on  the  other.  His  ministry,  there- 
fore, inaugurated  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the 
chosen  people. — Ibid. 

[18295]  Jonah  is  the  earliest  star  in  that  great 
movement  of  illumination  which  glorified  the 
reigns  of  Jeroboam  II.,  Uzziah,  Jotham,  Ahaz, 
and  Hezeiciah  ;  he  is  the  dawn  of  which  Isaiah 
is  the  noontide.  His  rising  is  the  boundary- 
line  between  two  worlds — the  age  of  sense  and 
the  age  of  faith  ;  and  therefore  the  book  which 
bears  his  name  is  a  strange  blending  of  the 
historian  and  the  preacher. — G.  Maiheson. 

II.  General  Estimate  of  his  Character. 

It  was  strangely  inconsistent  and  self-contra- 
dictory. 

[18296]  Among  all  the  characters  introduced 
to  us  in  the  Bible,  there  is  not  a  stranger  and 
more  inconsistent  one  than  Jonah.  That  he 
was  in  the  main  a  good  man  we  cannot  doubt, 
but  there  were  so  many  points  of  weakness  in 
him,  so  much  that  was  unlovely  and  repulsive, 
such  painful  instances  of  petulance  and  dis- 
obedience, that  if  we  had  not  become  well 
acquainted  with  our  own  defects  and  short- 
comings, we  should  be  disposed  to  have  but  little 
respect  for  him. — Rev.  J,  Norton. 


[18297]  On  the  whole,  we  hardly  know  what 
to  make  of  Jonah.  The  first  notice  of  him  in 
the  Book  of  Kings  conveys  the  idea  of  his 
being  a  good  man.  He  is  called  "a  servant 
of  God  " — an  honourable  title.  But,  then,  his 
fleeing  from  the  face  of  the  Lord  comes  out  in 
very  gloomy  inconsistency  with  the  high  cha- 
racter which  the  title  imparts.  Again,  his  piety 
appears.  His  faith  and  hope,  in  the  midst  of 
his  trouble,  are  very  beautiful.  His  courage 
as  a  preacher  in  the  city  of  Nineveh  is  very 
sublime.  But,  finally  there  comes  his  anger 
against  God— his  heartless  inditference  to  the 
miseries  involved  in  a  people's  overthrow — his 
discontent,  and  his  petulance.  If  we  had  only 
the  verse  in  Kings,  and  his  prayer,  and  his 
preaching  in  Nineveh,  recorded,  we  should  say 
he  was  a  very  good  man.  If  we  had  only  his 
fleeing  from  the  Lord,  and  his  conduct  in  refer- 
ence to  the  gourd  and  Nineveh's  destruction, 
we  should  say  he  was  a  very  bad  man.  This 
is  clear  :  his  character  was  self-contradictory. 
But  was  the  good  the  rule  and  the  evil  the 
exception  ?  Was  vital  piety  the  root  of  his  life ; 
and  was  his  flight  from  God,  and  his  peevish 
temper,  only  a  diseased  excrescence  growing 
on  the  stem  ?  Or,  did  unbelief  and  wilfulness 
brood,  like  a  dark  night,  over  his  soul,  relieved 
only  for  an  instant  or  two  by  flashes  of  illumina- 
tion }  We  should  incline  to  the  former  view. — 
Rev.  J.  Stoughton. 

III.  His  Special  Traits  of  Character. 

I       Faith. 

[18298]  In  this  respect  we  have  to  note,  first, 
the  exercise  of  faith  in  regard  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  visitation.  Jonah  was  at  no  loss 
to  discover  the  quarter  from  which  his  over- 
whehiiing  troubles  came  upon  him  ;  it  was  not 
accident  or  some  unknown  power,  but  the  hand 
of  God  which  had  ordained  them  :  "  Thou  hast 
cast  me  into  the  deep  ;  .  .  .  Thy  waves  and 
Thy  billows  have  passed  over  me." — Rev.  P. 
Fairbairn. 

[18299]  As  another  exercise  of  Jonah's  faith, 
and  common  with  him  to  all  afflicted  saints,  we 
must  mark  his  confidence  and  hope  in  God, 
not  extinguished,  but  rather  roused  into  action, 
by  the  extremity  of  his  distress.  Viewed  simply 
in  itself,  his  situation  was  of  the  most  desperate 
and  forlorn  description — an  outcast  from  his 
fellow-men,  from  the  habitable  globe  itself,  as 
being  no  longer  fit  to  have  a  place  among  the 
living — and  that  in  consequence  of  the  just 
judgment  of  heaven,  re-echoed  and  approved 
by  the  cry  of  guilt  in  his  own  conscience,  so 
that  there  seemed  to  be  almost  everything  in 
his  condition  that  might  bar  the  possibility  of 
confidence  and  hope.  Nor  was  it  by  shutting 
his  eyes  on  the  evil  that  he  found  relief  to  his 
mind  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  takes  the  full  gauge 
of  its  dimensions,  and  pathetically  laments  that 
"  he  was  cast  into  the  deep,"  "  cast  out  of 
God's  sight  ; "  he  had  turned  his  back  on  God, 
and  now  God,  making  his  sin  his  punishment, 


18299—18303] 


OLD    r!:STAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 
JIIWISH  ERA. 


301 

[jONAH. 


turned  His  back  on  him;  nay,  made  "<?//  His 
waves  and  billows  pass  over  him."  For  a  time, 
indeed,  he  seems  to  have  concluded  that  all  was 
completely  over  witli  him,  that  there  was  no 
room  for  hope,  the  daughter  of  faith,  to  enter  ; 
he  had  felt  as  if  the  earth's  bars  were  about 
him  for  ever,  and  he  was  enclosed  in  the  pit 
of  all-devouring  Sheol.  But  it  was  only  for  a 
time  ;  "  he  remembered  the  Lord  "  when  thus 
overwhelmed  with  perplexity ;  "  he  looked  again 
toward  God's  holy  temple,"  and  cried  in  faith, 
and  hoped  for  deliverance. — Ibid. 

[18300]  There  is  a  still  further  manifestation 
of  faitli  in  the  words  of  Jonah,  and  one  which 
forms  another  special  mark  of  sanctified  afflic- 
tion ;  although  it  lies  less  upon  the  surface 
than  those  already  noticed,  and  may  even 
escape  the  observation  of  a  hasty  reader.  I 
refer  to  the  use  that  is  made  of  the  earlier 
portions  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  the  recorded 
experiences  of  former  times.  It  is  but  a  brief 
prayer  this  of  Jonah's,  the  whole  being  com- 
prised in  eight  short  verses  ;  and  yet  it  contains 
no  fewer  than  seven  quotations  from  the  Book 
of  Psalms,  which,  more  than  any  other  book 
of  Scripture,  is  a  record  of  the  believer's  ex- 
periences and  hopes  in  times  of  trouble.  In  a 
spirit  of  faith  Jonah  identifies  himself  with  the 
saints  of  former  times,  so  far  as  to  appropriate 
to  himself  the  language  that  describes  their 
trials  and  deliverances.  He  looks  back  to  the 
footsteps  of  the  flock  as  traced  by  the  fingers 
of  inspired  men,  and  sees  there  some  gleams  of 
light  to  relieve  the  intense  darkness  that  sur- 
rounded him.  The  staggering  thing  to  him 
at  first  was,  that  his  case  was  so  remarkably 
peculiar  ;  he  was  where  no  one  had  ever  been 
before  ;  and  if  he  could  have  bethought  him 
of  any  saint  that  had  ever  been  as  low,  and  yet 
had  been  delivered,  it  would  have  gone  far  to 
reassure  and  comfort  his  heart.  But  lo  !  he 
does  find  this;  he  finds  it  in  the  word  of  the  living 
God  itself,  which  records  experiences  of  others, 
not  indeed  altogether  identical  with  his  own, 
but  so  nearly  alike,  in  all  their  essential  features 
so  much  the  same,  that  the  words  spoken  of 
them  were  precisely  those  in  which  he  could 
most  fitly  express  the  things  that  concerned 
himself. — Ibid. 

2       Moral  tiraidity. 

[18301]  There  is  nothing  to  show  that  Jonah 
was  constitutionally  a  coward.  One  would 
rather  think,  from  his  conduct  at  sea,  that  he 
was  what  the  world  might  have  called  a  fearless 
man.  But  he  shrank  from  Divine  duty.  He 
was  afraid  of  executing  God's  commission  in 
Assyria  for  this  reason,  as  he  afterwards  ex- 
plains it  himself  :  "  I  fled  before  unto  Tarshish  : 
for  I  knew  that  Thou  art  a  gracious  God,  and 
merciful,  slow  to  anger,  and  of  great  kind- 
ness, and  repentest  Thee  of  the  evil.''  Strange 
reason,  indeed  !  showing  that  he  was  afraid  of 
being  disgraced  in  Nineveh,  by  the  denunciation 
he  was  to  utter  not  being  fulfilled  ;  afraid  lest 
God  should  change  His  mind,  and  leave   His 


servant,  as  he  fancied  ;  covered  with  dishonour, 
and  stigmatized  as  a  false  prophet.  He  could 
not  trust  himself,  and  his  reputation  and  in- 
fluence, to  God.  He  was  watchful  over  these, 
and  afraid  of  these,  as  many  people  are  ;  fear- 
ing to  pursue  the  clear  path  of  duty  lest  their 
credit  should  suffer,  lest  they  should  sink  in 
human  estimation.  They  have  not  courage  to 
trust  in  God,  therefore  they  trust  in  themselves  ; 
as  though  they  fancied  they  were  in  better 
keeping  when  self-kept,  than  when  Divinely 
kept. — Ibid. 

3       Selfishness. 

[18302]  His  first  commission  was  to  Nineveh, 
the  capital  of  the  Assyrian  empire,  an  immense 
city,  and  therefore  a  wicked  one.  His  conduct 
on  receiving  the  commission  does  appear  very 
strange.  But  for  the  mention  of  his  having 
acted  as  a  prophet  before,  we  should  have 
concluded  that  this  must  be  the  first  time,  and 
that  he  was  surprised  and  amazed,  as  by  some 
alarming  and  calamitous  visitation.  But  the 
vocation  was  not  new  to  him  ;  he  felt  therefore 
no  atfright  as  at  a  portentous  novelty.  We 
might  have  altributed  terror  of  another  kind, — 
the  dread  of  attacking,  singly,  a  great  wicked 
city,  like  leaping  into  a  gulf  of  destruction. 
Even  in  that  case,  however,  was  there  less  to 
be  dreaded  from  disobeying  God  ?  We  are 
reduced  at  last  to  accept,  unwillingly,  his  own 
explanation,  given  in  the  beginning  of  ch.  iv.  : 
"  I  pray  Thee,  O  Lord,  was  not  this  my  saying, 
when  I  was  yet  in  my  country?  Therefore  I 
fled  before  unto  Tarshish  :  for  I  knew  that 
Thou  art  a  gracious  God,  and  merciful,  slow 
to  anger,  and  of  great  kindness,  and  repentest 
Thee  of  the  evil  ; "  which  seems  to  amount  to 
this, — he  felt  in  danger  of  being  disgraced  as  a 
prophet,  the  denunciation  being  to  be  uttered  in 
positive,  not  conditional,  terms.  How  abomin- 
ably considerations  of  self  may  interfere  with 
obedience  to  God  !  He  determines  to  flee  to 
Tarshish,  that  is.  Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  a  place 
more  than  one  hundred  leagues  to  the  north 
of  Joppa,  completely  across  the  Mediterranean, 
where  Paul  was  to  be  born,  a  man  of  another 
spirit.  How  he  would  have  acted  ! — Rev.  J. 
Foster. 

[18303]  The  very  first  thing  which  we  read 
of  Jonah  is  not  at  all  to  his  credit.  He  had 
received  a  commission  from  the  Almighty  to  go 
to  Nineveh,  the  capital  of  the  Assyrian  empire, 
and  there  to  proclaim  the  righteous  indignation 
of  God  against  its  wicked  inhabitants.  He 
offered  no  objection  to  going,  but  determined, 
in  his  own  mind,  not  to  obey  the  command.  It 
may  be  asked,  why  he  ventured  to  do  this  ? 
Was  it  because  he  was  alarmed  at  the  idea 
of  visiting  so  distant  a  foreign  city?  This  could 
hardly  have  been  the  case,  since  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  inscriptions  on  the  ancient  obelisks, 
by  the  persevering  efforts  of  modern  scholars, 
prove  that  such  relations  already  existed  be- 
tween the  Israelites  and  the  Assyrians  as  made 
them  well  acquainted  with  each  other.     There 


302 

18303— I83IO] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[JONAH. 


is  also  no  warrant  for  saying  that  fear  was  the 
cause  of  the  prophet's  disobedience.  We  know 
that  he  had  a  cross-grained,  unhappy  disposition, 
and  very  Hkely  preferred  to  do  one  thing  for  the 
simple  reason  that  he  was  told  to  do  another. — 
Nev.  y.  Norton. 

[18304]  There  he  sits  within  sight  of  a  great 
city,  doomed,  as  he  confidently  believed,  to 
speedy  destruction  ;  studying  his  own  comfort 
and,  instead  of  being  distressed  at  the  thought 
that  so  many  thousands  of  immortal  beings 
would  be  swept  away,  actually  rejoicing  in  the 
ease  secured  to  his  poor  body,  by  the  grateful 
shade  of  the  luxurious  gourd.  Selfishness  is 
too  common  a  fault  to  make  it  safe  for  us  to  be 
very  severe  upon  Jonah,  on  account  of  this 
pitiful  exhibition  of  human  weakness.  It  is 
that  detestable  vice  which  we  are  so  unwilling 
to  forgive  in  others,  and  which  so  few  are  free 
from  themselves. — Ibid. 

[18305]  Personal  pride  had  also  some  share 
in  it.  It  is  hard  for  a  man,  even  when  a  prophet 
of  God,  to  forget  himself  in  doing  God's  work. 
There  are  so  few  of  God's  servants  who  are 
content  to  be  nothing  if  only  thereby  God  may 
be  all  and  in  all.  Jonah  thought  about  himself, 
perhaps,  more  than  he  thought  of  God.  He 
was  concerned  about  his  own  character.  His 
reputation  as  a  true  prophet  was  at  stake. 
He  was  afraid  that  by  the  removal  of  the  judg- 
ment which  he  had  predicted,  the  Ninevites 
would  despise  him  in  their  hearts  as  a  prophet 
of  lies.  This  seems  to  be  the  significance  of 
Jonah's  words,  "Was  not  this  my  saying  when 
I  was  yet  in  my  country.''  Therefore  I  fled 
before  unto  Tarshish,  for  I  knew  that  Thou  art 
a  gracious  God,  and  merciful  and  slow  to  anger, 
and  of  great  kindness,  and  repentest  Thee  of 
the  evil." — Anon. 

[18306]  He  had  had  courage  to  declare  God's 
judgments  ;  but  now  there  came  over  him  dis- 
pleasure and  anger,  because  those  judgments 
were  not  inflicted.  He  treated  God  as  though 
He  had  not  been  as  good  as  His  word.  The 
fact  was,  he  had  no  sympathy  with  the  Divine 
Being  in  His  great  mercy.  He  had  no  pity  for 
other  nations.  He  did  not  wish  for  the  salvation 
of  the  Gentiles.  He  had  a  narrow,  bigoted, 
exclusive  spirit,  akin  to  the  spirit  of  proud 
nationality  which  wrought  throughout  the  whole 
body  of  Ninevitish  civilization.  He  would  have 
been  glad  at  the  overthrow  of  Nineveh,  as  a 
city  inimical  to  God,  to  him,  and  to  his  country. 
God  meant  his  mission  to  be  one  of  mercy  and 
love  ;  one  that,  through  fear,  should  awaken 
repentance — that,  through  repentance,  should 
bring  salvation.  That  was  not  Jonah's  mean- 
ing. He  could  not  comprehend  it.  He  was 
the  instrument  of  doing  a  work  that  he  did  not 
intend.  Through  him  the  people  were  saved, 
without  its  being  his  purpose.  —  Rev.  J. 
Stoughto7t. 

[18307]  Six  hundred  thousand  persons,  and 
among  them  sixty  thousand  little  ones,  not  old 


enough  to  know  their  right  hand  from  their  left, 
together  with  an  immense  number  of  cattle, 
had  been  saved  from  destruction,  a  great  re- 
formation had  been  produced  in  Nineveh,  its 
king  and  its  nobles  had  put  on  sackcloth  and 
ashes,  and  many  undoubtedly  were  brought  to 
true  repentance  ;  but  how  was  Jonah  affected 
at  this  scene?  It  was  one  upon  which  angels 
might  have  looked  down  with  joy,  but  Jonah, 
alas  !  was  absorbed  in  his  own  petty  troubles — 
mourning  over  his  withered  gourd  and  the 
danger  his  reputation  as  a  prophet  was  in  ! 
The  saving  of  so  many  hundred  thousands  gave 
him  no  pleasure,  and  seemingly  he  would  rather 
have  had  all  perish  than  that  his  prophecy 
should  be  proved  untrue.  How  extremely 
selfish  \—Rev.  VV.  Lewis,  D.D. 

4       Ingratitude. 

[18308]  Seated  in  that  desolate  spot ;  faint, 
and  gasping  for  breath  from  the  intensity  of  the 
heat,  with  no  tree  nor  shrub  to  which  he  could 
resort  for  shelter,  his  attention  was  attracted 
by  the  broad  leaves  of  a  gourd  which  had 
sprung  up,  as  if  by  magic,  from  the  earth. 
Inch  by  inch,  foot  by  foot,  it  grew  and  spread, 
until  the  forlorn  and  suffering  prophet  was 
completely  covered  by  its  shadow.  Doubtless 
Jonah  was  astonished  at  the  miracle  thus  gra- 
ciously wrought  in  his  behalf,  but  we  are  sure 
he  was  not  grateful  as  he  should  have  been  ; 
indeed,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  bestowed 
much  thought  on  the  subject.  He  enjoyed  the 
coolness  which  the  gourd  afforded  for  his  un- 
protected head,  but  felt  little  gratitude  to  the 
kind  Providence  which  had  caused  it  so  mar- 
vellously to  grow. — Rev.  J.  Norton. 

IV.  His  Prayer. 

[18309]  The  language  of  this  prayer  is  drawn 
almost  wholly  from  the  Book  of  Psalms.  (Comp. 
ver.  2  and  Psa.  cxx.  i  ;  ver.  3  and  Psa.  xlii.  7  ; 
ver.  4  and  Psa.  xxxi.  22  ;  ver.  5  and  Psa.  Ixix.  i  ; 
ver.  6  and  Psa.  ciii.  4  ;  ver.  7  and  Psa.  cxlii.  3  ; 
ver.  8  and  Psa.  xxxi.  6  ;  ver.  9  and  Psa.  iii.  b.) 
It  indicates  a  mind  familiar  with  that  inspired 
manual  of  devotion,  and  shows  especially  the 
use  that  may  be  made  of  it  by  God's  people  in 
times  of  distress.  The  prayer,  which  was  pro- 
bably put  together  in  its  present  form,  after 
deliverance  was  effected,  contains  the  substance 
of  the  thoughts  and  meditations  of  Jonah  when 
in  the  belly  of  the  fish.  Never  was  prayer 
uttered  by  a  mere  man  in  circumstances  so 
fitted  to  give  intensity  and  depth  of  meaning  to 
the  language  of  it.  It  consists  of  three  parts, 
though  these  are  not  marked  off  by  sharp  lines 
of  demarcation  in  the  verses  as  they  lie  before 
us.  («)  The  outpouring  of  his  heart  in  humilia- 
tion and  distress  (vers.  2-6).  {b)  His  remem- 
brance of  God  and  prayer  for  deliverance  (ver.  7  ; 
see  also  vers.  4  and  6).  (<r)  His  thanksgiving 
and  vows,  in  the  anticipation  of  an  answer,  and 
as  the  fruit  of  it  (vers.  8,  ^).—Rev.  R.  Smith. 

[18310]    The   second   chapter    of   the    book 


18310— 18318] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[jONAH. 


evidently  contains  a  reminiscence  of  the  prayer 
— not  the  prayer  itself.  It  is  a  memorial,  a 
monument  of  joy.  We  can  fancy  him  writing 
it  down  with  a  gush  of  holy  excitement  imme- 
diately after  his  deliverance.  We  can  conceive 
with  what  fulness  of  meaning  he  recorded  the 
words  containing  one  practical  lesson  derivable 
from  what  had  happened  to  him — from  what  he 
had  thought,  amidst  darkness  and  the  deep,  a 
lesson  for  all  ages,  for  our  age,  for  every  reader  : 
"  They  that  observe  lying  vanities  forsake  their 
own  mercy."  And  we  can  conceive,  too,  with 
what  a  sincere  heart  he  added,  as  we  should 
add  after  the  review  of  Divine  deliverances,  ''  I 
will  sacrifice  unto  Thee  with  the  voice  of  thanks- 
giving ;  I  will  pay  that  that  I  have  vowed. 
Salvation  is  of  the  Lord." — Rev.  J.  Stoitghtoii. 

[18311]  The  man  who  speaks  in  this  holy 
psalm  hardl)'  seems  the  same  person  whom  we 
have  seen  in  flight — dark,  moody,  silent,  de- 
spairing. Now,  and  all  at  once,  he  seems  to 
leap  again  into  life — clear,  fervent,  passionate 
life.  The  burial  of  his  body  is  the  resurrection 
of  his  soul  !  Some  glimpses  of  his  proper 
greatness  and  magnanimity  were  given  to  his 
fellow-men  before  he  left  the  ship.  But  now, 
beneath  the  waves,  the  whole  true  man  reveals 
himself  to  God. — Rev.  A.  Raleigh,  D.D. 

[18312]  From  how  many  unthought  of,  un- 
imaginable situations  the  Sovereign  of  the  world 
has  drawn  devotional  aspirations  ;  but  never, 
except  once,  from  a  situation  like  this.  What 
is  here  given  as  the  prophet's  "  prayer "  is 
doubtless  the  brief  recollection,  afterwards  re- 
corded, of  the  kind  of  thoughts  which  had  filled 
his  mind  during  his  dark  sojourn  ;  with  the 
addition  of  some  pious  and  grateful  sentiments 
caused  by  the  review.  This  devotional  com- 
position gives  by  much  the  most  favourable 
view  of  his  character.  It  makes  us  regret  that 
he  could  not  be  so  good  a  man  on  the  surface 
of  the  earth  as  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  In 
order  to  pray  in  the  best  manner,  he  must  be 
unable  to  see,  or  move,  or  breathe.  The  final 
result,  no  doubt,  of  these  mental  exercises  was 
a  full  consent  of  his  will,  that  He  who  had  sent 
him  hither  should  send  him  anywhere  else 
He  pleased,  even  to  Nineveh. — Rev.  J.  Fosiej-. 

[18313]  The  prayer  of  Jonah  is  the  prayer  of 
the  penitent  soul,  of  the  returning  backslider — 
and  that  prayer  was  heard.  The  imprisoned 
prophet  might  have  said  to  himself,  "  Of  what 
use  is  it  for  me  to  pray.''  Here  am  I  shut  up  in 
this  horrible-> dungeon — in  the  grave — in  the 
very  belly  of  hell — under  God's  wrath  and  dis- 
pleasure— doomed,  cast  out,  forsaken.  Here  I 
am  suffering  what  I  deserve,  and  from  which 
there  is  no  hope  of  deliverance.  It  were  pre- 
sumption to  ask  for  mercy.  Despair  is  my  lot 
and  my  desert."  But  he  hoped,  and  therefore 
he  prayed  ;  and  God  justified  his  hope  by  hear- 
ing his  prayer  :  thus  teaching  us  that  in  the 
deepest  sea  of  affliction,  in  the  dreariest  cavern 
of  trouble,  we  are  to  hope  in  God,  "  for  we  shall 


yet  praise  Him,  who  is  the  health  of  our  coun- 
tenance, and  our  God." — Rev.  J.  Stough/ofi. 

[18314]  In  Jonah's  prayer  we  see  the  revival 
of  faith.  He  emerged  from  the  shades  of  un- 
belief; he  remembered  God.  The  faith  which 
had  sunk  under  the  burden  of  duty  rose  under 
the  pressure  of  affliction.  Faith  to  act  is  easier 
than  faith  to  suffer.  Patiently  to  bear  is  harder 
than  actively  to  obey.  Yet  Jonah  by  faith  en- 
dures, though  he  had  not  by  faith  performed  the 
will  of  God.  He  had  failed  in  the  easier — he 
succeeds  in  the  more  difficult.  Natural  terror 
in  his  circumstances  might  have  led  him  to 
pray,  might  have  led  him  bitterly  to  cry  in  his 
distress  ;  but  something  more  than  nature  must 
there  have  been  to  inspire  him  with  hope  as  he 
lay  locked  within  that  living  dungeon,  to  pro- 
duce in  him  that  calm  confidence  which  comes 
out  in  the  words,  "  I  will  look  again  toward  Thy 
holy  temple."  It  was  as  though  he  had  brought 
to  mind  the  intercession  of  King  Solomon  at 
the  dedication  of  the  temple. — Idid. 

[18315]  Luther's  comment  on  the  prayer  is 
that  "  he  did  not  actually  utter  these  very  words 
with  his  mouth,  and  arrange  them  in  this 
orderly  manner  in  the  belly  of  the  fish  ;  but 
he  here  shows  what  the  state  of  his  mind  was, 
and  what  thoughts  he  had  when  he  was  engaged 
in  this  conflict  with  death." — Anon. 


V.  His  Typical  Character. 

[18316]  It  is  to  be  noted  that  our  Lord  de- 
clares all  this  to  have  been  a  type  of  Him 
(Matt.  xii.  40).  We  may  trace  the  analogy  in 
the  being  consigned  to  the  deep,  and  to  the 
grave,  in  order  that  others  might  be  saved  ;  the 
duration  of  time  the  same  in  the  dark  retire- 
ment ;  the  coming  to  light  and  life  again  for 
the  reformation  of  mankind.  This  citation  in 
the  New  Testament  is  an  authentication  of  the 
wonderful  history.  It  may  not,  perhaps,  be 
impertinent  to  mention  a  pagan  authentication 
— Hercules  was  fabled  to  have  had  the  same 
three  days  in  a  fish. — Rev.  J.  Foster. 

[18317]  It  is  to  be  specially  noted  that  Jonah 
willingly  devoted  himself  to  death,  in  this  fore- 
shadowing the  voluntary  sacrifice  of  Christ.  In 
the  efforts  also  made  by  the  sailors  to  save  him 
we  seem  to  see  a  reflection  of  the  reluctance  of 
Pilate  to  pass  sentence  on  our  Lord ;  and  in  the 
apprehensions  with  which  they  were  agitated, 
when  informed  who  Jonah  was,  we  recognize 
the  fear  excited  in  the  mind  of  Pilate  when  he 
learned  that  Jesus  claimed  to  be  the  Son  of 
God.  Specially  important  likewise  is  the  an- 
nouncement that  as  soon  as  Jonah  was  cast 
forth  the  sea  ceased  from  its  raging. — Rev.  R. 
Smith. 

[18318]  Not  only  were  the  nature  of  the  death 
of  Christ  as  an  atonement  for  sin,  and  the 
length  of  time  which  He  spent  in  the  grave, 
typified  by  Jonah,  but  likewise  the  object  of  His 


3°4 
18318-18324] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[JONAH. 


resurrection,  to  proclain  salvation  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth. — Ibid. 

[18319]  The  repentance  of  the  Ninevites  dis- 
pleased Jonah  exceedingly — so  as  to  move  him 
to  a  murmuring  and  angry  prayer  even  for 
death  ;  yes,  for  death  ! — but  he  was  not  well 
prepared  yet  to  mingle  with  those  spirits  among 
whom  "  there  is  joy  over  one  sinner  that  re- 
penteth."  And  how  he  failed,  in  this  point,  to 
be  a  type  of  Him  that  wept  at  the  sight  of 
Jerusalem. — Rev.  y.  Foster. 


VI.  Question  as  to  the  Credibility  of 
HIS  Residence  within  the  "Whale.  ' 

[18320]  It  has  been  often  enough  observed 
that  the  species  of  this  fish  is  altogether  uncer- 
tain. There  even  might  have  been  at  that 
period  of  time  sea-monsters  which  exist  not 
now,  as  anciently  there  were  enormous  animals 
on  the  land,  of  a  kind  now  no  more.  The  one 
in  question  came  to  be  considered  as  having 
been  a  whale,  just  because  that  is  the  largest 
known  fish  (sometimes  more  than  a  hundred 
feet  long).  And  the  cavillers  have  been  deter- 
mined that  it  should  be  a  whale,  and  no  other — 
for  a  good  reason,  namely,  that  the  whale's 
throat  is  found  to  be  very  strait  for  an  animal 
of  such  a  size,  and  therefore  the  scriptural 
account  involves  a  physical  impossibility.  Now 
we  must  not  imagine  we  honour  God  by  assert- 
ing a  plain  mathematical  contradiction,  and 
then  protecting  the  absurdity  by  calling  it  a 
miracle.  One  has  heard  of  a  good  man's  utter- 
ing so  silly  a  thing  as  that  if  God  had  declared 
that  Jonah  swallowed  the  whale,  he  would  be- 
lieve it,  for  that  God's  testimony  must  bear 
down  all  objections.  The  folly  is  in  supposing 
it  possible  for  God  to  have  declared  any  such 
thing,  that  the  less  may  contain  the  greater. 
The  same  contradiction  would  there  be  in 
asserting  that  Jonah  went  through  the  throat 
of  the  whale,  if  the  whale's  throat  (of  three  or 
four  inches  in  diameter  when  dead)  were  of  the 
consistence  of  a  tube  of  iron  or  stone.  But  it 
has  been  justly  observed  that  it  is  idle  to  assert 
anything  as  to  the  possible  capacity  of  the 
throat  of  the  living  fish  from  its  dimensions 
after  death.  (The  boa-constrictor  is  capable  of 
swallowing  animals  of  great  size;  and  even  men 
have  been  found  in  large  sharks.)  The  fish, 
then,  might  be  a  whale  that  swallowed  Jonah  ; 
and  nothing,  neither,  of  miracle  is  supposed 
thus  far ;  the  miracle  comes  afterwards. — Ibid. 

[18321]  The  fish  by  which  Jonah  was  swal- 
lowed was  probably  a  species  of  shark  [sqiailus 
ca?'charas,  L.)  found  in  the  Mediterranean,  and 
occasionally  lI  enormous  size.  Oken  mentions 
an  authenticated  case  of  a  sailor  who  fell  over- 
board from  a  frigate  (a.D.  1758),  and  was  imme- 
diately swallowed  up  by  a  shark.  On  the 
monster  being  fired  on  from  the  deck,  his 
victim  was  again  vomited  out  and  escaped.     In 


the  stomach  of  one  of  these  creatures  a  whole 
horse  was  found  (see  Keil,  in  loco).  It  is  sin- 
gular that  the  bones  of  such  an  animal  were 
long  preserved  at  Joppa.  Pliny  informs  us  that 
they  were  brought  to  Rome  and  exhibited,  as  a 
great  curiosity,  in  the  edileship  of  M.  Scaurus. 
The  ribs  were  higher  than  those  of  an  Indian 
elephant,  and  the  bones  were  forty  feet  in 
length  (see  Townsend). — Rev.  R.  Smith. 

[18322]  Infidels  always  begin  by  insisting 
that  the  history  cannot  be  true  because  there 
are  no  whales  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  This 
seems  a  formidable  difficulty  at  the  very  outset, 
and  yet  the  fact  that  whales  have  disappeared 
from  those  waters  may  be  easily  accounted  for 
by  the  multiplication  of  ships  during  the  latter 
ages,  which  would  have  a  tendency  to  frighten 
them  away,  just  as  a  variety  of  causes  have 
driven  all  lions  from  Palestine,  where  they  were 
once  very  numerous.  "It  is  well  known  that 
some  of  the  best  fishing  stations,  even  in  the 
great  oceans,  have  been  abandoned  by  the 
whales  because  of  the  multitude  of  whalers  that 
visited  them.  This  sea  would,  of  course,  be 
forsaken.  If  you  could  stock  it  thoroughly  with 
these  monsters  to-day  there  would  be  none  left 
a  year  hence.  Up  to  the  time  of  Jonah  navi- 
gation was  in  its  infancy,  ships  were  few  and 
small,  and  they  kept  mostly  along  the  shores, 
leaving  the  interior  undisturbed.  Whales  may 
therefore  have  been  common  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean ;  and  there  are  instances  on  record  of 
the  appearance  of  huge  marine  creatures  in  this 
sea  in  ancient  days.  Some  of  these  may  have 
been  whales"  ("Land  and  Book"). — Rev.  J. 
Norton. 

[18323]  The  Bible  does  not  say  that  a  whale 
was  the  prophet's  jailer.  The  infidel  has  said 
that,  and  then  has  enjoyed  the  easy  triumph  of 
proving  the  natural  impossibility  of  it.  Jonah 
says  "  a  great  fish"  swallowed  him.  Our  Lord 
uses  a  phrase  exactly  similar.  He  uses  a  generic 
term  (KJ/roc),  which  includes  the  whale,  but  is 
never  applied  to  the  whale  particularly.  The 
dolphin,  the  seal,  the  whale,  the  shark,  are  all 
included  in  the  term  that  is  used  ;  and  there  is 
strong  probability  in  the  supposition  that  the 
white  shark  is  the  creature  designated  as  the 
"  great  fish."  Sharks  abounded  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean at  that  time.  They  have  been  found 
there  ever  since,  and  are  found  there  still.  In 
length,  some  of  them  have  attained  to  thirty 
feet  and  upwards,  of  capacity  in  other  ways 
amply  sufficient  to  incarcerate  Samson  of  Zorah, 
or  Goliath  of  Gath,  as  well  as  the  probably 
attenuated  prophet  of  Gath-Hepher. — Rev.  A. 
Raleig/i,  D.D. 

[18324]  To  meet  all  difficulties,  the  sacred 
record  states  that  "  the  Lord  prepared  the  fish," 
and,  of  course,  it  was  one  adapted  for  this 
special  purpose.  It  was  the  Lord's  doing — a 
miracle  wrought  by  One  who  can  do  all  things. 
— Rev.  J.  Sioui^hton. 


18325—18330] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[jONAH. 


VII.    HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 

z  The  flight  of  Jonah  illustrates  the  fact 
that  departure  from  duty  is  not  departure 
from  God  s  control. 

[18325]  Jonah  believed  in  the  Divine  omni- 
presence (Psa.  cxxxix.  7,  12),  did  not  cast  off  all 
regard  for  God,  but  sought  to  relieve  himself  of 
duty  by  quitting  the  land  of  light  and  religious 
ordinances.  He  did  not  expect  to  go  where 
God  was  not,  but  where  God  would  let  him 
alone.  His  creed  was  better  than  his  conduct. 
He  left  the  field  of  action  for  the  place  of  retire- 
ment. Many  are  of  Jonah's  temper,  try  his 
experiment,  and  feel  the  presence  of  God  too 
painful  for  them.  A  scholar  leaves  the  Sabbath 
school  to  avoid  the  contact  of  truth  with  con- 
science. A  young  man  brought  up  under  re- 
ligious influence  quits  home  and  native  country. 
An  ungodly  man  feels  miserable,  shuns  godly 
company,  and  stifles  impressions  by  fleeing  into 
business,  worldly  society,  and  amusements. 
The  believer  knows  his  duty,  but  will  not  do  it. 
Such  eliorts  often  succeed  in  spite  of  the  re- 
straints of  providence  and  the  voice  of  con- 
science. But  fear  gets  hold  of  men  at  length, 
God  meets  them  in  the  way,  and  it  is  impossible 
to  escape.  "  Lo,  they  that  be  far  from  Thee 
shall  perish." — J.  WolJ'endale. 

2  The  flight  of  Jonah  illustrates  the  fact 
that  favourable  circumstances  in  depart- 
ing from  God  do  not  always  lead  to  the 
desired  issue. 

[18326]  Circumstances  favoured  Jonah's  de- 
sign, and  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  escape. 
"He  found  a  ship  going  to  Tarshish."  The 
vessel  quickly  sailed.  Jonah  thought  he  was 
leaving  his  trouble  by  leaving  his  native  shore, 
but  vain  hope  (Amos  ix.  2-4  ;  Isa.  ii.  19-22  ; 
Jer.  xvi.  16-21).  "The  ready  way  is  not  always 
the  right  way,"  says  an  old  author.  The  greatest 
hurry  the  least  speed  in  a  path  of  disobedience. 
The  worst  plans  may  prosper  for  a  time,  but 
such  prosperity  ends  in  storms  and  darkness. 
Talk  not  of  Providence  in  an  evil  course — say 
not  when  tempted  that  you  are  tempted  of  God. 
God  might  miraculously  interfere  with  men's 
conduct,  but  this  would  change  the  government 
of  the  world,  render  our  probation  useless,  and 
afford  no  opportunity  for  human  action  and 
Divine  justice.  If  he  thwart  the  ways  of  seltish 
men,  you  hear  no  more  of  Providence.  De- 
parture from  God  is  departure  from  His  love 
and  protection — from  Divine  dignity  and  un- 
bounded bliss.  Follow  the  directions  of  the 
word,  and  you  will  enjoy  the  leadings  of  Provi- 
dence. "  The  Lord  meeteth  him  that  rejoiceth 
and  worketh  righteousness." — Ibid. 


3  The  flight  of  Jonah  illustrates  the  fact 
that  departure  from  God  is  more  ex- 
pensive than  obedience  to  God. 

[18327]  Jonah  paid  the  fare,  like  many  who 
scruple  not  to  spend  their  money  on  selfish 
projects,  but  withhold  from  the  cause  of  God. 

VOL.  VI.  21 


Sin  is  always  expensive,  and  draws  upon  our 
purse  and  time.  Smners  pay  their  fare — i.  In 
bitter  experience.  There  is  peace  in  pleasing 
God,  but  conscious  opposition  to  Him  brings 
an  uneasy  mind.  Jonah  could  not  stay  at 
home.  Everything  reminded  him  of  God  and 
duty,  and  such  thoughts  are  painful.  Men  seek 
a  new  country,  try  fresh  experiments,  to  drown 
the  warnings  of  conscience,  but  do  not  succeed. 
2.  In  moral  loss.  The  loss  of  Divine  favour 
and  a  servant's  dignity.  The  Sabbath-breaker, 
the  pleasure-seeker,  and  the  drunkard,  pay  their 
fare.  Blasted  prospects,  shattered  constitutions, 
and  ruined  families  indicate  the  awful  price  of 
sin.  The  pleasures  of  sin  are  dearly  bought, 
never  last,  and  always  bring  disappointment. — 
Ibid. 

4  The  withering  of  Jonah's  gourd  is  an 
illustration  of  the  short-lived  nature  of 
earthly  comforts. 

[1S328]  The  gourd  came  up  in  a  night,  and 
perished  in  a  night.  Thus  frail  and  uncertain 
are  those  temporal  blessings  on  which  we  are 
wont  to  set  our  hearts.  We  should  be  duly 
thankful  for  them,  and  take  pleasure  in  them 
while  they  last,  but  always  remember  that,  at 
the  best,  they  are  only  withering  gourds.  No 
affliction  would  trouble  a  child  of  God  if  he 
only  knew  God's  reason  for  sending  it.  Manas- 
seh's  chain  was  more  profitable  to  him  than  his 
crown. — Ibid. 

5  The    withering    of  Jonah's    gourd    is    an 

illustration  of  the  trifling  causes  which 
blast  and  destroy  a  mere  earthly  happi- 
ness. 

[18329]  Insteadof  sending  a  tempest  to  destroy 
the  prophet's  gourd,  or  a  wild  beast  of  the  forest 
to  root  it  up,  the  Lord  caused  an  insignificant 
worm  to  perform  the  work  ;  and  the  stoutest 
arm  and  the  sharpest  axe  could  not  have  done 
it  more  effectually.  So,  also,  with  the  troubles 
and  calamities  which  come  upon  all  of  us. 
"Whose  mind  has  not  a  word,  or  a  look, 
fevered  1  Who  has  not  had  his  rest  broken, 
his  soul  thrown  into  a  tumult,  by  causes 
which  he  would  be  unwilling  for  even  a  child 
to  know  ;  things  that  he  despises  himself 
for  heeding,  but  the  tormenting  influence  of 
which  he  "cannot  withstand  .?  Would  you  see 
man  in  his  weakness  .''  Look  at  the  contemp- 
tible trifles  that  amuse,  and  delight,  and  almost 
content  him  ;  look  at  much  of  his  gladness — it 
comes  from  a  gourd — and  then  look  at  the  trifles 
that  vex  and  disturb  him,  that  destroy  his  com- 
forts—a worm  can  smite  them,  a  breath  can 
end  them  ;  yea,  he  himself,  as  well  as  all  on 
earth  that  grieves  and  gladdens  him,  is  "  crushed 
before  the  moth"  (Charles  Bradley). — Ibid. 

6  The  selfishness  of  Jonah  was  not  unique. 

[18330]  Not  more  thoroughly  had  the  worm 
eaten  into  the  heart  of  the  plant  than  had  the 
canker  of  selfishness  eaten  into  the  heart  of  the 
prophet.     The  man  who  had  no  joy  at  the  sal- 


3o6 

18330— 18335] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


vation  of  a  whole  city  was  amazingly  rejoiced 
at  the  luxuriance  of  his  pet  bovver.  The  man 
who  would  have  felt  no  sorrow  at  seeing  Nine- 
veh swallowed  up  was  distracted  by  the  blasting 
of  this  little  plant.  Certainly  we  do  not  see 
anything  exactly  like  this  in  point  of  circum- 
stances, but  there  are  feelings  in  human  hearts 
sometimes  approaching  to  it.  Amidst  a  world 
of  miseries  are  there  not  many  who  get  so  com- 
pletely absorbed  in  themselves  as  to  be  apa- 
thetic about  public  interests  ;  apathetic  about 
the  fate  of  multitudes  of  wretched  beings  ;  apa- 
thetic about  the  wants  and  woes  of  both  Chris- 
tendom and  heathendom,  of  both  their  country 
and  the  world  ?  Are  there  not  many  among 
us  who  feet  much  more  joy  in  the  use  of  our 
daily  comfurts,  in  our  homes,  and  our  fami- 
lies, than  in  the  spread  of  truth,  the  march  of 
Christianity,  the  salvation  of  souls,  the  mercy 
of  heaven,  the  glory  of  God  ?  Are  there  not 
many  who  would  weep  more  over  the  loss  of 
some  earthly  treasure,  some  cherished  gourd 
than  over  a  national  calamity,  and  the  perdition 
of  a  city  full  of  souls  ?  Without  taking  any  ex- 
travagant views  of  our  duty,  is  it  not  really  sur- 
prising how  very  much  we  are  engrossed  by 
ourselves,  how  selfishness  deadens  our  sensi- 
bilities to  the  social  evils,  and  especially  the 
spiritual  perils,  of  mankind.'' — Rev.  J.  Stou^s^hton. 

[18331]  We  blame  Jonah,  and  yet  how  many 
of  us  are  like  him  !  How  often  have  we  read 
of  terrible  calamities  which  have  happened  to 
others,  and  have  really  felt  very  little  concern 
about  it,  and  when  the  portion  of  sympathy  was 
so  extremely  small  that  it  did  not  in  the  least 
disturb  our  appetite.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
anything  has  arisen  to  interfere  with  our  own 
individual  comfort,  or  to  damage  our  interests, 
although  of  less  real  consequence  than  Jonah's 
gourd,  we  have  taken  it  most  seriously  to  heart, 
and  been  so  worried  and  grieved  by  it  that  sleep 
has  departed  from  us.  This  is  especially  apt 
to  be  the  case  when  a  change  of  fortune  or  cir- 
cumstances has  had  a  tendency  to  lower  us  in 
the  estimation  of  the  heartless  world. — Rev.  J. 
Nor  Ion , 


7  The  history  of  Jonah  suggests  the  worth- 
lessness  of  a  religion  of  mere  profession 
as  contrasted  with  that  "hardness" 
(2  Tim.  ii.  3)  which  the  good  soldier  of 
Jesus  Christ  must  endure. 

[18332]  As  long  as  Jonah's  prophetic  office 
cost  him  no  particular  trouble  he  was  willing  to 
serve  the  Lord,  and  persuaded  himself  that  he 
was  serving  him  well.  The  moment,  however, 
that  the  command  given  him  was  to  occasion 
personal  inconvenience,  and  perhaps  bring  him 
into  peril,  his  constancy  melted  away.  What 
an  accurate  picture  of  our  poor,  frail  humanity  ! 
When  our  religion  costs  us  nothing  we  have  no 
serious  objection  to  be  called  Christians,  but 
when  fidelity  to  our  heavenly  Master  requires 
a  struggle  and  a  sacrifice,  we  may  soon  discover 
how  much  our  professions  amount  to. — /did. 


8  The  history  of  Jonah  suggests  the  duty 
and  happiness  of  a  perfect  obedience  to 
the  will  of  God. 
[18333]  One  great  lesson  in  Jonah's  story  is 
the  duty  and  happiness  of  having  our  will  coin- 
cident with  the  will  of  God.  God  is  the  world's 
great  Ruler.  His  will  is  law.  His  power  is 
supreme :  yet  it  is  not  arbitrary  might,  but  wise 
and  gracious  omnipotence.  To  resist  God's 
will  is  as  wicked  as  it  is  foolish — as  ruinous  as 
it  is  wicked.  "Will  ye  set  the  thorns  and  briers 
against  me  in  battle  ?  I  would  go  through  them, 
I  would  burn  them  together."  First,  Jonah  re- 
sisted, and  fled  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  ; 
and  trouble  followed,  and  overtook,  and  over- 
whelmed him.  Then  Jonah  resisted  again,  and 
in  the  bitter  workings  of  his  own  mind,  in  his 
petulance  and  anger,  he  paid  the  penalty  of  dis- 
quietude and  anguish.  For  what  peace  could 
there  be  in  a  mind  at  war  with  the  order,  the 
government,  the  Sovereign  of  the  universe? 
We  are  taught,  then,  that  there  is  only  trouble 
without  and  misery  within  for  all  those  who 
fight  against  their  Maker.  "  In  returning  and 
rest  shall  ye  be  saved ;  in  quietness  and  in  con- 
fidence shall  be  your  strength."  Not  in  earthly 
gourds  shall  ye  long  find  comfort  and  peace,  for 
God  can  blast  them,  and  He  will  if  you  make 
them  your  portion.  Whereas,  in  life's  hottest  day 
and  coldest  night,  amidst  the  bleakest  scenes 
and  under  the  roughest  blasts,  if  your  will  be 
one  with  His,  you  shall  enjoy  an  invisible  pro- 
tection, and  be  cheered  by  spiritual  comfort, 
which  shall  be  unto  you  as  "  an  hiding-place 
from  the  wind,  and  a  covert  from  the  tempest — 
as  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land." 
— Rev.  y.  Stoitghton. 

[18334]  The  general  lesson  to  us  from  the 
whole  ought  to  be  that  of  the  necessity — the 
inexpressibly  urgent  necessity — of  a  constant 
discipline  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  to  break  down 
all  our  rebellious  dispositions  towards  God — to 
constrain  us  by  an  almighty  force  of  grace  to 
an  entire  submission,  and  a  cheerful  obedience 
—a  clieertul  obedience,  especially  in  the  pro- 
motion of  God's  beneficent  purposes. — Rev.  J. 
Foster. 


ELIJAH. 

I.  Introductory. 
I       His  mysterious  origin. 

(i)  He  appears  on  the  stage  of  sacred  history 
with  startling  stiddcnncss  as  the  Melchizedek  of 
his  age. 

['^335]  His  origin  seems  studiously  enveloped 
in  the  most  profound  and  mysterious  obscurity. 
Scrupulously  exact  as  we  know  the  Jews  were 
in  the.  preservation  of  their  genealogies,  there 
is  not  a  single  hint  given  in  Scripture  of  the 
parentage,  or  even  tribe,  of  this  most  remark- 
able of  all  the  prophets.     Even  the  appellation 


18335-18342] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


Tishbite,  or  converter,  is  by  many  supposed  to 
indicate,  not  his  place  of  birth,  or  even  of  resi- 
dence, but  his  character  and  oftice.  There  is 
no  preparation  for  the  introduction  of  Ehjah  : 
except  indeed  it  be  the  preparation  of  contrast 
and  mystery — such  preparation  as  is  calculated 
to  excite  the  attention  of  surprise — such  pre- 
paration as  midnight  makes  for  throwing  out  in 
their  full  lustre  its  burning  and  shining  lights. — 
ReiK  y.  Hiffernan. 

[18336]  He  is  presented  to  our  view  without 
a  note  of  premonition — ushered  at  once  on  the 
stage  of  stirring  action  full  panoplied — in  the 
colossal  manhood  and  maturity  of  his  being. 
This  is  all  our  introduction  to  him  as  he  con- 
fronts the  guilty  monarch  of  northern  Palestine  : 
"And  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  who  was  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Gilead,  said  unto  Ahab,  As  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  liveth,  before  whom  I  stand." 
We  have  no  antecedents  in  his  history.  No 
reference  to  ancestry,  home,  education,  father, 
mother,  companion,  or  friend  ;  and  this,  too, 
throughout  all  the  rest  of  his  career  till  nigh  its 
close.  He  appears  before  us — nursed  in  the 
wilds  of  nature  for  his  great  and  momentous 
calling.— /?e'2/.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

(2)  The  brightness  of  his  rif^hfeous  life  is  ren- 
dered the  fnore  gtorioits  by  its  surrounding 
shadows  of  mystery. 

\}'^})'yj\  We  know  nothing  more  of  the  mighty 
prophet  who  now  enters  upon  the  stage  of  sacred 
history  than  that  he  bore  the  name  and  desig- 
nation of  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  and  was  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Gilead.  More  glorious  in  his 
ministry  than  any  who  had  arisen  since  the 
days  of  Moses,  we  are  yet  unable  distinctly  to 
associate  his  person  with  the  family  or  habita- 
tion of  any  of  God's  people.  But  from  the 
darkest  cloud,  the  lightning  flash  gleams 
brightest  ;  and  the  glories  of  Elijah's  holiness 
shine  out  with  a  more  clear  and  majestic  lustre 
from  the  deep  mystery  of  the  surrounding 
shadows. — Rev.  J.  Anderson. 

2      His  high  renown. 

( 1 )  He  occupied  a  unique  position  among  the 
prophets. 

[18338]  Elijah  the  Tishbite's  place  as  the  sub- 
ject of  prophecy  (Mai.  iv.  5,  6  ;  Matt.  xi.  14  ; 
Luke  i.  17)  ;  as  present  at  the  Transfigura- 
tion (Matt.  xvii.  1-4,  &c.);  and  as  not  seeing 
death  (2  Kings  ii.),  is  unique  among  the  pro- 
phets.— Bp.  of  Bath  and  Wells. 

(2)  He  was  an  incarnation  of  Divine  power. 
[18339]  Something  awful  must  have  been  the 

terror  inspired  by  the  man  who  had  the  ele- 
ments of  nature  delegated  to  his  control  ;  who 
could  seal  up  the  heavens  at  one  time — lock  up 
from  a  whole  nation  for  years  the  treasures  of 
the  clouds :  at  another,  draw  fire  from  these 
clouds  like  a  sword  from  its  scabbard,  and 
strew  the  earth  with  a  hundred  dead  !  Even 
the  suddenness  of  his  appearances  and  disap- 
pearances   are    startling    and   dramatic.      He 


towers — like  one  of  the  sons  of  Anak— morally 
as  well  as  physically  high  above  those  around 
him.  He  reminds  us  of  the  brave  heroes — 
though  with  nobler  elements  of  grandeur  in  his 
case — who  came  across  Jordan  in  high  flood  to 
join  a  former  exiled  king  of  Israel—"  whose 
faceswere  like  the  faces  of  lions,  andwereas  swift 
as  the  gazelles  upon  the  mountains."  If  early 
Greece  or  Rome  (not  Palestine)  had  been  the 
theatre  of  his  deeds  he  would  have  had  his  place 
amid  the  gods  of  Olympus.  As  it  was,  there 
was  no  name  (that  of  Abraham  and  perhaps 
Moses  excepted;  more  venerated  in  subsequent 
ages  among  his  countrymen. — Rev.  J.  Macduff. 
D.D. 

[18340]  "Elijah  the  Tishbite,"  the  "  Elias  " 
of  the  New  Testament,  a  character  whose  rare, 
sudden,  and  brief  appearances,  undaunted 
courage,  and  fiery  zeal — the  brilliancy  of  whose 
triumphs,  the  pathos  of  whose  despondency,  the 
glory  of  whose  departure,  and  the  calm  beauty 
of  whose  reappearance  on  the  Mount  of  Trans- 
figuration, throw  such  a  halo  of  brightness 
around  him  as  is  equalled  by  none  of  his  com- 
peers in  the  sacred  story. — Cyclopcedia  of  Bib- 
lical Literature. 

[18341]  Behold  amongst  the  swords  of  spiri- 
tual heroes  one  which  presents  itself  with 
peculiar  effulgence  to  the  eye  ;  one  which  has 
wrought  mightily  for  the  glory  of  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  was  as  sharp  and  piercing  as  any 
could  be  in  arduous  and  evil  times.  Who  once 
handled  that  noble  weapon  .''  It  was  Elijah  the 
Tishbite ;  a  man  mighty  in  word  and  deed,  and 
in  miracles  besides  ;  who  broke  forth  like  a  fire, 
and  whose  word  burnt  like  a  torch,  and  who 
was  so  eminently  distinguished  by  Divine  grace 
that  when  the  Lord  of  glory  Himself  appeared 
upon  earth  the  Jews  said,  "  It  is  Elias  !  " — 
Krummacher. 

3      His  physical  aspect. 

(i)  In  his  outward  mien  there  was  more  of  the 
Bedouin  than  the  son  of  the  chosen  race. 

[18342]  There  stands  before  us  a  muscular 
figure,  tawny  with  the  burning  suns  of  Palestine, 
with  long,  shaggy  raven  hair  hanging  loose  over 
his  shoulders.  A  modern  writer,  in  speaking  of 
Samson's  unshorn  locks,  compares  him  to  the 
Merovingian  kings,  "  whose  long  tresses  were 
the  sign  of  their  royal  race,  which  to  lose  was  to 
lose  royalty  itself."  We  cannot  pronounce  in 
the  case  of  the  prophet  of  Gilead  of  what  these 
flowing  tresses  were  the  symbol — whether  they 
were  the  badge  of  his  Divine  mission,  or  as, 
with  the  son  of  Manoah,  the  token  of  his  strengtli 
— or  that,  like  him,  he  had  taken  the  vow  of  the 
Nazarite.  In  any  case,  they  form  a  marked 
feature  in  his  outward  appearance.  He  is  speci- 
ally spoken  of,  in  a  subsequent  period,  by 
Ahaziah's  messengers  as  "a  hairy  man"  (lit., 
"  a  lord  of  hair.")  The  children  of  Bethel,  when 
they  came  forth  and  mocked  Elisha  as  "  the  bald 
head,"  did  so  because  struck  with  the  contrast 
between  him  and  the  familiar  appearance  of  his 


3o8 


1S342— 18348] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


shasrgy  predecessor.  Around  his  shoulders  he 
had  flung  a  loose  cape  or  striped  blanket,  made 
either  of  rough  sheep  or  camel  hide,  fastened  at 
his  breast  with  a  leathern  girdle. — Rev.  J.  Mac- 
duff, D.D. 

4       His  physical  powers, 

[18343]  His  physical  strength  and  physical 
powers  of  endurance  must  not  be  forgotten. 
That  must  have  been  no  ordinary  man,  surely, 
who,  before  the  coming  night  storm,  and  after 
the  toils  of  an  exhausting  day,  could  accomplish 
such  a  feat  of  pedestrianism  as  to  run  sixteen 
miles,  and  withal  outstrip  the  fleet  coursers  in 
Ahab's  chariot  in  reaching  the  gate  of  Jezreel. 
That  must  have  been  no  average  strength  that 
could  sustain  the  hardships  and  privations  of 
Cherith,  and  the  long  forty  days'  fast  of  Horeb. 
—Ibid. 

II.  Formation  of  Character. 

1  The  external  influences  of  his  solitary  life 
amid  wild  natural  surroundings  tended  to 
produce  hardihood. 

[18344]  Elijah  was  "of  the  inhabitants  of 
Gilead."  And  this,  too,  may  have  had  some 
influence  in  producing  that  rugged  strength 
which  we  discern  in  his  character  ;  for,  surely, 
the  scenery  on  which  one  daily  looks  has  much 
to  do  with  the  formation  of  the  man.  There  is 
a  difference  between  the  hardy  Swiss  and  the 
effeminate  Italian  ;  and  in  the  grizzly  visage  and 
patient  endurance  of  the  Scottish  Highlander, 
we  can  see  something  of  the  heath-clad  granite 
of  his  native  hills.  Now,  Gilead,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Jordan,  was  a  land  much  like  theirs. 
"  It  was,"  says  Mr.  Grove,  "a  country  of  chase 
and  pasture,  of  tent-villages  and  mountain- 
castles,  inhabited  by  a  people,  not  settled  and 
civilized,  like  those  who  formed  the  communities 
of  Ephraim  and  Judah,  but  of  wandering, 
irregular  habits,  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the 
nomad  tribes  of  the  desert,  and  gradually  con- 
forming more  and  more  to  the  habits  of  those 
tribes.  To  an  Israelite  of  the  tribes  west  of  the 
Jordan,  the  title  of  Gileadite  must  have  conveyed 
a  similar  impression,  though  in  a  far  stronger 
degree,  to  that  which  the  title  Celt  does  to  us. 
What  the  Highlands  ot  Scotland  were  a  century 
ago  to  the  towns  of  the  Lowlands,  that,  and 
more  than  that,  must  Gilead  have  been  to 
Samaria  and  Jerusalem. — Rev.  IV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[18345]  Over  the  hills  of  Palestine,  with  no 
rest  or  fixed  habitation — fleet  as  the  wind,  when 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon  him,  and  he  ran 
before  the  chariot  of  Ahab  from  Carmel  to 
Jezreel — he  was  like  the  heroes  of  the  tribe 
(to  which  he  possibly  belonged)  of  Gad, 
in  David's  life,  who  swam  the  Jordan  in  flood 
time,  "  whose  faces  were  as  the  faces  of  lions, 
and  whose  feet  were  swift  as  the  roes  upon 
the  mountains  ; "  like  the  Bedouins  from  the 
same  region  at  the  present  day,  who  run  with 
unwearied  feet  by  the  side  of  the  traveller's 
camel,  and  whose  strange  forms  are  seen  for  a 
moment  behind  rock  and  tree,  in  city  or  field, 


and  then  vanish  again  into  their  native  wilder- 
ness. And  such  as  they  are,  such  was  he  also 
in  his  outward  appearance.  Long  shaggy  hair 
flowed  over  his  back  :  and  a  large  rough  mantle 
of  sheepskin,  fastened  around  his  loins  by  a 
girdle  of  hide,  was  his  only  covering. — Rev.  J. 
Macdiitf,  D.D. 

2  The  external  influences  of  his  solitary  life 
amid  wild  natural  surroundings  tended  to 
produce  heroism. 

[18346]  The  grand  and  sublime  has  always 
proved  a  "meet  nurse"  for  heroic  spirits.  .  .  . 
Gilead,  Elijah's  birthplace^  the  cradle  of  his 
youth,  and  where  he  remained  until  the  time  of 
his  showing  unto  Israel,  was  that  wild,  rugged, 
and  in  many  parts  picturesque  country,  lying 
east  of  the  Jordan,  the  "  rocky  "  region,  as  the 
word  implies,  with  its  deep  ravines  and  water- 
courses, its  sheep-folds  and  herds  of  wild  cattle, 
in  contradistinction  to  Bashan,  "the  level  or 
fertile  land."  The  soul  of  Elijah  was  tutored 
for  his  prophetic  mission  amid  the  rushing 
streams,  "the  pipings  of  flocks,"  the  awful  soli- 
tudes, and  the  rough  freebooter  life  of  the  most 
distant  territory  of  the  sacred  tribes.  Jehovah, 
in  the  selection  of  the  human  instrument  for  a 
great  revival  in  Israel,  would  magnify  the  sove- 
reignty of  His  own  grace  ;  He  chooses  no  Rabbi 
nor  learned  doctor  of  the  schools,  no  hierarch 
with  the  prestige  of  hereditary  office  or  outward 
form  of  consecration,  but  a  lay  preacher  from 
the  Highlands  of  Palestine,  a  man  who  had 
graduated  in  no  school  but  nature,  who  had 
been  taught,  but  taught  only  of  Heaven.  Forth 
he  comes,  a  prophet  of  fire,  a  burning  and  a 
shining  light,  in  one  of  the  darkest  periods  ot 
Hebrew  history. — Ibid. 

3  The  external  influences  of  his  solitary  life 
amid  wild  natural  surroundings  tended  to 
produce  sternness. 

[18347]  The  solitary  life  which  had  been  as- 
sumed, nurtured  that  fierceness  of  zeal  and  that 
directness  of  address  which  so  distinguished 
him.  It  was  in  the  wild  loneliness  of  the  hills 
and  ravines  of  Gilead  that  the  knowledge  of 
Jehovah,  the  living  God  of  Israel,  had  been  im- 
pressed on  his  mind,  which  was  to  form  the 
subject  of  his  mission  to  the  idolatrous  court 
and  country  of  Israel. — Cyclopcedia  of  Biblical 
Literature. 

4  The  external  influences  of  his  solitary  life 
amid  wild  natural  surroundings  tended  to 
produce  independence. 

[i  8348]  We  can  picture  to  ourselves  his  strange 
solitude.  Some  narrow  gorge,  uninvaded  by 
human  footstep,  fenced  in  by  nature  to  form  a 
prophet's  chamber — the  awning  of  this  "pilgrim- 
tent  "  constructed  of  the  interlacing  boughs  of 
fig,  oak,  and  oleander  ;  the  blue  vault  of  heaven 
overhead,  leading  him  by  day  to  consoling 
thoughts  on  the  Great  Universal  Presence  :  the 
sun  shining  with  tempered  lustre,  answering  to 
the  deeper  sunshine  of  a  quiet  conscience  within  ; 
the  stars  by  night,  like  the  wakeful  eyes  of  min- 


18348-18352] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


istering  ant^els.  keeping  watch  over  his  lonely 
coucii  as  he  pillowed  his  head  on  the  dewless 
leaves — with  tiiai  better  pillow  still  for  the  weary 
— the  sublime  consciousness  of  having  done  his 
duty,  and  subordinated  his  own  will  to  that  of 
the  Highest.  What  a  contrast — his  evening 
meal  and  chamber  of  repose,  with  those  of  the 
monarch  in  whose  guilty  ear  he  had  recently 
proclaimed  the  judgment  of  Cod  ! — the  ivory 
palace, filled  with  imported  luxury — the  retainers, 
gorgeous  with  Tyrian  purple  and  dust  of  gold — 
the  royal  couch,  curtained  with  Phoenician 
draperies  and  redolent  of  Phoenician  perfumes. 
A  stranger  was  the  rough  Bedouin  prophet  to 
all  such  dainties.  His  table,  the  greensward — 
his  retainers,  the  winged  fowls  of  heaven — his 
bed,  the  hollow  of  the  rock — its  coverlet,  his 
rough  hairy  mantle — his  lullaby,  the  music  of 
the  rippling  stream,  which,  as  it  babbled  by — 
the  one  tuneful  brook  of  a  silent  land — sang 
morning  and  evening  a  hymn  of  God's  faithful- 
ness. But,  as  we  picture  him,  with  thankful, 
contented  heart,  strengthening  in  summer's 
drought  the  stakes  of  his  hut  ;  or  in  winter's 
cold,  gathering,  like  the  apostle  of  Melita,  the 
scattered  leaves  and  dry  wood  to  kindle  and 
feed  his  lonely  fire — as  we  imagine  him  thus, 
night  by  night  composing  himself  to  rest,  have 
we  not  a  living  commentary  on  words  with 
which  he  may  have  filled  his  waking  and  sleep- 
ing thoughts — "A  little  that  a  just  man  hath  is 
better  than  the  riches  of  many  wicked"  .'' — Rev. 
J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

5  The  external  influences  of  his  solitary  life 
amid  wild  natural  surroundings  tended  to 
correct  the  impetuosity  due  to  his  choleric 
temperament. 

[18349]  We  often  think  of  the  Tishbite  as  an 
example  of  a  character  surcharged  with  elements 
of  great  power,  which,  if  misdirected,  must  have 
been  terrible  for  evil.  Left  to  his  own  wayward, 
impetuous,  fiery  nature,  his  strong  impulses  and 
iron  will,  the  bold  Bedouin  of  Gilead  might  have 
grown  up  to  be  the  scourge  and  destroyer,  the 
tempter  and  corrupter  of  Israel — not  its  restorer, 
reformer,  and  saviour — a  vessel  of  wrath  instead 
of  a  vessel  of  mercy.  An  angel  in  might,  he 
might  have  turned  a  demon  in  depravity — a 
"prophet  of  fire,"  not  to  illumine,  but  to  scathe. 
His  was  a  temperament  in  which  evil  impulses, 
had  they  once  obtained  sway,  would  have  swept 
him  down  rapidly  to  ruin,  and  hurried  thousands 
along  with  him,  spreading  his  evil  and  baneful 
influence  through  a  whole  generation.  But  he 
had  been  enabled  to  consecrate  all  this  latent 
power  to  the  cause  of  righteousness.  Perhaps, 
after  many  a  silent  soul-struggle,  of  which  the 
world  knows  nothing,  in  the  solitudes  of  his 
Fatherland,  the  devil  in  his  nature  had  been 
expelled  and  exorcised.  Without  such  a  severe 
training  Elijah-like  characters  cannot  reach 
their  maturity. — Ibid. 

III.  Characteristics  of  the  Man. 
I       Faith. 

[18350]  I   cannot  see  that  bird,  but  I  must 


needs  think  of  Elijah,  and  wonder  no  less  at  the 
miracle  of  his  faith  than  of  his  provision.  It  was 
a  strong  belief  that  carried  him  into  a  desolate 
rctiredness  to  expect  food  from  ravens.  This 
fowl  we  know  is  ravenous  ;  all  is  too  little  that 
he  can  forage  for  himself,  and  the  prophet's 
reason  must  needs  suggest  to  him  that  in  a  dry 
barren  desert  bread  and  flesh  must  be  great 
dainties,  yet  he  goes  aside  to  expect  victuals 
from  that  purveyance.  He  knew  this  fowl  to  be 
no  less  greedy  than  unclean  ;  unclean  as  in  law, 
so  the  nature  of  his  food.  What  is  his  ordinary 
prey  but  loathsome  carrion  ?  Yet  since  God 
had  appointed  him  His  caterer,  he  stands  not 
upon  the  nice  points  of  a  fastidious  squeamish- 
ness  ;  but  confidently  depends  upon  that  uncouth 
provision,  and,  accordingly,  those  unlikely  pur- 
veyors bring  him  bread  and  flesh  in  the  morning, 
and  bread  and  flesh  in  the  evening.  .  .  .  Upon 
the  sight  of  them,  he  magnified  with  a  thankful 
heart  the  wonderful  goodness  and  truth  of  his 
God,  and  was  nourished  more  with  his  faith  than 
with  his  food. — Bp.  Hall. 

2       Spirituality  and  prayerfulness. 

( I )  He  prayed  in  solitude. 

[18351]  The  closet  is  the  citadel  of  his  strength, 
the  focus  of  his  power.  In  the  closet  he  holds 
the  helm  which  guides  the  vessel  of  Providence, 
charged  with  the  destinies  of  man  ;  he  presses 
there  the  lever  which  moves  the  hand  that  moves 
the  world.  The  man  of  prayer  descends  from 
his  closet  into  this  lower  world  as  a  being  of 
superior  order,  with  the  power,  yet  the  humility, 
of  a  delegate  from  heaven.  He  may  court  ob- 
scurity ;  and  God's  providence  may  appoint  him 
to  tread  a  lowly  path  ;  but,  like  his  Divine  Mas- 
ter, he  cannot  be  hid.  His  countenance  shines 
with  the  reflected  lustre  of  the  Divine  glory, 
which  beamed  upon  him  in  his  secret  converse 
with  God,  and,  like  the  "  Father  of  lights,"  he 
is  revealed  by  his  beneficence  and  brightness. 
The  odours  of  sanctity,  fresh  from  heaven, 
breathe  around  him,  and  betray,  by  the  sweet 
perfume  it  diffuses,  the  lowly  and  retiring  plant 
that  blooms  beneath.  The  man  of  prayer  is 
never  contemplated  by  the  world  as  a  mere 
ordinary  man  :  a  spirit  of  wisdom  and  power, 
and  of  a  sound  mind,  impregnates  his  every  word 
and  act,  and  lodges  in  every  conscience  a  testi- 
mony for  God.  He  attracts,  or  awes — he  is 
loved  or  feared  by  all.  Such  a  man  was  Elijah. 
— Rev.  J.  Hiffernan. 

[18352]  Elijah  went  up  to  the  top  of  Carmel. 
This  is  a  beautiful  mountain,  ending  in  a  pro- 
montory upon  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  with  the 
lovely  vale  of  Sharon  at  its  foot,  combining  the 
richest  variety  of  scenery,  and  probably  chosen 
as  a  place  of  devotion  by  the  prophet  because 
favourable  to  those  feelings  which  are  elevated 
and  pure.  We  might  pray,  if  need  be,  in  a 
damp,  noisome  dungeon,  but  we  would  choose 
rather,  with  our  Saviour  and  the  prophet,  Tabor 
or  Carmei,  as  our  place  of  communion  with  God, 
because,  in  such  a  scene,  one  feels  almost  con- 
strained to  worship  and  adore.     Elijah  wished 


3IO 

18352— 18361] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


also  to  break  away  from  the  multitude  while  he 
interceded  with  his  Maker.  There  are  emotions 
in  prayer  which  the  true  worshipper  would  not 
have  read  upon  his  countenance  by  a  scoffing 
world.  While  the  sanctimonious  hypocrite  loves 
to  stand  at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  with  eyes 
rolled  up  and  clasped  hands,  the  true  spirit  of 
prayer  will  lead  us,  like  our  Lord  in  the  garden, 
to  hide  our  faces  even  from  those  we  best  love, 
or  like  Elijah,  to  send  away  the  servant,  and  turn 
our  faces  towards  the  earth. — I\ev.  W.  Lewis, 
D.D. 

(2)  He  prayed  in  the  spirit  of  lowliness. 
[18353]    He   kneels    down,   closes    his    eyes, 

bends  his  head  forwards  towards  his  knees,  and 
in  this  posture  he  begins  to  address  the  Lord, 
and  to  pray  for  rain.  Behold  him  !  Would  it 
be  supposed  that  this  is  the  man,  who  a  short 
time  before  stood  upon  Carmel  as  a  vicegerent 
of  God,  seemingly  empowered  with  a  command 
over  the  elements  .-*  Yet  he  now  humbles  him- 
self in  the  dust,  under  the  feeling  of  his  own 
poverty  and  weakness.  What  does  his  whole 
demeanour  express  but  abasement,  and  con- 
sciousness of  his  littleness  and  unworthiness  ! 
But  it  was  the  will  of  God  that  we  should  for 
once  behold  His  great  prophet  in  such  a  situa- 
tion, and  overhear  him  in  his  closet,  in  order 
to  teach  us  where  his  strength  really  lay  ;  to 
show  us  that  it  has  been  God's  rule,  from  ancient 
times,  to  work  with  weak  instruments,  and  to 
do  wonders  by  bruised  reeds,  in  order  that  we 
might  see  whence  even  an  Elijah  derived  his 
greatness  ;  and  not  be  tempted  to  place  the 
honour  and  glory  upon  the  head  of  man,  instead 
of  laying  it  at  the  feet  of  Him  to  whom  it  be- 
longs ;  and  that  we  might  feel  the  force  of  that 
encouraging  sentence  of  the  Apostle  James, 
'"  Elias  was  a  man  subject  to  like  passions  as  we 
are."  When  Elijah  stood  before  the  people,  he 
was  God's  ambassador,  and  as  such,  had  to 
speak  and  to  act  in  virtue  of  his  high  commis- 
sion ;  but  when  he  stood  before  God,  he  was  a 
poor  sinner  and  a  worm,  who  was  only  able  to 
live  by  mercy,  and  had  nothing  to  demand,  but 
everything  to  beg  at  a  throne  of  grace.  — 
Kruniniacher. 

(3)  He  prayed  with  a  definite  object, 
[15354]    Elijah's  prayer   was   no  mere  form, 

neither  was  it  the  calm  musing  of  a  meditative 
spirit  ;  but  it  was  the  earnest  wrestling  of  one 
whose  intellect,  and  heart,  and  will,  and  con- 
science were  all  vigorously  exercised  for  the 
production  of  the  result  at  which  he  aimed. — 
Rev.  IV.  Taylor,  D.D, 

(4)  He  prayed  with  importunity. 

[18355]  Elijah  was  importunate  in  his  prayer. 
Six  times  the  servant  whom  he  had  stationed  on 
the  hill-top  returned  with  the  reply,  "  There  is 
nothing  ; "  but  that  did  not  dishearten  the 
prophet.  He  kept  on  at  his  prayer  ;  he  knocked 
again  and  again,  until  the  response  was  given. 
—Ibid. 


[18356]  The  Apostle  James  mentions  Elijah, 
as  an  instance  of  distinguished  honour  being  put 
upon  fervent  and  persevering  prayer  ;  at  the 
same  time  reminding  us,  that  he  whose  prayers 
were  thus  powerful,  was  a  man  of  like  passions, 
infirmities,  and  imperfections  with  ourselves. 
"  Elias  was  a  man  subject  to  like  passions  as  we 
are,  and  he  prayed  earnestly  that  it  might  not 
rain,  and  it  rained  not  on  the  earth  by  the  space 
of  three  years  and  six  months  ;  and  he  prayed 
again,  and  the  heavens  gave  rain,  and  the  earth 
brought  forth  her  fruit"  (James  v.  17,  18). — 
Esther  Copley. 

(5)  He  prayed  expecting  an  answer. 

[18357]  Elijah  expected  an  answer  to  his 
prayer.  He  sent  his  servant  to  the  summit  to 
look  out  for  its  appearance.  He  regarded  it  as 
a  certainty  that  the  answer  would  come.  It 
never  entered  into  his  mind  to  doubt  that  his 
prayer  would  be  granted.  The  strangest  of  all 
things  to  him  would  have  been  that  his  prayer 
should  be  unanswered.  So  he  set  a  watch  for 
the  coming  of  the  answer. — Ibid. 

[18358]  Seven  times,  observe,  did  Elijah  wait 
for  the  return  of  his  prayers.  What  an  evidence 
is  this  of  the  power  and  perseverance  of  faith  ! 
What  a  commentary  upon  that  merciful  assur- 
ance of  the  prophet,  "  Therefore  will  the  Lord 
wait,  that  He  may  be  gracious  unto  you,  and 
therefore  will  He  be  exalted,  that  He  may  have 
mercy  upon  you  ;  for  the  Lord  is  a  God  oi 
judgment,  blessed  are  all  they  that  wait  for 
Him."  This  blessing  was  now  to  be  inherited 
by  Elijah.  He  had  climbed  to  the  heights  of 
Carmel  ;  and  there,  upon  his  bended  knees, 
and  with  head  bowed  down  to  the  ground,  he 
cast  all  his  care  upon  the  Lord.  "The  vision 
was  yet  for  an  appointed  time,"  but  he  felt  that, 
"at  the  end,  it  would  surely  come,  it  would  not 
tarry." — Rev.  J.  Anderson. 

[18359]  Elijah  knew,  what  it  behoves  us  also 
to  remember,  that  the  fulfilment  of  God's  pro- 
mises comes  in  the  way  of  answers  to  prayer. 
He  knew  that  to  every  prediction  of  blessing 
the  condition  is  annexed,  "  For  this  will  I  be 
inquired  of  to  do  it  for  you  ; "  and  so  he  gave 
himself  to  prayer.  He  believed  that  to  be  a  law 
of  God's  moral  government,  as  imperative  and 
unchanging  as  any  of  those  in  the  physical 
universe,  of  which,  in  these  days,  so  much  is 
said  ;  and  therefore  he  set  himself  to  earnest 
supplication. — Rev.  W.  Taylor, D.D. 

(6)  He  recogtiized  the  aftswer  when  it  came. 

[18360]  When  the  seventh  time  his  servant 
came,  saying,  "  Behold,  there  ariseth  a  little 
cloud  out  of  the  sea,  like  a  man's  hand,"  he  saw 
in  this  the  response  to  his  prayer,  and  sent  a 
message  to  Ahab  to  hasten  his  departure,  lest 
the  rain  should  hinder  his  return  to  his  palace. 
—Ibid. 

[18361]  The  prophet  "despised  not  the  day 
of  small  things  :  "  the  single  cloud,  appearing 
from  the  far-off  horizon  of  the  sea,  was  evidence 


I836I— 18367] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[klijah. 


enough  to  him  that  the   hour  of  rehef  was  at 
hand. — Rev.  S.  Anderson. 

3       Steadfastness. 

[18362]  Elijah  was  a  man  reconciled  to  God 
in  Christ  Jesus  the  promised  Messiah,  and 
clothed  with  His  righteousness.  This  is  im- 
plied in  his  words,  "  I  stand  before  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel  ;  "  and  is  further  evident  from  his 
having  received  the  honour  a  thousand  years 
afterwards,  to  be  a  witness  with  Moses  on  Mount 
Tabor,  of  the  transfiguration  of  his  Lord.  But 
the  standing  before  the  Lord  expresses  some- 
thing more  than  a  state  of  reconciliation  in 
general.  I  stand  before  the  Lord,  when  I  desire, 
above  all  things,  that  the  will  of  the  Lord  may 
be  at  all  times  plainly  manifested  to  me,  and 
that  I  may  do  nothing,  from  one  moment  to 
another,  but  what  shall  please  Him,  and  pro- 
mote His  glory  ;  when  I  keep  ray  eyes  waking, 
and  place  myself  as  it  were  at  my  post,  to  watch 
for  the  tokens  of  my  King,  and  listen  attentively 
with  my  spirit  to  His  voice,  and  His  commands 
within  me  and  without  ;  when  I  desire,  accord- 
ing to  the  least  of  His  intimations,  to  run  the 
way  of  His  commandments  ;  I  then  stand  before 
the  Lord.  Thus  Elijah  stood  before  the  Lord. 
To  be  an  instrument  for  the  accomplishment  of 
the  Divine  will,  and  for  the  glorifying  of  His 
name,  was  his  ardent  desire  ;  he  could  say  with 
Isaiah's  watchman,  "  Lord,  I  stand  continually 
upon  the  watch-tower  in  the  day-time,  and  I  am 
set  in  my  ward  whole  nights"  (Isa.  xxi.  8).  His 
life  was  a  hearkening  to  God's  voice  ;  he  passed 
his  days  in  the  presence  of  his  eternal  King,  and 
"  Lord,  speak  !  for  Thy  servant  heareth,"  was 
his  watchword.  Such  was  Elijah,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  and  thus  did  he  stand  before  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel. — Krummacher. 

4       Humility. 

[18363]  Beautiful  indeed  is  Elijah's  humility. 
He  was  more  truly  king  in  the  sight  of  Israel 
than  Ahab.  As  a  prince  he  had  power  with 
God,  and  had  prevailed.  The  keys  of  Provi- 
dence seemed  to  hang  at  his  girdle  ;  his  voice 
had  rent  the  heavens  ;  at  his  summons  the 
flames  had  descended  ;  the  fiery  sword  had 
leapt  from  its  cloudy  scabbard,  flashing  ven- 
geance on  his  enemies.  Had  he  sought  it — a 
triumphal  procession  might  have  borne  him 
laurel-crowned  and  garlanded  to  Jezreel.  The 
chivalrous  songs  and  minstrelsy  that  welcomed 
the  illustrious  sovereign  of  the  preceding  age 
might  have  been  accorded  to  him  also.  But  no 
vainglorious  thought  tarnished  the  splendour  of 
the  moral  victory.  Never  is  he  greater  than 
when — the  shouts  of  the  multitude  over — he 
retires  with  his  servant  to  a  lone  spot  on  the 
mountain  ;  proclaiming  that,  for  all  his  deeds 
of  renown,  he  arrogates  no  praise,  no  glory  to 
himself,  but  gives  it  all  to  the  God  whose  legate 
he  felt  honoured  to  be.  He  cast  himself  down 
upon  the  earth,  and  "  put  his  face  between  his 
knees."  We  scarce  recognize  the  man  ;  he 
seems  for  the  moment  to  have  lost  his  personal 


identity.  A  few  hours  before,  he  was  "the 
Prophet  of  Fire  ;  "  the  liglitning  flashing  from 
his  eye  ;  or,  standing  by  the  Kislion,  a  girded 
homicide,  the  sword  gleaming  in  his  hands. 
Now  he  is  "clothed  with  humility."  Bold  and 
strong  as  a  sturdy  oak  of  Bashan  in  the  presence 
of  the  dense  human  crowd,  he  bows  his  head 
like  a  bulrush  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts.  "  Lord,"  he  seems  to  say,  "  I  am  but 
sinful  dust  and  ashes.  I  am  but  a  man  of  like 
passions  with  that  fickle  multitude  below.  I  am 
but  a  vessel,  a  lump  of  clay  in  the  hand  of  the 
potter.  Not  unto  me,  not  unto  me,  but  unto 
Thee,  the  living  Jehovah,  before  whom  1  stand, 
be  all  the  glory  !  "—Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

5       Tenderness. 

[18364]  Not  only  was  there  in  his  character 
a  union  of  weakness  with  greatness,  but,  despite 
of  all  his  apparent  solitariness,  unworldliness, 
asceticism,  isolation  from  his  fellows,  there  were 
not  wanting  elements  of  tenderness.  The  earth- 
quake, the  whirlwind,  the  fire,  which  he  saw  in 
the  Sinai  desert,  and  after  all  these  "the  still 
small  voice,"  formed  the  reflection  of  his  own 
inner  nature — a  union  of  the  terrible  with  the 
gentle. — Ibid. 

[18365]  With  what  loving  affection  he  clings 
at  the  last  to  the  friendship  of  the  faithful 
Elisha.  Stern  characters  are  often  misunder- 
stood. There  is  frequently  a  union  of  opposites 
in  the  same  nature  ;  the  stern  may  appear  to 
predominate,  when  gentleness  and  goodness  are 
there,  if  the  world  would  but  believe  it.  The 
official  severity  of  the  homeless  prophet  was 
tempered  and  softenedwith  these  latter  qualities; 
while  his  every  action,  with  the  one  solitary 
exception,  was  governed  and  pervaded  by  ster- 
ling principle,  uncompromising  rectitude,  un- 
flinching adherence  to  the  will  of  God.  Aluch 
as  Ahab  hated  his  truthful  denunciations,  he 
could  not  disguise  his  respect  for  his  candour, 
boldness,  and  devotion  to  Him  he  so  faithfully 
served. — Ibid. 

[18366]  The  denouncer  of  Ahab,  the  rebuker 
of  kingly  iniquity,  the  slayer  at  the  Kishon,  the 
homicide  who,  in  one  day,  with  his  own  hands, 
purpled  its  waters  with  the  blood  of  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  priests — yet  see  with  what  con- 
siderate tenderness  he  ministers  to  the  distress 
of  the  lonely  widow  of  Zarephath. — Ibid. 

IV.  Characteristics   of   the    Prophet 
AND  Reformer. 

Religious  earnestness. 

(i)  He  acted  instead  of  speculating. 

[18367]  Elijah  was  in  a  schismatic  Church. 
Speculative  minds  would  have  dreamed  of 
outward  unity,  and  thought  that  nothing  could 
be  done  till  that  was  got — or  of  a  millennial 
state.  Elijah  acted  as  he  was,  and  where  he 
was.  The  work  given  him  was  not  to  restore 
unity,  but  to  destroy  unbelief  in  individual  hearts. 
— Rev.  F.  Robertson. 


312 


3-18374] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


Telijah. 


[18360]  If  I  have  read  his  character  correctly, 
he  delighted  in  activity,  more  especially  when 
there  was  added  to  it  the  exciting  element  of 
danger.  Hence,  as  the  eager  warrior  hastens 
to  the  battle-field,  Elijah  was  positively  attracted 
to  the  conflict  that  was  before  him,  the  rather  as 
he  recognized  in  it  the  opportunity  of  his  life, 
when,  as  the  servant  of  Jehovah,  he  should  be 
able  to  strike  a  decisive  blow  at  the  Baalism  of 
the  court  and  the  indififerentism  of  the  country. 
—Rev.  W.  Taylor,  D.D. 

(2)  His  actions  were  marked  by  the  unflinching 
boldness  of  a  living  faith. 

[18369]  Elijah  was  no  "dumb  dog  that  can- 
not bark  :  "    "  sleeping,  lying    down,  loving  to 
slumber."      His  was  not  the   trumpet    to   give 
forth  a  wavering  or  uncertain  sound.     Standing 
face  to  face  with  guilty  Ahab,  he  startles  him 
with  the  avowal—"  My  God— the  God  of  Israel 
— the  God  of  thy  fathers — and  he  who  ought  to 
be  thy  God— Jehovah  liveth  !  "     "  As  the  Lord 
God  of  Israel  liveth,  before  whom  I  stand,  there 
shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain  these  years,  but  ac- 
cording to  my  word."     To  understand  aright 
the  force  of  this  asseveration,  we  must  view  it 
in  the  same  light  as  the  subsequent  scene  on 
Mount  Carmel,  viz.,  as  a  challenge  made  by  the 
prophet    to    settle    the   question    by    a   solemn 
appeal  to  the  great  power  or  powers  (be  they  who 
they  may)  who  rule  the  universe,  and  who  have 
the  elements  of  nature  under  their  control.     It 
was  as  if  he  had  said  to  his  royal  master — "  I 
shall  prove  that  thy  base  idolatries  cannot  aid 
thee  in  the  hour  of  need.     I  shall  undertake  to 
demonstrate   that  a  plurality  of  gods  is  but  a 
plurality  of  nonentities.     Here  is  the  test.     In 
the  name  of  my  God  I   utter  it.     You  have  in- 
vested the   Baalim    you  worship  with   lordship 
over  the  processes  of  outer   nature — you   have 
your  pretended  Baal  or  lord  who  has  the  clouds 
of  heaven  in  his  hand — who  can  unseal  or  close 
their  watery  treasures  at    his  will.     You  have 
your   pretended  deity — who  spangles   morning 
by  morning  the  pastures  on  the  hills  of  Israel 
with   dew-drops,    or   leaves  them  dry   like  the 
fleece  of  Gideon.     I  shall  disprove  your  poly- 
theism ;  I  shall  unmask  the  lie  of  these  Phoeni- 
cian priests  whom  you  feed  at  the  royal  table  ;  I 
shall   solve   the    momentous   problem,    not   by 
word,  but  by  awful  deed.      I  shall  prove   that 
this  dew  and  these  rain-clouds  are   not  Baal's 
giving— that  his  priests  might  rend  the  sky  from 
morn  to  even  with    importunate    supplication, 
and  there  would  be   no  response.     But  I  shall 
demonstrate  that  they  are  in  the  hands  of  that 
"living  God,"  whose  servant  I  am,  and  "before 
whom,"  though  unseen,  "  I  stand."     And  here 
will  be  the  proof.     I  assert,  in  the  name  and  by 
the  authority  of  Him  whom  I  worship,  and  whose 
unworthy  servant  I  am,  that   neither   dew  nor 
rain  shall  fall  on  the  parched  plains  and  valleys 
of  Israel  except  at  my  bidding.     From  this  day 
henceforth  these  skies  shall  be  as  brass,  and 
this  earth  as  iron.     Let  thy  Baalim  throng  dis- 
prove  it  if  they  can.     Let   them,  if  they   can, 
thwart  this  act  of  delegated  omnipotence.     Let 


them,  if  they  can,  force  open  the  bolted  doors  of 
heaven,  and  exude  dew-drops  from  the  gasping 
earth.  Let  them,  if  they  can,  bribe  the  miser 
fountains  to  unlock  their  hoarded  treasures. 
Then,  but  not  till  then,  will  I  listen  to  the  tale 
of  thy  dumb  idols,  and  renounce  my  belief  in 
that  Great  Being  who  maketh  the  clouds  His 
chariot.—/.  R.  Macduff,  D.D. 

[18370]  Ahab  and  Jezebel  might  be  sitting  in 
their  Jezreel  palace  of  ivory,  congratulating 
themselves  on  the  skill  which  they  had  shown, 
when,  sudden  and  terrible  as  a  clap  of  thunder 
from  a  cloudless  sky,  there  swept  in  before  them 
a  weird-looking  man,  with  long,  flowing  hair,  a 
mantle  of  sheep-skin  round  his  shoulders,  and  a 
rugged  staff  in  his  hand  ;  and  before  they  could 
ask  him  who  he  was,  or  why  he  had  come  thither, 
he  had  flung  the  gage  of  defiance  at  their  feet, 
and  said,  "As  Jehovah  the  God  of  Israel  liveth, 
before  whom  I  stand,  there  shall  not  be  dew  nor 
rain  these  years  but  according  to  my  word." 
Then,  this  message  given,  he  vanished  like  an 
apparition.  "  It  was,"  as  Wilberforce  has  said, 
"  like  the  flash  of  the  lightning,  sharp  as  a 
blazing  sword  in  its  sudden  vividness,  laut  not 
tarrying  for  a  moment,  revealing  everything, 
and  gone  as  it  reveals  it."— AVz/.  VV.  Taylor. 
D.D. 

[18371]  He  has  the  air  of  one  who  has  a 
solemn  work  to  do.  There  is  gravity  in  his 
deportment,  firmness  in  his  countenance,  and 
lightning  in  his  eye.  Unabashed  by  the 
myriad  throng  before  him,  undazzled  by  the 
splendid  garments  of  the  idol-serving  priests, 
unappalled  by  the  haughty  mien  of  Ahab  and 
his  courtiers,  he  passes  on,  and  takes  his 
place  over  against  his  powerful  adversaries. 
Alone  he  seems  in  that  immense  multitude, 
and  yet  he  is  not  alone,  for  God  is  with 
him.  So,  pausing  for  a  moment  to  survey  the 
scene,  he  lifts  up  his  voice  like  a  trumpet,  and 
throws  down  the  gage  of  battle  in  these  burn- 
ing words  :  "  How  long  halt  ye  between  two 
opinions?  If  Jehovah  be  God,  follow  Him: 
but  if  Baal,  then  follow  him." — Ibid. 

(3)  His  actions  were  marked  by  self-reliance. 

[18372]  Under  God,  this  one  man  rallied  an 
apostate  nation — saved  his  country  by  saving  its 
religion,  and  made  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands in  after  ages,  when  he  himself  was  gone, 
rise  up  and  call  him  blessed  :  "  He  stood  in  the 
breach,  and  the  plague  was  stayed  ! "— /.  A'. 
Macduff,  D.D. 

[18373]  He  was  sure  of  the  justice  of  his 
cause,  and  though  the  whole  world  had  thought 
differently  from  himself,  he  had  no  mind  to 
compromise,  or  to  give  place  ;  no,  not  for  an 
hour;  and  why.?  Because  he  was  an  experi- 
mental believer,  whose  faith  was  interwoven 
with  his  existence  and  happiness. — Krumma- 
cher. 

[18374]  "Let  them  choose  one  bullock  for 
themselves,  and  cut  it  in  pieces,  and  lay  it  on 


18374- 18383] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


wood,  and  put  no  fire  under  :  and  I  will  dress 
the  other  bullock,  and  lay  it  on  wood,  and 
put  no  fire  under  ;  and  call  ye  on  the  name 
of  your  gods,  and  I  will  call  on  the  name 
of  Jehovah  :  and  the  God  that  answereth  by 
fire,  let  Him  be  God.  And  all  the  people  an- 
swered and  said,  It  is  well  spoken."  They 
agreed  to  the  proposal  ;  some  from  curiosity,  to 
see  what  would  happen  ;  others,  in  the  hope 
that  Baal  would  gain  the  victory;  but  some  few, 
perhaps,  from  a  real  desire  to  be  certain  whether 
Jehovah  was  the  true  God.  What  a  hazardous 
proposal  this  appears  on  the  part  of  Elijah  ! 
He  ventured  the  whole  credit  of  Jehovah's 
worship  upon  the  issue  of  it.  But  he  acted  really 
at  no  hazard  ;  he  was  assured  that  his  gracious 
God  would  not  leave  nor  forsake  him. — Ibid. 

[18375]  Consider  what  might  have  been  said. 
The  world  is  against  you,  the  wise,  the  court, 
the  priesthood  —  this  is  presumption.  What 
was  Elijah's  answer  .f*  Numbers  are  not  the 
test  of  truth,  but  the  voice  within  clear.  The 
world  against  Elijah.  Well  then  in  the  name  of 
God  and  truth,  Elijah  against  the  world. — Rev. 
F.  Robertson. 

[1S376]  Let  the  eye  once  more  rest  with 
admiration  on  the  prime  actor  in  this  magnifi- 
cent drama.  Mark  his  firmness  and  self-reli- 
ance— his  meek  spirit  of  dependence  on  Divine 
aid.  Hating  expediency,  resolved  to  stand  or 
fall  with  truth,  superior  to  the  world's  censure, 
heedless  that  the  majority  is  against  him,  with 
the  consciousness  of  God  being  upon  his  side, 
he  boldly  confronts  the  floods  of  ungodly  men, 
and  alone  he  triumphs. — Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

\.'^'^yn'\  There  is  something  impressive  in  the 
calm  dignity  of  the  prophet.  We  can  picture 
him,  with  his  sheepskin  cloak,  and  shaggy  hair, 
and  stately  figure — with  no  noisy  clamour,  or 
extravagant  gesticulations,  but  rather  with  dig- 
nified self-reliance,  standing  amid  the  fevered 
multitude,  and  beginning  with  reverend  hands 
to  uprear  the  dismantled  altar.  There  is  always 
a  quiet  majesty  about  truth.  How  calmly  stood 
Paul  before  Felix  and  Agrippa  !  With  what 
meek,  unruffled,  expressive  silence  stood  Incar- 
nate Truth  Himself  before  Pilate  and  Herod — 
the  Lamb  "  dumb  before  His  shearers  :"  it  was 
the  same  dignified  calmness  of  demeanour 
which  had  previously  unmanned  the  assassin 
band  at  the  gate  of  Gethsemane  :  "  As  soon  as 
He  had  said  unto  them,  I  am  He,  they  went 
backward  and  fell  to  the  ground  !  "  It  was  so 
now  on  Mount  Carmel.  Ahab  was  agitated 
with  conflicting  fears.  The  people  were  in  a 
frenzy  of  excitement.  The  priests  were  filled 
with  delirium  and  rage.  Elijah  alone  was  un- 
moved —  confident  in  the  righteousness  of  his 
cause.  He  had  everything  perilled  on  the  next 
sunset  hour.  Failure  ! — and  his  own  body,  like 
that  of  the  offered  sacrifice,  would  be  cut  in 
pieces,  and  the  Kishon  be  stained  with  his 
blood.  Failure  ! — and  the  power  and  glory  of 
his  God  would  be  compromised  ;  every  altar  of 


Israel  would  be  profaned,  and  Baal  would  sit 
triumphant  in  his  impious  shrines.  But  "Jeho- 
vah liveth  "' — his  first  utterance— was  his  motto 
still  ;  and  he  felt  confident  that  that  watchword 
would  be  caught  up,  ere  these  ni;,'ht-shadows 
fell,  and  be  repeated  from  lip  to  lip  by  the  con- 
gregated thousands  of  Israel.— /('^/V/. 

(4)  His  actions  were  marlced  by  self-oblivion. 
[1837S]  Was  Elijah  whispering,  "  Now  I  am 

doing  a  brave  thing  ;  people's  eyes  are  on  me"? 
This  is  the  finest  scene  in  Scripture.  Elijah 
was  quite  unconscious  that  he  was  making  a 
scene.  He  had  lost  himself  in  his  cause. 
Hence  the  people  understood  that  it  was  no 
contest  between  Elijah  and  the  priests,  but 
between  Baal  and  God.  Hence  they  did  not 
exclaim  "Elijah,"  but  the  "Lord,"  He  is  God.^ 
Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

(5)  His  actions  were  marked  by  ijiflexible  deci- 
sion in  the  rebuke  of  sin. 

[18379]  Elijah  mocked  the  priests  of  Baal. 
He  killed  them.  We  are  not  concerned  to 
defend  this.  The  Jewish  spirit  differed  from  the 
Christian.  Yet  observe,  it  marked  earnestness. 
It  is  a  precedent  to  interpret  character. — Ibid. 

[18380]  With  what  piercing  irony  does  Elijah 
put  to  shame  their  efforts  !  "  Cry  aloud,"  saith 
he,  "for  he  is  a  god  ;  either  he  is  talking,  or  he  is 
pursuing,  or  he  is  in  a  journey,  or  peradventure 
he  sleepeth,  and  must  be  awaked."  It  is  im- 
possible to  conceive  a  more  withering  rebuke 
than  this,  a  more  emphatic  exposure  of  the 
utter  wickedness  and  folly  of  those  idolaters. — 
Rev.  J.  Anderson. 

[18381]  It  was  in  silence  that  the  prophet  had 
thus  long  looked  on.  When  he  did  speak,  what 
would  you  have  him  to  have  said  .''  a  gentle  dis- 
suasion ? — that  would  have  been  no  fit  language 
to  the  insulters  of  the  Almighty,  and  the 
destroyers  of  the  people  !  a  loud  denunciation 
of  vengeance  } — ^that  was  to  be  executed,  and 
needed  not  be  spoken.  "It  came  to  pass 
that  Elijah  mocked."  We  are  not  to  imagine 
this  as  said  in  a  light,  bantering  tone  of  pleasan- 
try ;  as  if  the  prophet  would  amuse  himself  with 
their  unsuccessful  impiety  ;  but  as  an  austere 
and  bitter  rebuke  in  the  form  of  sarcasm,  and  it 
had  in  it  a  propriety  and  truth,  without  which 
sarcasm  and  ridicule  have  no  point. — Rev.  J. 
Foster. 

[18382]  He  wore  no  court  dress  ;  he  spoke  in 
no  polished  phrase  ;  but,  like  a  sturdy  Ou<iker, 
he  refused  to  give  any  reverence,  and,  with  his 
t/iees  and  his  t/ious,  his  faithful  warnings  and 
his  awful  threatenings,  he  struck  terror  into 
Ahab's  soul. — Rev.  W.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[18383]  The  captain  with  his  fifty  departs 
upon  his  commission,  and  it  is  not  long  before 
he  meets  the  enemy.  On  the  summit  of  a 
mountain — probably  on  Carmel — they  come  in 
sight  of  the  prophet.  There  he  sits  solitary  and 
silent,  immersed  in  sacred  meditations.  But  he 
sits  there,  like  a  king  upon  his  throne,  secure  in 


314 

18383— I 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


his  God,  and  surrounded  by  an  invisible  guard. 
He  beholds  the  host  approaching  him  with 
glittering  weapons,  and  easily  imagines  who  has 
sent  them,  and  what  is  their  errand.  But  he  is 
not  afraid,  in  his  invisible  but  impregnable  for- 
tress. He  is  well  able  to  confront  them  under 
the  banner  of  his  God,  and  quietly  suffers  them 
to  come  against  him.  They  approach  nearer 
and  nearer,  to  surround  him  as  their  prisoner  ; 
but  something  in  his  appearance,  or  in  their 
thoughts  of  him,  keeps  them  still  at  a  respectful 
distance.  It  seems  as  if  they  had  a  presenti- 
ment of  peril,  should  they  venture  to  seize  him. 
The  captain,  therefore,  contents  himself  with 
imperatively  declaring  his  master's  order. 
"  Thou  man  of  God,  the  king  hath  said,  Come 
down."  The  prophet  feels  a  holy  indignation 
for  the  honour  of  his  God.  He  opens  his 
mouth,  with  a  faith  which  would  have  removed 
Mount  Carmel  into  the  midst  of  the  sea,  had  it 
been  necessary,  and  exclaims,  "  If  I  be  a  man 
of  God,  then  let  fire  come  down  from  heaven, 
and  consume  thee  and  thy  fifty  !  "  No  sooner 
had  he  uttered  the  words,  than  Jehovah  heard 
them  ;  for  to  prayers  which  seek  only  His 
honour  and  glory  He  refuses  not  His  Yea  and 
Amen  !  The  fire  descends  from  heaven,  and 
the  captain,  with  his  fifty,  lie  dead  below  the 
prophet's  feet. — Krummacher. 

V.  Characteristics  of  the  Patriot. 

Practicalness. 

(i)  He  spent  the  closing  years  of  his  life  in 
providing  for  the  spiritual  well-being  of  the 
generation  to  come. 

[18384]  Directed,  doubtless,  mainly  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  but  inspired  also  by  his  own 
apprehension  for  the  decay  of  true  religion 
throughout  the  land  in  this  period  of  degeneracy, 
he  had  established  three,  if  not  more,  "schools;" 
the  universities,  or,  if  we  might  be  allowed  the 
modern  term,  the  "  divinity  halls  "  or  missionary 
seminaries  of  the  age.  By  instructing  in  these, 
the  fiower  of  the  Hebrew  youth,  in  the  great 
principles  of  the  theocracy  and  the  religion  of 
their  ancestors,  he  ensured  the  existence  of  a 
seed  to  serve  his  God  when  he  should  be  gathered 
to  his  fathers  in  the  Church  above.  It  is  ex- 
ceedingly rare  that  a  man  of  the  Elijah-like  order 
exhibits  practical  qualities. — Rev.  7.  Macduff, 
D.D. 

(2)  He  may  be  regarded  as  the  fomtder,  in  one 
sense,  of  ecclesiastical  colleges. 

[18385]  These  schools  in  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  so  far  compensated  for  the  want  of  the 
temple  services  and  Levitical  priesthood,  in- 
stituted in  the  metropolis  of  the  kingdom  of 
Judah.  If  it  be  a  new  light,  therefore,  it  is  surely 
an  interesting  one,  to  regard  Elijah  as  the  first 
head  and  principal  of  a  religious  university  ; 
gathering  around  him  a  band  of  ingenuous  youth, 
and  imbuing  them  with  the  truth  set  forth  in  his 
own  great  life  motto — "The  Lord  liveth  before 
whom  I  stand  ! " — Ibid. 

[18386J  There  is  less  said  of  the  educational 


than  of  the  controversial  portion  of  his  work  by 
the  historian.  Yet,  from  sundry  incidental  allu- 
sions, we  are  led  to  the  conclusion  that  much  of 
the  Tishbite's  labours,  especially  in  the  later 
years  of  his  life,  were  given  to  the  superinten- 
dence of  the  education  of  the  sons  of  the 
prophets  throughout  the  land.  The  first  mention 
in  Scripture  of  "  schools  of  the  prophets  "  is  in 
the  history  of  Samuel,  but  during  the  years  that 
intervened  between  Solomon  and  Ahab  we  have 
no  reference  made  to  them  in  the  sacred  books. 
And  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  conclude  that  in 
the  widespread  defection  of  the  tribes,  both  in 
Judah  and  Israel,  from  the  Lord,  they  had  fallen 
into  neglect.  But,  after  the  stirring  controversy 
of  his  earlier  ministry,  Elijah  seems  to  have  set 
himself  to  the  fostering,  if  not  indeed  to  the 
refounding,  of  these  establishments.  Either  he 
himself  set  up  such  schools  at  Gilgal,  at  Bethel, 
and  at  Jericho,  or,  finding  them  existing  there 
in  a  languishing  condition,  he  laboured  to  give 
them  prosperity  and  permanence.  In  going  to 
and  fro  among  these  schools,  Elijah  found  the 
labour  and  the  happiness  of  his  later  years. — ■ 
Rev.  W.  Taylor,  D.D. 

VI.  His  Declension  and  Despondency. 

I       Their  causes. 

( I )  Physical  prostration. 

[18387]  The  valley  is  as  deep  as  the  mountain 
is  high.  The  ebb  of  the  tide  is  proportioned  to 
its  height  ;  and  is  ever  greatest  when  the  flood- 
tide  has  been  at  the  spring.'  So  excessive  ten- 
sion of  our  bodily  system  will  induce  as  excessive 
relaxation,  and  that,  in  its  turn,  will  tell  upon  the 
tone  of  the  mind.  This  is  the  law  of  our  human 
nature.  We  all  understand  it  ;  we  have  all 
experienced  it  ;  and  we  must  give  Elijah  here 
the  full  benefit  of  it.  Think  what  he  had  gone 
through  during  these  preceding  few  days  of 
exciting  toil.  After  his  challenge  to  the  priests 
of  Baal,  there  was  the  earnestness  of  his  prayer- . 
ful  preparation  for  the  encounter ;  then  there 
was  the  long  day  of  actual  conflict  on  the  moun- 
tain ;  then  his  wrestling  with  God  for  the  rain  ; 
and  then  his  rapid  race  before  Ahab's  chariot 
all  the  way  from  Carmel  to  Jezreel.  Now,  all 
these  coming  one  upon  another  must  have  worn 
out  even  so  muscular  a  frame  as  Elijah's  ;  for 
there  was  much  more  than  mere  physical  toil. — 
Ibid. 

[18388]  Everybody  knows  that  there  is  nothing 
so  exhaustive  as  deep  emotion.  Now,  the  con- 
flict on  the  mountain  stirred  the  prophet's  heart 
to  its  depths,  and  prayer  like  his  must  itself  have 
been  a  labour  of  the  most  fatiguing  kind.  Hence, 
when  the  threat  of  Jezebel  was  repeated  to  him, 
and  he  saw  no  attempt  made  by  the  people 
to  rally  round  him,  we  can  easily  understand 
how,  in  the  state  of  prostration  to  which  he  was 
reduced,  his  faith  failed  him,  and  he  turned  and 
fled.  Had  he  better  understood  the  demands  of 
his  own  frame  upon  him,  he  might  probably 
have  struggled  more  manfully  against  this  physi- 
cal reaction,    and  might   have    reasoned    that 


18388— 18396] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


Jezebel  was  no  more  dangerous  to  him  now  than 
she  had  been  before.  But,  in  his  ignorance  of 
the  cause  of  his  depression,  he  magnified  the 
peril  in  which  he  stood,  while  at  the  same  time 
he  forgot  the  faithfulness  of  that  protector  who 
before  had  hidden  him  in  the  valley  of  Cherith 
and  the  cottage  of  Zarephath.— /lii/Vi^. 

[18389]  On  the  reception  of  Jezebel's  message, 
Elijah  tlies  for  his  life— toils  on  the  whole  day, 
sits  down  under  a  juniper  tree,  faint,  hungry, 
and  travel-worn  ;  the  gale  of  an  Oriental  even- 
ing, damp  and  heavy  with  languid  sweetness, 
breathing  on  his  face.  The  prophet  and  the 
man  give  way.  He  longs  to  die.  You  cannot 
mistake  the  presence  of  causes  in  part  purely 
physical. — Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

(2)  Lack  of  occupatioti. 

[18390]  As  long  as  Elijah  had  a  prophet's 
work  to  do,  severe  as  that  work  was,  all  went 
on  healthily  ;  but  his  occupation  was  gone. 
To-morrow  and  the  day  after,  what  has  he  left 
on  earth  to  do  .'' — Ibid. 

[18391]  So  long  as  Elijah  did  his  God- 
appointed  work  earnestly,  untlaggingly,  all  went 
well  with  him.  When  he  paused,  hesitated, 
faltered,  or  rather  when,  in  an  impetuous 
moment,  he  cast  away  the  noblest  opportunity 
ever  prophet  had  ;  shut  himself  up  in  a  wilder- 
ness ;  settled  down  into  inaction,  shedding  ig- 
noble tears  under  a  bush  in  the  desert  ;  then 
the  great  soul  and  its  magnanimous  purposes  is 
gone.  He  has  become  a  fretful,  petulant  ciiild, 
morbidly  brooding  over  his  disappointed  hopes. 
He  flings  away  the  oars  of  duty  and  obedience  ; 
his  strong,  brawny  arms  have  ceased  to  pull  the 
bark  in  which  his  God  had  bid  him  struggle  ; 
and  now  he  is  at  the  mercy  of  winds  and  waves. 
—Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

(3)  Lack  of  sympathy. 

[18392]  "I,  even  I  only,  am  left."  Lay  the 
stress  on  o)ily.  The  loneliness  of  his  position 
was  shocking  to  Elijah.  Surprising  this  ;  for 
Elijah  wanted  no  sympathy  in  a  far  harder  trial 
on  Mount  Carmel.  It  was  in  a  tone  of  triumph 
that  he  proclaimed  that  he  was  the  single,  soli- 
tary prophet  of  the  Lord,  while  Baal's  prophets 
were  450  men.  Observe,  however,  the  difference. 
There  was  in  that  case  an  opposition  which  could 
be  grappled  with  ;  here  there  was  nothing  against 
which  mere  manhood  was  availing.  The  excite- 
ment was  past — the  chivalrous  look  of  the  thing 
gone.  To  die  as  a  martyr — yes,  that  were  easy, 
in  grand  failure  ;  but  to  die  as  a  felon — to  be 
hunted,  caught,  taken  back  to  an  ignominious 
death,  flesh  and  blood  recoiled  from  that.  Elijah 
lived  alone  ;  once  only  the  bitterness  of  it  found 
expression.  But  what  is  posthumous  justice  to 
the  heart  that  ached  then .'' — Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

(4)  Disapi>ointinent. 

L'^393]  On  Carmel  the  great  object  for  which 
Elijah  had  lived  seemed  on  the  point  of  being 
realized.  Baal's  prophets  were  slain  ;  Jehovah 
acknowledged  with  one  voice  ;  false  worship  put 


down.  Elijah's  life  aim— the  transformation  of 
Israel  into  a  kingdom  of  God— was  all  but  ac- 
complished. In  a  single  day  all  this  bright 
picture  was  annihilated.  When  he  found  out 
his  mistake,  and  discovered  that  the  applause  on 
Carmel  subsided  into  hideous  stillness,  his  heart 
well-nigh  broke  with  disappointment.— /(^/V/. 

2       Their  results. 

(l)   Cmuardice. 

[18394]  With  all  ins  moral  and  physical 
superiority,  with  all  his  mortifications,his  strange 
ascetic  life,  Elijah  is  spoken  of,  for  our  encourage- 
ment, as  "  a  man  of  like  passions."  With  all  his 
greatness,  he  had  his  weaknesses  and  failings— 
and  failings,  too,  just  in  the  points  of  character 
we  should  least  have  expected.  The  reprover 
of  Ahab,  the  bold,  bearded  son  of  the  desert,  who 
feared  God,  and  knew  apparently  no  other  fear; 
so  elevated  above  the  foibles,  weaknesses, 
caprices  of  his  fellows  ;  so  indifferent  to  human 
opinion,  whether  in  the  shape  of  commendation 
or  censure,  can  become  a  craven  and  coward  on 
hearing  the  threats  of  an  intriguing  woman. 
Champion  as  he  was — a  shaggy  lion  from  the 
coverts  of  Gilead,  who  can  challenge  single- 
handed  a  multitude  of  idolatrous  priests— he 
cowers  away  in  moping  despondency  from  work 
and  duty.  This  Peter  of  the  Old  Testament 
was,  like  all  characters  of  strong,  fervid,  vehe- 
ment temperament,  easily  elated,  easily  de- 
pressed. He  reminds  us  of  the  engine  careering 
along  our  own  highways — a  very  Hercules  in 
strength — the  type  and  impersonation  of  gran- 
deur and  power;  but  laid  on  its  side,  amid  the 
mangled  wrecks  it  has  dragged  along  with  it, 
nought  is  more  helpless, — Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

[18395]  I"  this  instance  Elijah's  faith  appears 
in  some  measure  to  have  failed  him.  The  very 
words  of  the  sacred  narrative  seem  to  give  us  a 
significant  hint  respecting  his  state  of  mind  at 
this  period.  For  the  words  are,  "  When  he  saw 
that."  What  did  Elijah  see?  Not  God's  pro- 
mises, aid,  power,  and  faithfulness  ;  these  at 
least  only  dawned  upon  him  in  the  background 
with  broken  and  feeble  rays.  But  in  the  fore- 
ground very  different  things  appeared  ;  the 
infuriated  Jezebel  threatening  his  life,  and  all 
the  horrors  of  a  cruel  death.  Instead  of  soaring 
above  these  as  on  eagles'  wings,  and  looking 
down  upon  them  with  sublime  composure,  as  on 
former  occasions,  the  pressure  of  human  terror 
seems  to  have  been  too  strong  for  his  mind, 
especially  as  backed  by  the  disappointment  of 
his  hopes  on  Israel's  account.  So  "  he  arose, 
and  went  for  his  life." — Krununacher. 

[18396]  How  is  it  that  he  who  boldly  de- 
nounced the  tyrant  ;  who  stood  alone  upon 
Mount  Carmel  against  an  apostate  church  and 
nation  ;  who  stood  by  his  sacrifice  when  the  fire 
from  heaven  fell  upon  the  altar,  now  trembles, 
and  flies  before  a  woman  ?  Did  he,  whom  the 
ravens  and  the  widow  fed — the  one  forgetting 
their  nature,  and  the  other  her  poverty — and 
who,  when  called  of  God  to  trust  to  these  im- 


3i6 

18396 — 18401] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


probable  resources,  "  in  hope  believed,  even 
against  hope,"  now,  when  he  had  experienced 
the  Divine  faithfulness,  and  proved  that  "  man 
doth  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word 
which  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God,"  fear 
that  he  should  perish  by  famine  in  the  wilder- 
ness? Did  he,  who,  with  the  intrepidity  of  a 
divinely-imparted  faith,  boldly  faced  a  despotic 
tyrant,  while  seeking  him  throughout  every  king- 
dom that  he  might  slay  him  ;  and  a  hostile  nation, 
while  writhing  under  the  scourge  of  that  famine 
which  he  had  inflicted  ;  now  that  he  was  accre- 
dited of  God,  and  reconciled  to  that  king  and 
people  whom  he  had  just  rescued  from  the  jaws 
of  famine,  fear  that  he  should  perish  by  the  hand 
of  one  idolatrous  and  reprobate  woman  ? — Rev. 
y.  Hiffernan. 

(2)  Irritable  impaiic7ice. 

[18397]  It  seems  to  me  that  there  was  impa- 
tience, natural  indeed,  yet  in  its  essence  un- 
believing, manifested  by  Elijah.  He  was  looking 
for  the  harvest  while  yet  the  seed  had  but  just 
left  his  hand,  whereas  "  the  husbandman  waiteth 
for  the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  and  hath  long 
patience  for  it,  till  he  receive  the  early  and  the 
latter  rain." — Rev.  W.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[18398]  It  has  been  observed  of  the  holy  men 
of  Scripture,  that  their  most  signal  failures  took 
place  in  those  points  of  character  for  which  they 
were  remarkable  in  excellence.  Moses  was  the 
meekest  of  men — but  it  was  Moses  who  "  spake 
unadvisedly  with  his  lips."  St.  John  was  the 
apostle  of  charity  ;  yet  he  is  the  very  type  to  us 
of  religious  intolerance,  in  his  desire  to  call  down 
fire  from  heaven.  St.  Peter  is  proverbially  the 
apostle  of  impetuous  intrepidity  ;  yet  twice  he 
proved  a  craven.  If  there  were  anything  for 
which  Elijah  is  remarkable,  we  should  say  it 
was  superiority  to  human  weakness.  Like  the 
Baptist,  he  dared  to  arraign  and  rebuke  his 
sovereign  ;  like  the  commander  who  cuts  down 
the  bridge  behind  him,  leaving  himself  no  alter- 
native but  death  or  victory,  he  taunted  his  adver- 
saries the  priests  of  Baal  on  Mount  Carmel, 
making  them  gnash  their  teeth  and  cut  them- 
selves with  knives,  but  at  the  same  time  ensuring 
for  himself  a  terrible  end  in  case  of  failure  from 
his  exasperated  foes.  And  again,  in  his  last 
hour,  when  he  was  on  his  way  to  a  strange  and 
unprecedented  departure  from  this  world — when 
the  whirlwind  and  flame-chariot  were  ready,  he 
asked  for  no  human  companionship.  The  bravest 
men  are  pardoned  if  one  lingering  feeling  of 
human  weakness  clings  to  them  at  the  last,  and 
they  desire  a  human  eye  resting  on  them — a 
human  hand  in  theirs — a  human  presence  with 
them.  But  Elijah  would  have  rejected  all.  In 
harmony  with  the  rest  of  his  lonely,  severe 
character,  he  desired  to  meet  his  Creator  alone. 
Now  it  was  this  man — so  stern,  so  iron,  so 
independent,  so  above  all  human  weakness — of 
whom  it  was  recorded  that  in  his  trial  hour  he 
gave  way  to  a  fit  of  petulance  and  querulous 
despondency  to  which  there  is  scarcely  found  a 
parallel. — Rev.  F.  Robertson. 


[18399]  Elijah's  desert  prayer  was  one  of  pride, 
presumption,  irritability,  impatience,  peevish- 
ness— "  It  is  enough,  take  away  my  life."  Even 
had  his  success  on  Carmel  been  marred  and 
counteracted  by  the  evil  influences  at  work  in 
Ahab's  court,  and  a  new  era  of  persecution  had, 
in  consequence,  been  initiated  in  Israel,  his  duty 
was  patient  submission  to  the  Divine  will, 
cherishing  the  humble  confidence  and  assu- 
rance that  light  would  sooner  or  later  arise  out 
of  darkness.  Instead  of  this,  he  breathes  the 
prayer,  of  all  others  least  warrantable  for  any 
creature  of  God  to  utter,  "  Let  me  die."  There 
are  circumstances,  indeed,  when  such  a  prayer 
is  permissible — when  it  becomes  a  noble  ex- 
pression of  believing  faith  and  hope.  Such  was 
the  case  when  the  great  Apostle,  in  subordination 
to  the  Higher  will  which  was  ever  his  guiding 
principle,  made  the  avowal  of  "  a  desire  to  depart 
and  be  with  Christ,  which  was  far  better," 
making,  however,  the  reservation,  that  so  long 
as  his  Lord  had  work  for  him  in  the  Church  on 
earth,  he  would  cheerfully  remain.  Elijah's 
prayer  was  altogether  different.  It  was  the 
feverish  outbreak  of  a  moment  of  passion.  How 
forbearing  and  gracious  was  God  in  not  taking 
him  at  his  word  !  Had  He  done  so,  the  propliet 
would  have  died  under  a  cloud  ;  his  name 
would  have  been  associated  with  cowardice  ;  his 
character  would  have  been  a  mournful  example 
of  greatness  ending  in  ignominy.  He  would 
have  lost  the  glorious  closing  scene  of  all — the 
chariot  of  fire  and  the  deathless  victory. — Rev. 
J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

[18400]  Certain  it  is  that  the  spirit  of  Elijah 
was  greatly  changed  in  its  frame  and  temper 
from  what  it  appeared  before  Ahab  and  on  Car- 
mel. Disappointed  of  the  converting  energy 
which,  in  the  excitement  of  his  triumph,  he 
anticipated  as  the  result  of  his  zeal  for  the  Lord 
on  Mount  Carmel,  and  alarmed  at  the  accumu- 
lating difficulties  and  dangers  in  which  his  de- 
struction of  the  priests  of  Baal  had  involved 
him,  in  the  despondency  of  unbelief  "he  went 
a  day's  journey  into  the  wilderness,  and  came 
and  sat  down  under  a  juniper  tree  ;  and  he 
requested  for  himself  that  he  might  die,  and 
said.  It  is  enough  ;  now,  O  Lord,  take  away  my 
life  ;  for  I  am  not  better  than  my  fathers."  He 
who  was  reserved  for  that  high  destiny  that  he 
should  never  die  ;  he  who,  with  one  solitary 
exception,  was  alone  exempt  from  the  common 
lot  of  mortality,  the  common  penalty  of  sin — in 
the  ignorance  of  unbelief,  prefers  a  petition 
which,  if  granted,  would  rescind  the  decree  that 
conferred  upon  him  his  peculiar  privilege. — Rev. 
y.  Hiffernan. 

(3)  Doubt. 

[18401]  He  went  forth  into  the  wide  world  in 
uncertainty,  distracted  by  doubts,  and  unaccom- 
panied by  the  consoling  consciousness  that  he 
was  taking  this  road  for  God  ;  since  he  went  it 
only  for  himself,  and  for  the  sake  of  his  own 
life  ;  and  verily  this  thought  was  not  at  all  cal- 


I840I — I84I0] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    KRA. 


[ELIJAH. 


culated  to  relieve  his  oppressed  mind. — Krum- 
inacher. 

[18402]  Thick  darkness  hung  over  the  pro- 
phet's soul.  This  is  shown  by  his  whole  corduct. 
His  close  reserve,  his  desire  for  solitude,  his 
planless  wandering  into  the  gloomy  wilderness, 
all  indicate  a  discouraged  and  dejected  state  of 
mind.  Perplexed  with  regard  to  his  vocation — 
nay,  even  with  respect  to  God  and  His  govern- 
ment— his  soul  lies  in  the  midst  of  a  thousand 
doubts  and  distressing  thoughts.  It  seems 
tossed  on  a  sea  of  troubles,  witliout  bottom  or 
shore  ;  and  there  appears  but  one  step  between 
him  and  utter  despair.— /i:!'/^. 

VII.  God's  Treatment  of  his  Despon- 
dency. 

1  His  physical  powers  were  recruited. 

[18403]  God  recruited  His  servant's  exhausted 
strength.  Miraculous  meals  are  given — then 
Elijah  sleeps,  wakes,  and  eats  :  on  the  strength 
of  that  goes  forty  days'  journey.  In  other  words, 
like  a  wise  physician,  God  administers  food, 
rest,  and  exercise  ;  and  then,  and  not  till  then, 
proceeds  to  expostulate  ;  for  before  Elijah's 
mind  was  mifit  Jor  reasoning. — Rev.  F.  Robert- 
son. 

2  His  conscience  was  assailed. 

[18404]  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah?  Life 
is  for  domg.  A  prophet's  life  for  nobler  doing 
— and  the  prophet  was  not  doing  but  moaning. 
—Ibid. 

[18405]  "Arise,  go  on  thy  way."  That  speaks 
to  us  :  on  thy  way.  Be  up  and  doing — fill  up 
every  hour,  leaving  no  crevice  or  craving  for  a 
remorse,  or  a  repentance  to  creep  through  after- 
wards. Let  not  the  mind  brood  on  self:  save  it 
from  speculation,  from  those  stagnant  moments 
in  which  the  awful  teachings  of  the  spirit  grope 
into  the  unfathomable  unknown,  and  the  heart 
torments  itself  with  questions  which  are  in- 
soluble except  to  an  active  life. — Ibid. 

3  His  sensibility  was  awakened. 

[18406]  He  commanded  the  hurricane  to 
sweep  the  sky,  and  the  earthquake  to  shake  the 
ground.  He  lighted  up  the  heavens  till  they 
were  one  mass  of  fire.  All  this  expressed  and 
reflected  Elijah's  feelings.  It  was  his  stormy 
self  reflected  in  the  moods  of  the  tempest,  and 
giving  them  their  character.  Then  came  a 
calmer  hour.  Elijah  rose  in  reverence — felt 
tenderer  sensations  in  his  bosom.  He  opened 
his  heart  to  gentler  influences,  till  at  last  out  of 
the  manifold  voices  of  nature  there  seemed  to 
speak,  not  the  stormy  passions  of  the  man.  but 
the  still  small  voice  of  the  harmony  and  the 
peace  of  QoA.—Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

[18407]  After  the  fire  there  was  "a  still  small 
voice  ; " — a  "  still  soft  whisper,"  as  the  words 
may  be  rendered,  like  the  tremulous  cadence  of 
sweet  music  falling  on  the  entranced  ear.     The 


Lord  was  there  !  Strange  contrast  to  the  hurri- 
cane and  earthquake  symbols  which  preceded 
it.  It  is  a  "  voice  " — a  "  still  voice  " — a  "  small 
voice."  The  chafed,  riotous  elements  have  rocked 
themselves  to  rest.  All  nature  is  hushed  ;  the 
sky  is  clear  ;  the  soft  evening  shadows  fall  gently 
on  the  mountain  sides  ;  and  the  prophet's  own 
perturbed  spirit  partakes  of  the  repose.  Nature's 
vast  volume  opens  to  a  page  on  which  is  inscribed 
in  gleaming  letters,  ''(jodis  love!"  It  is  enough. 
The  prophet  reads  ! — he  adores  ! — he  rejoices  ! 
Wrapping  himself  in  his  mantle,  he  comes  forth 
and  stands  at  the  entrance  of  his  cave. — Ibid. 

[18408]  All  the  former  demonstrations  of  his 
excellency — the  wind,  the  earthquake,  and  the 
fire,  were  but  the  harbingers  of  his  own  voice  ; 
and  that  came,  in  gentleness  and  stillness,  to  the 
soul  of  Elijah.  Who  shall  venture  to  explore 
all  the  recesses  of  that  vast  and  shadowy  gran- 
deur which  now  rested  upon  the  mount  of  God  ? 
The  prophet  himself  durst  not,  could  not,  gaze 
upon  it ;  "  He  wrapped  his  face  in  his  mantle, 
and  went  out  and  stood  in  the  entering  in  of 
the  cave."  His  was  the  humble,  reverential 
spirit— his  the  attitude  of  meek  obedience. — 
Rev.  J.  Anderson. 

VIII.  Result  of  God's  Treatment. 

1  Repentance. 

[18409]  As  Elijah  journeyed  back  through  the 
desert,  one  of  his  feelings  doubtless  would  be 
this — Deep  sorrow  on  account  of  his  past  faith- 
lessness, and  a  salutary  sense  of  his  weakness 
for  the  time  to  come.  Every  step  of  that  back- 
ward journey  must  have  recalled,  with  sorrow 
and  shame,  the  remembrance  of  his  unworthy 
flight  and  unworthy  unbelief.  Every  weary 
league  he  retraversed  ;  every  rock,  and  bush, 
and  arid  wady  must  have  read  to  him  a  bitter 
rebuke  and  reproach  ;  ay,  and  reminded  him 
that  "strong"  as  his  name  imported  him  to  be, 
he  was  strong  only  in  God.  Perhaps,  in  his  fit 
of  sullen,  morbid  despondency,  he  had  no  time 
before  to  ponder  and  realize  the  amount  of  his 
ingratitude  and  guilt.  But  now,  after  all  he  had 
seen  and  experienced  in  the  mount,  with  what 
different  feelings  must  he  have  bewailed  the  past 
— that  coward  retreat  from  the  gates  of  Israel  ; 
that  rash,  passionate  prayer  under  the  desert 
juniper-tree  ;  the  vain,  proud,  self-righteous 
apology  he  had  dared  to  utter  in  answer  to 
God's  remonstrance.  How  must  all  these  have 
come  home  to  him,  as  he  hies  him  back,  an 
altered  man,  to  his  God-appointed  work.  Could 
he  ever  forget  the  tremendous  sermon  on  sin, 
preached  in  that  great  cathedral  of  nature — 
Sinai  the  pulpit — lightning  and  whirlwind  and 
thunder  the  ambassadors  of  heaven .'' — Rev.  J. 
Macduff;  D.D. 

2  Strengthened  resolution. 

[1S410]  Mourning  an  unworthy  past — pene- 
trated by  a  lively  sense  of  Jehovah's  love — he 
would  go  onward  and  forward,  resolved  more 


3i8 

18410 — 18416] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


than  ever  on  a  life  of  grateful  love  and  of  active 
and  unwavering  service,  until  God  saw  meet  to 
take  him  up  in  His  chariot  of  fire.  He  would 
go,  not  only  mourning  his  besetting  sins,  but 
seeking  henceforth  to  watch  against  their  oc- 
currence. And  it  is  worthy  of  note  that,  from 
this  time  henceforward,  we  never  again  meet 
with  the  craven-hearted,  petulant,  impetuous 
prophet.  We  may  hear  indeed  no  more  (with 
perhaps  one  exception)  of  any  great  chivalrous 
doings — heroic  contests,  or  Carmel  feats  of 
superhuman  strength,  like  the  race  before  the 
chariot  to  Jezreel — but  neither  do  we  read  any 
more  of  hesitancy,  despondency,  cowardice.  If 
the  torch  of  the  Prophet  of  Fire  has  less  of  the 
brilliant  blaze  of  former  ecstatic  exploits,  it 
burns,  at  least,  with  a  purer,  steadier  lustre.  He 
may  have  less  henceforward  of  the  meteor,  but 
he  shines  with  more  of  the  steady  lustre  of  the 
true  constellation.  From  this  date  he  seems  to 
enter  on  the  calm,  mellowed  evening  of  life, 
following  a  troubled,  tempestuous  day. — Ibid. 

[18411]  He  is  another  man  since  we  recently 
met  him  in  the  Sinai  desert.  The  frenzied  queen 
may  again  vow  vengeance  as  she  pleases  ; 
he  will  not  shrink  from  duty.  The  old  visions 
of  Horeb — the  wind,  and  earthquake,  and  fire — 
proclaim  in  his  ears  that  "Jehovah  liveth.''  A 
career  of  unblushing  impiety,  on  the  part  of 
Ahab,  had  now  culminated  in  the  most  hideous 
of  crimes,  and  the  herald  of  vengeance  delivers 
unabashed  his  message.  It  is  one  of  his  former 
rapid,  sudden,  meteor-like  appearances.  With- 
out v/arning  or  premonition,  he  confronts  Ahab, 
like  the  ghostly  shadow  of  the  monarch's  own 
guilty  conscience  ;  and,  with  a  tongue  of  fire, 
flashes  upon  him  the  accusation,  "  Hast  thou 
killed,  and  also  taken  possession  }  "  We  know 
not  a  grander  subject  for  a  great  picture  than 
this— the  hero-prophet  standing  erect  before  the 
ghastly,  terror-stricken  king  ;  breaking  through 
the  barriers  of  court  etiquette,  and  caring  only 
for  the  glory  of  the  God  he  served  and  the  good 
of  Israel,  charging  him  with  the  murderer's  guilt, 
and  pronouncing  upon  him  the  murderer's  awful 
doom. — /but 

3      Amendment. 

[184 1 2]  That  a  great  and  mighty  change  had 
passed  upon  the  spirit  of  Elijah  in  the  interval 
between  the  first  and  repeated  address,  we  can- 
not doubt.  Not  only  the  attitude  of  profound 
humiliation  into  which  the  "still  small  voice" 
had  cast  him,  but  the  prompt  obedience  with 
which  he  enters  upon  the  dangerous  office  to 
which  he  is  immediately  delegated  —  to  alter 
dynasties,  to  depose  and  to  anoint  the  kings  of 
Syria  and  Israel — and,  still  more,  the  meek  sub- 
missiveness  with  which  he  inaugurates  his  own 
successor,  and  without  jealousy  resigns  his  pro- 
phetic office,  while  yet  ignorant  of  the  high 
destiny  for  which  God  had  reserved  him,  by  a 
translation  alive  from  earth  to  heaven — all  this 
proves  that  he  had  drunk  deeply  from  that  "still 
small  voice"  into  the  spirit  of  meek,  submissive 
obedience. 


4      Reward. 

[18413]  When  Elijah  folded  his  mantle  to- 
gether to  smite  the  waters  of  Jordan,  he  already 
seemed  to  anticipate  a  princely  dominion  over 
the  earth  and  its  elements.  This  act  of  his 
faith  seems  the  effort  of  a  soul  aspiring  to  higher 
degrees  of  advancement,  to  full  emancipation 
and  liberty.  He  seems  no  longer  to  know  any- 
thing of  bondage  to  the  elements  of  this  world. 
He  appears  like  one  advanced  to  the  dignity  of 
a  seat  in  the  heavenly  places  with  Christ  ;  his 
faith  would  cast  mountains  into  the  sea,  and  pile 
up  the  sea  to  mountains,  were  it  necessary. 
What  is  miraculous  in  the  eyes  of  man,  appears 
to  have  become  almost  familiar  to  his  faith.  A 
new  region  must  shortly  be  opened  to  his  soul, 
for  which  this  earth  has  become  too  narrow  and 
contracted.  Ye  heavens,  unfold  !  Ye  boundaries 
of  earth  and  time,  retire  ;  for  his  abode  is  no 
longer  below. — Krumniacher. 

[18414]  The  prophet  has  finished  his  work 
upon  earth,  and  the  stormy  labours  of  the  day 
are  followed  by  a  beautiful  evening,  tinged  with 
the  golden  light  of  another  and  a  blissful  world. 
He  is  like  the  mariner,  who,  after  a  long  and 
perilous  voyage,  is  now  in  sight  of  his  harbour, 
and  joyfully  hastens  to  strike  his  topmasts,  and 
take  in  his  sails.  He  walks  for  a  few  days 
longer,  as  if  already  within  hearing  of  the  music 
of  heaven  ;  and  can  now  gratefully  recount  some 
of  the  fruits  of  his  labours,  for  they  begin  to 
manifest  themselves  more  clearly  to  his  view. — 
Ibid. 

[18415]  God  made  a  stormy  life  close  with  a 
glorious  setting  ;  when  the  cloudy,  fitful,  change- 
ful moods  of  his  own  spirit  had,  by  varied  dis- 
cipline, subsided  into  calm  faith  and  obedience 
and  trust,  he  was  borne  upwards  to  that  rest  for 
the  storm-tossed,  where  "earthquake  and  whirl- 
wind and  fire"  are  known  no  more,  to  listen 
through  eternal  ages  to  the  "  still  small  voice." 
Enoch-like,  "  he  was  translated  that  he  should 
not  see  death  ;  and  was  not  found,  because  God 
had  translated  him  :  for  before  his  translation, 
he  had  this  testimony  that  he  pleased  God." — 
Rev.  J.  Macduff,  D.D. 

IX.  The  Chief  Moral  Elements  of 
WHICH  HIS  Character  was  Com- 
posed. 

I       Clearness  of  vision. 

[18416]  "The  Lord  liveth,  before  whom  I 
stand."  Howdistinct  and  abiding  must  the  vision 
of  God  have  been,  which  burned  before  the  in- 
ward eye  of  the  man  that  struck  out  that  phrase  ! 
Wherever  I  am,  whatever  I  do,  I  am  before 
Him.  To  my  purged  eye,  there  is  the  Apoca- 
lypse of  heaven,  and  I  behold  the  great  throne, 
and  the  solemn  ranks  of  ministering  spirits,  my 
fellow-servants,  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  His 
word.  No  excitement  of  work,  no  strain  of 
effort,  no  distraction  of  circumstances,  no  glitter 
of  gold,  or  dazzle  of  earthly  brightness,  dimmed 


18416— 18422] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


ELIJAH. 


that  vision  for  this  prophet. — Rev.  A.  Maclaren. 
D.D. 

2  Readiness  to  hear  the  Divine  command. 

[18417]  He  stands  before  the  Lord,  not  only 
feelini^  in  his  thriUing  spirit  that  God  is  ever 
near  him,  but  also  that  His  word  is  ever  coming 
forth  to  him,  with  imperative  authority.  That 
is  the  prophet's  conception  of  Hfe.  Wherever 
he  is,  he  hears  a  voice  saying.  This  is  the  way, 
walk  ye  in  it.  Every  place  where  he  stands  is 
as  the  very  holy  place  of  the  oracles  of  the  Most 
High,  the  spot  in  the  innermost  shrine  where  the 
voice  of  the  God  is  audible.  All  circumstances 
are  the  voice  of  God,  commanding  or  restrain- 
ing. He  is  evermore  pursued,  nay,  rather  upheld 
and  guided,  by  an  all-embracing  law.  That 
law  is  no  mere  utterance  of  iron  impersonal 
duty — a  thought  which  may  make  men  slaves, 
but  never  makes  them  good.  But  it  is  the  voice 
of  the  living  God,  loving  and  beloved,  whose 
tender  care  for  His  children  modulates  His 
voice,  while  He  commands  them  for  their  good. 
He  speaks  because  He  loves  ;  His  law  is  life. 
The  heart  that  hears  Him  speak  is  filled  with 
music. — Ibid. 

[18418]  We  know  not  how  long  he  continued 
at  his  adopted  home  after  the  miraculous  raising 
of  the  child.  But  be  the  time  long  or  short,  he 
quietly  waits  the  Divine  will  regarding  his 
departure.  As  in  his  former  seclusion  at 
Cherith,  so,  still  more  on  the  present  occasion 
might  he  have  been  disposed,  with  his  ardent 
impulsive  spirit,  to  fret  under  this  long  with- 
drawal from  active  public  work.  Three  of  the 
best  years  of  his  life  spent  in  inaction  !  He 
who  could  exercise  (as  we  shall  find  afterwards) 
an  almost  magic  power  over  multitudes,  why 
should  he  be  pent  up  for  this  protracted  period 
in  a  cottage  of  Gentile  Piioenicia,  when  he 
might  have  been  doing  mighty  deeds  amid  the 
many  thousands  of  Israel.'*  Why  should  so  noble 
a  vessel  be  left  lazily  sleeping  on  its  shadows  in 
the  harbour,  when,  with  all  sail  set,  it  might 
have  been  out  wrestling  with  the  storm,  convey- 
ing priceless  stores  to  needy  hearts  ?  But  it 
was  enough  for  Elijah,  now  as  formerly,  to  feel 
assured  that  it  was  part  of  the  Divine  plan. 
He  felt  that  he  was  glorifying  his  God — ^just 
because  he  was  occupying  his  assigned  and 
appointed  place  for  the  time — as  much  in  that 
humble  habitation  as  he  did  on  the  heights  of 
Carmel.  Elijah  did  not  love  lor  its  own  sake 
inglorious  ease.  So  long  as  it  was  his  Lord's 
will,  he  remained  seated  under  this  pleasant 
vine  and  fig-tree.  But,  like  a  true  soldier,  he 
was  prepared  at  the  bugle  note  to  start  from  his 
pillow,  assume  his  armour,  and  rush  into  the 
fight.— /?6'7/.  /.  Macduff^  D.D, 

3  Promptness  to  obey. 

[18419]  "And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to 
Elijah  in  the  third  year,  saying.  Go,  shew  thy- 
self unto  Ahab,  and  I  will  send  rain  upon  the 
earth."  He  did  not  hesitate.  With  cheerful 
alacrity  he  grasps  his  pilgrim  staf^",  flings  the 


hermit  mantle  once  more  around  his  shoulders, 
and  crosses  into  the  valleys  of  Samaria. — Ibid. 

[18420]  "  Get  thee  hence,  and  turn  thee  east- 
ward, and  hide  thee  by  the  brook  Cherith,  that 
is  before  Jordan,  and  it  shall  be  that  thou  shalt 
drink  of  the  brook  ;  and  I  have  commanded  the 
ravens  to  feed  thee  there.  So  he  went  and  did 
according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord."  How 
simply,  and  yet  how  forcibly,  does  this  describe 
the  implicit  obedience  of  the  prophet  !  "  He 
staggered  not  at  the  promise  of  God  through 
unbelief  ;  but  was  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory 
to  God."  He  went  forth,  from  the  presence  of 
the  king,  to  the  lonely  brook  of  Cherith,  leaning, 
only,  on  the  arm  of  Him,  who  is  mightier  than 
the  mightiest,  and  looking,  only,  to  that  sure 
word  of  promise,  which  he  had  received  from 
Him,  "I  have  commanded  the  ravens  to  feed 
thee  there." — Rev.  AI.  Anderson,  M.A. 

[ 1 8421]  "  As  the  Lord  hveth,  before  whom  I 
stand  " — the  utterance  of  a  man  to  whom  his 
life  was  not  only  bright  with  the  radiance  of  the 
Divine  presence,  and  musical  with  the  voice  of 
a  Divine  command,  but  was  also,  on  his  part, 
full  of  conscious  obedience. — Rev.  A.  Maclaren, 
D.D. 


X.    Contrast     between     Elijah     and 
Elisha. 

I       As  regards  training  and  mental   tempera- 
ment. 

[1S422]  The  one  was  the  rough  child  of  the 
desert,  without  recorded  parentage  or  lineage. 
His  congenial  and  appropriate  home  the  wilds 
of  Cherith^the  thunder-gloom  of  Carmel — the 
shade  of  the  wilderness  juniper — the  awful  clitts 
of  Sinai — a  direct  messenger  of  wrath  from 
heaven — the  prophet  of  fire  !  The  other  is 
trained  and  nurtured  under  the  roof  of  a  genial 
home — mingling  daily  in  the  interchange  of 
domestic  affection — loving  and  beloved.  No 
ambitious  thought  had  he  beyond  his  patri- 
monial acres — tending  his  parents  in  their  old 
age  ;  ministering  to  their  wants  ;  and,  when  the 
time  came,  laying  their  dust  in  the  sepulchre  of 
his  fathers.  Even  his  physical  appearance  is 
in  striking  contrast  with  that  of  the  other.  In 
the  glimpses  we  have  of  his  outer  life,  we  look 
in  vain  for  the  stately  mien  and  shaggy  raven 
locks  and  rough  hairy  dress  of  the  Bedouin. 
If  we  are  most  familiar  with  the  one  in  rocky 
wilds,  caves — deserts — mountain  solitudes  ;  we 
are  so,  with  the  other,  among  the  homesteads  of 
Israel,  or  leading  a  city  life,  as  a  foster-father, 
among  the  schools  of  the  prophets.  If  the  one 
has  been  likened  to  the  sun,  the  other  has 
the  softened  lustre  of  the  moon,  or  of.the  quiet 
evening  star.  If  the  one  be  like  his  great  future 
successor,  "  laying  the  axe  to  the  root  of  the 
tree" — making  the  thronging  crowds  tremble 
and  cower  under  words  of  doom^the  other 
is  surely  a  faint  but  lovely  reflection  of  the 
Baptist's  greater  Lord,  who  would  not  "break 
the  bruised  reed  nor  quench  the  smoking  flax  ;" 


320 

18422 — 18129] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


loving  ever  to  deal,  in  the  case  of  sensitive  con- 
sciences, with  the  utmost  tenderness  ;  as  we 
see  exemplified  in  his  treatment  of  Naaman's 
scruples  to  bow  with  his  master  in  the  temple 
of  Rimmon. — Eev.  J.  Macdtcff^  D.D. 

[18423]  Their  very  names  stand  in  emphatic 
contrast.  The  one  meaning  either  "  My  God, 
the  Lord,"  or  else,  perhaps,  "  The  strength  of 
God,"  or  "The  strong  Lord"  —  strtngt/i,  the 
lion-symbol,  being  specially  associated  with  the 
deeds  of  Elijah.  The  other,  Eli-sha,  "  God  is 
my  Saviour,"  or,  "God  my  salvation."  If  the 
Tishbite's  motto  was  "  Jehovah,  the  strong  Lord, 
liveth,"  Elisha's  might  appropriately  be  that 
of  a  lowly  saint  of  coming  days,  "  My  soul  doth 
magnify  the  Lord,  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in 
God  my  Savour." — Ibid. 

[18424]  The  resemblances  between  Elijah 
and  Elisha  are  occasionally  so  great,  that  it  is 
scarcely  surprising  the  one  prophet  is  con- 
fused with  the  other.  They  both  lived  in  one 
country  and  in  one  age.  They  were  both  the 
messengers  of  God  to  kings.  They  both 
wrought  miracles,  and  even  the  same  class  of 
miracles,  multiplying  the  widow's  oil,  and  raising 
from  the  dead  a  mother's  only  child.  Last  of  all, 
the  life-work  of  both  was  to  withstand  and  wit- 
ness against  idolatry,  and  restore  the  worship  of 
the  true  God  in  the  land  of  Israel.  And  yet  there 
is  no  contrast  in  the  Bible  more  striking  and 
complete.  What  John  was  to  Peter,  Mary  to 
Martha,  Melanchthon  to  Luther,  that  was  Elisha, 
the  prophet  of  peace,  to  Elijah,  the  desert  pro- 
phet— the  prophet  of  fire.  The  one  is  John  the 
Baptist,  the  other  is  the  gentler  John — the 
Evangelist,  the  desciple  of  love — who,  leaning 
on  his  master's  bosom,  caught  and  breathed  a 
kindred  spirit. — Rev.  H.  Howat. 

2      As  regards   personal    mien    and   mode   of 
life. 

[18425J  In  place  of  the  long  shaggy  locks  that 
had  marked  the  awful  Elijah,  the  head  of  the 
new  and  youthful  prophet  was  shorn  and  smooth. 
Instead  of  the  sheepskin  mantle,  he  wore  the 
attire  of  the  period.  In  his  hand  he  carried  a 
walking  staff.  His  whole  gait  was  that  of  the 
ordmary  citizen.  Elisha  was  no  lonely  man, 
dwelling  in  the  grot  of  Cherith  or  the  solitudes 
of  the  wilderness.  He  had  his  own  house  in 
Samaria.  He  was  known  in  far  Damascus. 
He  was  a  frequent  visitor  to  the  sacred  colleges 
in  the  beautiful  woods  that  encompassed  Jericho. 
Elijah  simply  drops  upon  the  scene.  There  is 
no  warning,  no  period  of  pupilage  or  prepara- 
tion. Of  his  previous  history  nothing  whatever 
is  known.  Like  Melchisedek  he  has  neither 
"  beginning  of  days  nor  end  of  life." — Ibid. 

[18426]  During  the  whole  of  his  public  life — 
about  twelve  years  at  the  most — Elijah  to  a  large 
extent  lived  out  of  the  world,  or  at  least  far 
above  it,  in  stern  sublimity.  As  he  dropped 
upon  the  scene  at  the  first,  so,  durmg  the  greater 
part  of  his  course,  he  appears  less  like  a  living 


man  than  like  an  apparition.  He  flits  hither 
and  thither.  He  is  seen  now  on  the  top  of 
Carmel,  and  now  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  ; 
now  at  the  rock  of  Horeb,  and  now  outstripping 
in  their  flight  the  royal  horses,  as  on  that  night 
of  the  tempest  he  rushed  through  the  gate  of 
Jezreel.  Eiisha,  on  the  other  hand,  is  intimately 
mixed  up  with  all  the  political  movements  and 
events  of  his  day.  Three  kings  seek  him  as  their 
counsellor.  Jehu  is  crowned  at  his  bidding.  Ben- 
hadad  consults  him  in  war.  Joash  attends  at 
his  deathbed. — Ibid. 

3  As   regards  moral  and  spiritual  character. 

[18427]  In  the  contrast  between  Elijah  and 
Elisha,  it  cannot  be  out  of  place  to  say  that  of 
Elisha,  like  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  not  a  single 
infirmity  or  failing  is  recorded.  This  cannot  be 
said  of  Elijah,  for  he  fled  into  the  wilderness 
and  lay  down  under  the  juniper  tree  to  escape 
a  woman's  vengeance,  and  in  despair  to  die. 
No  doubt  Elisha  was  only  "a  man  of  like 
passions  "  with  ourselves  ;  but,  judging  by  the 
evidence  presented,  he  came  nearer  the  standard 
of  excellence  than  Elijah,  and  was  morally  and 
spiritually  the  greater  man.  In  grandeur  and 
romance  of  character,  all  must  admit  Elisha 
must  stand  behind  Elijah,  and  be  content  to  be 
known  as  the  disciple  and  servant  that  "  poured 
water  on  his  hands."  "  Nations,"  says  Dean 
Stanley,  "  churches,  individuals,  must  all  be 
content  to  feel  as  drawfs  in  comparison  with  the 
giants  of  old  times,  with  the  Reformers,  the 
Martyrs,  the  heroes  of  their  early  youthlul 
reverence.  Those  who  follow  cannot  be  as 
those  who  went  before.  A  prophet  like  Elijah 
comes  once  and  does  not  return.  Elisha,  both 
to  his  countrymen  and  to  us,  is  but  the  successor, 
the  faint  reflection  of  his  predecessor." — Ibid. 

4  As  regards  the  specific  character  of  their 
respective  missions,  and  their  distinctive 
qualifications  for  their  appointed  tasks. 

[18428]  The  one  was  a  destroyer.  Baal,  the 
reputed  "  lord  of  force,"  or  "  power,"  had,  as  we 
have  seen,  usurped  the  place  and  prerogative 
of  Jehovah.  Elijah's  task  was  to  overturn  this 
false  deity  of  force,  and  show,  by  startling 
miracle  and  judgment,  that  "  power  belongeth 
unto  God."  Elisha  was  the  healer — beneficence 
tracked  his  path.  As  his  master's  career  was 
inaugurated  with  a  miracle  of  drought  and 
famine,  his,  on  the  contrarj',  was  inaugurated  by 
the  healing  of  the  waters  at  Jericho,  and  the 
warding  off  the  curse  of  barrenness  !  In  a  word, 
the  one  was  the  "  Boanerges  "  of  his  time — a 
"Son  of  Thunder!" — the  other  was  "  Barnabas," 
"  the  Son  of  Consolation."  The  one  stands 
before  us  "  the  man  of  like  passions,"  the  other, 
the  man  of  like  sensibilities. — Rev.  J.  Macduff, 
D.D. 

[18429]  Whenever  Elijah  is  seen  in  connec- 
tion with  kings  and  courts,  it  is  always  as  their 
enemy — Ahab,  Jezebel,  Ahaziah.  When  Elisha 
is  seen  in  the  same  connection,  it  is  always  as 
their  friend—  "  My  father,  my  father,"  is  their 


18429—18434] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


321 

[ELIJAH. 


uniform  and  reverent  mode  of  address. — Rev. 
H.  T.  Howat. 

5  As    regards    the  number  and  antagonistic 
nature  of  their  miracles. 

[18430]  It  is  noticeable  that  Elisha  wrought 
twice  as  many  miracles  as  Elijah  did,  suggesting 
the  inference  that  the  parting  request  had  been 
complied  with  to  the  letter  :  "  And  Elisha  said, 
I  pray  thee  let  a  doulilc  portion  of  thy  spirit 
be  upon  me."  On  his  introduction  to  work, 
Elijah  begins  with  a  miracle — the  emblem  of  so 
much  of  his  future  career — a  miracle  of  judg- 
ment :  "  There  shall  not  be  dew  nor  rain  these 
years,"  referring  to  the  drought,  "but  according 
to  my  word."  Elisha  begins  with  a  miracle — • 
the  emblem  also  of  so  much  of  his  future  career 
— but  it  is  a  miracle  of  mercy  :  "  There  shall 
not  be  from  thence,"  speaking  of  the  bitter 
waters  of  Jericho  sweetened,  "any  more  death 
or  barren  land."  The  miracles  of  Elisha,  in 
fact,  remind  us  very  much  of  the  miracles  of 
Christ — miracles  of  beneficence.— /i^/V/. 

6  As  regards  the  close  of  their  earthly  life. 

[18431]  For  Elijah  there  came  down  the 
burning  equipage,  switt  as  the  lightning,  more 
vivid  than  any  flash — a  chariot  of  fire  with 
horses  of  fire,  and  there,  as  the  tempest  weaves 
itself  around  the  aged  prophet,  Elijah  goes  up 
''  by  a  whirlwind  into  heaven."  The  picture  of 
Elisha,  on  the  other  hand,  is  that  of  an  old 
emaciated  man,  the  earthly  house  of  whose 
tabernacle  has  to  be  taken  down  by  long  and 
wearing  sickness,  before  he  can  pass  up  into  the 
heavenly  places.  In  the  case  of  Elijah,  there 
is  a  suspension  of  all  the  ordinary  laws  of 
nature  :  "  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye,"  the  servant  is  with  his  Lord.  Elisha, 
however,  must  suffer — his  is  to  be  the  hard  and 
weary  lot  that  must  patiently  await  the  end. — 
Ibid. 

XI.  Contrast  (in  its  Ascetic  Isolation) 
between  the  llfe  of  elijah  and 
that  of  Other  Prominent  Figures 
ON  the  Roll  of  Hebrew  Writers. 

[18432]  Pilgrim  and  wayfarer  as  he  was, 
with  his  movable  dwellings  and  altar,  we  are 
familiar  with  Abraham  as  "the  Father," — the 
patriarchal  chief  or  sheik,  surrounded  with  the 
hum  of  living  voices  and  desert  tents, — with 
wife  and  sister's  son  and  children,  slaves  and 
herdsmen — ever  ready,  when  occasion  requires, 
to  dispense  the  rites  of  Eastern  hospitality.  In 
the  life  of  Moses,  we  come  in  contact  at  every 
turn  with  the  same  human  relationships  and  sym- 
pathies. We  can  think  of  his  own  mother  singing 
Hebrew  lullabies  by  his  cradle.  We  are  allowed 
to  picture  him  in  his  boyhood,  disciplined  under 
the  strange  influence  of  the  court  of  Pharaoh, 
instructed  in  the  sacred  schools  of  Heliopolis 
"in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians."  Even 
in  his  wilderness  exile,  the  loneliest  period  of 
his  life,  we  find  him  associated,  as  a  family  man, 
with    the    household    and    flocks     of    Jethro. 

VOL.  VI, 


Samuel,  kindred  in  many  respects  as  he  was 
with  the  Tishbite  in  his  prophetic  calling,  was 
surrounded  with  the  sanctities  of  a  double  home 
and  parentage.  We  see,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
mother  who,  from  his  lisping  infancy,  "lent  him 
to  the  Lord,"  year  by  year  bringing  him  his 
"little  coat"  to  the  sanctuary  at  Shiloh.  On 
the  other,  the  venerated  foster-father  on  whom 
he  duteously  waited  in  that  curtained  tabernacle 
where  "  the  lamp  of  (lod  was  burning,"  instilling 
into  his  susceptible  soul  his  earliest  lessons  of 
heavenly  wisdom.  David's  whole  life  is  domestic, 
full  of  tender  delineations  of  strong  human 
sympathies  and  clinging  friendships,  manifested 
alike  in  the  family  homestead,  the  martial  camp, 
and  the  palace  of  Zion.  Even  Elisha,  as  a 
writer  has  remarked,  "  had  his  yoke  of  oxen, 
parents  to  bid  adieu  to,  a  servant,  Gehazi,  in 
attendance  on  him,  the  sons  of  prophets  in 
converse  with  him.  But  the  mention  of  Elijah 
is  at  intervals,  as  one  appearing  in  peopled 
neighbourhoods — no  one  knew  from  whence^ 
in  the  desert,  on  the  hill-tops — seen  and  recog- 
nized as  by  surprise,  in  the  hairy  garment  of  the 
prophet  ; — the  solitary  of  God— as  one  without 
scrip  or  purse, — even,  it  may  be,  as  He  who 
had  not  'where  to  lay  His  head' — having  food 
to  eat  which  man  wot  not  of." — Rev.  J.  Mac- 
duj,  D.J). 


XII.  Similarity  between  Elijah  and 
John  the  Baptist,  as  regards  both 
Character  and  Mission. 

[18433]  In  the  sternness  and  power  of  his 
reproofs  he  was  a  striking  type  of  John  the 
Baptist,  and  the  latter  is  therefore  prophesied 
of  under  his  name  :  "  Behold,  I  will  send  you 
Elijah  the  prophet  before  the  coming  of  the 
great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord"  (Mai.  iv. 
5,  6).  Our  Saviour  also  declares  that  Elijah 
had  already  come  in  spirit  in  the  person  of 
John  the  Baptist.  Many  of  the  Jfews  in  our 
Lord's  time  believed  him  to  be  Elijah,  or  that 
the  soul  of  Elijah  had  passed  into  his  body 
(Luke  ix.  8). — CyclopCEdia  of  Biblical  Liieratiae. 

[18434]  It  was  by  this  man's  name  that  John 
the  Baptist  was  foretold,  and,  when  he  came, 
was  recognized.  The  son  of  Zacharias  re- 
sembled Elias  in  his  desert  ministry,  the  severity 
of  dress  and  tone.  He  resembled  him  in  the 
solitary  grandeur  of  his  position  ;  prophets  both, 
but  alone  among  prophets,  doing  a  work  for 
God  such  as  others  could  not  do,  and  after  a 
fashion  all  their  own  ;  they  held  their  places  not 
by  lineage  or  training,  but  in  virtue  of  a  singular 
anointing.  John  was  Elias  in  his  "  spirit,"  the 
iron  courage  that  comes  of  being  all  filled  with 
truth  and  purity,  and  electric  urgency  in  per- 
suading men  how  solemn  a  thing  it  is  that  they 
have  to  do  with  the  living  God.  And  John  was 
Elias  in  his  "  power,"  the  only  true  spiritual 
power  there  is,  that  of  close  fellowship  with  God 
in  holiness  and  prayer.  These  obvious  resem- 
blances force  on  us  certain  pathetic  contrasts. 


522 

18434— 18439] 


OLD    TESTAMEyr   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ELIJAH. 


Unlike  Elias,  the  son  of  Elisabeth  has  a 
genealogy,  one  of  peculiar  honour,  in  which  an 
archangel  took  interest.  John  did  no  miracle, 
that  his  giant  feats,  performed  with  the  two- 
edged  sword  of  truth,  might  be  the  more  con- 
spicuous. When  his  mission  was  fulfilled,  there 
came  no  chariot  of  fire  to  receive  John  :  to  him 
the  vision  of  the  holy  mount  was  not  granted. 
Even  in  the  manner  of  his  dying  he  must  still 
be  the  forerunner  of  Jesus, — Herod  for  Pilate, 
the  axe  for  the  cross.  But  it  was  "  a  greater 
than "  Elisha  whose  way  he  prepared  ;  and 
when  the  Leadsman  came  to  him  in  his  cell, 
there  would  come  also  angels  to  remind  John  of 
'his  own  words,  "  The  friend  of  the  Bridegroom, 
who  standeth  and  heareth  Him,rejoiceth  greatly 
■because  of  the  Bridegroom's  voice  :  this  my  joy 
therefore  is  fulfilled." — Rev.  A.  Symi7igton, 
D.D. 

XIII.  Character   of    Elijah's   Prophe- 
cies. 

They  were  temporal  rather  than  evangelical. 

[18435]  Elijah  and  Elisha  are  two  of  the 
most  distinguished  of  the  whole  line  of  prophets, 
though  they  have  left  no  writings  behind  them, 
and  in  this  part  of  the  Books  of  Kings,  the 
record  of  their  sayings  and  doings,  rather  than 
the  reigns  of  the  kings,  assumes  the  chief  place 
in  the  narrative.  It  should  be  noted,  however, 
that  they  were  "ministers  of  the  temporal 
prophecy  "  (Davison,  on  "  Prophecy"),  as  distin- 
guished froiri  the  evangelical  prophets,  z.^.,  their 
prophecies  related  to  the  state  of  the  kingdom 
of  Israel,  its  corruptions  and  its  fortunes,  rather 
than  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah. — Bp.  of 
Bath  and  Wells. 

XIV.  Traditional  Viev/s. 
I       Rabbinical. 

[18436]  The  mysterious  obscurity  in  which 
the  origin  of  Elijah  is  shrouded,  his  significant 
name,  and  the  remarkable  events  of  his  historv, 
in  the  greater  part  of  which  the  ordinary  laws 
of  nature  are  suspended  or  reversed,  as  though 
a  superior  power,  with  disturbing  force,  had 
descended  amid  the  elements  of  this  lower 
world — these  have  given  occasion  for  various 
conjectures  among  the  Rabbinical  writers,  nearly 
all  of  them  attributing  to  him  a  supernatural 
origin.  And  as  some  of  these  opinions  have 
been  favourably  entertained  by  Christian  com- 
mentators, I  shall  briefly  allude  to  a  few  of 
them.  The  first  I  shall  mention  only  for  the 
purpose  of  at  once  rejecting  it.  It  is,  that 
Elijah  was  a  manifestation  of  the  Messiah. 
This  has  been  strongly  asserted  by  some  of  the 
Jewish  rabbis,  who  do  not,  of  course,  receive 
the  apostles'  account  of  the  Transfiguration  ;  but 
the  fact  that  Elias  was  one  of  those  who  ap- 
peared in  glory  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration 
conversing  with  Christ,  at  once  disproves  his 
identity  with  Christ.  Others  suppose  John  the 
Baptist  and  Elijah  identical,  from  the  striking 


similarity  of  the  general  features  in  their  cha- 
racter and  external  appearance  ;  from  the  extra- 
ordinary manner  in  which  the  prophecies  relating 
to  both  are  blended  ;  and  from  the  prevalent 
conjecture  that  Elias  or  John  the  Baptist  had 
appeared  when  God  manifested  Himself  in  the 
flesh  :  but  most  of  all  from  our  Lord's  express 
declaration,  that  "  this  was  Elias  which  was  for 
to  come  ;  "  and  again,  that  "  Elias  has  indeed 
come,  and  they  did  unto  him  as  they  listed," 
which  our  Lord  spake,  and  the  disciples  under- 
stood Him  to  speak  of  John  the  Baptist.  Others 
suppose  that  Elijah  was  an  incarnate  angel. 
Others  a  manifestation  of  the  Supreme  Being, 
though  not  the  Messiah.  To  these  two  last 
opinions  it  has  been  objected,  that  St.  James 
tells  us  that  Elias  was  a  man  subject  to  like 
passions,  or  rather  propensities,  as  we  are. — 
— Rev.  J.  lliffernan. 

2       Mahommedan  and  Persian. 

[18437]  In  the  Mahommedan  traditions, 
Ilyds  is  said  to  have  drank  of  the  fountain  of 
life  "  by  virtue  of  which  he  still  lives,  and  will 
live  to  the  day  of  judgment."  He  is  by  some 
confounded  with  St.  George,  and  with  the  mys- 
terious el-Kkidf\  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  the  Moslem  saints.  The  Persian  Sojis  are 
said  to  trace  themselves  back  to  Elijah  ;  and  he 
is  even  held  to  have  been  the  teacher  of 
Zoroaster. — Cyclopedia  of  Biblical  Literature. 

XV.  Homiletical  Hints. 

1  The  despondency  of  Elijah  affords  a 
source  of  comfort  in  the  thought  that 
even  he  was  a  man  "  of  like  passions 
with  ourselves." 

[18438]  Overwrought  by  the  excitement  of 
Carmel,  exhausted  with  his  long  run  before 
the  chariot  of  Aliab,  even  Elijah's  splendid 
physique  gives  way,  dragging  down  the  mind 
with  it,  and  fleeing  into  the  wilderness,  he 
makes  the  spiritless  request  that  he  may  die. 
Is  it  not  well  for  our  sakes  that  it  was  so  .''  Is 
it  not  a  relief,  does  it  not  help  to  preserve  us 
from  despair,  and  lead  us  to  perseverance  to 
know  that  we  are  not  so  unlike  the  greatest 
heroes  of  the  mighty  dead  after  all  }  that  they, 
no  less  than  we  are,  were  exposed  to  nature's 
weakness  and  temptation's  wiles  .'' — M.  J. 

2  The  despondency  of  Elijah  illustrates  the 
fact  that  the  spiritual  sufficiency  of  even 
the  mightiest  heroes  of  faith  was  not  of 
themselves,  but  of  God. 

[18439]  The  moment  God  left  Elijah  to  him- 
self, though  in  never  so  slight  a  degree,  and  for 
never  so  short  a  time,  that  moment  his  natural 
weakness  displayed  itself,  and  he  gave  way.  It 
is  a  grave  warning  to  us,  for  we  are  no  Elijahs. 
Let  us  distrust  ourselves  and  trust  only  in  God: 
let  us  beseech  Him  to  leave  us  not  an  instant 
without  the  help  of  His  grace,  to  lead  us  Himself 
step  by  step  ;  let  us  pray  often,  "  Hold  Thou  up 
my  goings  in  Thy  paths,  that  my  footsteps  slip 
not."— /<5zV/. 


18440 — 18446] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRITTUKE   CHARACTERS. 
JKWISH    EKA. 


[elisha. 


3  The  despondency  of  Elijah  illustrates  the 
foolishness  which  attends  impatient 
wishes. 

[18440]  The  foolishness  of  Elijah's  despon- 
dent wish  is  very  apparent  when  we  recollect 
his  strange  destiny — that  fo  die  was  the  very 
experience  which  he  of  all  men  was  destined 
not  to  undergo.  Here  he  wished  impatiently 
for  that  very  thing  which  God,  in  His  wondrous 
mercy,  had  predetermined  to  spare  him  !  Why 
was  Elijah  thus  foolish  in  his  wish  ?  Because 
he  was  shortsighted  and  could  not  see  afar  off. 
He  a  prophet  and  shortsighted  !  Then  how 
foolish  and  liow  blind  are  we  !  We  must  hide 
our  faces  in  the  dust,  and  confess  that  we  have 
often  wished  for  that  which  we  know  now,  or 
shall  know  hereafter,  would  have  been,  could  we 
have  had  it,  for  our  hurt  and  hindrance.  Oh  ! 
how  weak  and  poor,  how  foolish  and  short- 
sighted, how  far  below  the  goodness  which  God 
designs  for  us,  are  our  impatient  wishes  ! — Ibid. 

[18441]  "  It  is  enough,  O  Lord  ;  take  away  my 
life,  for  I  am  no  better  than  my  fathers." 
"Who,"  asks  Dr.  Kitto,  "told  Elijah  it  was 
'enough'.''  God  did  not  ;  He  knew  what  was 
enough  for  Elijah  to  do  and  to  suffer.  It  was  not 
enough.  God  had  more  to  teach  him,  and  had 
more  work  for  him  to  do.  If  the  Lord  had 
taken  him  at  his  word,  and  had  also  said,  '  It 
is  enough,'  Elijah's  history  would  have  wanted 
its  crowning  glory."  Perhaps  we  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  see  in  heaven  how  disastrous  it  would 
have  been  for  us  if  our  merciful  and  loving 
Father  had  sometimes  taken  us  at  our  word, 
instead  of  bearing  in  wondrous  patience  with 
His  wayward  and  impatient  children. — Ibid. 

[18442]  As  to  when  it  is  enough  of  work  or 
suffering  in  our  case,  God  is  the  best  Judge, 
and  not  we.  He  who  gave  life  with  capacities 
for  toil  and  pain  must  alone  say  when  there  has 
been  enough  of  suffering  and  toil.  He  who 
has  eternity  in  store  for  us  can  alone  say  when 
we  have  wrought  sufficiently  in  time.  We  may 
be  sure  that  His  season  will  be  the  right  one, 
whereas  ours  would  be  often  the  wrong.  When 
Elijah  said,  "  It  is  enough,"  God  had  still  some- 
thing for  him  to  do,  and  a  wondrously  glorious 
depajture  for  His  servant  at  the  end,  very 
different  from  the  lonely  death  in  the  wilderness 
which  he  desired. — Ibid. 

4  The  history  of  Elijah  illustrates  the  fact 
that  the  element  which  gives  true  dignity 
to  any  line  of  life  or  action  is  conformity 
to  the  will  of  God. 

[18443]  Elijah's  history  tells  us  that  no  line 
of  action  is  so  abstractedly  preferable  to  others, 
as  that,  in  all  seasons  and  circumstances,  it  is 
the  "more  excellent  way."  It  is  its  conformity 
to  the  leadings  of  Providence  and  the  attractions 
of  grace,  which  alone  can  sanctify  any  action, 
however  useful  and  excellent  in  its  nature.  And 
that  conformity  to  the  recognized  will  of  God, 
that  meek  submission,  that  patient  resignation, 
that  self-denying,  loving  obedience,  can  dignify 


the  meanest  actions  and  hallow  the  most  secular. 
l>y  its  sublimating  energy  it  can  waft  up  before 
God,  "  from  the  golden  altar  which  is  before 
the  throne,  with  the  prayers  of  all  saints,"  the 
humble  laboius  of  the  pious  "  servant,  obedient 
to  his  master  after  the  flesh,  in  singleness  of 
heart,  as  unto  Christ  ;  not  with  eye  service,  as 
a  man-pleaser,  but  as  the  servant  of  Christ, 
doing  the  will  of  (]od  from  the  heart."  It  can 
dignify  as  well  as  hallow  the  submissive  resig- 
nation of  the  meek  pauper,  who  humbly  craves 
the  often  refused  boon  of  charity,  or  the  meanest 
toils  of  the  patient  husbandman,  doomed  of 
Providence 

"  To  force  a  churlish  soil  for  scanty  bread." 

— Rev.  J.  Hiff'ernan. 


ELISHA. 


I.  His  Call. 


It  was  waited  for,  but    obeyed  unhesitatingly 
and  without  reserve  when  it  came. 

[18444]  Very  marked  was  Elisha's  readiness 
to  hear  the  call  of  God.  It  is  dangerous  either 
to  push  before  or  to  lag  behind  the  providence 
or  the  call  of  God.  If  the  Lord  has  work  for 
us.  He  will  call  us  to  it.  But  we  must  cultivate 
a  spirit  of  attentive,  prayerful  readiness.  Not 
that  we  expect  an  audible  call  from  heaven,  or 
trust  to  an  inward  voice,  but  that  God  will  so 
dispose  of  all  things  as  to  make  our  duty  very 
plain.  For  this  we  must  be  content  to  wait  ; 
when  it  coines,  we  must  be  willing  to  obey  and 
to  follow.  Moses  was  left  for  forty  years  in 
Midian  before  he  was  called  to  be  the  leader  of 
Israel  ;  Elisha  followed  for  many  years  the 
plough  ;  and  we  may  have  before  us  years  of 
labour  and  of  trial.  Yet,  when  the  call  came, 
Elisha  immediately  recognized  that  for  which 
he  had  long  been  prepared  in  heart. — Rev.  A. 
Edei'sheim,  D.D. 

[18445]  Observe,  when  that  call  came  it  was 
obeyed  without  a  question.  He  asked  not  to 
what  it  would  lead,  or  where  he  was  to  go. 
There  was  no  bargaining  with  God.  The  re- 
sponse was  immediate  and  unequivocal.  It 
was  "Here  am  I,  send  me"  of  one  of  after 
days.  It  is  this  ready  oijedience  that  honours 
God..— Rev.  F.  Whitfield. 

[18446]  Remember,  remember,  God's  call 
involves  entire  separation.  .Sec  it  in  the  case 
of  Elisha.  He  felt  it  was  a  farewell  to  all  the 
past,  home  with  all  its  affections,  friends  with 
all  their  sympathies  and  social  joys — all  have 
to  be  left.  Like  Abram,  he  felt  he  had  to  leave 
country,  home,  kindred,  and  go  he  knew  not 
where.  Yes,  it  was  separation  entire  and  com- 
plete. It  was  a  last  farewell.  Never  again  i3 
Abel-meholah  heard  of  in  Elisha's  history. 
Never    again    is   he   once   seen   at   the  family 


324 
18446- 


-18451] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[elisha. 


hearth.     All  had  been  left  at  the  call  of  God, 
and  left  for  ever. — Ibid. 

[18447]  The  act  of  Elijah,  as,  in  passing  by, 
he  unfastened  his  mantle  and  threw  it  over 
Elisha,  was  deeply  significant.  It  meant  that 
the  one  was  to  appear  like  the  other — that  he 
was  to  hold  the  same  office,  and  to  discharge 
the  same  functions.  With  the  quickness  ot  a 
ready  heart,  the  son  of  Shaphat  understood  the 
meaning  of  this  action.  It  was  not  to  a  position 
of  wealth,  of  ease,  or  of  influence  he  now  felt 
called.  On  the  contrary,  all  this  had  to  be 
relinquished.  He,  a  man  of  peace,  was  called 
from  home,  friends,  and  comforts,  to  endure 
hardship,  to  suffer  persecution,  to  bear  scorn. 
Yet  he  offered  not  frivolous  excuses  nor  unbe- 
lieving objections,  but  arose  and  followed  the 
Master.  Elijah  had  passed  on,  as  if  uncon- 
cerned how  Elisha  received  the  call.  It  had 
been  addressed  to  him,  and  it  was  his  part 
voluntarily  to  decide  for  or  aj^ainst  its  accept- 
ance. This  explains  what  follows  in  the  narra- 
tive. Hastening  after  the  prophet,  Elisha 
requested  permission  to  bid  farewell  to  his 
family  and  friends  ;  or,  as  Matthew  Henry 
puts  it,  he  would  "  take  leave,  not  ask  leave." 
The  answer  of  Elijah,  "  Go  back,  for  what  have 
I  done  unto  thee?  "  is  intended  not  as  a  rebuke, 
but  as  a  trial.  It  meant,  in  effect,  Unless  your 
heart  fully  responds,  if  it  fondly  lingers  on  the 
past,  go  back  to  your  home. — Rev.  A.  Eder- 
shei/n,  D.D. 

II.  His  Request. 

It  was   prompted   by  the    purest   and   loftiest 
spirituality. 

[18448]  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  were 
gone  over,  that  Elijah  said  unto  Elisha,  Ask 
what  I  shall  do  for  thee,  before  I  be  taken  away 
from  thee."  What  a  glorious  chance  was  here 
for  Elisha  to  make  his  fortune  !  The  great 
prophet,  on  the  point  of  ascending  to  the  throne 
of  God,  gave  him  leave  to  ask  anything  his 
heart  desired,  with  an  intimation  that  it  should 
be  granted.  What  would  have  been  thy  request, 
O  man  ?  How  many  would  have  said,  "  My 
lord,  give  thy  servant  to  possess  that  beautiful 
tract  of  country  ;"  or,  "Grant  thy  servant  that 
post  of  honour"?  But  what  said  this  man  of 
God?  There  was  nothing  on  earth  he  so  much 
desired  as  the  necessary  gifts  and  graces  to 
serve  God  as  His  prophet  in  Israel.  "And 
Elisha  said,  I  pray  thee,  let  a  double  portion  of 
thy  spirit  be  upon  me."  That  v/as  a  noble 
wish,  Elisha,  and  if  there  is  an  ear  in  heaven 
that  regards  pious  requests,  thou  wilt  obtain 
the  desire  of  thy  heart. — Rev.  E.  Griffin,  D.D. 

[18449]  This  was  the  temper  of  Elisha.  He 
had  an  opportunity  to  take  his  choice  among  all 
possible  blessings.  But  standing  by  the  side  of 
the  holy  prophet  as  he  was  ascending  to  God, 
standing  with  his  eye  full  of  heaven,  he  cared 
not  for  all  the  lands  and  honours  of  his  nation. 
His  soul  arose  above  them  all.     Nothing  less 


than  the  Holy  Ghost  could  satisfy  his  desires. 
It  was  the  first  opportunity  he  ever  had  for  such 
a  choice  ;  it  was  likely  to  be  the  last.  His  soul 
arose  like  a  collected  flood,  and  burst  forth  in 
this  aspiration  :  "  I  pray  thee,  let  a  double 
portion  of  thy  spirit  be  upon  me." — Ibid. 

[18450]  What  was  this  spirit  of  Elijah  which 
his  follower  so  earnestly  desired  ?  We  cannot 
assume  that  it  was  the  power  of  working  won- 
ders, though  there  are  no  miracles  in  the  Old 
Testament,  except  those  of  Moses,  which  can 
be  compared  in  number  and  variety  with  the 
wonders  that  Elisha  did.  But  I  do  not  think 
that  it  was  the  power  of  working  miracles  that 
Elisha  most  desired  when  he  made  his  last 
request.  It  was  a  double  portion  of  his  master's 
spirit  that  he  asked  for,  not  a  double  portion  of 
his  power.  Of  course,  double  power  might 
come  with  a  double  portion  of  the  spirit,  but  I 
doubt  whether  that  was  uppermost  in  Elisha's 
mind.  For  what  was  the  spirit  of  Elijah  ?  The 
angel  Gabriel  has  described  it  in  the  New 
Testament,  where  he  says  of  John  the  Baptist, 
"  He  shall  go  before  the  Lord  in  the  spirit  and 
power  of  Elijah,  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers 
to  the  children,  and  the  disobedient  to  the  wis- 
dom of  the  just  ;  to  make  ready  a  people  pre- 
pared for  the  Lord."  Here  we  have  the  spirit 
and  power  of  Elijah  explained  and  exhibited  in 
the  character  of  John  the  Baptist.  And  what  is 
that  spirit  and  that  power?  It  is  preaching 
power,  converting  power,  power  to  work  upon 
the  disobedient  heart,  to  make  ready  a  people 
prepared  for  the  Lord.  And  when  we  add  the 
words  of  the  Jewish  people  who  came  to  Jesus 
beyond  Jordan,  after  John  the  Baptist  had 
fulfilled  his  course,  we  are  still  more  impressed 
with  the  same  thing.  '^  Joint  did  no  miracle, 
but  all  things  whatsoever  he  spake  of  this  man 
were  true."  No,  the  spirit  of  Elias  is  not  the 
power  to  work  miracles,  it  is  the  spirit  that 
speaks  truth  about  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  wins 
souls  to  Him,  and  makes  ready  a  people  pre- 
pared for  the  Lord.  This  was  the  hard  thing 
that  Elisha  asked  when  he  clung  so  closely  to 
his  master  in  his  last  hour  on  earth. — Rev.  C. 
IVailer. 


III.  Elements  in  his  Character. 
I       Filial  affection. 

[18451]  "  Let  me  go  and  kiss  my  father,  and 
my  mother,  and  then  I  will  follow  thee."  There 
will  always  be  this  in  true  religious  training. 
"  Without  natural  affection  "  is  one  of  the  con- 
spicuous marks  of  the  perilous  times  of  the  last 
days  ;  and  where  this  does  not  exist,  we  may 
well  suspect  the  spiritual  character  of  any  young 
man  or  woman,  however  striking  such  a  cha- 
racter may  be  to  the  outward  eye.  Natural 
affection,  and  faithfulness  to  God  in  homely 
callings  and  duties,  are  surely  allied,  and  without 
them  there  will  be  no  real  excellence  of  cha- 
racter nor  any  permanent  witness  for  God.  The 
most  dutiful  and  affectionate  son  or  daughter, 


18451—18456] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    EKA. 


325 

[elisha. 


combined  with  genuine  love  to  the  Saviour  and 
faithfulness  in  homely  duties,  will  make  the 
best  and  truest  servant  of  Christ,  and  be  the 
best  benefactor  of  the  race.  These  are  the  men 
and  women  that  will  adorn  society. — Kev.  F. 
Whitfield. 

2       Sensibility. 

[1S453]  "Bring  me  a  minstrel!"  cries  the 
prophet.  He  needed  medicinal  music.  Art, 
and  especially  the  art  of  music,  is  the  handmaid 
of  religion.  This  is  not  ritualism.  Because  art 
(like  so  many  other  of  God's  good  gifts)  is  mis- 
used, misapplied,  and  degraded,  as  an  eminent 
art-critic  has  not  too  sarcastically  said,  to  the 
level  of  "  waxworks "  in  certain  sensuous  ser- 
vices, that  is  no  reason  why  there  is  to  be 
nothing  of  the  artistic  and  the  aesthetic  in  the 
worship  of  God.  "Is  it  time  for  you,  O  ye,  to 
dwell  in  your  cieled  houses,  and  this  house  lie 
waste  "i  "  The  power  of  music  in  particular — 
the  concord  of  sweet  sounds — to  soothe  the 
brain,  to  calm  the  nerves  and  elevate  the  soul, 
is  well  known.  The  noblest  passages  in 
"Paradise  Lost"  were  composed  as  Milton's 
daughter  played  to  her  father  on  the  organ. 
We  all  remember  how  David's  harp  chased 
away  the  evil  spirit  from  Saul.  The  father  of 
medicine  himself — yEscuiapius  —  appears  in 
ancient  history  as  healing  diseases  with  songs. 
The  philosopher  Pythagoras  quieted  the  troubles 
of  his  mind  with  the  lyre. — Rev.  H.  Howat. 

[18453]  Elisha's  spirit  had  been  discomposed 
by  this  scene.  He  needed  calmness.  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  cannot  speak  till  the  soul  has 
been  brought  into  harmony.  Whether  we  be 
Christians  or  unconverted,  the  "hand  of  the 
Lord  "  must  be  laid  upon  us  before  we  can 
speak  for  God,  or  be  a  blessing  to  the  needy 
ones  around.  Operating  through  the  influence 
of  music,  the  Spirit  of  God  calmed  his  ruffled 
spirit,  and  now  the  hand  of  the  Lord  fell  upon 
him. — Rev.  F.  Whitfield. 

3       Discretion. 

[18454]  Encouraging  as  Elisha's  message 
was,  it  involved  great  humiliation  to  Naaman. 
Elisha  did  not  come  to  Naaman  ;  Naaman  had 
to  go  to  Elisha,  and  most  incongruous  must 
have  seemed  the  retinue  at  the  head  of  which 
the  Syrian  chieftain  now  repaired  to  the  humble 
home  of  the  prophet.  "  Naaman  came  with  his 
horses  and  his  chariot,  and  stood  at  the  door  of 
the  house  of  Elisha."  At  this  point  the  conduct 
of  the  prophet  almost  becomes  unintelligible, 
were  it  not  explained  by  the  character  and 
bearing  of  Naaman  himself.  At  any  cost  he 
must  learn,  what  otherwise  he  could  never  have 
understood,  the  vast  difference  between  Jehovah 
and  the  idols  of  Syria,  and  that  simple  faith  and 
implicit  obedience  were  the  conditions  of  man's 
worship  and  of  God's  help.  Elisha  did  not  even 
go  forth  to  meet  the  splendid  cortd_^e.  He  sent 
a  messenger  to  direct  Naaman  to  wash  seven 
times  in  Jordan,  with  the  promise  that  this 
application   would  prove   eftectual  to  his  cure. 


The  special  reason  for  each  part  of  the  prophet's 

conduct  appears  clearly  from  Naaman's  indig- 
nant reply.      He  was  disappointed  at  the  bear- 
ing of  the  prophet  ;  he  was  brought  into  contact 
with  a  religion  utterly  at  variance  with  all  his 
ideas  ;  his  pride  rebelled  against  the  distinction 
bestowed  upon  the  waters  of  Israel  over  those 
of  Damascus,  and  he  held  the  latter  to  be  as 
good,  if  not  better,  than  any  that  flowed  through 
the  land  of  promise.  But  why  should  the  prophet 
not  have  met  him  and  explained  the  reason  of 
these   directions  .''      That    reason    could  not  be 
explained.     An    explanation    would    have    de- 
stroyed the  meaning  and  purpose  of  the  direc- 
tion itself.     We  cannot  understand  the  meaning 
of  many  trials  ;  God  does  not  explain  them.  To 
explain   a  trial  would  be  to  destroy  its  object, 
which  is   that   of  calling  forth  simple  faith  and 
implicit  obedience.     If  we  knew  why  the  Lord 
sent  us  this  or  that  trial,  it  would  thereby  cease 
to  be  a  trial  either  of  faith  or  of  patience.     Nor 
was  Elisha  uncourteous  in  his  studied  neglect  of 
Naaman.      This   was    Elisha's  answer    to    the 
heathen  mode  of  approaching  God  with  horses 
and  chariots,  with  talents  of  silver,  and  pieces 
of  gold,   and  changes  of  raiment.      It  was  to 
teach  that  the  God   of  Israel  could  neither  be 
overawed  nor  influenced  by  worldly  greatness — 
that    He   was    "the     Most    High."  —  Rev.   A. 
Fderskei?n,  D.D. 

4  Disinterestedness. 

[18455]  Though  earnestly  urged  by  Naaman, 
Elisha  resolutely  refused  to  receive  any  token 
of  gratitude.  Not  from  pride,  for  he  had  re- 
ceived the  bounty  of  the  Shunammite,  and  only 
lately  the  gift  from  Baal-shalisha,  but,  un- 
doubtedly, for  reasons  connected  with  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  those  assembled  around, 
both  Jews  and  Syrians,  and  for  the  interests  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  For,  strange  as  it  may 
sound  in  our  days,  the  reception  of  contributions 
is  not  the  highest  aim  to  be  sought  in  Christians. 
There  was  something  higher— the  good  of  souls 
and  the  glory  of  God.—Ibid. 

5  Humility. 

[18456]  The  functions  which  Elisha  had  at 
first  to  perform  were  of  a  very  humble  character. 
He  is  described  as  pouring  water  on  the  hands 
of  the  prophet  ;  or,  in  other  words,  as  his  per- 
sonal attendant.  There  is  a  voluntary,  and 
therefore  false  humility,  when  from  choice  men 
leave  their  proper  stations,  and  the  duties  which 
God  has  assigned  to  them  for  positions  and 
circumstances  of  their  fanciful  devising.  But 
humility  in  the  service  of  our  Lord  is  not  pro- 
duced by  outward  means  ;  nor  is  it  self-sought. 
It  consists  in  accepting  with  a  ready  heart 
whatever  station  God  assigns  to  us.  True 
service  lies  in  setting  the  Master  before  us, 
wherever  He  may  be  pleased  to  place  us,  and  in 
doing  whatsoever  our  hand  findeth  to  do,  with 
our  whole  heart,  cheerfully,  and  as  unto  the 
Lord.  And  such  humility  springs  from  grace 
within,  not  from   circumstances   without  ;  such 


326 

18456— 18460] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[elisha. 


service  will  find  its  ready  opportunities  of 
glorifying  the  Lord,  whether  at  Abel-Meholah, 
or  in  attendance  upon  Elijah. — Ibid. 

6  Faith. 

[18457]  When  Elisha  had  smitten  the  waters 
with  his  mantle,  a  miracle  far  greater  took  place 
than  even  that  which  Joshua  and  Israel  had 
witnessed.  The  waters  of  Jordan  were  divided 
hither  and  thither — not  now  before  the  ark  of 
Jehovah,  but  before  one  who  in  his  day  and 
generation  had  holpen  to  bear  it.  If  ever,  here 
was  proof  offered  that  not  the  altar,  but  He  to 
whom  the  altar  is  reared,  imparts  holiness  and 
power,  and  that  efficacy  attaches  not  to  any 
outward  thing,  but  to  the  spiritual  faith  which 
clings  to  spiritual  realities,  and  twines  around 
them.  But  what  a  strong  act  of  faith  this  on 
the  part  of  Elisha  !  It  seemed  to  show  that, 
with  age  and  trials,  his  faith  had  not  grown 
weak  and  decrepit.  As  he  neared  the  close  of 
his  pilgrimage,  he  would  sum  up  all  his  former 
experience  in  one  grand  daring  act  of  faith. 
He  would  risk  all  upon  its  issue.  Such  had 
been  the  faithfulness  and  loving-kindness  of  the 
Lord  to  him,  such  was  his  present  trust  in  God, 
that  in  the  most  trying  hour  of  all,  as  he  stood 
by  the  waters  of  Jordan,  he  would  stake  all  on 
this  one  act.  With  his  mantle  he  would  smite 
Jordan.  It  was  as  he  had  expected.  They  two 
went  over  on  dry  ground.  And  is  not  this  true 
of  every  Christian  1  As  he  nears  the  close  of 
his  pilgrimage,  and  reaches  the  Jordan  which 
has  yet  to  be  crossed,  he  must  take  the  distinc- 
tive mark  of  his  calling,  his  mantle  and  covering, 
the  righteousness  of  Christ,  and  wrapping  it  up, 
in  one  grand  act  of  faith  smite  with  it  the  waters, 
the  cold  flood  of  death.  Most  assuredly  they 
will  part.  The  calmness,  and  sometimes  the 
triumphant  joy  with  which  they  who,  in  antici- 
pation, had  perhaps  dreaded  the  last  scene,  are 
able  to  pass  through  those  waters  as  on  dry 
ground,  is  surely  a  miracle  infinitely  greater 
than  even  the  literal  dividing  of  the  waters  of 
Jordan. — Ibid. 

7  Fidelity. 

[18458]  Elisha  is  brought  into  the  presence 
of  the  three  kings.  Jehoram  is  perplexed  be- 
fore him.  Jehoshaphat  is  abashed.  The  Viceroy 
of  Edom  being  a  hieathen,  looks  on  with  be- 
wilderment. Elisha  has  a  select  audience  — a 
confederacy  of  three  kings,  in  peril,  imploring 
his  succour.  It  was  the  first  time  the  King  of 
Israel  and  the  Prophet  of  Israel  had  ever  met. 
The  meeting  reminds  us  a  little  of  that  other 
meeting  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth,  between 
Elijah  and  Jehoiam's  father  :  for  the  net  in 
which  Jehoram  is  entangled,  and  especially  the 
words  he  uses,  are  substantially  the  position 
and  the  language  of  Ahab,  when  the  cry 
escaped  him  :  "  Hast  thou  found  me,  O  mine 
enemy  ?  "  Jehoram  had  been  ''  found  :  "  we 
have  seen  already,  he  really  looked  on  God  as 
his  "enemy  ;"  but  like  Elijah  with  Ahab,  and 
Paul  with  Felix,  Festus,  and  King  Agrippa,  the 
Prophet  of  Israel  resolves  on  great  plainness  of 


speech  to  the  king.  We  must  make  this  dis- 
tinction. Elisha  is  not  speaking  as  a  subject. 
It  is  no  time  for  idle,  empty  compliments,  when 
the  lives  of  three  armies  are  in  danger,  through 
the  infatuated  rashness  of  one  of  their  kings. 
Unsought  by  him,  Elisha  has  got  the  oppor- 
tunity, and  he  will  signalize  this  first  meeting  by 
speaking  the  truth  boldly  to  the  first  personage  in 
the  realm.  "  What  have  I  to  do  with  thee.'"' 
Elisha  was  not  to  be  imposed  upon.  He  knew 
well  that  although  Jehoram  had  professedly  put 
away  the  image  of  Baal,  the  prophets  of  Baal 
were  still  dear  to  his  heart,  and  that  probably 
some  of  them  at  that  very  moment  were  within 
the  tents  of  his  camp.  "  Get  thee  to  the 
prophets  of  thy  father  and  mother!"  Men 
like  Elisha  have  been  the  men  in  the  world's 
history,  that  have  made  nations  and  saved 
nations.  It  is  needless  to  quote  names.  They 
rise  to  all  our  memories  :  Luther  with  Charles 
v.,  John  Knox  with  Mary  Stuart.  The  language 
of  Elisha  was  not  defiance,  it  was  fidelity- 
fidelity  to  the  name  of  an  outraged  God. — Rev. 
H.  Howat. 


IV.  His  Prophetic  Miracles. 

[18459]  During  the  times  of  Elijah  and  Elisha 
the  people  of  Israel  had  been  brought  into  a 
condition  from  which  they  could  scarcely  recover 
except  by  a  resurrection.  No  other  word  would 
be  sufficient  to  describe  their  restoration,  either 
to  prosperity  or  to  holiness,  except  resurrection 
from  the  dead.  It  was  therefore  a  fitting  time 
to  manifest  the  power  of  the  resurrection,  and 
this  was  actually  done.  Elijah  had  already 
begun  the  work.  By  raising  the  dead  son  of  the 
widow  of  Sarepta,  a  thing  that  had  not  pre- 
viously been  seen  in  Israel,  he  proved  that  God 
can  raise  the  dead.  By  his  own  departure  in 
the  chariot  of  fire,  with  the  horses  of  fire,  he 
made  it  manifest  that  the  righteous  has  hope 
not  only  of  resurrection,  but  of  ascension  to  a 
higher  and  better  world.  Elisha  continued 
the  series  of  prophetic  miracles.  He  restored 
the  dead  body  of  the  Shunammite's  son  to  life  : 
doing  in  the  land  of  Israel  what  his  master  had 
done  on  the  borders  of  Zidon,  and  doing  it  under 
such  circumstances  that  it  reached  the  ears  of 
the  king.  Elisha  was  not  translated  like  his 
master;  he  fell  sick  and  died,  but  his  dead  body 
was  made  the  means  of  raising  another  man  to 
life.  The  Jews  themselves  interpreted  these 
symbols  of  resurrection  in  this  way;  for  we  read 
in  the  apocryphal  book  of  Ecclesiasticus  these 
words  spoken  of  Elijah  :  "  Blessed  are  they 
that  saw  thee  and  slept  in  love  ;  for  we  shall 
surely  li7K."  And  of  Elisha  :  "  No  word  could 
overcome  him  ;  and  after  his  death  his  body 
p7-()phesied.'"  Thus  we  have  very  ancient  autho- 
rity for  taking  this  miracle  as  a  prophecy  in  fact, 
though  not  in  word,  of  things  that  were  to  come 
to  pass  in  the  latter  days. — Rev.  C.  IValler. 

[18460]  It  is  evident  that  all  the  various 
manifestations  of  resurrection-power,  from  the 
time    of    Elijah    down    to    the    prophet    Jonah, 


18460—18464] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[eusha. 


pointed  to  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  if  we  ask,  where  was  the  necessity 
and  what  is  the  significance  of  so  many  diflerent 
examples  of  the  same  thing,  I  think  it  may  be 
answered  that  every  several  example  teaches  us 
some  particular  aspect  of  the  resurrection. 
There  are  so  many  things  to  be  exhibited,  that 
no  one  event,  however  marvellous,  could  well 
foreshadow  them  all.  For  instance,  the  person 
whom  Elisha  raised  was  a  Gentile  ;  the  son  of 
the  Shunammite  was  a  Jew.  The  widow  of 
Sarepta  was  a  poor  woman.  The  Shunammite 
was  a  noble  lady,  who  had  great  possessions. 
But  both  were  equal  as  regards  death,  who  is 
the  leveller  of  rich  and  poor.  And  in  each  case 
the  resurrection  was  accomplished  by  contact 
with  the  body  of  the  man  of  God.  When 
Elisha  sent  Gehazi  to  lay  his  staff  on  the  face  of 
the  child,  "there  was  neither  voice  nor  hearing  ;" 
"  the  child  "  was  "  not  awaked."  Mouth  to 
mouth,  and  eye  to  eye,  and  hand  to  hand,  the 
living  prophet  must  lay  himself  on  the  dead 
body,4before  resurrection  could  take  place.  So 
it  had  been  with  Elijah  before.  And  when  the 
dead  man  "  toiicJied  the  bones  of  Elisha,  he 
revived  and  stood  upon  his  feet."  How  plainly 
do  we  see  in  all  this,  that  personal  union  with 
the  Saviour  in  His  death  and  in  His  life  is  the 
only  means  of  restoration  for  our  souls. — Ibid. 


V.  His  Typical  Character. 

He  was  a  striking  type  of  Christ. 

(i)  In  the  lengthened  obscttrify  and  cotnpara- 
tively  brief  recorded  activity  of  his  life. 

[18461]  Elisha's  life  falls  into  several  remark- 
able divisions.  There  is  a  period  of  domestic 
labour,  and  a  period  of  attendance  on  Elijah  : 
then  twelve  years  of  great  celebrity  and  public 
activity  :  then  nearly  fifty  years  of  comparative 
obscurity,  but  still  occupied,  undoubtedly,  with 
the  work  of  the  Lord.  These  varied  experiences 
remind  us  somewhat  strangely  of  the  domestic 
life  and  obscurity  at  Nazareth,  protracted  for 
thirty  years,  of  which  we  have  no  history,  and 
then  the  three  years  into  which  a  whole  lifetime 
of  wondrous  works  and  words  were  compressed. 
Many  particular  miracles  of  Elisha  may  be 
compared  with  particular  works  of  Christ.  He 
was  also,  in  several  striking  instances,  '"  a  light 
to  lighten  the  Gentiles,"  as  well  as  "  the  glory 
of  God's  people  Israel."  And  his  weeping  over 
the  evils  which  he  knew  would  come  upon  them, 
which  he  foresaw  clearly,  but  was  unable  to 
prevent,  is  almost  the  only  scene  in  the  Old 
Testament  that  affords  any  parallel  to  the 
weeping  over  Jerusalem  recorded  by  St.  Luke. 
—Ibid. 

(2)  In  his  close  connection  and  intercourse 
with  matters  of  this  world. 

[18462]  Like  John  the  Baptist,  Elijah  to  a 
large  extent  lived  out  of  the  world — away  from 
and  above  it,  in  stern  sublimity.  Elisha.  on 
the  other   hand,  was    a    citizen    of  the   world. 


and  mingled--as  we  would  say  in  present- 
day  language— in  all  the  great  national  and 
political  movements  and  events  of  his  time.  In 
hke  manner,  one  of  the  chief  complaints  against 
the  Divine  Author  of  Christianity  was  this  :  His 
publicity — ■"  The  Son  of  man  came  eating  and 
drinking  "  —  and  His  apparent  insurrection 
against  constituted  authority.  The  first  was 
true,  for  '•  He  could  not  be  hid,"  the  second  was 
false,  for  His  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world, 
else  would  His  servants  fight.  The  Elijah-like 
type  of  character— the  hermit,  the  recluse,  the 
solitary — was  not  reproduced  in  Jesus  Christ. 
Such  a  type  of  character,  in  fact,  was  essentially 
unfitted  for  a  religion  that  was  to  conquer  the 
world.  Christianity  was  to  be  a  religion  for 
common  life.  It  was  to  meet  the  merchant  on 
the  Exchange,  and  go  with  the  mariner  on  every 
sea. — Rev.  H.  Howat. 

(3)  In  the  discerning  of  spirits  atid  the  reading 
of  the  thoughts  atul  intents  of  the  heart. 

[18463]  "  Went  not  mine  heart  with  thee,'' 
said  the  prophet  to  Gehazi,  "  when  the  man 
turned  again  from  his  chariot  to  meet  thee  ?  " 
And  Gehazi,  as  we  saw,  was  unmasked  on  the 
spot.  When  Jehoram,  at  the  siege  of  Samaria, 
sent  the  executioner  to  take  the  prophet's  life, 
"  See  ye,"  said  the  man  of  God,  "  how  this  son 
of  a  murderer  hath  sent  to  take  away  mine  head  : 
shut  the  door  and  hold  him  fast  at  the  door  :  is 
not  the  sound  of  his  master's  feet  behind  him?" 
Even  in  Syria  the  prophet's  gift  in  this  respect 
was  known,  and  a  courtier  of  Ben-hadad  could 
say,  "Elisha  the  prophet  that  is  in  Israel,  telleth 
the  king  of  Israel  the  words  that  thou  speakest  in 
thy  bed-chamber."  And  to  be  convinced  that 
such  prescience,  foreknowledge,  "second  sight" 
— to  employ  the  misapplication  of  modern  days 
— was  a  permanent  endowiuent,  and  that  ignor- 
ance was  unusual,  we  have  only  to  remember 
the  scene  at  Carmel,  when  the  Shunammite 
woman,  driven  by  the  urgency  of  a  mother's 
love,  sought  out  the  prophet  on  the  hill  :  "  Her 
soul  is  vexed  within  her,"  said  the  prophet, 
"  and  the  Lord  hath  hid  it  from  me  and  hath 
not  told  me."  Now  how  innumerable  are  the 
illustrations  in  the  life  of  Christ  of  Divine 
prescience  and  discerning  of  spirits,  as  furnished 
in  the  four  Gospels,  I  need  not  stay  to  tell. 
"He  knew  what  was  in  man." — Ibid. 

(4)  In  his  miracles. 

[18464]  The  miracle  of  the  twenty  barley 
loaves,  and  the  multiplying  of  the  widow's  pot 
of  oil,  remind  us  vividly  of  Him  who  took  five 
barley  loaves  and  two  small  fishes  in  His  hands, 
and  with  these  fed  five  thousand  men,  besides 
women  and  children.  The  cleansing  of  Naanian 
alone  contains  the  very  sum  and  substance  of 
the  Gospel  plan  of  salvation.  "  Then  went  he 
down,  according  to  the  saying  of  the  man  of 
God."  A  great  struggle  for  the  humbled  man, 
but  the  child  spirit  rises  to  the  ascendant  ;  the 
better  nature  and  the  better  resolve  are  upper- 
most, and  so  faith  triumphs.  That  old  river 
Jordan  throughout  the  whole  of  that  scene  with 


328 

18464 — 18469] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[elisha. 


Naaman  seems  to  me  to  be  murmuring  these 
words  :  "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  God's  Son, 
cleanseth  from  all  sin."  That  old  story  is  still  a 
hving  epistle  of  the  power  of  God  and  the  grace 
of  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth.  No 
previous  sin,  no  previnus  erroneously  religious 
views  can  ever  disqualify  from  finding  peace  in 
Christ,  if  it  only  be  sought  in  the  right  way. 
And  thus  Elisha,  with  his  "  Wash  and  be  clean," 
will  be  a  great  preacher  of  Christianity  to  the 
end  of  time.  The  healing  waters  of  Israel  are 
now  the  healing  waters  for  the  world  ;  alas  !  for 
those  who  refuse  to  bathe  in  them,  and  to  find 
that  all  they  have  lost  has  only  been  the  leprosy 
of  a  fallen  nature,  and  what  they  have  gained 
is  a  new  life.— /did. 

VI.  Contrast  with  Elijah. 

[18465]  The  well-known  contrast  between 
John  the  Baptist  and  the  Saviour  might  have 
been  marked  between  Elijah  and  Elisha  before. 
Elijah  "came  neither  eating  bread  nor  drinking 
wine"  in  the  company  of  his  people.  Like  John 
the  Baptist,  he  was  in  the  deserts,  solitary  and 
apart  from  the  haunts  of  men.  But  Elisha 
"came  eating  and  drinking,"  mingling  freely 
and  fearlessly  with  society.  "While  he  lived  he 
was  not  moved  with  the  presence  of  any  prince." 
Kings  and  commanders,  and  elders  of  Israel, 
are  found  in  his  company.  Ben-hadad,  King 
of  Syria,  sent  him  a  present  "  of  every  good 
thing  of  Damascus,  forty  camels'  burden." — 
J?ev.  C.  Waller. 

[18466]  Such  was  Elisha,  greater  yet  less, 
less  yet  greater  than  Elijah.  He  is  less.  The 
man,  the  will,  the  personal  grandeur  of  the 
prophet  are  greater  than  any  amount  of  pro- 
phetic acts  or  any  extent  of  prophetic  success. 
He  is  greater.  The  work  of  the  great  ones  of 
this  earth  is  carried  on  by  far  inferior  instru- 
ments, but  on  a  far  wider  scale,  and  it  may  be  in 
a  far  higher  spirit.  What  was  begun  in  fire  and 
storm,  in  solitude  and  awful  visions,  must  be 
carried  on  through  winning  arts,  and  healing 
acts,  and  gentle  words  of  peaceful  and  social 
intercourse,  not  in  the  desert  of  Horeb  or  on  the 
top  of  Carmel,  but  in  the  crowded  thoroughfares 
of  Samaria,  in  the  gardens  of  Damascus,  by  the 
rushing  waters  of  Jordan. — Dean  Slanley. 

VII.  Comparison     with     Elijah     and 
Jonah. 

[18467]  Elisha,  Jonah,  and  Elijah  point  us  to 
Christ  not  only  in  what  they  did  lor  others,  but 
in  what  befell  themselves.  Elisha  died  and  was 
buried.  Jonah  "  descended  into  the  deep,"  and 
"  went  down  to  the  lower  parts  of  the  earth." 
He  "cried  out  of  the  belly  of  hell,"  did  all  but 
descend  into  hell,  and  yet  his  life  was  brought 
up  from  corruption  by  the  Lord.  In  the  case  of 
Elisha,  we  see  death  which  is  the  source  of  life. 
In  the  case  of  Jonah,  descent  into  the  deep  for 
three  days  and  three  nights,  and  then  resurrec- 
tion.   In  the  case  of  Elijah,  we  see  the  ascension 


into  heaven,  and  the  double  portion  of  the  spirit 
left  to  him  who  saw  it,  that  he  might  do  greater 
works  than  those  of  his  master.  Thus,  from 
these  three  prophets,  we  obtain  a  complete 
sketch  of  the  death,  resurrection,  and  ascension 
of  Jesus  Christ. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 

VIII.  Homiletical  Reflections. 

I  The  history  of  Elisha  suggests  that  it  is  the 
character  of  good  men  to  desire  spiritual 
blessings  more  than  any  worldly  advantage. 

[18468]  The  great  question.  What  is  true 
religion  ?  what  is  the  Christian  spirit  ?  what  is  it 
to  be  a  good  man  .''  may  be  answered  correctly 
if  we  examine  the  Bible,  and  collect  from  its 
precepts,  its  examples,  its  history,  all  the  light 
it  sheds  on  this  point.  Bring  together  the 
different  features  of  the  Christian  character 
which  lie  scattered  over  the  sacred  pages,  and 
you  will  form  a  complete  and  beautiful  whole, 
in  which  no  feature  is  wanting,  from  which  no 
feature  can  be  spared,  and  in  the  whole  of  which 
such  harmony  prevails  as  shows  that  the  different 
parts  were  intended  to  stand  together  in  one 
glorious  countenance.  The  particular  feature 
now  under  consideration  is  a  leading  character- 
istic. It  appeared  in  David  ;  it  appeared  in 
Solomon  ;  it  has  appeared  in  all  the  saints. 
Says  David,  "  There  be  many  that  say,  Who 
will  show  us  any  good  ?  "  [Who  will  show  us 
any  worldly  good .''  is  the  cry  of  the  world  at 
large.  Our  concern  is  different.]  "  Lord,  lift 
Thou  up  the  light  of  Thy  countenance  upon  us." 
When  God  appeared  to  Solomon  and  said,  "Ask 
what  I  shall  give  thee,''  he  chose  wisdom  in 
preference  to  all  other  things.  And  God  said, 
'•  Because  thou  hast  asked  this  thing,  and  hast 
not  asked  for  thyself  long  life,  neither  hast  asked 
riches  for  thyself,  nor  hast  asked  the  life  of  thine 
enemies, but  hast  asked  for  thyself  understanding 
to  discern  judgment  ;  behold,  I  have  done  ac- 
cording to  thy  words  :  lo,  I  have  given  thee  a 
wise  and  understanding  heart,  so  that  there  was 
none  like  thee  before  thee,  neither  after  thee 
shall  any  arise  like  unto  thee.  And  I  have  also 
given  thee  that  which  thou  hast  not  asked,  both 
riches  and  honour  ;  so  that  there  shall  not  be 
any  among  the  kings  like  unto  thee  all  thy  days." 
—Rev.  E.  Griffin,  D.D. 

2  The  history  of  Elisha  suggests  the  ne- 
cessity of  importunity  in  the  desire  for 
spiritual  blessings. 

[18469]  The  reason  that  real  Christians  do 
not  receive  more  of  the  Divine  Spirit  is  that 
they  do  not  desire  it  with  suf^cient  preference. 
One  may  habitually  regard  spiritual  blessings 
more  than  the  world,  and  yet  not  regard  them 
enough.  The  world  may  still  occupy  too  much 
of  his  mind,  may  engage  an  undue  proportion 
of  his  cares  and  time,  and  appear  more  valuable 
than  it  really  is.  This  is  indeed  the  case  with 
all  Christians,  and  with  some  to  a  lamentable 
degree.  If  put  to  make  their  election  between 
God  and  the  world,  they  would  cleave  to  God, 
and  if  called  decisively  to  the  trial,  would  suffer 


18469—18471] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   EKA. 


[elisiia. 


martyrdom  for  His  sake  ;  but  this  preference  is 
not  so  strong  and  steady  as  always  to  overcome 
the  temptations  of  the  world.  Their  case  is 
frequently  that  of  a  man  who  sighs  for  liberty 
but  is  loaded  with  chains.  Their  calculations 
for  the  time  to  come  are  in  favour  of  God,  but 
their  present  affections  are  after  the  world. 
Thus  entangled,  they  advance  but  slowly  towards 
heaven,  and  every  step  costs  them  far  more  toil 
and  trouble  than  it  docs  those  who  are  more 
unclogged  and  free.  Many  seem  to  have  just 
religion  enough  to  make  them  wretched  ;  enough 
to  distress  their  conscience  in  view  of  their  sins, 
but  not  enough  to  give  it  peace  ;  enough  to 
prevent  them  from  enjoying  the  world  as  a  por- 
tion, but  not  enough  to  raise  them  above  its  per- 
plexities. Had  I  nothing  but  present  happiness 
in  view,  I  would  give  the  ad\ice  in  regard  to  re- 
ligion which  has  been  given  in  regard  to  human 
learning  :  "  Drink  deep,  or  taste  not."  This 
state  of  worldly  incumbrance,  which  leaves 
little  more  than  indecisive  wishes,  is  the  true 
reason  why  many  Christians  are  limited  to  so 
small  attainments.  They  sometimes  wonder 
why  they  cannot  arise  to  that  communion  with 
God  which  patriarchs  and  prophets  enjoyed. 
Do  you  wonder  still  t  Do  you  wish  to  learn 
how  to  acquire  the  spirit  of  Elijah  ?  Let  me 
lead  you  to  Gilgal.  Attend  me  as  I  follow  the 
steps  of  those  men  of  God  to  Bethel,  to  Jericho, 
to  Jordan.  Listen  to  their  conversation.  Mark 
distinctly  the  operations  of  Elisha's  mind.  His 
desires  were  stronger  than  death.  None  of  this 
coldness  which  benumbs  modern  Christians  ;  no 
division  of  mind  between  God  and  the  world. 
His  wliole  sold  was  intent  on  obtaining  a  double 
portion  of  his  master's  spirit. — Rev.  J£.  Griffin, 
D.D. 


3  The  history  of  Elisha  illustrates  the  ne- 
cessity of  watchfulness  to  obtain  spiritual 
blessings. 

[18470]  Desires,  however  intense,  and  prayers, 
however  ardent,  will  not  avail  without  watchful- 
ness. Even  the  desires  and  prayers  of  Elisha 
could  not  prevail  without  this.  After  he  had  urged 
his  request,  the  blessing  was  still  suspended  on 
his  vigilance.  "  Thou  hast  asked  a  hard  thing; 
nevertheless  if  thou  see  me  when  I  am  taken 
from  thee,  it  shall  be  so  unto  thee  ;  but  if  not, 
it  shall  not  be  so."  After  this  answer  how  vigilant 
do  we  conceive  Elisha  to  have  been.  If  I  close 
my  eyes,  says  he,  or  turn  my  head  away,  he 
may  be  gone.  Every  sense  was  awake.  Me- 
thinks  the  groans  of  a  dying  child  would  not 
have  called  his  eyes  from  his  master.  He 
watched  him  ;  he  clave  to  him  ;  he  followed 
his  steps  ;  he  was  attentive  to  every  change  in 
his  countenance,  to  every  appearance  in  the 
heavens.  Everything  was  at  stake.  How  often 
did  he  pray  that  nothing  might  dim  his  sight  or 
interpose  between  him  and  the  ascending 
prophet  !  With  the  quickness  of  thought  he 
saw  the  chariot  and  horses  of  fire  in  the  air  ;  he 
saw  his  master  taken  up  ;  he  cried,  "  My  father, 
my  father,"  and  received  his  falling  mantle.  With 


a  more  noble  Master  at  our  head,  who  has  had 
a  more  glorious  translation  to  heaven,  we  have 
equal  need  to  fix  our  eyes  on  Him,  and  watch. 
We  should  watch  every  look,  observe  every 
motion,  and  catch  from  Him  every  word.  For 
want  of  watchfulness  many  good  desires  and 
prayers  have  in  a  measure  failed.  Prayer  and 
watchfulness  comprehend  the  most  important 
secrets  of  holy  living.  These  were  all  that  our 
Saviour  thouj^ht  necessary  to  press  upon  His 
disciples  in  that  most  perilous  hour  when  earth 
and  hell  were  let  loose  upon  Him  and  upon 
them.  "Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not 
into  temptation."  The  apostle  repeats  the  in- 
junction :  "  Watch  unto  prayer."  Do  you  ask 
what  we  are  to  watch .?  I  answer,  we  are  to 
keep  our  eyes  attentively  fixed  on  our  Divine 
Master,  that  we  may  learn  His  will  and  catch 
His  smiles.  We  are  to  watch  the  secret  motions 
of  His  Spirit,  that  we  may  learn  to  cherish  them. 
We  are  to  watch  the  effects  of  our  prayers,  that 
we  may  seize  the  blessings  as  they  fall.  We 
are  to  watch  the  objects  around  us,  that  we  may 
be  guarded  against  those  which  inflame  the 
passions,  and  may  also  gather  instruction  from 
the  providence  of  God.  We  are  to  watch  the 
approaches  and  wiles  of  our  spiritual  enemies, 
that  we  may  not  be  surprised  by  their  assault. 
We  are  to  watch  our  own  hearts,  that  we  may 
keep  them  with  all  diligence  ;  our  thoughts, 
that  thev  do  not  wander. — Jdid. 


4  The  history  of  Elisha  reminds  us  that 
"they  also  serve  who  only  stand  and 
wait." 

[18471]  For  at  least  these  forty-five  years, 
from  the  accession  of  Jehu  to  that  of  Joash,  the 
history  of  Elisha  presents  a  blank.  His  ministry 
to  Israel  as  a  nation  had  ceased,  and  even  his 
more  private  ministrations  during  that  long 
period  remain  unnoticed  and  unknown.  And 
if  an  Elisha  was  content  for  well  nigh  half  a 
century  to  labour  in  obscurity,  why  should  we 
despond,  when  outward  tokens  of  success  and 
visible  results  are  denied  us.?  It  is  a  good  work 
in  which  we  are  engaged  ;  it  is  the  work  of  the 
Lord.  We  labour  in  hope,  we  sow  in  faith  ;  the 
Lord  will  have  the  reaping,  and  safely  garner  it 
all.  Paul,  Apollos,  and  Cephas  are  only 
ministers,  only  servants.  The  kingdom  is  His, 
and  to  Him  who  is  the  King  will  we  raise  our 
hearts  and  hopes.  So  this  half-century  of 
ministry  had  absolutely  nothing  in  it  worth 
recording  for  the  Church  on  earth,  till  the  time 
of  Elisha's  sickness  and  death.  Yet  such  a  life 
could  not  close  without  some  final  testimony  to 
its  power  and  great  object.  If  not  otherwise, 
God  may  own  us  on  our  death-beds.  The 
testimony  of  a  life  shall  be  sealed  in  death. 
Little  do  they  know,  who  wonder  at  the  afflic- 
tions of  God's  people,  w-hat  precious  lessons 
have  been  learned,  what  mighty  sermons  have 
been  preached  in  sick-rooms  and  on  death-beds. 
The  letting  down  through  the  roof  of  the  bed 
which  bore  the  poor  paralytic,  laying  him  at  the 
feet    of    Jesus,   was    itself    a  testimony   more 


330 

18471- 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 


-18479] 


JEWISH   ERA. 


[man  of  god  from  JUDAH. 


powerful  than  many  a  long  life. — Rev.  A.  Eder- 
sheim,  D.D. 


MAN  OF  GOD  FROM  JUDAIL 

I.  His  Commission. 

1  It   was    of    a    public    character,  requiring 
great  qualities  for  its  faithful  discharge. 

[18472]  The  commission  with  which  he  was 
entrusted  by  God — nothing  less  than  openly  and 
publicly  to  rebuke  Jeroboam  for  his  idolatry — 
required  great  qualities  in  him  who  would  effi- 
ciently discharge  it.  It  was  executed  by  the 
man  of  God  fearlessly  and  faithfully.  When 
we  view  him  in  his  public  life  he  commands  our 
admiration.  It  is  only  when  we  examine  his 
private  affairs  that  we  become  conscious  that, 
weighed  in  the  baiances,  he  is  found  wanting. — 
M.  J. 

2  It     involved     a     command     affecting    his 
private  life. 

[18473]  He  was  to  eat  no  bread  and  drink 
no  water  at  Bethel,  nor  was  he  to  return  by  the 
way  by  which  he  came.  The  reason  of  this 
command  is  not  told  to  us.  The  former  part  of 
it  may  have  been  imposed  that  the  man  of  God 
might  have  no  fellowship  with  the  idolaters  of 
Bethel.  But  it  is  perhaps  more  likely  that  the 
design  of  God  in  this  injunction  was  simply  to 
try  the  prophet's  constancy  and  moral  strength. 
—Ibid. 


II.  His  Fall, 

[18474]  The  first  temptation  to  disobedience 
came  from  Jeroboam.  It  came,  indeed,  from  a 
sovereign,  but  from  a  sovereign  whose  practices 
the  prophet  had  just  faithfully  denounced  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and  the  invitation  probably 
possessed  little  attraction  for  the  man  of  God. 
It  was  not  so,  however,  with  the  second  trial  to 
which  he  v/as  exposed.  The  invitation  of  the 
old  prophet  of  Bethel  had,  from  whatever  cause, 
a  certain  fascination  for  him  of  Judah.  But  he 
ought  not  to  have  yielded.  God  had  laid  a 
special  command  upon  him,  and  God  could  not 
contradict  Himself.  The  Lord  had  signified 
His  will  to  the  prophet  by  a  special  revelation, 
and  the  prophet  allowed  the  word  of  a  mere 
man  to  outweigh  tiiat  revelation.  There  must 
have  been  some  secret  warp  in  the  soul  of  the 
one  which  inclined  him  to  the  solicitation  of 
the  other. — Ibid. 

[18475]  The  old  prophet  possibly  regarded 
him  as  a  rival  prophet,  of  a  rival  tribe  ;  perhaps 
was  jealous  of  him,  and  thought  scorn  that  a 
man  of  God  from  Judah  should  bring  tidings  to 
Bethel,  to  the  house  of  God,  of  what  her 
prophets  knew  not,  even  though  they  had  grown 
*)Id  in  the  prophet's  work.  He  thought  not  of 
his  brother's  honour,  but  of  himself,  seeking  his 


own  glory,  envious  because  a  young  stranger 
from  Judah  was  preferred  before  him,  and  God 
had  passed  Israel  by  ;  and  so,  yielding  to  his 
own  hasty  impulse,  he  saddled  his  ass,  and  pur- 
sued his  brother,  and  tempted  him,  to  see  what 
would  become  of  his  words.  The  man  of  God 
from  Judah  yielded,  perhaps  more  easily  than 
the  old  prophet  had  thought. — Rev.  C.  ll'aller. 

[18476]  He  was  deceived  by  a  man  older 
than  himself,  "  a  prophet  as  he  was,"  who  pro- 
fessed to  have  received  from  the  lips  of  an 
angel  the  commission  to  bring  him  back.  But 
he  ought  to  have  known  better,  and  was  doubt- 
less condemned  by  his  own  conscience  for 
accepting  the  invitation  to  return.  We  may 
plainly  see  a  want  of  endurance,  a  want  of 
firmness  about  the  man.  Elijah  the  Tishbite 
would  not  have  been  so  deceived.  He  indeed 
would  scarcely  have  ventured  to  rest  under  the 
oak  so  near  Bethel,  after  the  command  to  return 
secretly,  and  not  to  eat  bread  or  drink  water  in 
the  place.  The  prophet  may  have  been  over- 
come by  the  excitement  of  meeting  King  Jero- 
boam and  withstanding  him  to  his  face,  yet  it 
was  no  mark  of  wisdom  to  repose  himself  until 
he  was  within  reach  of  refreshment  and  nearer 
home.  His  heaviness  and  weariness  could  only- 
increase  upon  him  as  he  sat  under  the  oak.  He 
had  no  food  with  him;  the  longer  he  waited  the 
less  he  would  be  disposed  to  press  onward  to 
his  journey's  end.  If  night  had  come  on  and 
found  him  nearer  to  Bethel  than  to  the  place 
from  whence  he  came,  the  lions  would  have 
been  about  him,  and  he  would  have  obeyed  his 
instructions  at  the  peril  of  his  life.  His  want 
of  endurance  was  fatal. — Ibid. 

III.  His  Punishment. 

1  It  was   announced  by  his  seducer,  and  it 
followed  speedily  upon  his  fall. 

[18477]  The  two  prophets  returned  together 
to  Bethel  and  sat  down  to  the  refreshment  for- 
bidden to  the  man  of  Judah.  Then  by  a  terrible 
irony  he  who  had  willingly  played  the  false  is 
compelled  to  be  the  true,  and  he  who  had 
listened  only  too  readily  to  the  lying  voice, 
trembles  as  he  hears  the  words  of  inspiration. 
It  is  often  when  men  are  at  the  table  of  wicked- 
ness that  conscience  cries  most  loudly  within, 
and  witnesses  of  coming  judgment.  Ere  they 
have  fairly  swallowed  the  forbidden  fruit,  the 
voice  of  God  is  heard  asking,  "  Where  art 
thou  ?  "  Speedily  came  the  predicted  doom 
upon  the  prophet  of  Judah,  "When  he  was  gone 
a  lion  met  him  by  the  way  and  slew  him." — 
M.  J. 

2  It  was  necessary  to  the  truth  and  faithful- 
ness of  God's  word. 

[18478]  It  is  not  always  a  mortal  sin  to  be 
deceived  by  a  false  prophet,  but  in  this  case 
either  God  was  made  a  liar  or  the  man  must 
d\e.~Rev.  C.  Waller. 

[18479]  If  God's  word  failed  in  one  instance, 


18479— 18484] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


331 


[hilkiah. 


why  should  it  not  fail  in  another  ?  and  so  the 
word  respecting  Josiah  and  the  aUar  and  the 
Lord's  anger  against  the  idolatry  of  Jeroboam, 
against  the  transgression  of  the  law  of  Moses, 
and  the  worship  of  the  golden  calf,  might  all  be 
no  better  than  an  idle  tale.  The  words  spoken 
when  the  king  was  at  the  altar  were  notorious. 
Probably  the  occasion  was  a  great  one,  the  feast 
in  the  eighth  month.  King  Jeroboam  would  not 
be  at  Bethel  every  day  ;  his  royal  residence  was 
at  Shechem  or  I'enucl.  The  old  propliet  in 
Fiethel  had  heard  the  whole  story,  and  it  was 
known  to  many  that  tlie  man  of  God  from 
Judah  must  not  eat  bread  or  drink  water  in  that 
place.  Moreover,  he  had  refused  the  royal 
reward  and  the  invitation  to  the  king's  table, 
and  he  could  not  have  remained  unnoticed  with 
the  old  prophet  after  that.  The  offence  could 
not  have  been  passed  over,  or  the  word  of  the 
Lord  must  fall  to  the  ground. — Ibid. 

3  It  is  not  to  be  understood  as  involving  the 
loss  of  his  soul. 

[18480]  Not  that  we  are  to  suppose  the  man 
of  God  from  Judah  to  be  a  lost  soul.  God 
forbid  !  No,  when  the  Word  of  God  has  read 
the  burial  service  over  "  this  our  brother,"  as  ic 
commits  his  body  to  the  ground,  we  cannot  but 
believe  that  God  hath  taken  him  to  Himself. 
Doubtless  he  was  punished  in  this  world  that 
his  soul  might  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the  Lord. 
We  may  call  it  a  military  execution  in  time  of 
war  rather  than  the  punishment  of  a  common 
crime.  After  sentence  executed,  he  is  still  the 
watt  of  God. — Ibid. 

4  The  history  of  the  man  of  God  from  Judah 
illustrates  the  truth  that  all  spiritual  privi- 
leges entail  proportionate  responsibility. 

[18481]  It  was  because  the  prophet  of  Judah 
had  had  opportunities  of  close  communion  with 
God,  and  of  revelation  from  Him,  that  the 
responsibility  of  an  absolutely  perfect  obedience 
rested  upon  him.  We  shall  do  well  to  bethink 
ourselves  of  the  number  and  magnitude  of  the 
spiritual  privileges  which  we  to-day  enjoy.  We 
have  the  Bible  translated  into  our  mother  tongue 
and  an  incomparable  liturgy,  both  accessible  to 
the  poorest  amongst  us.  Protestant  Christianity 
is  looked  on  from  all  sides  with  favouring  and 
even  fostering  glances.  The  number  of  churches 
and  chapels,  too,  has  been  multiplied  again  and 
again  throughout  the  land.  Will  not  these  ad- 
vantageous circumstances  be  considered  when 
our  account  is  made  up  before  God  .''  Sliall  we 
not  be  judged  by  a  slightly  different  standard  in 
these  matters  from  that  which  will  be  applied, 
for  instance,  in  the  case  of  the  members  of  the 
primitive  Church  of  Christ .'' — M.  J. 

5  The  history  of  the  man  of  God  from  Judah 
enforces  the  necessity  of  prompt  and  un- 
questioning obedience  to  the  will  of  God 
wherever  and  whenever  that  will  is  plainly 
declared. 

[18482]  There  was  room  in  the  prophet's 
mind  for  no  sort  of  doubt  upon  the  particular 


pomt  of  duty  regarding  eating  and  drinking 
nothing  at  Bethel.  The  command  was  distinct 
and  clear  to  the  uttermost,  its  burthen  was, 
''Thou  shalt  not."  Now  tliere  do  arise  occasions 
in  our  lives  when  it  is  difficult  to  decide  con- 
cerning two  or  more  courses  open  to  us,  which 
of  these  two  it  is  our  duty  to  folh)w  ;  let  us  note, 
in  passing,  the  wisdom  of  applying  in  such  a  case 
for  Divine  guidance.  But  should  we  take  wrong 
action,  the  sin  is  manifestly  of  an  inferior  kind, 
less  in  degree,  than  if,  for  instance,  we  break 
one  of  the  ten  commandments  where  the  duty 
is  clear  and  involved  in  no  mist  of  doubt.  In 
these  last  cases  to  sound  a  parley  with  Satan  is 
nine  times  out  of  ten  to  surrender  the  citadel. 
Our  only  safety  lies  in  instant  obedience  to  the 
will  of  God.  Had  the  prophet  of  Judah  refused 
at  once  to  listen  to  his  brother  of  Bethel  he 
would  have  heard  no  story  of  an  angel,  he  would 
have  conquered  instead  of  being  overcome. — 
Ibid. 

6  The  history  of  the  man  of  God  from  Judah 
suggests  that  constitutional  weakness  of 
character  should  be  guarded  against,  and  is 
no  excuse  for  falling  into  sin. 

[18483]  We  may  feel  unwilling  to  condemn 
him.  Should  we  have  been  more  enduring  in 
his  place?  Perhaps  not.  But  this  only  proves 
our  own  weakness,  it  does  not  alTect  the  justice 
of  the  judgment  of  God.  This  natural  weakness 
is  a  dreadful  thing,  and  may  bring  terrible  con- 
sequences. It  is  of  no  use  to  excuse  it.  Let  us 
rather  confess  it,  and  remember  it  and  seek  for 
the  power  of  Christ  to  rest  upon  us,  that  we  may 
not  be  weary  in  well-doing. — Rev.  C.  Waller. 


HILKIAH. 

I.  His  Recorded  History. 

Its  chief  event  was  his  discovery  of  the  Book 
of  the  Law. 

[18484]  Hilkiah  was  the  high  priest  in  Israel 
during  the  reign  of  Josiah  ;  he  appears  to  have 
remained  uncontaminated  in  the  midst  of  the 
gross  idolatry  and  immorality  which  prevailed 
in  the  country  during  his  time,  and  was  ready 
to  co-operate  with  tiie  king,  who  "  did  that 
which  was  right  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord." 
When  the  idols  were  to  be  removed  and  their 
altars  pulled  to  the  ground,  he  was  ready  with 
his  counsel  and  help.  His  honest  and  straight- 
forward manner  won  the  confidence  of  the  king, 
and  Josiah  appointed  him  to  take  an  account  of 
the  money  contributed  by  the  people  towards 
repairing  the  Lord's  house,  and  to  pay  those 
engngect  in  the  work.  He  was  also  one  of  those 
who  were  deputed  by  the  king  to  inquire  of 
Huldah,  the  prophetess,  what  were  the  decrees 
of  God  respecting  the  nation.  But  the  principal 
event  in  the  history  of  this  good  man  w^as  the 
discovery    of  the   law  of  God   in    the   temple 


33^ 

18484— 18488] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JABEZ. 


whilst  looking  after  those  engaged  in  repairing 
it. — Anon. 


II.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 

I  The  finding  of  the  Book  of  the  Law  by 
Hilkiah  suggests  that  truth  can  be  dis- 
covered by  man  only  under  certain  condi- 
tions. 

[18485]  It  is  not  known  how  this  copy  of  the 
law  of  Moses  was  lost  :  it  might  have  been 
thrown  aside  by  those  who  desecrated  the  holy 
place  ;  or  it  might  have  been  hidden  by  some 
one  who  loved  the  law  of  his  God  "more  than 
silver  and  gold,"  with  the  hope  that  it  would  be 
found  at  some  future  time.  It  was  lost  sight  of 
for  years  ;  and  in  the  time  of  Josiah  the  know- 
ledge of  the  law  had  become  very  obscure, 
though  other  copies  were  probably  still  extant. 
As  Hilkiah  was  engaged  in  superintending  the 
work  of  repairing  the  temple,  he  came  across 
the  precious  manuscript.  It  was  in  God's  house 
it  was  found  ;  and  if  the  priest  had  deputed  his 
work  as  overseer  to  another,  he  would  have  lost 
this  honour.  It  may  be  that  he  had  a  presenti- 
ment that  the  copy  was  still  undestroyed,  and 
searched  diligently  for  it  whilst  the  repairs  were 
being  carried  on.  Many  valuable  truths  have 
been  shunted,  whilst  we  in  this  fast  age  are  being 
driven  past,  at  express  rate,  having  no  time  even 
to  look  at  them.  Not  a  few  facts  of  priceless 
value  are  hid,  like  the  roll  in  the  temple,  buried 
underneath  heaps  of  prejudice,  superstition,  and 
dogmatism,  which  will  remain  so  till  some  large 
soul,  filled  with  love  for  truth,  will  appear  on  the 
scene,  ready  to  sacrifice  wealth,  time,  and 
strength,  in  order  to  remove  the  rubbish  and 
bring  these  gems  to  the  light  of  day.  It  is  only 
the  lovers  of  truth  who  become  discoverers  in 
the  scientific  world,  and  that  not  by  chance,  but 
by  abiding  in  the  temple  of  science,  and  by 
conforming  to  the  conditions  laid  down  by  the 
goddess  at  whose  shrine  they  worship.  So  it  is 
in  the  spiritual  realms  of  truth  ;  it  is  only  those 
who  have  sympathy  with  the  true,  whose  eyes 
have  been  accustomed  to  the  pure  light  of 
heaven,  whose  hearts  are  sensitive  to  rectitude, 
whose  ears  have  been  trained  to  catch  the  soul- 
thrilling  whispers  of  the  Eternal  Father's  love, 
who  shall  be  crowned  with  the  laurels  of  eternity 
as  discoverers  of  the  deep  and  soul-enlivening 
truths  contained  in  the  revealed  will  of  God. — 
Ibid. 

2.  The  discovery  of  the  Book  of  the  Law  by 
Hilkiah  suggests  that  discoverers  of  Divine 
truth  cannot  keep  their  knowledge  to  them- 
selves. 

[18486]  When  Hilkiah  had  satisfied  himself 
that  it  was  the  long-lost  copy  of  the  law  he  had 
discovered,  he  told  the  news  to  Shaphan  the 
scribe  ;  who,  after  he  had  read  a  portion  of  it, 
communicated  the  fact  to  Josiah  the  king.  How 
different  this  to  the  conduct  of  most  persons  as 
to  material  discoveries  !  The  selfish  element  is 
so  strong  that   the  good    of  the   individual   is 


consulted,  rather  than  that  of  the  community  ; 
thus  the  knowledge  of  valuable  remedies  for 
certain  diseases  is  kept  in  the  possession  of 
individuals,  and  dies  with  them,  inasmuch  as 
they  are  afraid  of  others  deriving  any  benefit 
from  the  knowledge  of  their  secret.  How 
anxious  is  the  man  who  has  succeeded  in  his 
invention,  lest  the  secret  mechanism  be  known 
to  others  before  he  reaps  a  rich  harvest  from  his 
discovery!  In  a  certain  sense,  he  is  not  to  be 
blamed.  The  spiritual  seekers  after  truth,  as 
soon  as  they  find  it,  are  anxious  that  others 
should  have  the  same  knowledge,  "  That  I  may 
publish  with  the  voice  of  thanksgiving,  and  tell 
of  all  Thy  wondrous  works."  Let  a  man  possess 
the  law  of  God,  if  the  lips  refuse  to  speak,  the 
discovery  cannot  be  hid,  it  will  come  to  sight  in 
the  life.  Even  the  enemies  of  the  truth  will  be 
compelled  to  say  of  him,  as  it  was  said  of  Peter, 
"  This  fellow  was  also  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth."' 
The  '■  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  "  becomes  "  a  foun- 
tain of  living  waters  "  in  the  heart  ;  and  the 
society  in  which  the  man  moves  will  perceive 
crystal  streams  flowing  from  him  in  merciful  and 
benevolent  deeds. — Ibid. 

3  The  discovery  of  the  Book  of  the  Law  by 
Hilkiah  suggests  that  a  reformation  will 
always  follow  the  discovery  of  Divine  truth. 

[18487]  King  Josiah  had  given  himself  to  the 
Lord  when  young,  and  had  commenced  to  re- 
model the  affairs  of  Israel  before  the  book  of 
the  law  had  been  found  by  Hilkiah.  But  his 
resolution  became  firmer,  and  his  enthusiasm 
greater,  when  the  law  was  read  unto  him  ; 
and  this  reformation  was  prosecuted  with 
renewed  energy  (see  2  Kings  xxii.,  xxiii.). 
Finding  the  law  of  God,  i.e.,  having  it  embedded 
in  the  heart,  produces  the  like  results.  This 
was  the  case  with  Luther,  Knox,  and  others,  who 
fired  the  people  with  their  earnestness  and  sin- 
cerity. The  secret  of  all  true  reformers  is  this, 
the  deep  truths  of  eternity  found  by  them  and 
occupying  the  central  place  in  their  souls.  Any 
individual  who  will  find  "the  pearl  of  great  price" 
will  have  his  heart  cleansed  from  idols  and 
restored  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God.  The 
law  is  read  in  the  family  and  heard  in  the  sanc- 
tuary by  many  without  producing  any  apparent 
result ;  the  reason  of  this  is,  the  intellect  alone  is 
touched  ;  when  the  seed  is  received  into  good 
ground — a  sensitive  heart — it  will  produce  an 
abundant  harvest. — Ibid, 


JABEZ. 


I.  His  Name. 


Given  to  him  by  his  mother  in  commemoration 
of  some  special  sorrow,  its  meaning  was 
falsified  by  the  distinguished  honour  to 
which  he  attained. 

[18488]  We  do  not  know  the  particular  rea- 
sons which  influenced  the  mother  of  Jabez  to 


18488— 18492] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    KRA. 


333 

[JABKZ. 


call  him  by  that  name,  a  name  which  means 
"Sorrowful."  We  are  merely  told,  "Ilis 
mother  called  his  name  Jabez,  saying,  Because 
I  bare  him  with  sorrow."  Whether  it  were  that 
she  brought  forth  this  son  with  more  than  com- 
mon anguish,  or  whether,  as  it  may  have  been, 
the  time  of  his  birth  were  the  time  of  her 
widowhood,  so  that  the  child  came  and  found 
no  father  to  welcome  him — the  mother  evidently 
felt  but  little  of  a  mother's  joy,  and  looked  on 
her  infant  with  forebodings  and  fears.  Perhaps 
it  could  hardly  have  been  her  own  bodily 
suffering  which  made  her  fasten  on  the  boy  a 
dark  and  gloomy  appellation  ;  for,  the  danger 
past,  she  would  rather  have  given  a  name  com- 
memorative of  deliverance,  remembering  "  no 
more  her  anguish,  for  joy  that  a  man  was  born 
into  the  world." — Ca>io?i  Melvill. 

[18489]  With  Jabez  it  was  all  gloom  ;  the 
mother  felt  as  if  she  could  never  be  happy 
again  :  this  boy  brought  nothing  but  an  acces- 
sion of  care,  anxiety,  and  grief,  and  if  she  must 
give  him  a  name,  let  it  be  one  which  may 
always  remind  himself  and  others  of  the  dark 
heritage  to  which  he  had  been  born.  And  yet 
the  history  of  the  family  is  gathered  into  the 
brief  sentence,  "Jabez  was  more  honourable 
than  his  brethren."  The  child  of  sorrow  out- 
stripped all  the  others  in  those  things  which  are 
"  acceptable  to  God,  and  approved  of  men." 
Nothing  is  told  us  of  his  brethren,  except  that 
they  were  less  honourable  than  himself;  they 
too  may  have  been  excellent,  and  perhaps  as 
much  is  implied  ;  but  Jabez  took  the  lead,  and 
whether  or  not  the  youngest  in  years,  surpassed 
every  other  in  piety  and  renown.  Oh,  if  the 
mother  lived  to  see  the  manhood  of  her  sons, 
how  strangely  must  the  name  Jabez,  a  name 
probably  given  in  a  moment  of  despondency 
and  faithlessness,  have  fallen  on  her  ear,  as  it 
was  woven  into  message  after  message,  each 
announcing  that  the  child  of  sorrow  was  all  that 
the  most  affectionate  parent  could  wish,  and 
more  than  the  most  aspiring  could  have  hoped ! 
She  may  then  have  regretted  the  gloomy  and 
ominous  name,  feeling  as  though  it  reproached 
her  for  having  yielded  to  her  grief,  and  allowed 
herself  to  give  way  to  dreary  forebodings.  It 
may  have  seemed  to  her  as  a  standing  memorial 
of  her  want  of  confidence  in  God,  and  of  the 
falseness  of  human  calculations. — Ibid. 

[18493]  To  the  mother  of  Jabez  his  entrance 
into  the  world  was  associated  with  some  special 
suffering,  and  she  named  him  "  sorrow/aL" 
Years  rolled  on,  and  God,  by  His  prophet, 
knighted  him  and  pronounced  him  "more 
honourable  than  his  brethren."  Yes,  and  it  is 
even  so  now  ;  according  to  our  faith  shall  be 
the  significance  of  our  individual  history.  Let 
our  vision  be  bounded  by  time  and  sense  only, 
and  life  shall  be  a  baptism  of  grief,  with  thorns 
for  a  crown,  and  "vanity"  as  life's  "accusation 
written "  and  nailed  to  every  sorrowful  cross. 
But  let  faith  widen  our  "  coast,"  and  expand  our 
horizon,  and  all  along  the  coast  shall  be  hung 


the  lamps  of  "hope;"  while  "the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen"  shall  be  to  faith  a  substantial 
possession,  winning  "a  good  report" — a  "more 
honourable ''  name  than  those  who  refuse  to 
believe  that  "faith  is  the  substance  of  things 
not  seen,  by  which  the  elders  obtained  a  good 
report." — Anon. 

II.  His  Prayer. 

It  appears  to  be  characterized  by  a  degree  of 
spirituality  remarkable  in  the  prayer  of  an 
Old  Testament  saint. 

(1)  In  its  first  petition. 

[18491]  What  (lid  Jabez  pray  for  ?  For  great 
things — great,  if  you  suppose  hmi  to  have  spoken 
only  as  an  heir  of  the  temporal  Canaan  ;  greater, 
if  you  ascribe  to  him  acquaintance  with  the 
mercies  of  redemption.  "  Oh,  that  Thou  wouldest 
bless  me  indeed /  "  Many  tilings  pass  for  bless- 
ings which  are  not  ;  to  as  many  more  we  deny 
though  we  ought  to  give  the  character.  There 
is  a  blessing  in  appearance  which  is  not  also  a 
blessing  in  reality  ;  and  conversely,  the  reality 
may  exist  where  the  appearance  is  wanting. 
The  man  in  prosperity  appears  to  have,  the 
man  in  adversity  to  be  without,  a  blessing — yet 
how  often  does  God  bless  by  withholding  and 
withdrawing,  more  frequently,  it  may  be,  than 
by  giving  and  continuing  !  Therefore,  "  Oh, 
that  Thou  wouldest  bless  me  indeed  !  "  Let  me 
not  have  what  looks  like  blessing,  and  perhaps 
is  not,  but  what  is  blessing,  however  unlike  it 
may  appear. — Canon  Melvill. 

(2)  hi  its  second  petition. 

[18492]  "That  Thou  wouldest  enlarge  my 
coast."  He  probably  speaks  as  one  who  had  to 
win  from  the  enemy  his  portion  of  the  promised 
land.  He  knew  that,  as  the  Lord  said  to 
Joshua,  "  There  remained  yet  very  much  land 
to  be  possessed :"  it  was  not  then  necessarily 
as  a  man  desirous  of  securing  to  himself  a 
broader  inheritance,  it  may  have  been  as  one 
who  felt  jealous  that  the  idolater  should  still 
defile  what  God  had  set  apart  for  His  people, 
that  he  intreated  the  enlargement  of  his  coast. 
And  a  Christian  may  use  the  same  prayer  ;  he, 
too,  has  to  ask  that  his  coast  may  be  enlarged. 
Who  amongst  us  has  yet  taken  possession  of 
one  half  the  territory  assigned  him  by  God  ? 
.  .  .  What  districts  of  unpossessed  territory 
are  there  in  the  Bible  !  how  much  of  that  blessed 
book  has  been  comparatively  unexamined  by 
us  !  We  have  our  favourite  parts,  and  give 
only  an  occasional  and  cursory  notice  to  the 
rest.  How  little  practical  use  do  we  make  of 
God's  promises  !  how  slow  is  our  progress  in 
that  humbleness  of  mind,  that  strength  of  faith, 
and  that  holiness  of  life,  which  are  as  much  a 
present  reward  as  an  evidence  of  fitness  for  the 
society  of  heaven  !  What  need  then  for  the 
prayer,  "  Oh,  that  Thou  wouldest  enlarge  my 
coast!"  I  would  not  be  circumscribed  in 
spiritual  things.  I  would  not  live  always  within 
these  narrow  bounds.  There  are  bright  and 
glorious  tracts  beyond.     I   would  know  more  of 


334 

18492 — i?496] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[jABEZ. 


God,  more  of  Christ,  more  of  myself.  I  cannot 
be  content  to  remain  as  I  am,  whilst  there  is  so 
much  to  do,  so  much  to  learn,  so  much  to  enjoy. 
Oh  for  an  enlargement  of  coast,  that  I  may  have 
a  broader  domain  of  Christian  privilege,  more 
eminences  from  which  to  catch  glimpses  of  the 
fair  rich  land  hereafter  to  be  reached,  and  wider 
sphere  in  which  to  glorify  God  by  devoting  my- 
self to  His  service  ! — Jbid. 

(3)  In  its  third  petition. 

[18493]  "  That  Thou  wouldest  keep  me  from 
evil,  that  it  may  not  grieve  me."  It  is  not  an 
entreatyforexemption  from  evil — itwere  no  pious 
wish,  to  have  no  evil  whatsoever  in  our  portion  : 
"Shall  we  receive  good  at  the  hand  of  God,  and 
shall  we  not  receive  evil  ? "  Jabez  prayed  not  for 
the  being  kept  from  evil,  but  kept  from  the  being 
grieved  by  evil.  And  there  is  a  vast  difference 
between  the  being  visited  by  evil,  and  grieved 
by  evil.  He  is  grieved  by  evil,  who  does  not 
receive  it  meekly  and  submissively,  as  the 
chastisement  of  his  heavenly  Father.  He  is 
grieved  by  evil,  whom  evil  injures,  in  place  of 
benefits — which  latter  is  always  God's  purpose 
in  its  permission  or  appointment.  He  is  grieved 
by  evil,  whom  it  drives  into  sin,  and  to  whom, 
therefore,  it  furnishes  cause  of  bitter  repen- 
tance. You  see,  then,  that  Jabez  showed  great 
spiritual  discernment  in  casting  his  prayer  into 
this  particular  form.  We  too  should  pray,  not 
absolutely  that  God  would  keep  us  from  evil, 
but  that  He  would  so  keep  it  from  us,  or  us 
from  it,  that  it  may  not  grieve  us. — Ibid. 

III.    HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

I  The  inappropriateness  of  the  name  of 
Jabez  to  his  subsequent  history  is  a  caution 
against  that  despondency  to  which  judg- 
ment from  appearances  often  leads. 

[18494]  Judging  only  by  present  appearances, 
allowing  our  fears  and  feelings,  rather  than  our 
faith,  to  take  the  estimate  or  fix  the  character 
of  occurrences,  we  look  with  gloom  on  our  friends, 
and  with  melancholy  on  our  sources  of  good. 
Sickness,  we  call  it  Jabez,  though  it  be  sent  to 
minister  to  our  spiritual  health  ;  poverty,  we 
call  it  Jabez,  though  coming  to  help  us  to  the 
possession  of  heavenly  riches  ;  bereavement, 
we  call  it  Jabez,  though  designed  to  graft  us 
more  closely  into  the  household  of  God.  Oh  for 
a  better  judgment  !  or  rather,  oh  for  a  simpler 
faith  !  We  cannot,  indeed,  see  the  end  from 
the  beginning,  and  therefore  cannot  be  sure 
that  what  rises  in  cloud  will  set  in  vermilion  and 
gold  ;  but  we  need  not  take  upon  ourselves  to 
give  the  dark  name,  as  though  we  could  not  be 
deceived  in  regard  of  the  nature.  The  mother 
of  him  who  proved  "  more  honourable  than  his 
brethren  "  may  have  been  unable  to  prognosti- 
cate aught  but  sorrow  for  and  from  this  child — • 
so  much  of  threatening  aspect  may  have  hung 
round  his  entrance  upon  life — but  she  should 
have  called  him  by  a  name  expressive  of  de- 
pendence on  God,  rather  than  of  despondency 
and  soreness  of  heart. — Ibid. 


[18495]  Let  us  neither  look  confidently  on 
what  promises  best,  nor  despairingly  on  what 
wears  the  most  threatening  appearance.  God 
often  wraps  up  the  withered  leaf  of  disappoint- 
ment in  the  bright  purple  bud,  and  as  often 
enfolds  the  golden  flower  of  enjoyment  in  the 
nipped  and  blighted  shoot.  Experience  is  full 
of  evidence  that  there  is  no  depending  on  ap- 
pearances ;  that  things  turn  out  widely  different 
from  what  could  have  been  anticipated :  the 
child  of  most  promise  perhaps  living  to  pierce 
as  with  a  sword,  the  child  of  least,  to  apply 
balsam  to  the  wound  ;  events  which  have 
menaced  ministering  to  happiness,  and  those 
which  have  come  like  enemies  doing  the  office 
of  friends.  So  that,  if  there  be  one  duty  more 
pressed  upon  us  by  what  we  might  observe  than 
another,  it  is  that  of  waiting  meekly  upon  the 
Lord,  never  cherishing  a  wish  that  we  might 
choose  for  ourselves,  and  never  allowing  a  doubt 
that  He  orders  all  for  our  good.  Oh,  be  careful 
that  you  pronounce  not  harshly  of  His  dealings, 
that  you  provoke  Him  not  by  speaking  as 
though  you  could  see  through  His  purpose,  and 
decide  on  its  being  one  of  unmixed  calamity  ! 
If  you  are  so  ready  with  your  gloomy  names, 
He  may  suspend  His  gracious  designs.  If,  in 
a  spirit  of  repining  or  unbelief,  you  brand  as 
Jabez  what  may  be  but  a  blessing  in  disguise, 
no  marvel  if  sometimes,  in  just  anger  and 
judgment,  He  allow  the  title  to  prove  correct, 
and  sufter  not  this  Jabez,  this  child  born  in 
sorrow,  to  become  to  you,  as  otherwise  it  might, 
more  honourable,  more  profitable,  than  any  of 
its  brethren. — Ibid. 

2  The  prayer  of  Jabez  suggests  that  God 
ought  to  be  acknowledged  by  men  as  the 
source  of  temporal  prosperity. 

[18496]  "Oh  that  Thou  wouldest  bless  me 
indeed,  and  enlarge  my  coast !  "  The  people  in 
the  days  of  Jabez  believed  with  all  their  heart 
in  a  personal,  living  God  ;  the  One  who  had 
created  the  universe,  and  who  sustained  it  with 
His  almighty  power.  They  had  a  strong  faith 
in  Him  as  One  ever  present,  willing,  and  able 
to  help  them  in  time  of  need.  They  looked  up 
to  Him  for  the  rain  and  the  sunshine,  and  felt 
that  their  prosperity  came  from  heaven.  The 
temporal  condition  of  the  Jewish  people  was  an 
index  of  their  spiritual  stale.  In  these  en- 
lightened days  great  efforts  are  being  made  to 
shut  God  out  of  His  own  universe,  and  to 
attribute  all  things  either  to  chance  or  to  the 
mighty  working  of  some  mysterious  law  which 
no  man  can  define  or  understand.  To  me  this 
world  would  become  a  dreary  wilderness,  a 
dark,  cold,  loathsome  dungeon,  were  God  to 
remove  Himself  from  it.  Much  of  the  happi- 
ness of  life  is  obtained  from  the  consideration 
that  God  our  Father  is  interested  in  our  tem- 
poral as  well  as  spiritual  prosperity.  It  is  to 
Him  we  are  indebted  for  the  blessings  of  this 
life  ;  and  were  He  to  withhold  His  hand  for  a 
moment,  the  children  of  men  would  become 
confounded.  Men  sometimes  boast  they  can 
do  without  God,  that  their  wealth  is  the  result 


18496—18502] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    EKA. 


335 

[OBADIAH. 


of  their  own  personal  shrewdness,  activity,  and 
perseverance.  What  would  become  of  their 
business  or  profession  if  they  were  thrown  on  a 
bed  of  afdiction  for  nine  months  out  of  the 
twelve  every  year  ?  Health  and  strength  come 
from  God  ;  the  happiest  and  most  prosperous 
life  in  the  end  is  the  one  which  recognizes  the 
Divine  as  the  great  fountain  and  source  of  all 
real  prosperity. — A>i(>/i. 

3  The  prayer  of  Jabez  suggests  that  God  is 
•the  source  of  all  true  strength. 

[18497]  "And  that  Thine  hand  might  be  with 
me."  There  is  something  more  in  tliis  petition 
than  in  the  first.  Jabez  was  not  satisfied  with 
the  enlargement  of  his  coast,  unless  the  hand 
of  God  should  be  with  him  ;  he  prayed  for  His 
hand  to  guide  him,  so  as  to  secure  the  right 
use  of  the  gifts  bestowed  upon  him.  He  was 
conscious  of  his  own  weakness.  When  he 
ineditated  upon  the  many  obstacles  in  his  way 
and  the  formidable  foes  he  would  have  to 
contend  with,  he  appealed  to  the  God  of  his 
fathers  for  the  support  he  so  much  needed. 
With  all  man's  boasting,  and  the  confidence  he 
seems  to  have  in  his  own  powers  and  resources, 
it  is  very  little  he  can  do  morally  and  spiritually. 
The  hand  of  God  is  the  strength  of  His  people  ; 
when  it  is  stretched  forth,  the  enemy  is  defeated 
and  marvellous  works  are  accomplished.  The 
ivy  is  weak  and  fragile  ;  but  let  it  entwine 
itself  around  the  powerful  oak,  it  will  smile  in 
the  face  of  the  fiercest  storm,  and  can  withstand 
the  force  of  the  most  terrible  tempests  as  long 
as  the  oak  remains  with  its  roots  deeply  em- 
bedded in  the  earth.  So  man,  though  weak, 
can  entwine  his  affection  around  the  infinite 
heart  of  God,  and  smile  in  the  face  of  all  his 
foes.  Man  becomes  invincible  as  soon  as  he 
lays  hold  of  God's  strength  :  "  If  God  be  for  us, 
who  can  be  against  us  !  " — Ibid. 

4  The  prayer  of  Jabez  suggests  that  God  is 
the  only  sufficient  Protector  against  sin. 

[18498]  "And  that  Thou  wouldest  keep  me 
from  evil  that  it  may  not  grieve  me.''  This  man 
was  afraid  of  evil  lest  it  should  hurt  him.  That 
is  one  way  of  looking  upon  sin.  It  can  produce 
nothing  but  pain  and  tribulation  in  the  end.  If, 
under  its  dominion,  his  reputation,  health,  and 
very  life  are  endangered,  man  must  be  grie\  ed 
if  he  will  become  the  servant  of  sin.  But  the 
right,  consequently  the  noblest,  way  of  looking 
upon  sin,  is  as  the  great  enemy  of  God  ;  as  the 
tyrant  which  aims  at  the  dethronement  of  the 
King  of  Righteousness  ;  as  the  poisoned  arrow 
which  is  pointed  towards  the  kindest  Father  in 
existence.  When  evil  is  viewed  in  that  light, 
its  terrible  power  comes  to  sight,  and  man  will 
at  once  perceive  his  impotence  to  grapple  with 
such  an  adversary  in  his  own  strength  ;  so 
the  cry  will  go  up  to  heaven  for  help  to  keep  far 
from  the  territories  of  sin.  The  life  of  Jabez 
was  fashioned  after  this  prayer.  "  And  God 
granted  him  that  which  he  requested."  If  we 
desire  our  lives  to  be  worth  anything,  let  us  pray 
as  this  man  did,  and  the  Lord  will  not  leave  us 
long  without  a  favourable  reply.— //>///. 


OBADIAH. 

I.  His  Fidelity  to  God. 
It  was  of  a  heroic  and   self-sacrificing  order. 

[18499]  Not  only  was  he  faithful  to  God  in 
the  midst  of  a  people  almost  all  of  whom  were 
idolaters,  but  he  was  faithful  even  in  tiie  house 
of  a  sovereign  who  encouraged  his  people  in 
idolatry,  and  himself  with  his  household  bowed 
down  to  Baal.  Around  the  chamberlain  of 
Ahab's  palace  idol-altars  and  idol-temples  were 
ever  rising.  Daily  would  his  righteous  soul  be 
vexed  with  the  accompaniments  of  the  worship 
of  the  heathen  god  ;  daily,  perhaps,  was  his 
fidelity  attacked  by  those  who  would  have  had 
him  impious  as  themselves  ;  daily  would  he  feel 
his  post  less  secure  as  he  saw  idolatry  taking  a 
stronger  hold  upon  the  court  and  the  king,  and 
yet  there  is  no  sign  of  flinching,  he  remains 
faithful  to  his  God.— .^/.  /. 

[18500]  Far  from  giving  way,  Obadiah  not 
only  has  the  moral  courage  to  resist  the  seduc- 
tions of  the  wicked,  but,  putting  his  life  in  his 
hand,  he  even  succours  the  persecuted  servants 
of  God.  "  For  it  was  so  when  Jezebel  cut  otf 
the  prophets  of  the  Lord  that  Obadiah  took  an 
hundred  prophets  and  hid  them  by  fifty  in  a 
cave,  and  fed  them  with  bread  and  water." 
Brave  man  !  admirable  character  !  not  only  not 
to  succumb  to  the  enemy,  but,  in  the  midst  of 
foes,  single-handed  to  take  the  field  and  "  fight 
the  good  fight  of  faith."  Self-denying,  not  self- 
seeking  chamberlain,  how  few  in  court-places 
have  followed  in  his  steps!  Not  only  did  he 
not  seek  greater  wealth  for  himself,  but  in  a  time 
of  terrible  famine,  when  there  remained  barely 
grass  enough  to  keep  alive  the  horses  and 
mules,  instead  of  storing  up  food  as  future  pro- 
vision for  himself,  he  distributed  bread  to  a 
hundred  prophets. — Idiii. 

[18501]  If  to  be  a  worshipper  of  the  true  God 
in  Ahab's  household  placed  Obadiah  in  such  an 
unpleasant  and  dangerous  position,  why  did  he 
not  resign  his  office .''  Possibly  because  he 
possessed  some  little  influence  which,  on  oppor- 
tunity, he  was  able  to  exert  indirectly,  if  not 
directly,  on  the  side  of  truth.  At  all  events,  he 
could  represent  the  righteous  in  that  heathen 
court,  as  ten  righteous  persons,  had  there  been 
that  number  in  Sodom,  would  have  represented 
to  God  His  people.  Where  one  in  a  house  is 
bold  enough  to  stand  up  for  God,  and  in  spite  of 
all  surroundings  and  all  discourageinents  witness 
faithfully  to  the  truth,  perhaps  it  is  more  often 
the  case  than  we  imagine,  that  that  one  averts 
judgments  and  even  brings  blessings  upon  that 
house.  Obadiah,  at  any  rate,  was  as  salt  amidst 
a  mass  of  festering  corruption,  as  a  light  amidst 
darkness,  as  ''a  city  set  on  an  hill." — Ibid. 

[18502]  It  is  good  to  read  of  him  that  he 
feared  the  Lord  ;  it  is  better  to  read  that  he 
feared  the  Lord  greatly  ;  but  it  is  best  of  all 
to  read  that  his  fear  of  the  Lord  was  great  when 


33^ 


18502—18509] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[gehazi. 


almost  all  around  him  joined  in  dishonour  and 
open,  highhanded  defiance  to  the  God  of 
heaven. — Ibid. 


II.   HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

1  The  history  of  Obadiah  suggests  that  God 
has  children  where  we  should  least  think 
of  looking  for  them. 

[18503]  Who  would  have  dreamed  of  search- 
ing in  the  court  of  Ahab,  certainly  one  of  the 
most  corrupt  courts  ever  noticed  in  history,  for 
one  of  God's  people .''  Yet  there  was  at  least 
one  Obadiah  there.  So  when  we  feel  very  much 
appalled  at  the  state  of  apparent  spiritual  desti- 
tution around  us,  and  when  there  seem  so  very 
few,  comparatively  speaking,  who  serve  God, 
we  may  reflect  that  there  must  be  many  a  godly 
person,  many  an  Obadiah  fearing  God  greatly 
of  whom  we  know  not,  even  in  the  most  hopeless 
districts.  Godliness — thank  God  for  it  ! — is  no 
hot-house  plant,  which  to  exist  at  all  must  be 
tended  and  watered  with  education  and  refine- 
ment, human  admonition  and  example,  but  can 
flourish  as  well  in  the  desert  waste  as  in  the 
garden  parterre.  "  God  is  able  of  the  very  stones 
to  raise  up  children  unto  Abraham." — Ibid. 

2  The  history  of  Obadiah  suggests  that 
"  the  force  of  circumstances  "  is  no  just 
plea  to  urge  as  an  excuse  for  not  serving 
God. 

[18504]  Circumstances,  of  whatever  kind, 
ought  to  be  no  bar  to  our  devotion  to  God. 
None  could  be  more  unfavourably  placed  than 
was  Obadiah,  yet  he  "  feared  the  Lord  greatly." 
Whether,  then,  we  be  surrounded  in  our  home 
life  by  influences  unfriendly  to  the  religious 
life  ;  or  whether  our  business  relations  are  with 
worldly  and  irreligious  people  ;  or  whether  it  be 
that  we  are  compelled  to  spend  much  time, 
labour,  and  thought  in  providing  for  the  wants 
of  the  body  ;  yet  none  of  these  positions  will 
stand  as  an  excuse  for  a  want  of  devotion  to  the 
service  of  God. — Ibid. 

3  The  history  of  Obadiah  suggests  the 
deep  importance  of  early  piety. 

[18505]  There  is  just  one  sentence  which 
Ahab's  chamberlain  uttered  to  Elijah  which 
helps  us  in  a  measure  to  understand  Obadiah's 
constancy  to  the  ancient  religion  of  Israel,  "  I, 
thy  servant,  fear  the  Lord  from  my  youth." 
Ahab  and  his  fellow-idolaters  had  much  to 
contend  against  ere  Obadiah  could  be  perverted. 
The  earliest  impressions  are  commonly  the 
most  lasting.  Principles  firmly  rooted  in  child- 
hood, or  early  youth,  will  be  torn  up  by  no 
ordinary  tempest,  and  may  even  withstand  the 
violence  of  an  extraordinary  storm. — Ibid. 


GEHAZI. 

I.  His  Ruling  Passion. 

[18506]  The  greed  of  gold  gained  a  momen- 
tum which  made  it  the  ruling  passion  of  his 
breast.  It  was  through  the  avenue  of  his  eager 
eyes  that  the  fires  of  avarice  had  flashed  on  the 
powder  magazine  of  his  heart.  Present  as  he 
had  been  when  the  restored  Naaman  came  back 
with  gratefiil  heart  from  Jordan,  the  prophet's 
servant  had  beheld  with  longing  gaze  the  gift 
which  the  Syrian  captain  spread  out  before  his 
master.  The  sight  of  that  foreign  wealth  and 
splendour  was  a  spark  kindling  the  fires  of  hell 
in  his  bosom. — Rev.  C.  Cheney,  D.D. 

[18507]  It  is  evident  that  covetousness  lay  at 
the  foundation  of  it  all  ;  that  lust  of  gain,  which, 
in  one  aspect  of  it,  as  indicating  a  sinful  distrust 
of  God,  is  spoken  of  in  Scripture  as  infidelity, 
and  in  another  aspect  of  it,  as  revealing  an 
undue  dependence  on  created  things  and  an 
utter  overvaluing  of  them,  is  characterized  as 
idolatry,  and,  on  account  of  the  many  forms  of 
iniquity  and  of  human  wretchedness  of  which 
it  is  directly  and  indirectly  the  prolific  cause,  is 
strongly  represented  by  an  apostle  as  "the  root 
of  all  evil." — Rev.  A.  Thomson. 


II.  His  Downward  Steps. 

[18508]  Had  he  gone  like  a  wretched  mendi- 
cant on  the  retreating  path  of  the  Syrian,  had 
he  honestly  told  him  that  he  longed  for  the 
money  which  Elisha  had  refused,  had  he  begged 
with  the  whining  appeal  of  sycophantic  penury 
for  the  gifts  of  the  grateful  warrior,  he  might 
have  only  made  himself  an  object  of  contempt. 
But  when,  to  gain  his  purpose,  he  employs  a 
deliberate  lie,  he  graves  his  own  name  deep  in 
the  tablets  of  imperishable  infamy. — Rev.  C. 
Cheney,  D.D. 

[18509]  Behold  the  foul  and  varied  progeny 
of  this  man's  reigning  avarice  !  There  was  the 
deliberate  and  plausibly  constructed  falsehood 
told  to  Naaman,  speedily  invented,  and  leading 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  no  novice  in  de- 
ception, but  that  long  practice  had  given  him 
promptitude  and  skill  in  the  black  art  of  lying. 
Then  there  was  the  act  of  theft  from  which  his 
hardened  heart  did  not  shrink,  even  when  the 
magnanimous  gratitude  of  Naaman  gave  him 
double  what  his  rapacious  heart  had  asked,  and 
made  his  own  servants  the  bearers  of  his  guilty 
booty  to  the  secret  place.  Next,  there  was  the 
base  unfaithfulness  to  his  kind  master  Elisha, 
whose  heart  had  unsuspectingly  confided  in 
him  for  so  many  years.  And,  last  of  all,  and 
in  some  respects  also  worst  of  all,  there  was  the 
treachery  to  the  cause  of  true  religion  which  the 
act  expressed — the  readiness,  for  the  sake  of 
securing  his  own  selfish  ends,  to  "lay  its  honour 
in  the  dust,"  by  taking  away  from  Naaman's 
miraculous    cure    its   character   of   generosity, 


18509—18515! 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   EKA. 


337 
[gehazi. 


throwing  an  air  of  selfishness  around  the  deed 
of  mercy,  and  doing  wliat  he  could  to  disturb, 
and  even  to  obliterate,  the  favourable  impres- 
sions which  had  been  made  upon  the  Syrian's 
mind.  With  what  peculiar  aggravations  of  sin 
does  the  man's  conduct  stand  out  befi)re  us 
when  looked  at  in  these  sober  lights  ! — Rev.  A. 
Thomson. 

[185 10]  The  spider's  web  that  glistens  in  the 
morning  sun,  with  flashing  diamonds  of  the  dew, 
is  not  more  artfully  contrived  for  the  very  pur- 
pose of  entrapping  yonder  buzzing  fly,  than  was 
this  falsehood  of  Gehazi's  to  deceive  the  Syrian. 
Here  was  no  mis-statement  in  the  heat  of  wUd 
excitement.  You  cannot  mistake  this  carefully 
woven  web  of  falsehood  for  the  exaggeration  of 
a  perturbed  but  honest  mind.  For  such,  all 
charity.  But  such  was  not  this  fictitious  story 
which  the  servant  of  Elisha  told  of  his  master's 
visitors  from  Mount  Ephraim.  It  was  as  tho- 
roughly planned  as  a  general  plans  a  campaign, 
or  a  master  of  the  art  plans  his  moves  upon  a 
chess-board.  And  when  love  of  money  leads 
to  lying,  when  covetousness  employs  falsehood 
as  its  agent,  the  untruths  are  always  deliberate 
and  cold-blooded.  They  have  not  the  excuse 
of  the  angry  slander,  the  excited  exaggeration. 
They  are  inexcusable  because  deliberately  woven 
to  compass  a  selfish  end. — Rev.  C.  Cheney,  D.D. 


III.  His  Bitter  Punishment. 

1  It  v^ras  extensive. 

[18511]  It  took  in  the  whole  of  his  family — 
his  seed  was  to  inherit  the  bitter  reproach  : 
unclean,  unclean  !  How  difterent  his  expecta- 
tions !  He  thought,  with  his  suddenly  gained 
possessions,  he  could  become  master,  instead  of 
servant  ;  be  rich,  instead  of  poor  ;  his  children 
would  inherit  those  riches  after  him,  but  the  only 
possessions  he  now  could  leave  them  would  not 
be  oliveyards  and  vineyards,  but  the  spots  of  his 
leprosy.  Behold  the  reward  of  falsehood  and 
deceit.  Their  heir-loom  handed  down  to  his 
posterity  was  leprosy. — Rev.  H.  Macdonald. 

2  It  was  intensive. 

[185 1 2]  He  was  shut  out  from  privilege. 
Willi  a  brand,  deep  and  dark,  he  was  shut  out 
from  the  tabernacle  of  his  childhood.  His 
friends  forsake  him,  and  on  his  brow  is  indelibly 
printed  the  mark  and  stigma  of  his  fraud. — 
Ibid. 


3       It  was  immediate. 

[18513]  It  did  not  gradually  creep  over  him, 
with  all  the  attendant  symptoms,  but  all  at  once, 
his  sin  was  punished.  A  miracle  was  necessary, 
to  add  solemnity  to  the  judgment,  and  intensity 
to  the  guilt,  of  the  act  which  caused  it.  He 
went  out  from  the  presence  of  the  master  he 
deceived,  "  a  leper  as  white  as  snow." — Ibid. 

VOL.    VI. 


IV.  The  Moral  from  the  History. 

1  The  history  of  Gehazi's  covetousness 
affords  an  illustration  of  the  fact  that 
this  sin,  if  committed,  is  the  germ  of 
others  greater  than  itself. 

[185 14]  This,  indeed,  is  generally  true  of  all 
sin,  the  different  forms  of  which  are  frequently 
found  linked  together  as  by  a  chain,  but  covet- 
ousness is  specially  productive  of  the  accursed 
fruit  of  further  and  greater  transgression.  In 
the  case  of  Gehazi,  covetousness  led  to  falsehood 
and  to  theft,  for  Naaman  gave,  as  he  thought, 
to  Elisha  that  which  Gehazi  took  for  himself. 
Covetousness  always  tends  towards  cruelty  and 
injustice,  at  the  least  ;  so  that  it  has  been  truly 
remarked  that  "we  cannot  covet  for  ourselves 
without  being  unjust  to  others,  if  not  directly 
cruel."  The  covetousness  of  David  led  to  adul- 
tery and  murder  ;  that  of  Ahab  to  the  thett  of 
Naboth's  vineyard  and  his  cruel  death,  together 
with  falsehood  and  false  witness  by  the  way  ; 
and  that  of  Judas  to  the  crucifixion  of  the  Lord 
of  glory.  What  could  better  illustrate  the 
awful  nature  of  the  sin  of  covetousness,  or  its 
fertility  in  producing  other  sins  ?  It  exercises, 
too,  a  fearfully  hardening  power,  so  that  the 
heart  of  him  who  indulges  covetous  desires 
becomes  at  last  like  the  nether  millstone,  insen- 
sible to  all  appeals  made  to  it  for  feeling. — M.J. 

2  The  history  of  Gehazi's  covetousness 
strikingly  illustrates  the  profit  and  loss 
of  a  selfish  policy. 

[18515]  Gehazi,  for  a  time  at  least,  unques- 
tionably thought  lying  paid.  It  is  a  peculiarity 
of  fraud  and  overreaching,  and  the  whole  class 
of  sins  of  dishonesty,  that  inordinate  vanity  is 
their  inseparable  accompaniment.  Such  men 
regard  themselves  as  so  much  sharper  and 
shrewder  than  others  are,  that  they  can  venture 
where  other  men  turn  back.  To  judge  of  this 
question  we  must  follow  the  lie  down  to  its 
ultimate  issue.  Did  it  pay  in  Gehazi's  case? 
He  certainly  did  succeed.  How  he  must  have 
laughed  in  his  sleeve  at  this  credulous  Syrian 
who  believed  his  ridiculous  story  !  How  he 
must  have  felt  the  contemptuous  pity  of  con- 
scious superiority  over  Elisha,  as  he  came  back 
loaded  with  his  treasure  to  the  home  of  his 
master  !  Ah,  Gehazi,  does  it  pay  ?  Hold  the 
quivering  balance  in  thy  hand.  On  the  one  side 
are  the  gorgeous  robes  of  Syrian  silk,  the  talents 
of  silver,  the  coins  of  gold.  How  the  scale 
sinks  beneath  their  ponderous  weight  !  And 
what  on  the  other  side  "i  A  lie,  deliberately 
planned  and  skilfully  told.  A  few  pangs  of 
conscience  crushed.  A  little  momentary  dread 
of  discovery  and  exposure.  But  these,  out- 
weighed by  triumph  and  success,  are  but  the 
dust  of  the  balance.  Wait,  Gehazi.  Thou  hast 
not  yet  placed  in  that  scale  all  it  will  bear.  Go 
in  and  stand  before  thy  master.  Hear  his 
question,  "Whence  comest  thou,  Gehazi?" 
There  is  another  lie  to  be  added—"  Thy  servant 
went  no  whither."  In  that  piercing  eye  dost 
thou  not  read  detection  ?  Add  to  that  scale, 
23 


338 

i8si5- 


-18519] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[naaman. 


that  seemed  at  first  so  light,  shame,  terror,  and 
confusion.  And  then,  oh,  what  is  all  that  thou 
hast  gained  ?  Go  out  from  thy  master's  presence 
"  a  leper  as  white  as  snow." — Rev.  C.  Cheney, 
D.D. 


V.  Lessons  Taught  by  the  Contrast 
Presented  between  the  Conduct 
OF  THE  Little  Maid  and  Gehazi. 

[18516]  In  the  beginning  of  this  chapter 
(2  Kings  V.)  we  have  an  account  of  the  little 
maid  who  waited  on  Naaman's  wife  ;  humble 
and  modest  as  she  was,  she  has  a  conspicuous 
place  in  a  story  of  no  common  interest.  At  the 
end  of  this  chapter  we  have  a  very  different 
character  presented  to  us  —  an  unprincipled 
servant,  a  practised  liar  and  cheat,  apparently, 
living  in  the  house  of  a  prophet.  So  strangely 
do  we  find  good  and  evil  scattered  up  and  down 
the  world, — light  shining  amid  thick  darkness 
in  one  place,  and  fair  scenes,  elsewhere,  defaced 
by  dark,  foul  spots  of  crime, — trees  of  righteous- 
ness here  and  there  shooting  up  and  bearing 
choice  fruit  in  soil  that  looks  like  a  desert,  and 
precious  seed  and  hard  toil  all  wasted  on  some 
favoured  spot,  hard  by,  where  everything  gave 
promise  of  a  harvest.  One  shall  dwell  amidst 
idols  and  idolaters, — shall  be  the  member  of  a 
household  where  the  language  of  piety  is  never 
spoken, — shall  have  for  his  daily  companions 
some  who  are  servants  of  the  Wicked  One,  and 
who  make  no  secret  of  their  servitude  ;  and  lo  ! 
he  lives  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  pursues  his 
own  Christian  course  undfsmayed  by  threats  or 
taunts.  Another  shall  grow  up  where  God  is 
honoured,  and  life  and  its  duties  are  regarded 
in  the  light  of  eternity,  and  many  helps  are 
found  for  learning  what  the  gospel  teaches,  and 
and  doing  all  that  it  requires  ;  and  the  task  is 
learnt,  it  may  be,  and  the  burden  borne,  till  the 
day  of  freedom  comes,  and  then  the  prodigal 
breaks  loose,  and  rushes  on  madly  to  his  ruin. 
— Rev.  y.  Curney. 


VL  Special  Application   to   Our   Own 
Day. 

[18517]  When  Gehazi  returned  to  the  house, 
and  hid  his  treasure  in  some  private  place,  he  was 
the  richer  and  the  happier,  and  none  were  the 
poorer ;  but  it  was  a  wicked  fraud,  notwith- 
standing, and  God  marked  it  by  a  signal 
punishment.  Events  of  this  sort  anticipate 
the  judgment-day.  Gehazi,  white  with  leprosy, 
is  as  sure  a  proof  of  God's  estimate  of  the  trans- 
action as  if  we  had  seen  the  man  doomed  to 
perdition.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  men  read  these 
narratives  in  their  Bibles,  and  hear  them 
preached  upon  in  church,  and  go  home  and 
tell  lies,  and  plan  frauds,  and  gather  spoil,  ex- 
cusing themselves  all  the  while  by  saying  that 
none  are  harmed  by  their  dishonesty.  To  such 
persons  a  tale  like  this  is  a  message  of  warning 
and  rebuke,  of  which  conscience  will  remind 
them  in  after  days,  and  sting  them  like  an  adder 


if  they  go  back  to  their  sin.  It  is  as  if  the  fi  iger 
of  God  wrote  words  like  these  upon  your  walls 
in  characters  of  fire  :  "  A  lie  is  a  lie,  come  of  it 
what  may  ;  fraud  is  fraud,  be  the  loser  who  he 
may  ;  and  against  all  who  lie  and  steal  atiyhow, 
anywhere,  in  any  measure,  for  any  purpose.  My 
law  abideth  sure,  and  cannot  be  changed  or 
broken."— /^/V?'. 


NAAMAN. ' 

I.  His  Personal  Qualities. 

[185 1 8]  The  man  here  spoken  of  was  every 
inch  a  soldier  ;  energetic,  vehement,  fiery,  yet 
manly,  generous,  and  candid.  His  whole  con- 
duct and  bearing  are  in  keeping  with  the  open- 
ing words  of  the  narrative,  "  He  was  a  mighty 
man  in  valour."  This  phrase,  indeed,  gives  us 
the  key-note  of  his  life,  and  reveals  the  founda- 
tion of  all  his  greatness.  It  implies  far  more 
than  the  possession  of  mere  animal  courage, 
than  which  few  things  are  more  common.  It 
speaks  of  the  possession  of  wisdom,  forethought, 
ingenuity,  energy,  decision,  versatility,  and  all 
the  other  high  qualities  which  are  blended  in 
the  character  of  a  great  general.  Of  these, 
courage  is  only  one,  indispensable,  no  doubt, 
and  perhaps  fundamental,  but  if  alone,  positively 
injurious.  A  foolhardy  man  is  of  necessity  a 
weak  man,  weak  for  want  of  wisdom.  His 
courage  too  often  leads  him  blindfold  to  destruc- 
tion ;  he  can  never  be  "  a  mighty  man  in  valour." 
Naaman  was  of  another  sort  ;  he  was  wise  as 
well  as  brave,  cautious  as  well  as  energetic, 
and  the  circumstances  of  his  country  gave  him 
abundant  opportunity  for  the  display  of  his  mili- 
tary genius.  In  the  wars  against  the  Assyrians 
and  Israelites  he  succeeded  as  no  other  had 
done  before  him,  and  on  a  small  scale  might 
be  called  an  earlier  Cyrus.  It  is  perhaps  pos- 
sible that  this  man  may  have  risen  from  the 
ranks,  for  such  advancement,  though  rare  in 
these  early  days,  was  not  unknown  ;  and  if  such 
were  the  case,  we  can  easily  conceive  how  by 
dint  of  hard  work  and  self-denial  he  fought  his 
way  up,  step  by  step,  till  at  last  he  reached  the 
proud  eminence  on  which  we  find  him,  "the 
captain  of  the  host  of  the  king  of  Syria."  But 
whether  or  not  this  was  the  case,  certain  we  are, 
that  it  must  have  been  by  diligence,  capacity,  and 
bravery,  through  many  conflicts  and  dangers, 
and  much  opposition,  that  he  rose  to  this  high 
place.  He  succeeded  in  life  because  he  pos- 
sessed those  personal  qualities  which  deserved 
success. — A.  Mackay. 

II.  His  Mistaken  Views. 

[18519]  We  must  imagine  Naaman  hastening 
with  eager  promptitude  across  the  Lebanon, 
into  the  land  whither  a  new  hope  beckons  him. 
He  travels  in  his  chariot  in  a  style  appropriate 
to   one  who   stands   nearest    in   authority  and 


18519—18525] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


339 


[naaman. 


dignity  to  the  Syrian  throne,  with  a  numerous 
retinue  of  attendants,  with  talents  of  silver  and 
pieces  of  gold  equal  in  value  to  many  thousand 
pounds  of  our  money,  and  with  many  changes 
of  those  rich  festal  garments  which  formed  so 
much  of  the  wealth  of  the  East  ;  and  all  this 
with  the  evident  design,  should  the  attempt  to 
cure  him  succeed, of  bestowing  upon  his  deliverer 
a  princely  reward.  The  vine-covered  hills  of 
Samaria  and  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Jordan, 
which  had  more  than  once  been  the  scene  of 
his  military  forays,  open  peacefully  before  him, 
and  seem  to  invite  him  onward.  But  why  do 
his  servants  direct  his  chariot  to  the  cottage  of 
the  prophet  1  He  appears  to  have  supposed 
with  his  royal  master,  that  while  Elisha  was  to 
administer  the  cure,  he  must,  like  the  enchanters 
and  necromancers  of  his  o<vn  country,  be  entirely 
under  the  king's  authority,  and  that  the  best 
way,  therefore,  to  secure  his  interposition,  was 
first  to  obtain  the  king's  favour.  It  is  an  instance 
of  the  stupidity  with  which  men,  untaught  by 
Divine  revelation,  often  conceive  on  religious 
subjects.  He  did  not  know  as  yet,  that,  in 
matters  of  a  spiritual  kind,  Elisha  acknowledged 
no  master  but  God, — that  this  was  a  province 
into  which  Jehoram  must  not  dare  to  pass,  and 
that  it  would  be  easier  and  safer  to  go  into  the 
thunder-cloud  and  command  the  lightning  where 
to  strike,  than  to  intrude  within  the  sacred  circle 
where  the  prophet  of  Jehovah  exercised  his  great 
and  awful  prerogative. — Rev.  A.  Thomas,  D.  D. 

[18520]  Naaman  was  a  great  man  and  honour- 
able, but  he  was  a  leper.  Taught  by  the  little 
captive  maid,  he  came  far  to  seek  a  cure.  But 
when  close  at  hand  he  nearly  missed  it.  First 
he  went  to  the  wrong  door.  He  brought  the 
letter  of  the  king  of  Syria  to  the  king  of  Israel. 
But  the  king  could  give  him  no  help.  He  could 
but  rend  his  clothes  and  declare  his  inability  to 
do  aught  that  the  king  of  Syria  desired.  By 
and  by  Elisha  hears  of  it.  He  sends  for  the 
Syrian,  and  promises  a  cure.  But  now  we  see 
Naaman  failing  again.  He  goes  now  to  the 
right  door,  but  he  goes  in  the  wrong  spirit. 
With  horses  and  chariot,  as  a  great  captain,  he 
stood  by  Elisha's  door,  and  looked  for  much 
honour  to  have  been  shown  him.  He  had  his 
own  ideas  of  the  way  in  which  the  cure  was  to 
be  effected. — Rev.  G.  Everard. 

[1852 1]  See  Naaman  as  he  whirls  along  over 
the  plain  of  Damascus.  Is  he  not  bravely 
equipped  for  his  errand  ?  Surely  he  is  far  more 
likely  to  succeed  in  this  expedition  than  in  any 
other  which  has  led  him  from  home.  Let  us 
sum  up  the  items  on  which  he  depends  for 
success.  He  has  got  a  letter  in  his  hand  to 
command  the  cure  ;  money  in  his  purse  to  buy 
the  cure  ;  aud  a  splendid  retmue  around  him 
to  patronise  the  cure.  That  is  to  say  we  have 
here  man's  will,  man's  purse,  man's  pride,  all 
working  together  to  obtain  a  certain  end — cure 
for  this  captain's  leprosy.  Or  inasmuch  as  this 
cure  is  above  all,  Divine,  we  have  here  man's 
authority,  man's  resources,  man's  magnificence, 


all  employed  to  obtain  God's  salvation.  These 
are  the  means  man  devises  to  attain  the  desired 
benefit.  What  is  their  character  ?  They  are 
utterly  useless,  useless  each,  useless  all.  One 
fatal  word  shows  that  this  is  the  case,  viz.,  God. 
These  would  all  be  useful  and  profitable  if  the 
cure  were  man's,  if  it  were  the  result  of  his 
skill  and  wisdom  and  power,  the  expression  of 
his  goodwill.  But  they  are  all  useless,  if  the 
cure  is  God's  ;  if  it  is  the  gift  of  His  wisdom 
and  power  and  love.  Surely  this  is  self-evident. 
No  creature  can  buy  or  sell,  command  or  re- 
strain, honour  or  dishonour,  the  gift  of  God. — 
A.  Mackay. 

[18522]  Naaman  comes  to  God's  prophet  as 
a  man  of  great  consequence,  and  wants  to  be 
treated  as  such.  He  thinks  a  great  deal  of  him- 
self, and  wishes  Elisha  to  do  the  same.  He 
wishes  to  be  dealt  with  as  a  great  man  who 
happened  to  be  a  leper,  not  as  a  leper  who  . 
happened  to  be  a  great  man.  He  comes  as 
somebody,  not  as  anybody.  His  greatness, 
dignity,  riches,  influence,  importance,  bulk  most 
largely  in  his  thoughts  ;  he  forgets  his  misery, 
loatlisomeness, helplessness, dependence.  Hencv'". 
his  rage,  and  rejection  of  God's  plan  of  recovery. 
—Ibid. 

[18523]  The  fundamental  mistake  of  Ben- 
hadad  and  Naaman  lay  in  ignorance  of  the 
nature  of  the  disease  that  had  to  be  dealt  with. 
They  knew  not  that  it  needed  the  hand  of  God 
Almighty,  and  that  man,  with  all  his  skill,  was 
unable  to  touch  it.  Even  so  the  fundamental 
evil  of  errorists  of  every  hue  is  ignorance  of  the 
nature  of  that  disease  of  sin  with  which  they 
are  afflicted.     God  alone  can  remove  it. — Ibid. 

[18524]  It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  Naaman 
would  return  to  his  chariot,  and  resume  his 
journey  with  more  of  buoyant  expectation  than 
ever ;  for  he  must  have  noticed  that  the 
prophet's  words  not  only  contained  an  invita- 
tion to  come  to  him,  but  seemed  to  hold  out 
no  uncertain  promise  of  a  cure.  There  was 
evidently,  however,  not  a  little  in  the  state  of 
his  mind,  as  well  as  of  his  body,  that  needed  to 
be  corrected  and  healed.  He  counted  much  on 
the  influence  of  the  rewards  which  he  brought 
with  him,  and  still  more  perhaps  on  the  imposing 
effect  of  his  rank,  and  style,  and  retinue,  and 
and  expected  that,' as  he  came  up  "with  his 
horses  and  with  his  chariot "  to  the  humble  gate 
of  the  prophet,  he,  the  great  Syrian  lord,  would 
be  welcomed  with  no  small  show  of  deference. 
— Rev.  A.  Thomas,  D.D. 

III.   His  Discipline. 

[18525]  He  had  expected  that  the  prophet 
would  at  once  come  out  to  him,  and  by  a  word 
and  a  movement  of  his  hand  the  leprosy  would 
be  removed.  But  in  this  again  he  receives  a 
rude  shock.  A  servant,  not  the  prophet,  comes 
to  speak  with  him.  Nor  was  the  message  one 
to   his   taste.      It  was   a   very  humbling  one. 


34° 

18525— 18532] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[naaman. 


Naaman  must  lay  aside  his  state  and  grandeur ; 
he  must  leave  his  robes  behind,  and  come  forth 
from  his  chariot,  and  go  and  wash  seven  times 
in  the  Jordan. — Rev.  G.  Everard. 

[18526]  What  a  contradiction  must  it  have 
been  to  his  expectation,  what  a  mortification  to 
his  pride,  what  a  revulsion  to  everything  that 
was  heathen  and  even  human  within  him,  when 
there  was  no  flutter  or  excitement  whatever  at 
his  approach  —  no  attempt  to  meet  his  "pomp 
and  circumstance"  after  its  own  fashion — when 
even  the  prophet  himself  did  not  come  forth  to 
receive  him,  but,  remaining  within  the  recesses 
of  his  chamber,  sent  out  a  solitary  messenger 
to  him  with  this  strange  message,  "  Go  and 
wash  in  Jordan  seven  times,  and  thy  flesh  shall 
come  again  to  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  clean ! " 
—Ibid. 

[18527]  Had  the  cure  been  performed  in  the 
manner  in  which  Naaman  anticipated  that  it 
would  be  done,  by  the  prophet's  coming  out  to 
him,  and  with  many  mystic  signs  and  incanta- 
tions, and  the  moving  of  his  hands  up  and  down 
over  the  more  diseased  parts  of  his  body  after  the 
manner  of  the  magicians  of  his  own  country', 
he  would  have  been  in  some  danger  of  regard- 
ing Elisha  as  only  a  more  skilful  and  dexterous 
magician  than  they,  and  the  simple  working  of 
the  power  of  God,  without  any  interposing  sign 
or  human  manipulation,  would  not  have  been 
made  to  stand  out  in  such  distinct  prominence. 
—Ibid. 

[18528]  I  conceive  that  the  ends  contemplated 
by  the  prophet  were  turther  served,  by  the  fact 
that  Naaman  was  directed  to  "  go  and  wash  in 
Jordan."  For  unquestionably  it  was  true  that 
Abana  and  Pharpar,  those  beautiful  streams 
flowing  from  the  northern  sides  of  Hermon, 
which  irrigated  the  orchards  and  gardens  of 
Damascus,  were  in  themselves  far  more  pure 
and  salubrious  than  the  Jordan  ;  and  when  iis 
waters  were  turned  into  the  sign  and  instrument 
of  healing,  it  would  induce  him  all  the  more 
readily  to  connect  the  cure  with  no  particular 
medicinal  virtue  in  itself,  but  with  the  power  of 
God  working  in  it. — Ibid. 

[18529]  Mark  how  Elisha  deals  with  Naaman. 
The  great  man  and  honourable  stands  at  Elisha's 
door.  Elisha  does  not  condescend  to  come  out 
to  him.  but  merely  sends  him  out  a  message. 
His  greatness  and  his  "  price,"  and  all  that  of 
which  nature  boasts,  is  completely  set  aside. 
There  can  be  no  ''  price"  nor  consideration  of  any 
kind  here.  "  Without  money,  without  price  ; "  and 
therefore  the  great  man  must  be  a  humble  suitor 
at  the  door  of  mercy,  and  learn  this  thoroughly. 
He  stands  outside,  and  has  to  learn  that  he  has 
no  claim  whatever  upon  Elisha  or  his  grace 
beyond  that  of  a  poor  leper.  This  is  the  "  old 
old  story  " — the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  and 
here  it  shines  forth  in  beauteous  characters. 
And  what  is  Elisha's  message?  "Go  and  wash 
in  Jordan  seven  times,  and  thy  flesh  shall  come 
again  to  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  clean."      How 


simple,  how  plain !  Then  what  am  I  to  do  with 
the  £,l,^oo  and  the  raiment  ?  Has  it  no  value  .? 
None  whatever  in  the  eyes  of  Elisha.  None 
whatever  before  God.  Take  it  back  with  thee 
as  the  dregs  of  the  sinner's  ri^^hteousness,  and 
learn  that  all  thou  art  to  receive,  all  that  is  to 
set  thee  free  from  sin  and  death  and  make  thee 
a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus,  is  of  the  free 
sovereign  grace  of  God. — Rev.  F.  IVIiitJield. 

IV.  His  Cle.^nsing. 

1  Physical. 

[18530]  In  all  likelihood  he  expected  that  his 
recovery  would  be  gradual,  and  that  he  would 
be  made  gratefully  conscious  of  its  progress,  as 
he  plunged  on  the  seven  appointed  times  into 
the  surging  waves.  But  on  six  occasions  he  has 
already  complied  with  the  prophet's  words,  and 
each  time  has  risen  to  the  surface  before  his 
anxious  and  breathless  attendants  on  the  river's 
brink,  sadly  conscious  that  as  yet  there  is  no 
change,  and  with  his  leprosy  still  clinging  to 
him  like  a  Nessus  robe.  With  palpitating  heart, 
he  goes  down  the  seventh  time  and  is  covered 
with  the  waters,  and  now  he  feels  the  sudden 
passage  of  a  new  life  through  his  whole  frame. 
He  is  "changed  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,"  "  his  flesh  comes  again  to  him  like 
the  flesh  of  a  little  child,"  and  he  leaps  forth 
upon  the  greensward  with  more  than  the  glad 
buoyancy  of  youth,  a  leper  no  more! — Rev. 
A.  Thomas,  D.D. 

[18531]  See  the  grand  result.  Six  times  the 
great  captain  plunged  beneath  the  flowing 
waters,  while  his  retainers  gazed  from  the  bank 
with  deepest  solicitude.  Six  times,  and  still  no 
change.  The  dread  disease  still  asserts  its 
mastery  and  shows  its  loathsome  signs.  For 
the  seventh  time  he  sinks  beneath  the  wave,  he 
emerges,  and  lo !  his  flesh  has  become  like  that 
of  a  little  child.  He  comes  up  from  that  dark 
flood  with  buoyant  step  and  thankful  heart,  a 
new  man,  as  if  born  again.  The  astonished 
soldiers  gaze  upon  their  master  ;  no  spot  of 
disease  remains.  The  Divine  promise  is  ful- 
filled.—^. Mackay. 

2  Spiritual. 

[18532]  His  body  had  not  alone  been  the 
subject  of  a  blessed  change  ;  he  had,  almost  at 
the  same  moment,  parted  for  ever  with  his 
idolatry.  It  is  astonishing  how  rapidly  the 
mind  works  at  certain  great  crises  of  its  history. 
We  live  an  age  in  an  hour.  He  compared  the 
utter  impotence  of  the  false  gods  with  the  om- 
nipotence of  the  God  of  Israel,  as  it  had  now  been 
so  signally  put  forth  in  his  behalf;  he  thought 
with  glowing  gratitude  of  the  free,  unbought, 
sovereign  mercy  of  this  God  which  had  visited 
him,  a  stranger  and  an  idolater,  with  so  great  a 
deliverance  ;  and  he  returned  from  the  river's 
bank  to  the  prophet's  gate  the  rejoicing  subject 
of  two  blessed  transformations,  to  declare  his 
eternal  and  unqualified  renunciation  of  all  the 
"lying  vanities"  of  heathenism,  to  avow  his  be- 


18532-18537] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    EKA. 


[naaman. 


lief  that  the  God  of  Israel  was  the  only  living 
and  true  God  who  made  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  and  to  bind  himself  by  the  most  solemn 
vows  to  His  service  and  worship  for  ever. — 
Rev.  A.  Tlu)inas,  D.D. 

[1S533]  He  witnessed  a  good  confession.  He 
added  to  his  faith  virtue.  The  confession  was 
public,  clear,  and  outspoken.  He  wishes  ail  to 
hear  and  know;  not  only  Elisha  and  his  house- 
hold, but  also  his  own  retainers.  He  will  have 
no  man  in  doubt  as  to  his  opinions.  He  knows 
the  true  God,  he  loves  Him,  and  therefore  he 
must  speak  His  praise  in  words  that  no  one  can 
mistake  :  "  Behold  now  I  know  that  there  is  no 
God  in  all  the  earth  but  in  Israel."  How  strong 
and  sweeping  is  the  statement  !  What  an  utter 
overturning  of  all  the  beliefs  which  up  to  that 
time  he  had  cherished  !  Is  he  not  a  new  man 
in  soul  as  well  as  body  ?  Is  he  not  bravely 
taking  his  side.^*  What  has  led  Naaman  to  this 
conviction,  so  sure  that  he  must  proclaim  it 
from  the  housetop  ?  The  fact  that  he  has  ex- 
perienced God's  saving  power. — A.  Mackay. 

[18534]  Observe  the  fruits  of  the  new  nature 
here,  in  their  order.  First,  Naaman  stands 
with  all  his  company  before  Elisha.  It  is  not 
now  the  proud  and  haughty  Naaman,  but  the 
subdued  and  humbled  one.  Here  is  the  first- 
fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  character.  He 
was  humble  because  he  was  washed.  Secondly, 
he  makes  a  goodly  confession  of  the  one  and 
only  (iod.  He  had  learnt  the  true  God  through 
the  virtue  of  His  grace  exerted  on  himself — ■ 
through  the  health  and  salvation  he  had  received 
from  Him.  This  is  the  only  way  the  soul  can 
ever  learn  Him.  Known  in  every  other,  apart 
from  this,  God  is  slill  "  the  unknown  God." 
Thirdly,  he  presses  his  gifts  upon  Elisha,  not 
now  to  purchase  the  healing,  but  because  he 
has  been  healed.  He  has  been  forgiven  much, 
therefore  he  loves  much.  Fourthly,  he  "will 
henceforth  know  no  other  God."  To  this  end 
he  seeks  materials  to  raise  an  altar  to  the  true 
God.  He  is  going  back  to  Syria,  but  even  there 
this  God  must  be  his  God.  And  fifthly,  he  has 
now  a  renewed  conscience,  quick  and  sensitive 
about  any,  even  apparent,  departure  from  the 
God  who  had  so  blessed  him.  He  dreads  the 
appearance  of  what  is  wrong,  lest  it  should  give 
the  slightest  colouring  in  any  wise  as  a  return 
to  the  worship  and  ways  of  Rimmon,  his  former 
god  in  Syria. — Rev.  F.  Whitfield. 

V.  Typical  Character  of  his  History. 

In  his  disease,  his  demeanour,  and  the  method 
of  his  cure,  he  was  a  striking  type  of  the 
sinner,  the    rebellion  of  the    natural   man 
against     God's    remedy    for    sin,   and    the 
Divine  plan  of  salvation. 
[18535]  Leprosy  is  God's  one  great  disease  in 
the  Bible  to  represent  sin.     It  meant  exclusion 
from  the  camp  and  distance  from    our   fellow- 
men.    Hideous  and  revolting  in  itself  it  poisoned 
the  springs  of  man's  existence.     It  threw  a  pall 
over  everythmg.      Moses,  speaking  of  Miriam 


afflicted  with  this  disease,  says,  "Let  her  not  be 
as  one  dead:''  Historians  tell  us,  that  where  it 
existed  in  early  days  it  was  customary  to  cast 
earth  upon  the  person,  and  read  over  him 
prayers  for  the  dead,  as  in  our  burial  service, 
previous  to  his  utter  exclusion  from  among  men. 
Hence  it  strikingly  represents  that  sin  which  is 
in  man,  and,  in  the  absence  of  everything  else, 
is  the  terrible  "but"  which  mars  and  spoils  the 
fairest  earthly  picture.  Like  man  by  nature 
Naaman  carried  within  him  that  disease  which 
none  but  God  could  heal. — Ibid. 

[18536]  But  it  is  impossible  not  to  see,  in  all 
the  unreasoning  and  resentful  dislike  of  Naaman 
to  the  cure  prescribed  for  him  by  Elisha,  a  vivid 
representation  of  the  opposition  of  the  natural 
mind  to  the  Divine  method  of  deliverance  from 
the  guilt  and  dominion  of  sin.  And  it  is  all  the 
more  proper  that  we  should  trace  this  resem- 
blance, since  leprosy  under  the  Old  Testament 
was  avowedly  typical  of  the  disease  of  sin  and 
of  its  consequences.  How  averse  are  men  to 
believe  in  the  simplicity  and  absolute  frceness 
of  the  Divine  plan  for  recovering  sinners  to 
God!  It  so  humbles  their  pride  and  contra- 
dicts all  their  preconceived  notions  of  what 
should  have  been.  This  "offence  of  the  cross" 
has  never  ceased.  Men  would  prefer  some 
royal  road  to  heaven,  in  which  tliey  should  not 
be  regarded  and  treated  simply  as  sinners,  but 
which  should  leave  them  somewhat  still  in  which 
to  glory.  That  rebellious  and  presumptuous 
"  I  thought."  the  very  germ  of  all  rationalism, 
which  would  always  be  telling  God  in  what 
manner  He  is  to  save  men,  is  the  resisting 
power  that  has  shut  the  gate  of  heaven  against 
countless  thousands. — Rev.  A.  Thomas,  D.D. 

VI.  Questions  Raised. 

I       Was    Naaman's  request  for  some  of    the 
soil  of  Canaan  superstitious  ? 

[18537]  The  wish  might  merely  be  the  ex- 
pression of  a  sentiment  which  is  strong  in 
human  nature,  and  which  is  quite  innocent  when 
kept  within  proper  bounds — the  desire  to  have 
some  object  near  us  that  may  help  to  keep  alive 
hallowed  recollections,  and  that  shall  be  as  a 
link  to  associate  our  thoughts  with  what  is 
loved  and  distant.  Naaman's  aim  was  to  have 
something  always  in  his  sight  that  would  bring 
up  Israel  and  the  prophet  and  all  the  sacred 
memories  of  this  blessed  visit,  readily  before 
his  mind.  And,  moreover,  if  the  altar  on  which 
he  henceforth  sacrificed  and  worshipped  was 
formed  of  this  earth,  it  would  serve  as  an  indi- 
cation to  his  Syrian  fellow-countrymen  that, 
while  he  was  of  the  same  nation  with  them,  yet 
in  religion  he  was  identical  with  the  worshippers 
of  the  God  of  Israel.  Was  the  feeling  unnatural 
or  blamable,  especially  in  one  whose  eyes  had 
just  opened  to  the  light,  and  whose  heart  was 
glowing  with  all  the  ardour  of  first  love?  Such 
a  sentiment  might  easily  degenerate  into  super- 
stition, but  it  was  not  necessarily  superstitious. 
—Ibid. 


342 

18538-18542I 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[NAAMAN. 


2  Was  Naaman's  request  to  be  allowed 
to  bow  himself  in  the  house  of  Rimmon 
a  compromise  with  idolatry  ? 

[18538]  In  regard  to  the  second  of  Naaman's 
requests  to  Elisha,  we  are  disposed  to  speak 
with  caution  and  diffidence  ;  at  the  same  time, 
when  we  do  not  find  the  prophet  condemning 
him,  it  will  surely  be  wisest  and  best  so  to 
understand  his  meaning  and  design  as  to  be 
able  to  add,  "  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee."  He 
had  that  day  publicly  avowed,  in  the  presence 
of  his  Syrian  servants  and  attendants,  his  un- 
qualified renunciation  of  all  idol-worship.  And 
when  he  returned  to  Damascus,  his  daily  offer- 
ings and  holy  services  would  tell  his  kmg 
and  the  whole  city  and  kingdom  that  Jehovah 
alone  was  his  God.  But  then  he  foresaw  that, 
as  the  prime  minister  of  Ben-hadad,  he  would 
be  required  to  accompany  him  into  the  temple 
of  Rimmon,  and  even  to  support  his  person 
and  accommodate  himself  to  its  motions  while 
he  worshipped  there,  and  he  wished  Elisha  to 
understand  that,  in  doing  this  unwelcome  work, 
there  would  be  no  conformity  to  idolatry  or 
complication  with  it;  he  would  simply  be  dis- 
charging a  civil  service  to  his  master,  not  offer- 
ing worship  to  Rimmon.  Still  he  was  anxious 
to  learn,  before  he  passed  from  the  prophet's 
presence,  whether    this  could  be  permitted. — 

[18539]  It  is  very  evident  that  Naaman  does 
not  ask  permission  to  worship  Rimmon,  for  he 
had  just  asserted  that  he  would  henceforth  offer 
no  sacrifice  to  any  god,  but  the  Lord.  And  we 
may  observe  that  our  translators  have  marked 
their  sense  of  the  passage  by  using  two  different 
v.ords  in  our  text  to  express  Naaman's  act  and 
his  master's  :  '.'  When  my  master  goes  to 
Avorship,  and  I  bow  myself,"  an  interpretation  of 
which  the  original  is  susceptible,  so  that  he  asks 
no  permission,  in  their  opinion,  to  worship 
Rimmon.  It  seems  that  it  was  Naaman's  duty 
to  attend  the  king  of  Syria  when  he  went  to  pay 
his  idol  homage,  and  as  the  king  leaned  upon 
him  with  his  arm  upon  his  shoulder,  and  bowed 
very  low,  he  could  not  well  avoid  bending  his 
own  body  with  the  king.  And  he  meant  to  ask 
whether,  if  he  did  this  out  of  duty  to  his  master, 
and  not  of  reverence  to  the  idol,  he  should  com- 
mit sin.  It  showed  great  tenderness  of  con- 
science in  him.  If  the  same  question  were  put 
to  us,  we  should  say  that  it  would  depend  very 
much  upon  circumstances  whether  it  would 'be 
right  or  wrong  for  Naaman  to  do  this.  If  he 
wished  to  save  himself  from  persecution  by  a 
seeming  compliance  with  the  idolatries  of  his 
country,  or  if  any  would  suppose  him  to  be  still 
an  idolater  from  that  act,  then  it  would  un- 
doubtedly be  wrong  ;  but  if  it  would  not  be  so 
taken,  nor  was  done  to  avoid  persecution,  but 
was  only  an  act  of  duty  to  his  kmg,  there 
was  no  harm  in  it.  Now  it  is  evident  that 
Naaman  meant  no  concealment  of  his  new 
faith.  He  avowed  before  all  the  company  of 
Syrians  who  were  with  him,  that  he  would 
henceforth  worship  only  Jehovah.     And  he  pro- 


bably built  an  altar  on  his  return,  and  openly 
worshipped  the  true  God,  so  that  it  would  be 
known  when  he  went  to  the  house  of  Rimmon 
that  he  was  no  idolater.  Therefore  Elisha  said 
unto  him,  "  Go  in  peace,"  that  is.  Do  as  you 
have  said,  and  you  will  not  sin. — Rev.  W.  Lewis, 
D.D. 

[18540]  It  is  evident  that  Naaman  has  a 
tender  conscience.  The  difficulties  that  will 
beset  his  path  in  the  future  begin  to  dawn  upon 
him.  It  flashes  upon  him  in  the  very  act  of  de- 
claring his  determination,  that  this  worship  of 
Jehovah  will  make  him  an  oddity  in  Damascus, 
and  that  it  will  require  much  care  and  firmness 
to  adhere  to  his  resolution.  How  quickly  is  the 
conscience  quickened  by  the  consciousness  of 
God's  love  and  the  knowledge  of  His  salvation  ! 
What  Naaman  was  wont  to  do  without  the 
slightest  scruple  he  begins  to  question.  What 
he  used  to  anticipate  with  pleasure  as  a  peculiar 
honour,  he  now  looks  forward  to  with  fear  as  a 
great  trial.  With  his  whole  soul  he  repudiates 
these  false  gods  that  heretofore  have  deluded 
him.  But  even  in  the  act  of  repudiation  he 
remembers  that  great  state  ceremonial  when  it 
was  his  place,  as  chief  favourite,  to  support  the 
king  Ben-hadad  as  he  went  to  worship  in  the 
house  of  Rimmon.  He  remembers  that  there 
he  has  to  bow  with  him  before  his  god.  Will 
there  be  anything  in  this  outward  act  incon- 
sistent with  true  allegiance  to  Jehovah  "i  Naaman 
is  in  a  difficulty,  therefore  he  puts  the  case 
before  the  prophet. — A.  Mackay. 

[18541]  Naaman  had  resolved  to  worship  no 
other  god,  but  the  Lord  :  and  as  an  open  testi- 
mony of  his  faith  in  Him,  to  build  him  an  altar 
in  Damascus  with  materials  carried  from  the 
land  of  Israel.  His  office,  however,  under  the 
king  required  his  attendance  in  the  temple  of 
Rimmon  whenever  his  master  went  thither  to 
worship  ;  and  when  the  king,  leaning  on  his 
shoulder,  should  bow  in  the  temple,  he  must  un- 
avoidably bow  with  him.  Now  he  inquires  of 
the  prophet  whether  such  an  involuntary  action 
after  he  had  given  public  proof  of  his  faith  in 
the  God  of  Israel,  would  be  matter  of  offence. 
He  seems  to  hope  it  might  be  dispensed  with, 
and  he  need  not  resign  his  office.  The  prophet 
says,  "  Go  in  peace."  Civil  respect  to  your  king 
is  not  inconsistent  with  the  worship  of  God. — 
Rev.  J.  Lathrop,  D.D. 

VII.    HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  history  of  Naaman  illustrates  the 
fact  that  that  which  men  estimate  as  their 
greatest  calamity  proves  often  to  be  their 
highest  blessing. 

[18542]  "Who  sent  his  leprosy?"  God. 
"Why  then  did  He  do  so?  why  did  He  not 
allow  this  soldier  to  enjoy  his  honours  in  health 
and  strength  ?  Was  not  this  a  taking  back  with 
one  hand  what  God  had  given  with  the 
other?  "  Nay,  friend,  nay  !  That  leprosy,  loath- 
some and  fatal  though  it  was,  was  God's  best 


18542—18547! 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


343 

[NAAMAN. 


gift  to  Naaman.  "  How  so?"  Just  because  it 
led  him  to  God.  But  for  it  Naaman  would, 
in  all  likelihood,  have  rested  content  with  the 
things  of  time,  with  his  fame  as  a  warrior,  with 
his  riches  and  rewards  as  a  conqueror,  with  that 
large  portion  of  earthly  prosperity  which  fell  to 
his  lot,  and  never  would  have  come  to  the  know- 
ledge and  possession  of  higher  and  more  en- 
during honours.  That  which  was  Naaman's 
biggest  sorrow  turned  out  to  be  God's  biggest 
blessing.  And  so  it  may  be  with  every  one  of 
us.  If  your  trials,  and  losses,  and  bereavements, 
and  sickness,  and  disappointments,  and  sorrows 
lead  you  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  you  will  bless  the 
God  that  sent  them  through  all  time  and  eternity. 
These  things  will  turn  out  to  be  your  great 
gain,  and  will  load  you  with  an  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory. — A.  Mackay. 

2  The  history  of  Naaman  illustrates  the 
truth  that  unsanctified  sorrow  hardens 
rather  than  softens  the  heart. 

[1S543]  Naaman's  heavy  trial  had  no  power 
to  subdue  his  haughty  spirit.  Sorrow  of  itself 
can  never  sanctify.  Men  may  pass  through 
God's  hottest  furnaces  and  only  come  out  harder 
than  ever.  It  is  only  when  the  Holy  Spirit  uses 
our  sorrows — when  we  put  them  into  His  hands 
to  use — that  they  will  ever  be  made  a  blessing 
to  us.  Reader,  you  have  had  trials.  God  has 
sent  them.  Have  they  been  sanctified  ?  Has 
the  haughty  spirit  been  subdued .''  Has  the 
heart  been  broken  ?  Has  the  soul  been 
humbled  ?  Has  Christ  become  more  precious.'' 
Has  the  sourness,  or  moroseness,  or  censori- 
ousness,  or  bitterness,  yielded  to  forbearance, 
compassion,  meekness,  and  sympathy  ?  What 
has  the  rod  of  the  Lord  done  for  you  1  Has  it 
left  you  as  it  found  you  ?  Then  be  sure,  if  the 
Lord  loves  you,  there  is  at  this  moment  another 
on  the  way. — Rev.  F.  Whitfield. 

3  The  history  of  Naaman  suggests  that  the 
service  of  God  consists  not  in  some  costly 
sacrifice,  but  in  daily,  unostentatious  obe- 
dience to  His  will. 

[18544]  How  common  is  the  notion  that  some 
great  thing  is  to  be  done  in  order  to  gain  the 
favouraWe  regard,  and  to  bring  down  upon  us 
the  blessing  of  Almighty  God  !  How  have 
men  laboured  for  the  glory  of  the  Creator  by 
the  erection  of  magnificent  temples  and  costly 
shrines,  by  blazing  altars  and  smoking  sacri- 
fices 1  ''  Will  the  Lord  be  pleased  with 
thousands  of  rams,  and  ten  thousand  rivers  of 
oil  ?  Shall  I  give  my  first-born  for  my  trans- 
gression, the  fruit  of  my  body  for  the  sin  of  my 
soul .'"'  And  the  question  has  been  answered, 
Prepare  the  sacrifice  and  immolate  the  victim. 
Like  Naaman  the  Syrian,  do  we  not  despise  the 
pure  waters  of  Israel  for  the  sake  of  the  mightier 
rivers  of  Damascus  .''  To  propitiate  the  favour 
of  God.  how  much  more  ready  has  man  been 
to  do  some  great  thing,  to  make  some  extra- 
ordinary effort,  than  to  submit  to  the  daily,  un- 
ostentatious labour  of  forming  just  opinions, 
cultivating   right   dispositions,  and    promoting 


the  growth  and  establishment  of  virtuous  habits. 
How  many  appear  to  think  that  they  are  never 
engaged  in  the  service  of  God,  that  they  are  never 
doing  anything  to  His  glory,  unless  they  are 
actually  tuning  their  lips  to  praise,  or  lifting 
up  their  voices  in  supplication  and  prayer. — 
T.  Madge. 

4  The  history  of  Naaman  suggests  that  the 
sinner  who  feels  his  own  helplessness 
and  unworthiness  is  the  man  who  will 
most  eagerly  welcome,  and  most  surely 
obtain,  the  salvation  of  God. 

[18545]  O  fools  and  blind,  learn  a  lesson  of 
Naaman.  Why  did  he  so  readily  catch  at 
this  hope  held  out  to  him  ?  Because  he  was 
so  deeply  conscious  of  his  evil  case.  He  neither 
loved  nor  honoured  Israel,  he  had  done  all  in 
his  power  to  destroy  it,  but  his  need  was  so 
great  that  he  would  welcome  help  from  any 
quarter.  Even  so,  sinner,  if  only  a  meagre 
consciousness  of  the  misery  and  hopelessness 
of  your  condition  filled  your  heart  you  would 
be  all  anxiety  to  seek  the  remedy.  There 
would  be  no  need  of  elaborate  sermons,  stirring 
appeals,  pressing  invitations  ;  you  would  listen 
eagerly  to  the  merest  child  who  could  speak 
to  you  of  salvation.  How  quickly  would  your 
prejudices  vanish  J  Christ  crucified  would  no 
longer  be  a  stumbling-block  and  foolishness, 
but  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God.  But  surely 
Naaman  will  rise  up  in  judgment  against  you. 
He  listened  to  the  testimony  of  a  child,  you 
shut  your  ears  against  the  perfect  word  of  God. 
—A.  Alack  ay. 

[18546]  If  you  come  before  God  as  a  man  of 
might,  strong  in  your  own  sufficiency,  pufted 
up  with  your  own  wisdom,  you  will  get  nothing. 
If  you  come  like  a  worm,  having  no  might  or 
strength,  He  will  tell  you  that  Christ  died  for 
the  ungodly.  If  you  come  like  a  rich  man. 
He  will  not  regard  you  ;  if  you  come  like  a 
beggar.  He  will  fall  on  your  neck  and  embrace 
you.  If  you  come  like  a  proud  and  pompous 
man.  He  will  know  you  afar  off,  and  hide 
Himself;  if  you  come  like  a  humble  penitent. 
He  will  run  to  meet  you,  to  give  you  the  best 
place  at  His  board,  the  warmest  place  in  His 
heart.  This  man  receiveth  sinners,  and  eateth 
with  them.  He  fills  the  hungry  with  good 
things,  the  rich  He  sends  empty  away.  Come 
then,  not  like  proud  Naaman,  but  rather  like 
the  humblest  of  God's  creatures,  saying — 

"  I'm  a  poor  sinner  and  nothing  at  all, 
But  Jesus  Christ  is  my  all  in  all." 

This  do  and  thou  shalt  live. — Ibid. 

5  The  history  of  Naaman  suggests  that  sal- 
vation is  to  be  obtained  only  by  humble  sub- 
mission to  the  plan  of  God  in  redemption. 

[18547]  Naaman  was  right.  Abana's  waters 
were  clear  and  beautiful.  Jordan's  were  clayey 
and  muddy.  There  was  nothing  for  sight  in  all 
this.  It  was  only  for  faith.  It  was  God  choosing 
the  base  things  of  this  world  to  bring  to  nought 


344 

18547—18550] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[hazael. 


the  mighty.  Is  it  not  so  still?  "What  is  this 
blood  of  Christ .-"'  the  sinner  says.  "  What !  are 
all  my  prayers,  my  good  deeds,  my  sacraments, 
all  my  honest  eftbrts  to  do  my  best  and  to  please 
God  to  go  for  nothing  ?  What !  when  I  am  not 
conscious  of  breaking  God's  laws,  and  have 
striven  to  do  my  duty  to  all  men,  and  have 
borne  a  fair  character  all  these  years,  and 
brought  up  my  family  well  and  respectably  in 
the  world — all  this  to  go  for  nothing  ! "  Ah, 
this  is  Naaman's  ^7,500  and  ten  changes  of 
raiment  again  !  Away  with  it  all  !  It  may  look 
beautiful  in  thine  own  eyes,  and  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world,  or  in  the  eyes  of  the  Church.  It  is 
all  Naaman's  "  price  "  again.  Go,  take  it  back 
to  Benhadad  thy  master.  It  is  only  fit  for  him, 
but  not  for  a  poor  leper  before  Elisha — not  for 
a  poor  lost  sinner  before  God.  It  is  all  a  con- 
temptible price,  even  couldst  thou  multiply  thy 
7^7,500  infinitely.  Thou  must  have  a  far  greater 
price  than  this,  even  the  blood  of  God's  own 
Son.  Thou  must  stand  outside  with  all  thy 
"price"  and  all  thy  "consideration"  in  the 
place  where  all  beggars  stand,  and  listen  to  the 
message  sent  out  to  thee  by  the  true  Elisha,  the 
Lord  Jesus,  "  Wash,  and  be  clean  ;  wash,  and 
be  clean."— i^^z/.  F.  Whitfield. 

[18548]  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  waters  of 
Jordan  were  in  themselves  as  powerless  to  heal 
Naaman  as  were  those  of  Abana  and  Pharpar. 
Everything  turned  on  submission  to  the  Divine 
will  and  obedience  to  the  Divine  ordinance.  Is 
there  a  similar  difficulty  in  your  mind  in  regard 
to  the  cross  of  Christ?  Is  it  a  stumbling-block 
and  foolishness  in  its  relation  to  your  salvation? 
Is  it  impossible  for  you  to  see  any  connection 
whatever  between  the  blood  of  Jesus  and  the 
cleansing  of  your  sins  ?  We  know  that,  unlike 
the  waters  of  Jordan,  the  blood  of  Jesus  has  a 
necessary  relation  to  the  cleansing  of  sin,  for 
"  without  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remis- 
sion of  sins."  But  it  is  not  necessary,  so  far  as 
your  cleansing  is  concerned,  that  you  should 
see  that  connection.  It  is  sufficient  if  you  be- 
lieve what  God  has  said  and  act  up  to  His 
directions.  If  you  are  as  utterly  in  the  dark  in 
regard  to  the  relation  that  the  blood  of  Christ 
has  to  your  cleansing  as  Naaman  was  in  regard 
to  the  relation  that  the  washing  in  Jordan  had 
to  his  cure,  that  will  not  prevent  it  if  you  only 
act  as  he  did,  according  to  the  Divine  directions. 
Jordan  was  the  fountain  God  opened  for  Naa- 
man's leprosy.  This  is  the  fountain  He  has 
opened  for  your  uncleanness,  "  The  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." — A. 
Mackay. 

6  The  history  of  Naaman  suggests  that  the 
best  guide  in  steering  a  middle  course 
between  moroseness  and  worldly  confor- 
mity is  a  heart  filled  with  love  for  God. 

[18549]  What  Rimmon,  Baal,  and  Belial  were 
to  ancient  believers,  the  riches,  honours,  and 
pleasures  of  the  world  are  to  Christians.  And 
we  are   often   perplexed,  as  Naaman   was,  to 


know  how  far  we  may  go  in  our  compliances 
with  the  world.  If  we  abstain,  we  are  accused 
of  moroseness  in  condemning  the  innocent 
pleasures  of  life  ;  if  we  comply,  we  are  accused 
of  loving  the  world  as  much  as  others.  How 
shall  we  find  the  golden  mean  between  morose- 
ness and  worldly  conformity?  It  is  impossible 
to  lay  down  any  definite  rule  which  shall  guide 
us.  The  Bible  does  not  attempt  to  do  this.  It 
merely  tells  us  not  to  be  conformed  to  this 
world,  but  it  does  not  tell  us  what  worldly 
conformity  is.  The  only  safe  guide  in  the 
matter  is  a  heart  filled  with  the  love  and  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Elisha  left  Naaman  to  this 
guidance,  and  God  leaves  the  Christian  to  the 
same.  If  we  love  God  supremely,  we  shall  be 
in  no  danger  of  loving  the  world  too  much  ;  and 
if  we  love  our  fellow-men,  we  shall  not  embitter 
them  against  religion  by  any  fanatical  austerity. 
The  question  is  continually  recurring  to  the 
Christian,  Ought  I  to  do  this  ?  Is  this  worldly 
compliance  consistent  with  my  Christian  pro- 
fession ?  The  best  way  to  answer  it  is  to  look 
within  toour  own  enlightenedconscience,andask 
what  effect  compliance  has  upon  the  devotions 
of  the  closet,  and  communion  with  God.  If  we 
find  that  our  heart  condemns  us,  if  it  says  that 
the  worldly  will  sneer  at  a  Christian  seen  in 
certain  places  or  acts,  then  we  want  no  further 
reason  for  abstaining.  A  heart  filled  with  the 
love  of  God  is  the  best  casuist,  and  will  always 
tell  us  very  correctly  how  far  we  may  go  in  our 
compliances  with  the  world.  Let  us,  then, 
fellow-Christians,  adopt  Naaman's  resolution  : 
"  Henceforth  I  will  offer  neither  burnt-offering, 
nor  sacrifice  to  any  God  but  the  Lord,"  and  we 
may  then  "  go  in  peace,"  not  fearing  the  idola- 
tries of  a  sinful  world. — Rev.  IV.  Lewis. 


HAZAEL. 

I.  His  History. 

[18550]  The  history  of  Hazael  is  soon  told. 
He  was  an  officer  in  the  court  of  Syria  whom 
Elijah  was  commanded  to  anoint  as  successor 
to  Benhadad,  and  at  the  same  time  to  anoint 
Jehu  to  be  king  of  Israel.  Several  years  after- 
wards Benhadad,  residing  at  Damascus  and 
being  taken  sick,  instructed  Hazael  to  take  a 
princely  present  to  the  prophet  Elisha,  and 
consult  him  as  to  the  issue  of  his  sickness. 
The  prophet  informed  Hazael  that  his  royal 
master's  disease  would  not  prove  mortal,  but 
still  he  would  not  live  ;  and  he  proceeded  to 
predict  the  elevation  of  Hazael  to  the  throne  of 
Syria,  and  a  series  of  the  most  horrible  cruelties 
of  which  he  would  be  guilty  towards  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel.  Hazael  expressed  the  utmost 
abhorrence  of  such  conduct  ;  but  the  very  next 
day  he  stifled  Benhadad  to  death,  took  the 
throne,  and  in  process  of  time  perpetrated  all 
the  barbarities  that  the  prophet  had  described. 


18550—18556] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


345 


[SENNACHERIB. 


This  piece  of  history  suggests  several  thoughts 
concerning  human  nature. — Anon. 


II.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

1  The  case  of  Hazael  presents  an  illustration 
of  the  sense  of  virtue  innate  in  human 
nature. 

[ 1 8551]  When  the  prophet  with  tears  told 
Hazael  the  heartless  cruelties  he  would  perpe- 
trate on  the  children  of  Israel — that  he  would 
set  their  strongholds  on  fire,  slay  the  young  men 
with  the  sword,  and  dash  the  children  to  pieces 
— he  seemed  to  have  such  a  sense  of  virtue 
within  him  that  he  was  shocked  at  the  mon- 
strosity, and  said,  "  What  !  is  thy  servant  a 
dog?''  We  need  not  suppose  that  he  feigned 
this  astonishment,  but  that  it  was  real,  and  that 
it  now  produced  a  revulsion  at  the  cruelties  he 
was  told  he  would  soon  perpetrate.  Every  man 
has  a  sense  of  right  within  him  ;  indeed,  this 
sense  is  an  essential  element  in  our  constitution, 
the  moral  substance  of  our  manhood,  the  core 
of  our  nature,  our  moral  egoj  it  is  what  we  call 
conscience. — Ibui. 

2  The  case  of  Hazael  presents  an  illustration 
of  the  self-ignorance  of  human  nature. 

[18552]  How  ignorant  of  himself  and  his 
heart  was  Hazael  when  he  said,  "Is  thy  servant 
a  dog  that  he  should  do  this  great  thing?" 
Men  do  not  know  what  they  are.  Self-ignorance 
is  (i)  the  most  common  of  all  ignorance  ;  (2) 
the  most  culpable  of  all  ignorance  ;  (3)  the  most 
ruinous  of  all  ignorance. — Idtd. 

3  The  case  of  Hazael  presents  an  illustration 
of  the  evil  possibilities  of  human  nature 
and  the  necessity  of  a  change  of  heart. 

[18553]  This  man,  who  was  shocked  at  the 
idea  of  perpetrating  such  enormities  at  first, 
actually  enacted  them  a  few  hours  afterwards. 
The  elements  of  the  devil  are  in  every  man, 
though  he  may  not  know  it.  The  vulture  eggs 
of  evil  are  in  all  depraved  hearts  ;  it  only  re- 
quires a  certain  heat  of  the  outward  atmosphere 
to  hatch  them  into  life.  Men  have  often  de- 
precated courses  of  action  which  afterwards 
they  have  pursued  with  alacrity  and  delight. 
The  virtue  of  many  men  is  only  vice  sleeping. 
The  evil  elements  of  the  heart  are  like  gun- 
powder, passive,  until  the  spark  of  temptation 
falls  on  them.  The  greatest  monsters  in  human 
history  were  at  one  time  considered  innocent 
and  kind.  "  Many  a  man,"  says  a  modern 
author,  "could  he  have  a  glimpse  in  innocent 
youth  of  what  he  would  be  twenty  or  thirty 
years  after,  would  pray  in  anguish  that  he  might 
be  taken  in  youth  before  coming  to  that." 
What  is  the  moral  of  this  ?  The  necessity  of 
a  change  of  heart. — Ibid. 

4  The  case  of  Hazael  presents  an  illustration 
of  the  resilient  velocity  of  human  nature. 

[18554]  To-day  this  man  seemed  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  just  and  the  good,  to-morrow  his 


whole  nature  is  aflame  with  injustice  and 
cruelty  ;  to-day  he  soars  up  with  the  angels, 
to-morrow  he  revels  with  the  torturing  fiends. 
Souls  can  fall  from  virtue  swiftly  as  the 
shooting  stars.  One  hour  they  may  blaze  in 
the  firmament,  the  next  lie  deep  in  the  mud. 
"  Examine  me,  O  Lord,  and  prove  me  ;  try  my 
reins  and  my  heart."— /^zV/. 


SENNACHERIB. 
I.  Character  of  his  Life. 

It  was  one  of  pride  and  cruelty  towards  man, 
and  one  of  daring  presumption  as  regards 
God. 

[1S555]  Two  things  had  distinguished  it  to- 
wards man — excessive  violence  and  much  pride. 
You  have  seen  pictures  from  those  Assyrian 
palaces  brought  to  light  again  of  late  years.  A 
favourite  subject  in  most  is  the  victorious  king, 
commanding  his  captives  to  be  slain,  or  himself 
blinding  them,  perhaps,  with  his  spear.  .  .  .  This 
Sennacherib,  perhaps,  of  all  these  sovereigns, 
was  the  most  successful,  and  so  the  worst. 
Probably  it  is  his  portrait  you  see  most  fre- 
quently on  those  slabs.  At  any  rate,  they  help 
to  furnish  us  with  a  true  idea  of  his  life.  Take 
a  succession  of  those  revolting  transactions, 
those  causeless  confiicts,  those  captured  cities, 
those  butchered  prisoners,  those  blinded  sove- 
reigns, those  streaming  executions,  and  you  have 
the  deeds  of  his  reign.  Take  the  triumphant 
pride  with  which  he  exults  over  them,  and  you 
have  the  full  criminality  of  those  deeds. 
"Where  is  the  king  of  Hamath,  and  the  kmg 
of  Arpad,  and  the  king  of  the  city  of  Sephar- 
vaim,  of  Hena,  and  Ivah?"  Thus  it  is  he 
enumerates  and  boasts  of  the  atrocities  we  see 
represented  on  those  walls  ! — Germs  of  Thought. 

[18556]  The  tide  of  his  oppression  came  at  last 
to  the  land  of  Judtca.  Here  he  was  on  especially 
dangerous  ground.  He  came  in  contact  here 
with  a  "  peculiar  people,"  the  inheritance  of 
Jehovah,  the  family  which  God  was  educating 
for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  This  added  both 
to  the  enormity  and  to  the  importance  of  the 
crime.  How  to  the  enormity,  if  he  did  not  know 
what  he  was  doing  ?  Because  he  knew  sufticient 
to  know  more.  Where  ignorance  is  wilful  or 
careless,  it  docs  not  excuse  our  sins,  but  aggra- 
vates them.  It  jiiitst  lead  to  many  sins  ;  it 
7;/«Klead  to  any  sin  ;  it  is  responsible,  therefore, 
for  them  all.  We  did  not  know  whom  it  was 
we  were  neglecting  :  such  will  be  the  defence  of 
some  at  the  last  (Matt.  xxv.  44).  The  reply 
is  the  same  as  above.  So,  in  this  case,  Senna- 
cherib was  well  aware  that  he  was  fighting,  not 
against  Hezekiah,  but  Jehovah.  Notwithstand- 
ing all  he  had  done  against  the  gods  of  the 
nations,  he  knew  how  great  was  the  trust  of 
Hezekiah  and  his  people  in  the  Lord  (Isa. 
xxxvi.  15,  18).     This  ought  to  have  led  him  to 


346 

1855^- 


18562] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWrSH   ERA. 


[SENNACHERIB. 


inquire.  Instead  of  this,  he  says  in  effect,  Be 
the  Lord  Jehovah  who  He  may,  I  am  not  to  be 
checked.  Before  any  man  went  to  this  length, 
he  ought  to  have  known  what  he  said. — Ibid. 

[18557]  We  must  consider  the  effect  of  his 
language  and  conduct  on  the  Jews.  How  did 
his  sin  appear  in  their  eyes  ?  Considering  their 
position  and  destiny,  this  was  of  importance  to 
the  world.  And,  in  their  eyes,  it  is  clear,  his 
offence  involved  the  most  direct  and  daring 
challenge  to  all  they  adored.  That  Assyrian 
flood  had  submerged  all  the  neighbouring  tribes. 
All  the  gods  of  the  heathen,  all  the  minor  moun- 
tains, even,  of  Emmanuel's  land,  had  been  suc- 
cessively overwhelmed.  Only  the  mountains  of 
the  Lord's  house  remained  above  it.  Would  the 
house  be  overthrown,  or  the  waves  be  driven 
back  1  Would  this  great  conqueror  conquer 
Jehovah,  or  would  he,  instead,  and  at  last,  be 
subdued  .''  "  He  hath  sent  to  reproach  the  living 
God"  (Isa.  xxxvii.  4).  All  the  faith  of  Judah 
stood  by,  and  all  the  unborn  faith  of  Christianity 
stood  behind  it  to  observe  the  result. — Ibid. 


n.  Character  of  his  End. 
It  was  eminently  retributive. 

( 1 )  In  regard  to  his  pride. 

[18558]  Who  can  stand,  the  king  had  said, 
before  me  ?  God  answered  him,  not  in  battle, 
not  by  spoken  rebuke,  but,  as  it  was  prophesied, 
by  a  "blast."  In  the  dead  of  night,  when  Jeru- 
salem was  asleep  or  praying,  a  messenger  of 
God  passed  in  silence  through  the  distant 
Assyrian  camp.  No  one  beheld  his  approach, 
or  heard  his  step,  or  observed  iiis  departure. 
He  came  in,  he  passed  through,  he  was  gone 
like  a  breath.  But  the  breath  of  nearly  two 
hundred  thousand  sleeping  warriors  was  gone 
with  him  too.  In  the  morning  the  once  mighty 
sovereign  is  in  a  camp  of  dead  men.  Where  is 
the  terrible  army  he  reHed  on  ?  What  has  he 
left  now  to  be  proud  of.?  What  can  he  do  now 
but  return  home,  humiliated  and  alone  ? — Ibid. 

(2)  In  res^nrd  to  his  violence  and  bloodshed. 
[18559]  After  the  king  had  returned  to  his  own 

kingdom  and  city,  the  weapon  he  had  so  often 
employed  was  employed  on  himself.  As  the 
prophet  had  foretold,  he  died  by  the  "sword." 
Besides  which,  with  a  horrible  kind  of  fitness, 
this  man  of  unnatural  cruelty,  it  is  to  be  noted, 
died  by  unnatural  hands.  He  was  slain  by  his 
sons  ;  two  of  them  (doubling  thus  the  guilt  of 
each  other),  brothers  in  hatred  and  cruelty,  and 
worthy  inheritors  of  his  nature,  uniting  in  the 
deed.  How  often  do  we  see  this  !  The  instru- 
ments of  the  sinner's  punishment  brought  into 
being  by  himself  ! — Ibid. 

(3)  In  regard  to  his  profanity  and  blasphemy. 
[18560]    The  challenge  had  been  delivered, 

if  not  within  hearing,  certainly  within  sight,  of 
God's  house,  in  the  ears  and  language  of  the 
people  who  sat  on  the  wall.     No  answer  came 


at  the  time.  God,  who  sometimes  waits  to  be 
gracious,  often  delays  to  destroy.  But  the 
answer,  when  it  did  come,  was  most  conclusive 
and  direct.  In  the  king's  own  kingdom  and 
city,  in  the  temple  of  his  own  idol,  while  engaged 
in  the  very  act  of  worship,  the  blow  descended 
upon  him.  If  safe  anywhere,  he  thought  it  was 
there.  There  it  was,  on  the  contrary,  just  there, 
that  he  died.  While  seeking  for  protection,  he 
was  slain.  "  What  God,"  he  had  boasted,  "  can 
deliver  from  me  ?  "  "  Can  thine  own  god  pro- 
tect thyself?"  replied  the  silent  stroke  of  God's 
hand. — Ibid. 


III.  Representative  Character  of  his 
Position  and  Deeds. 

He  was  a  striking  type  of  the  enemies  of  the 
Christian  faith. 

(i)  In  his  boastfulness 

[18561]  The  Assyrian  monarch  evidently  had 
no  mean  opinion  of  himself.  "  Know  ye  not," 
he  says,  "  what  I  and  my  fathers  have  done  ?  " 
"  We  are  big  men.  We  have  great  armies.  We 
are  flushed  with  victories.  We  do  not  know  what 
it  is  to  be  beaten.  Think  twice,  good  people,  be- 
fore you  presume  to  contend  with  me.  Am  not 
I  the  great  and  noble  Sennacherib,  successor  to 
Nimrod  the  mighty,  the  victor  in  a  hundred 
battles,  who  have  put  my  foot  on  the  neck  of 
kings?"  Such  is  the  strain  in  which  this  Assyrian 
fellow  swaggers  at  the  people  of  the  living  God. 
Hardly  could  a  more  truthful  picture  be  drawn 
of  the  open  enemies  of  God  in  every  age.  One 
thing  is  always  characteristicof  them — theyknow 
how  to  brag.  Self-conceit  is  their  most  obvious 
quality.  They  are  rich  in  brass.  Their  claims 
are  astounding  to  one  who  has  not  learned  their 
loud  policy.  Voltaire  predicted  with  brazen 
effrontery  that  Christianity  would  be  defunct  in 
twenty-five  years.  He  claimed  that  he  and  the 
encycloptedists  of  France  had  written  it  to  death. 
Yet  to-day,  after  a  century  has  gone  by,  the 
copies  of  the  Christian  Scriptures  circulated  in 
France  alone,  papal  though  it  be,  are  numbered" 
by  hundreds  of  thousands  every  year,  while  the 
booksellers  say  that  no  other  works  lie  on  their 
shelves  so  long  as  the  once-famous  works  of 
Voltaire.— yi/^i//«  Phelps,  D.D. 

(2)  In  his  special  hostility  towards  God's 
servant. 

[18562]  It  is  noticeable  that  the  bragging 
Assyrian  does  not  address  his  appeal  chiefly  to 
the  Judaean  king  and  his  official  representatives. 
His  attempt  is  to  stir  up  revolt  among  the  popu- 
lace by  appeals  to  their  superstition  and  their 
fears.  The  official  head  of  the  kingdom  and 
his  subalterns  are  treated  with  contempt. 
They  "  spake  yet  more  against  the  Lord  God, 
and  against  His  servant  Hezekiah.'"'  As  the 
head  of  a  theocratic  kingdom,  Hezekiah  was  the 
chief  oiffcial  representative  to  his  people  of  the 
true  religion.  Again  and  again  is  this  hostility 
to  the  ministers  of  religion  displayed  by  its  open 
foes.     The  people  are  exhorted  to  revolt  against 


18562—18565] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


347 


[SENNACHERIB. 


"the  priests."  The  popular  name  which  in- 
fidelity gives  to  Christianity  is  "  priestcraft." 
In  every  large  community  in  which  enmity  to 
the  gospel  is  openly  professed,  is  to  be  found  a 
class  of  men  who  are  pre-eminently  minister- 
haters.  Their  ridicule  and  denunciation  are 
specially  aimed  at  the  clergy.  No  other  class  of 
men  receive  at  their  hands  such  severe  measure 
and  uncandid  judgment.  The  human  frailties 
of  ministers  are  the  butt  of  their  satire.  The 
fall  of  a  minister  they  never  let  tlie  world  hear 
the  last  of.  That  good  nnture  which  is  extended 
to  men  of  other  professions  is  often  denied  to 
ministers. — Ibid. 

(3)  In  the  plausibility  of  Jus  reasoning  a(![ainst 
the  destiny  of  God's  Chinch. 

[18563]  Sennacherib  was  a  shrewd  fellow. 
His  speech  to  the  Jewish  populace  was  a  very 
cunning  specimen  of  demagogical  oratory.  His 
argument  was  a  very  plausible  one.  His  facts 
were  true.  He  and  his  fathers  had  hetn  mighty 
men.  Their  arms  had  been  crowned  with  success. 
The  nations  cowered  before  them.  The  gods  of 
the  nations  had  been  as  helpless  before  their 
conquering  legions  as  so  manybuUocks.  Reason- 
ing upon  the  facts  in  the  light  of  no  other  than 
the  pagan  theology,  Sennacherib  was  right.  His 
conquest  of  Judaea  was  a  foregone  conclusion. 
"  Were  the  gods  of  those  nations  any  ways  able 
to  deliver  their  lands  out  of  mine  hand  .f" " 
"  No."  "  Who  was  there  among  all  the  gods 
of  those  nations  that  could  deliver  his  people  ?" 
"  Not  a  god."  "  How  much  less  shall  your  God 
deliver  you  out  of  my  hand  ! — you,  little  petty 
Judah,  not  so  large  as  the  least  of  my  provinces  ! " 
"  True  :  it  is  a  fact."  Such  must  have  been  the 
colloquy  between  them,  carried  on  by  the  Jewish 
hearers  silently  and  with  sinkino-hearts.  On  the 
pagan  theory  of  the  gods,  and  in  the  light  of 
recent  history,  the  Assyrian  monarch  had  the 
best  of  the  argument  by  all  odds.  Specially  do 
the  confident  predictions  of  the  downfall  of 
Christianity  often  seem  morally  certain.  The 
philosophical  proof  alone  of  this  is  unanswer- 
able. It  is  the  great  marvel  of  history,  that  such 
a  religion  as  ours  can  hold  its  own  at  all  in  such 
a  world  as  this.  By  all  the  laws  of  human 
evidence  by  which  men  prognosticate  the  future, 
the  Christian  religion  ought  long  before  this 
time  to  have  disappeared  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Its  temples  ought  to  be  now  antiquarian 
ruins,  of  which  curious  travellers  should  be 
ferreting  out  the  history  and  the  meaning.  The 
Scriptures  ought  now  to  be  stored  in  antiquarian 
libraries,  not  read  or  cared  for  by  twenty  men  in 
a  generation.  On  purely  philosophical  grounds, 
the  enemies  of  our  religion  are  right  in  their  as- 
surances of  its  speedy  overthrow.  The  balance 
of  natural  probabilities  is  never  in  its  favour. 
The  great  forces  of  this  world  are  its  allied  foes. 
Crises  have  occurred  in  its  history,  in  which 
persecution  has  been  backed  up  by  wealth,  by 
learning,  by  the  prestige  of  antiquity,  by  civil 
law,  by  public  opinion,  and  by  bayonets, — by  all 
the  great  forces  which  sway  society  and  compact 
empires  ;  and  thus  allied,  it  has   borne  down — 


upon  what  ?  Upon  armies  bristling  with  steel  ? 
upon  Ehrenbreitsteins  and  Cronstadts?  No: 
upon  a  handful  of  poor  men  and  friendless 
women  and  little  children,  who  had  no  weapon 
of  defence  but  prayer  ! — Ibid. 

(4)  In  the  sudden,  tmexpected,  and  over- 
whelming  nature  of  his  disappoint7ne?it. 

[18564J  Somebody  made  very  short  work 
with  Sennacherib.  One  night  was  time  enough 
to  answer  his  gasconade  at  the  people  of  God. 
One  verse  is  all  that  the  historian  thinks  neces- 
sary to  tell  the  story  :  "  The  Lord  sent  an 
angel  which  cut  off  all  the  mighty  men  of 
valour."  One  angel  of  the  Lord  was  a  match 
for  the  Assyrian  battalions.  The  mighty  men 
were  not  looking  for  such  a  reinforcement  to 
their  enemy.  That  was  the  last  thing  they 
dreamed  of.  That  destroying  angel,  be  it  a 
pestilence  or  a  storm,  or  a  miraculous  appa- 
rition, was  the  "angel  of  death  "  to  a  hundred 
and  eighty-five  thousand  of  the  Assyrian  hosts 
before  morning.  The  history  of  our  religion 
develops  often  a  similar  phenomenon  in  God's 
dealings  with  its  avowed  and  boastful  enemies. 
They  are  sure  to  be  disappointed  in  the  result. 
Something  keeps  Christianity  alive  to-day, 
centuries  after,  by  the  logic  of  its  foes,  it  ought 
to  have  been  dead  and  buried.  Something 
makes  it  grow  and  thrive.  It  never  had  a 
deeper  hold  upon  the  world's  faith  than  now. 
Never  before  did  its  friends  look  out  upon  a 
more  resplendent  future.  Often  the  local 
triumphs  of  our  religion  occur  suddenly.  A 
revival  of  religion  changes  the  mood  of  a  com- 
munity in  a  month.  Corrupt  institutions  like 
slavery  fall  suddenly,  and  by  unlooked-for 
agencies.  Times  of  apparent  decline  of  re- 
ligion are  often  times  of  preparation,  in  which 
great  principles  are  secretly  taking  root  ;  and 
at  length  they  start  up  and  grow  as  acknow- 
ledged powers  of  Christian  truth.  The  visible 
progress  of  our  religion  in  the  world  is  com- 
monly by  sudden  leaps  and  revolutionary 
changes.  A  single  angel  from  the  living  God 
works  out  results  at  which  both  friends  and 
enemies  of  truth  stand  amazed.  Sometimes  in 
private  communities  it  is  the  Angel  of  Death. 
Opposers  of  religion  are  sometimes  removed  at 
a  moment  so  critical,  that  men  cannot  but 
silently  put  the  two  things  together.  By  ways 
of  his  own,  God  achieves  His  eternal  pur- 
poses. 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 
His  wonders  to  perform." — Ibid. 

IV.  Moral  from  his  History. 

"  Evil  shall  hunt  the  wicked  person    to    over- 
throw him." 

[18565]  It  is  necessary  to  point  out  the  im- 
portance of  such  a  lesson  to  the  Jews.  So 
significant  an  incident  was  well  worthy  of 
being  commemorated  among  them.  Like 
those  separated  portions  of  English  counties 
which  you  see  on  the  map  in  the  midst  of  other 


348 

18565—18568] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[JONADAB. 


counties,  this  was  an  important  portion,  though 
a  detached  one,  of  the  life-history  of  God's 
people.  How  it  would  encouracje  their  faith 
in  His  help,  and  so  prepare  them  for  the  coming 
captivity,  and  bring  home  to  them  the  mo- 
mentous truth  of  Psa.  xxi.  28,  Iviii.  11, 
&c.  And,  if  all  this  to  them,  as  much  as  to  us, 
who  are  taught  by  their  experience,  and  are 
the  inheritors  of  their  faith.  "  Evil  shall  hunt 
the  wicked  to  overthrow  him."  We  see,  just  as 
much  as  they  did,  the  conclusion  of  such  a 
"  hunt "  in  our  text — how  God  and  the  impenitent 
sinner  must  come  face  to  face  at  the  last — how 
such  a  man  prepares  his  own  torments,  and 
creates  his  own  executioners,  and  sends  up 
against  Heaven  the  very  bolts  which  come 
back  perforce  on  himself.  These  are  truths 
much  forgotten,  and,  therefore,  to  be  often 
insisted  on  in  these  days.  There  is  a  way  of 
preaching  the  Saviour  as  though  there  were 
nothing  from  which  to  be  saved.  This  grand 
Old  Testament  history,  rising  up  out  of  those 
distant  Assyrian  ruins,  may  help  to  deliver 
us  from  such  a  delusion.  There  is  a  Saviour. 
There  is  a  need  for  Him,  too.  There  is  such 
a  thing  as  "  the  wrath  to  come."  There  is  a 
"City  of  Refuge  ;"  but  that  is  not  all.  The 
"  avenger  of  blood  "  is  behind  us  ;  and  if  we  do 
not  flee  to  it,  we  are  lost. — Germs  of  Thought. 


yONADAB, 

Points  of  Character. 
I       Genuine  faith, 

//  luas  this  which  pt'ompted  his  fainotis 
coniinand  to  his  desce7idants. 

[18566]  It  is  clear  that  the  first  object  of 
Jonaclab  in  commanding  his  children  to  return 
to  their  original  mode  of  living,  was  to  secure 
them  from  being  involved  in  the  ruin  which  he 
knew  would  surely  come  to  Israel.  By  adopt- 
ing this  line  of  conduct  Jonadab  showed  his 
faith  in  God.  He  knew  what  was  the  real 
foundation  of  Israel's  prosperity  ;  they  were  the 
people  of  the  Lord.  If  they  gave  Him  up.  He 
would  forsake  them.  They  had  for  the  most 
part  forsaken  Him  in  the  days  of  Ahab  ;  and 
after  the  royal  houses  of  both  Judah  and 
Ephraim  had  been  corrupted  by  that  Sidonian 
alliance  which  gave  a  Jezebel  to  Israel,  and  an 
Athaliah,  a  daughter  of  Jezebel,  to  the  kingdom 
of  Judah,  then  Jonadab,  the  son  of  Rechab, 
saw  that  a  close  connection  with  Israel  would 
not  be  a  blessing  any  more.  "  In  those  days 
the  Lord  began  to  cut  Israel  short  "  The 
waves  of  the  Syrian  invasions  had  already  be- 
gun to  break  ;  they  were  soon  to  be  followed 
by  still  greater  inundations  from  Assyria  and 


from  Babylon,  which  would  sweep  the  whole 
length  of  the  country,  till  both  Israel  and  Judah 
were  carried  away  ;  and  though  Jehu  effected 
an  outward  reformation  in  some  things,  yet 
there  was  nothing  really  solid  about  his  work. 
"  Jehu  took  no  heed  to  walk  in  the  law  of  the 
Lord  with  all  his  heart  ; "  and  Jonadab  and  his 
family  quietly  cut  the  bond  of  union  with  the 
chosen  people,  and  became  as  they  were  be- 
fore.— Rev.  C.  Waller. 

2       Religious  zeal. 

It  was  doubtless  on  account  of  the  well- 
ktiowti  character  of  Jonadab' s  faniily  for  this 
virtue  that  fehu  desired  his  help  in  the 
destruction  of  the  worshippers  of  Baal. 

[18567]  We  may  be  certain  that  no  family  of 
foreign  extraction  could  look  back  to  more 
honourable  ancestors  or  recount  more  noble 
and  meritorious  services,  than  the  family  ot 
Jonadab  the  son  of  Rechab,  the  Kenite,  in. the 
days  of  Jehu.  They  had  given  proof  before 
this  time  of  their  zeal  for  the  Lord.  In  the 
destruction  of  the  house  of  Ahab,  and  the  ex- 
termination of  Baal  worship,  we  find  Jonadab 
and  Jehu  giving  the  right  hand  of  fellowship 
to  each  other  ;  riding  in  the  same  chariot,  both 
zealous  for  Jehovah  ;  one  in  heart  and  in  pur- 
pose, and  standing  side  by  side.  But  we  have 
further  information  than  this.  We  know  from 
Jonadab's  descendants  nearly  three  hundred 
years  afterwards  what  his  private  and  family 
life  was,  and  what  his  principles  were. — Idid. 

[18568]  The  precepts  which  he  gave  to  his 
sons  are  simply  a  command  to  return  to  the 
ancient  habits  of  the  family,  to  live  hence- 
forward as  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth, 
not  only  in  spirit,  but  literally  in  every  circum- 
stance of  outward  life.  When  we  remembei 
the  occasion  on  which  the  Kenite  family  had 
joined  itself  to  Israel,  this  return  to  ancient 
habits  appears  deeply  significant.  It  is  a 
silent  renunciation  of  their  share  in  Israel's 
inheritance.  The  land  of  Canaan  is  no  longer 
a  sure  resting-place.  The  commands  of  Jona- 
dab are  according  to  the  prophet's  warning  : 
"  Arise  ye  and  depart,  for  this  is  not  your  rest, 
because  it  is  polluted :  it  shall  destroy  you, 
even  with  a  sore  destruction."  The  Kenites 
joined  themselves  to  Israel  because  Jehovah 
was  their  God,  and  He  had  spoken  good  con- 
cerning Israel.  But  when  the  Israelites,  not 
content  with  worshipping  golden  calves  for 
many  years,  had  also  consented  to  worship 
Baal  instead  of  Jehovah,  then  their  prospects 
and  the  promises  concerning  them  began  to 
wear  a  different  form.  The  land  of  Israel  was 
to  be  taken  from  them,  and  the  people  must  go 
into  captivity.  It  was  no  longer  safe  for  the 
Kenites  to  be  one  people  with  Israel. — Jbid. 


349 


PART   B.     (Continued.) 


JEWISH    ERA. 

i^Coiiiini/ed.) 

DIVISION  III. 
CLOSING    PERIOD. 

(Zedekiah  to  Malachi,  B.C.  606-400:  206  years.) 

SYLLABUS. 

Rulers.  pa^^b 

Nehemiah       35° 

Ezra  358 

Prophets. 

Ezekiel  3^0 

Daniel       3^2 

Miscellaueoiis  Group. 

The  Three  Children  in  Dan.  iii 371 

Persons  {chiefly  royal)  outside  the  Israeli tish  Nation. 

Nebuchadnezzar  ...         •••         374 

Belshazzar       37^ 

Ahasuerus  ...  ...  •••  •••  •••  •••  3-^1 

Hainan  jSi 

Sanballat 3H 


350 


PART   B.     (Continued.) 


JEWISH     ERA. 

(Coniinued^ 


NEHEMIAH. 


I.  His  Call. 

[18569]  He  is  walking  in  the  palace  courts,  and 
sees  some  of  his  fellow-exiles  approaching,  to 
whom  he  hastens  to  inquire  after  the  Father- 
land. With  saddened  voices  they  tell  him  of 
affliction,  sorrow,  and  distress,  of  the  wall  of 
the  city  broken  down,  and  of  the  gates  burned 
with  fire.  Their  words  drop  into  Nehemiah's 
heart;  they  pass  onward  to  their 'homes  little 
heeding  what  they  have  said,  and  as  little  con- 
scious of  the  results  which  will  follow  from  that 
hour's  conversation.  The  crisis  of  his  life  has 
come.  He  feels  as  he  has  never  felt  before  ; 
a  burden  has  laid  itself  upon  his  spirit.  What 
does  he  do  ?  Where  does  he  go  .''  With  whom 
does  he  talk  of  all  that  is  upon  his  soul?  Is  it 
to  father  or  friend  .?  Is  it  to  wife  or  sister  that 
he  utters  his  complaint?  No;  it  does  not 
appear  that  to  one  human  ear  he  speaks,  or  to 
one  human  heart  he  entrusts  his  secret.  Away 
into  the  solitude  he  hies  ;  alone  with  his  God 
he  weeps  ;  he  fasts,  he  prays.  Hark,  Ustening 
at  that  closet  door  !  How  the  man  lets  us 
see  into  his  heart  as  he  agonizes  there  !  Surely 
he  has  been  here  before  !  He  knows  that 
prayer  has  power  with  God  ;  he  knows  that 
the  Almighty  cannot  refuse  His  own  word. 
And  while  he  confesses  his  sin,  and  the  sins  of 
his  family,  and  the  sins  of  the  nation,  he  takes 
hold  of  the  promise. — Chapters  for  Christian 
Workers. 


n.  His  Master  Principle. 
The  fear  of  God. 

[18570]  In  analyzing  the  character  of  Nehe- 
miah,  we  must  begin  by  ascertaining  the  ruling 
motive  of  the  man.  Nor  can  we  be  at  any  loss 
to  determine  the  point.  The  mainspring  of  his 
life  manifested  itself  perpetually  throughout  his 
career.  The  whole  tenor  of  his  conversation 
bespoke  the  supremacy  of  the  fear  of  God  in  his 
soul.  This  transcendent  principle  of  his  heart 
appears  in  bold  and  impressive  exercise — for 
instance  in  regard  to  those  who  had  returned 
from  the  captivity.  Many  were  destitute  and 
distressed.  Their  poverty  made  them  a  prey  to 
their  richer  brethren,  who  took  usurious  advan- 


tage of  their  exigencies.  Neither  had  the 
governors  who  preceded  Nehemiah  treated  them 
with  consideration,  but  had  exacted  their  dues 
to  the  utmost,  allowing  their  very  servants  to 
bear  rule  over  the  people.  Not,  perhaps,  that 
they  had  demanded  more  than  they  could 
legally  claim,  but  they  had  failed  to  let  mercy 
temper  justice.  The  conduct  of  Nehemiah 
stood  forth  in  glorious  contrast  to  that  of  his 
predecessors:  "for,"  says  he,  "so  did  not  I, 
because  of  the  fear  of  God."  This  gave  the 
character  of  godliness  to  his  conduct,  this 
transmuted  what  would  otherwise  have  been 
fair  tinsel  into  the  fine  gold  of  the  sanctuary. 
The  flesh  can  exhibit  the  former,  the  spirit  alone 
can  create  the  latter. — Rev.  H.  Stowell. 


III.  His  Prominent  Characteristics. 

I       Faith. 

[18571]  Taking  fast  hold  of  the  Divine  faith- 
fulness and  covenant,  this  ardent  worshipper 
lays  down  at  the  footstool  of  heavenly  mercy 
his  great  petition  that  God  would  maintain  the 
cause  of  His  now  penitent  people,  consolidate 
their  national  strength,  and  restore  their  waste 
places.  I  admire  the  holy  ingenuity  with  which 
the  petition  is  urged.  God  had  been  faithful  to 
His  threatenings  when  His  people  had  revolted 
against  Him,  and  had  scattered  them  abroad 
among  the  nations,  and  Nehemiah  finds  a  foot- 
hold for  his  faith  even  among  their  ruins  and 
desolations,  making  him  bold  to  plead  that  He 
would  now  show  Himself  equally  faithful  to  His 
promises.  His  people  had  now  turned  to  Him 
and  kept  His  commandments  ;  and  had  He  not 
said  that  if  they  did  so,  "even  though  they  were 
cast  out  into  the  uttermost  part  of  the  heaven, 
He  would  gather  them  from  thence,"  and  cause 
the  light  of  His  countenance  anew  to  shine  upon 
them  ?  This  promise  had  been  spoken  and 
recorded  more  than  a  thousand  years  before, 
but  it  had  not  become  effete  or  obsolete.  The 
ink  in  which  the  holy  and  immutable  God 
writes  His  engagements  never  becomes  dim  or 
fades. — Reii.  A.  Thompson,  D.D. 

[18572]  Their  enemies  tried  to  dismay  them 
by  insinuating  that  the  Jews  were  revolting 
against  the  king,  and  that  they  were  fortifying 


18572—18577] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[nehemiah. 


the  city  with  the  intention  of  casting  off  the 
Assyrian  yoke.  "  Then  answered  I  them,"  says 
Nehemiah,  with  noble  rehance  upon  God  — 
"  Then  answered  I  them  " — not  that  the  king 
had  given  me  a  decree  to  undertake  the  work  ; 
not  that  I  was  in  reaUty  ol^eying,  instead  of 
resisting  him — but  this  heavenly  hero's  sublime 
and  magnanimous  answer  was — "  the  God  of 
heaven,  He  will  prosper  us  ;  therefore  we  His 
servants  will  arise  and  build."  And  in  the  might 
of  that  confidence  they  prosecuted  their  task, 
spite  of  every  discouragement — spite  of  con- 
tempt and  fraud  and  treachery — spite  of  false 
friends  and  open  enemies,  till,  in  fifty-two  days, 
this  handful  of  feeble  men  brought  the  mighty 
work  to  a  happy  issue  ;  the  walls  of  the  city 
were  finished,  and  the  gates  were  again  set  up, 
because  the  good  hand  of  their  God  was  upon 
them.  "  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against 
us  .?  "—Rev.  H.  Stowell. 

2  Piety. 

['8573]  That  he  was  a  man  of  piety  appears 
from  the  manner  in  which  he  received  the 
intelligence  from  Judah.  The  sad  news  drove 
him  to  fasting  and  prayer,  and  deepened  within 
him  the  feeling  of  penitence  on  account  of  his 
own  sins  and  the  sins  of  his  countrymen.  He 
humbled  himself  before  God.  He  recognized  in 
the  present  condition  of  his  people  the  chastising 
hand  of  the  Most  High.  He  calls  to  recollection 
the  Divine  threatenings  of  which  he  had  read  in 
the  history  of  Moses,  and  he  confesses  that  Israel 
had  deserved  the  execution  of  those  threatenings. 
But  he  also  calls  to  recollection  the  promise  of 
Jehovah  that,  if  the  Israelites  would  only  turn 
unto  Him,  and  do  His  commandments.  He 
would  gather  them  out  of  the  nations,  and  bring 
them  again  to  their  fatherland.  And  so  this 
man,  who  was  no  priest  by  vocation,  ventures, 
nevertheless,  in  the  true  priestly  spirit,  to  inter- 
cede with  God  on  behalf  of  his  countrymen. 
Identifying  himself  thoroughly  with  his  people, 
he  confesses  his  own  sins,  and  the  sins  of  his 
father's  house,  and  the  sins  of  Israel. — T.  Fin- 
lay  son. 

3  Prayerfulness. 

[18574]  Then  the  king  said  unto  me,  "For 
what  dost  thou  make  request  ? "  .  An  opening 
was  thus  given  him  to  present  his  suit.  And, 
agitated  and  affrighted  as  he  was,  it  would  have 
been  natural  for  him  to  have  at  once  stammered 
forth  his  application.  But  mark  his  irrepressible 
spirit  of  devotion  !  Though  not  always  in  the 
act,  he  was  always  in  the  attitude,  of  supplica- 
tion. He  was  not,  ilierefore,  thrown  off  his 
guard  ;  he  paused  ;  he  was  silent  ;  and  so,  says 
he,  "  I  prayed  to  the  God  of  heaven."  Then, 
having  first  made  known  his  request  to  Him  in 
whose  hand  are  the  hearts  of  kings,  he  next 
presented  his  petition  to  his  earthly  sovereign. 
Is  it  possible  to  conceive  of  a  more  expressive 
evidence  of  the  constancy  with  which  this  great 
man  waited  upon  God  than  the  evidence  fur- 
nished   in   this    simple    incident  ?       It    speaks 


volumes  as  to  the  steadiness  of  the  sacred  flame 
wliich    burned   within   his    breast.  —  Rev.    H. 

Siowell. 

[1S575]  If  prayer  may  be  ready  and  swift,  it 
may  well  be  mingled  with  all  our  work.  Nehe- 
miah, riding  on  his  mule  from  group  to  group, 
getting  the  evil  words  repealed  to  him  here  and 
there  as  news,  keeps  his  lips  shut  and  speaks 
only  with  his  heart  to  the  God  of  heaven  whom 
he  serves,  who  has  said,  "To  Me  bclongeth 
vengeance  and  recompense  ;  their  foot  siiall 
slide  in  due  time"  (Deut.  xxxii.  35).  There  is 
a  tone  about  the  prayer  which  staggers  some 
gentle  hearts  ;  a  tone,  it  is  thought,  almost  of 
vindictiveness.  I  am  not  concerned  to  make 
out  a  vindication  of  Nehemiah  in  the  matter. 
My  own  mind  is  relieved  from  perplexity  by 
observing  that  the  good  man's  spirit  is  devout 
rather  than  personally  vindictive,  being  con- 
cerned for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  prosperity 
of  His  work — "they  have  provoked  Thee  to 
anger  before  the  builders  ;  "  by  reflecting  that 
the  prayer  was  answered  ;  by  noticing  that  it  is 
in  wholesome  conformity,  as  Nehemiah's  con- 
duct was  all  through,  to  that  stern  justice  of 
God's  providential  government  which  is  a  con- 
stant fact,  to-day  as  yesterday  ;  and  by  calling 
to  mind  such  words  as  these  of  David. —  A. 
S}'?nington. 

4       Patriotism. 

[18576]  His  patriotism  is  as  conspicuous  as 
his  piety.  Although  probably  he  had  never 
looked  upon  Jerusalem,  yet  no  sooner  does  he 
realize  the  actual  condition  of  his  far-distant 
countrymen,  than  his  heart  is  filled  with  profound 
sorrow  and  with  an  earnest  longing  to  proceed 
at  once  to  their  help.  He  had  doubtless  read  in 
the  sacred  books  concerning  the  earlier  glories 
of  his  people,  and  probably  he  was  familiar  with 
snatches  of  psalm  and  prophecy  which  told  of 
the  former  grandeur  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  lofty 
destiny  of  Israel.  And  so  his  heart  yearned 
towards  his  fatherland.  Splendid  as  was  the 
Susa  palace,  the  holy  city  towards  which  he' 
turned  in  his  devotions  was  dearer  to  his  heart  ; 
and  he  longed  to  be  the  means  of  restoring  her 
battered  walls  and  gates,  and  giving  back  to  her 
some  touch  of  her  former  greatness.  He  was 
willing,  moreover,  to  make  no  little  sacrifice  in 
the  cause  of  patriotism.  Even  in  asking  the* 
king  for  leave  of  absence  on  such  a  mission,  he 
was  probably  risking  the  royal  displeasure. —  T. 
Fhilayson. 

[18577]  The  devout  love  of  Nehemiah  for 
Jerusalem  is  evident  from  the  eager  inquiries 
with  which  he  questioned  his  brother  Hanani 
and  other  men  of  Judah  who  at  length  arrived, 
weary  and  travel-staiued,  at  Shushan,  from  the 
distant  holy  city.  It  is  likely  that  even  their 
countenances  revealed  in  part  '  the  sorrowful 
nature  of  the  message  which  they  brought  ;  but 
when  they  entered  into  the  detailed  description 
of  Jerusalem's  misery  and  reproach,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  tell  him  of  the  defenceless  city,  with 


35^ 

i8577— 18583] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[nehemiah. 


its  Still  ruined  walls  and  burnt-up  gates,  and  the 
consequent  affliction  of  its  people,  daily  embit- 
tered by  the  taunts  of  their  idolatrous  assailants, 
"Where  is  now  your  God?"  the  soul  of  the 
magnanimous  Hebrew  was  for  a  time  completely 
overwhelmed  by  the  evil  tidings  which  so  far 
exceeded  even  his  worst  fears.  In  the  greatness 
of  his  sorrow,  his  natural  food  became  distasteful 
and  unwelcome  to  him;  "he  wept  and  mourned 
certain  days,  and  fasted."  But  when  these  first 
strong  outbursts  of  his  grief  were  past,  he  turned 
for  relief  to  that  quarter  to  which  every  pious 
heart  will  be  sure  to  turn  in  its  affliction — to  the 
power,  compassion,  and  faithfulness  of  his 
covenant  God.  "I  prayed,"  says  he,  "before 
the  God  of  heaven." — Rev.  A.  7'hoiiipson,  D.D. 

[18578]  "Let  the  king  live  for  ever:  why 
should  not  my  countenance  be  sad  when  the 
city,  the  place  of  my  fathers'  sepulchres,  lieth 
waste,  and  the  gates  thereof  are  consumed  with 
fire  'i  "  Why  not  ?  Surely  the  king  will  respect 
a  noble  sorrow  such  as  this.  You  know  I  am  a 
Jew,  and  we  Jews  are  loyal  ;  we  have  done  your 
empire  no  harm  ;  Daniel  and  Mordecai  are 
honoured  names  in  the  chronicles  of  Persia. 
We  are  no  longer  a  nation,  we  have  now  only 
graves  ;  yet  those  who  sat  on  your  throne 
favoured  the  city  of  my  fathers'  sepulchres,  and 
yourself  some  thirteen  years  ago  sent  Ezra  the 
priest  to  restore  the  worship  of  our  God  there, 
saying,  "Whatsoever  is  commanded  by  the  God 
of  heaven  let  it  be  diligently  done  for  the  house 
of  the  God  of  heaven  ;  for  why  should  there  be 
wrath  against  the  realm  of  the  king  and  his 
sons?"  (Ezra  vii.  21-23.)  Tidings  have  reached 
me  that  that  mission  has  not  thriven  :  foes  have 
laid  the  city  waste,  and  the  gates  ai'e  burned 
with  fire.  Why  should  not  my  countenance  be 
sad  ? — A.  Syinington. 

5       Sagacity. 

[18579]  The  practical  sagacity  of  Nehemiah 
is  manifested  by  his  conduct  on  his  arrival  at 
Jerusalem.  He  does  not  at  once  blurt  out  the 
purpose  of  his  mission.  Quietly  he  rests  for 
three  days.  Before  revealing  his  object  to  the 
nobles  or  to  the  authorities  of  the  city,  he  must 
first  see  with  his  own  eyes  the  actual  condition 
of  the  city  walls,  that  he  may  discover  what  is 
necessary  and  what  is  practicable.  And  so, 
'taking  only  a  few  men  with  him,  he  goes  out  in 
secret,  at  dead  of  night,  that  he  may  survey, 
probably  by  moonlight,  the  walls  and  gates  of 
Jerusalem.  Then,  having  matured  his  plans 
and  determined  on  his  course  of  action,  he  at 
length  lays  the  matter  before  the  people.  Nor 
does  he  speak  to  them  words  of  mere  authority. 
He  does  not  say  to  them,  "The  king  has  sent 
me  to  command  you  to  do  this."  He  speaks 
words  of  encouragement  and  stimulus.  He 
falls  back,  not  on  the  royal  authority,  but  on 
the  royal  favour.  He  tells  them  of  the  kindness 
of  Artaxer.xes,  and  traces  it  to  the  good  hand 
of  God.  He  calls  upon  them  to  make  a  grand, 
voluntary  effort  to  wipe  away  the  reproach  of 
Jerusalem. — T.  Finlayson. 


[18580]  Though  he  bore  with  him  the  royal 
authority  and  commission  requiring  the  people 
of  Jerusalem  to  co-operate  with  him  in  his 
work,  he  was  too  brave  a  man  to  proceed  upon 
mere  authority,  and  too  wise  a  man  not  to  see 
that  men  wrought  better  from  love  than  from 
fear,  and  that  the  union  of  hearts  as  well  as 
hands  in  such  an  enterprise  as  that  to  which  he 
had  now  consecrated  himself,  was  essential  to 
success.  And  the  arguments  which  he  used 
with  the  chiefs  and  people  when,  on  the  next 
day,  he  summoned  them  together,  were  ad- 
mirably fitted  to  stir  into  life  their  dormant 
energies,  and  to  unite  their  hitherto  disjointed 
ranks  in  one. — Ibid. 

[18581]  He  appealed  to  their  distressed  con- 
dition as  seen  in  their  walls  and  gates  still  in 
ruins,  and  bitterly  felt  in  the  injuries  and  taunts 
not  only  against  their  nation  but  against  their 
religion,  to  which  these  desolations  daily  ex- 
posed them  from  their  heathen  neighbours. 
He  told  them  how,  hearing  in  the  far-distant 
palace  of  Shushan  of  their  great  affliction,  he 
had  been  overwhelmed  with  grief  at  their  de- 
pression and  dishonour — how  the  purpose  had 
gradually  formed  itself  in  his  mind  of  coming 
to  wipe  away  their  reproach — how  he  had,  many 
a  day  and  night,  asked  "the  God  of  heaven"  to 
assist  him  by  inclining  the  heart  of  the  Persian 
monarch  to  grant  him  the  necessary  authority 
and  help  for  the  building  of  their  wall,  and  how 
the  king  had  granted  him  his  request  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  make  it  evident  that  "  the  whole 
thing  was  of  the  Lord."  And  now,  appearing 
in  the  midst  of  them  with  the  combined 
authority  of  earth  and  heaven,  he  asked  them 
whether  they  were  prepared  to  take  advantage 
of  "the  set  time  to  favour  Zion,"  and  to  arise 
with  him  to  build  the  wall.  This  appeal  at  once 
to  their  patriotism  and  to  their  piety,  to  their 
shame,  to  their  fears  and  hopes — this  mani- 
lestation  before  them  of  a  visible  Providence 
working  in  their  behalf— made  them  as  one 
man,  and  drew  from  them  the  loud  and  unani- 
mous response,  "  Let  us  rise  up  and  build." — 
Ibid. 

6      Prudence. 

[18582]  Thinking  with  the  rapidity  and  de- 
cision which  great  occasions  both  require  and 
create,  or  bringing  out  at  length  the  result  of 
many  an  anxious  thinking  which  hitherto  it  had 
been  necessary  to  keep  to  himself,  Nehemiah 
proceeded  to  ask  for  written  commissions  and 
orders  on  the  royal  forests.  A  very  exalted 
exercise  of  piety  does  not  set  aside  the  use 
of  worldly  prudence. — A.  Sy)fiington. 

[18583]  It  is  particularly  important,  however, 
that  we  should  notice  that  while  Nehemiah  was 
a  man  of  prayer  and  of  devout  dependence 
upon  God,  he  neglected  no  arrangement  for 
prospering  his  enterprise  which  forethought  or 
prudence  could  suggest.  Thus  he  obtained  a 
military  escort,  to  surround  his  mission  at  once 
with  dignity  and  safety.     He  asked  for  royal 


T8583-I8587] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


353 


[NEHEMIAH. 


letters  to  the  governors  of  the  various  provinces 
beyond  the  river  Euphrates,  through  which  he 
must  pass  on  his  way  to  Judah,  by  which  his 
undertaking  might  be  accredited,  suspicion  dis- 
pelled, and  an  addition  to  his  convoy  obtained 
when  danger  or  other  circumstances  might 
render  it  expedient.  In  order  that  there  might 
be  no  questioning  of  his  authority  or  impeding 
of  his  work  after  he  has  reached  Jerusalem,  he 
asks  for  a  special  letter  to  Asaph,  the  keeper  of 
the  royal  forest  on  the  mountains  of  Lebanon, 
requiring  him  to  send  him  as  much  timber  as 
might  be  necessary  for  the  various  departments 
of  his  enterprise  ;  while  he  also  states  in  detail 
before  the  king  what  those  various  departments 
are.  How  much  was  there  in  all  this  at  once 
of  wise  forethought  which  would  not  throw  over 
upon  Providence  difficulties  which  might  be 
prevented  by  prudence,  and  of  that  clear  and 
honourable  explanation  which  is  one  great 
security  against  future  misunderstanding  and 
complaint  !  The  man  of  prayer  is  also  a  man 
of  business. — Rev.  A.  Thotupson,  D.D. 

7  Perseverance. 

[185S4]  Another  admirable  feature  of  Nehe- 
miah's  conduct  was  his  perseverance.  "And  it 
came  to  pass  when  our  enemies  heard  that  it 
was  known  to  us,  and  God  had  brought  their 
counsel  to  nought,  that  we  returned  all  of  us 
to  the  wall,  every  man  unto  his  work."  The 
three  things  go  well  together  in  work  for  God — 
prayer,  promptitude,  and  this  perseverance. 
Had  the  builders  ceased  until  they  should  go 
out  and  attack  Sanballat  or  Geshem,  it  would 
have  been  long  ere  their  task  was  finished.  But 
no,  attack  was  not  for  them,  only  defence  ;  and 
the  moment  that  the  display  of  readiness  to 
defend  themselves  has  caused  the  enemy  to 
retire,  they  turn  eagerly  to  finish  the  wall. 
Every  course  of  masonry  laid  was  better  than 
a  hundred  victories.  Having  arms  in  their 
hands  did  not  tempt  them  to  fight  ;  success  did 
not  uplift  them ;  they  knew  that  it  was  God  who 
had  brought  to  nought  the  counsel  of  Sanballat, 
and  they  went  on  doing  his  work  with  all  their 
might. — A.  Symingto7i. 

8  Fidelity. 

[18585]  I  confess  that,  next  to  my  devout 
wondering  at  the  providence  of  God  which  had 
raised  Nehemiah  to  this  elevation  for  future 
service  to  His  Church,  that  which  most  of  all 
impresses  my  mind  is  the  fact  that  he  had 
maintained  his  attachment  to  his  people  and 
his  religion  in  the  midst  of  all  these  unfavour- 
able influences.  Knowing  the  power  of  outward 
circumstances  to  mould  the  character,  especially 
when  these  circumstances  fall  in  with  our  natural 
tastes,  we  should  have  feared  that  this  Hebrew, 
after  resisting  the  strong  current  of  custom  and 
general  feeling  for  a  time,  would  by  degrees 
have  yielded  to  its  power  ;  and  that,  with  every 
luxury  at  his  command,  he  would  at  length  have 
owned  the  spell  of  the  enchatitment,  and  became 
conformed  in  character  to  those  around  him. — 
Rev.  A.  Thompson^  D.D. 

VOL.    VI. 


9  Courage. 

[185S6]  Nehemiah  had  gone,  it  would  appear, 
for  counsel  or  comfort  into  the  house  of  one 
who  was  reputed  a  prophet,  but  who  was,  in 
reality,  such  a  prophet  as  Balaam  was  ;  he  had 
gone  into  the  house  of  Shemaiah,  the  son  of 
Deiaiah,  the  son  of  Mehetabel,  "  who  was  shut 
up,"  as  though  afraid  for  his  life — probably  in 
pursuance  of  a  plot  into  which  he  had  been  in- 
duced to  enter  by  Sanballat  and  Tobiah — and 
this  false  friend  said  unto  him,  "  Let  us  meet 
together  in  the  house  of  God,  within  the  temple, 
and  let  us  shut  the  doors  of  the  temple  :  for 
they  will  come  to  slay  thee  ;  yea,  in  the  night 
will  they  come  to  slay  thee."  He  insinuated 
that  it  would  be  unsafe  for  them  to  hold  con- 
verse in  his  dwelling  ;  but  that  if  they  sought 
the  temple  as  a  sanctuary,  and  closed  the  doors 
about  them,  there  they  would  be  in  security. 
His  design,  however,  was  not  to  serve  but  to 
ensnare  Nehemiah  ;  to  shake  his  strong  con- 
fidence in  the  protection  of  God,  and  beguile 
him  into  doubtful  and  dastardly  expedients  ; 
that  so  the  hands  of  the  workmen  might  be 
weakened  in  their  work,  and  the  enemies  of 
Israel  have  occasion  to  reproach  the  leader 
of  the  people,  as  having  been  entangled  like  a 
bird  in  the  snare  of  the  fowler.  But  holy 
courage  has  always  heavenly  wisdom  for  her 
companion.  Nehemiah,  therefore,  penetrating 
the  hypocrisy  of  the  tempter,  and  lending  no 
fond  ear  to  the  whispers  of  a  faithless  ex- 
pediency, answered  with  sublime  serenity, 
"  Should  such  a  man  as  I  flee  ?  and  who  is 
there  that,  being  as  I  am,  would  go  into  the 
temple  to  save  his  life?  1  will  not  go  in." — Rev. 
H.  Stowell. 

10  Determination. 

[18587]  "  The  God  of  heaven.  He  will  prosper 
us  ;  therefore  we  His  servants  will  arise  and 
build,"  was  the  sentiment  with  which  he  girded 
himself  to  his  task  ;  and  it  was  in  this  mighty 
confidence  that  he  prosecuted  the  work,  un- 
dismayed by  threats,  unembarrassed  by  plots, 
in  nowise  disheartened  by  difficulties  or  dis- 
appointments. His  noble  steadfastness  of 
resolution  was  manifest  throughout  his  career. 
He  had  counted  the  cost,  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  ;  his  decision  was  unwavering,  and  he 
carried  it  out  with  unfaltering  energy.  There 
is  a  surpassing  moral  grandeur  in  the  reply 
which  he  sent  to  Sanballat,  and  Tobiah,  and 
Geshem  the  Arabian,  and  the  rest  of  his  enemies, 
when  they  said  to  him,  "  Come,  let  us  meet 
together  in  some  one  of  the  villages  in  the  plain 
of  Ono."  He  transmitted  to  them  this  mag- 
nanimous message,  "  I  am  doing  a  great  work, 
so  that  I  cannot  come  down  ;  why  should  the 
work  cease,  whilst  I  leave  it,  and  come  down  to 
you  ?"  It  needs  only  that  you  should  study  his 
history,  to  perceive  how  this  sublime  determina- 
tion of  spirit  pervaded  the  whole  of  his  course. 
Whatever  his  hand  found  to  do,  he  did  it  with 
his  might  ;  whatever  he  resolved  to  win,  he 
never  ceased  till  he  had  won  it ;  whatever  he 
24 


354 

18587-18593I 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[nehemiah. 


determined   to    encounter,  he   never  failed  to 
o  vercome. — Idid. 

[185S8]  This  element  imparted  to  his  cha- 
racter a  peculiar  dignity;  it  set  him  on  high, 
far  above  such  as  take  their  complexion  from 
circumstances,  conferring  with  flesh  and  blood 
— the  creatures,  not  the  controllers  of  events. 
It  made  him  resemble  the  sun,  which  "  cometh 
forth  as  a  bridegroom  out  of  his  chamber,  and 
rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to  run  his  race," 
which  never  pauses  in  the  career  his  Maker  has 
assigned  him.  Clouds  and  mists  and  storms 
cause  him  no  obstruction  ;  he  still  pursues  his 
lofty  pathway  in  the  heavens,  and,  however 
shrouded  from  our  view,  shines  on  in  unshorn 
splendour. — Ibid. 

II     Disinterestedness. 

[18589]  He  was  appointed  "governor"  or 
pasha  "  in  the  land  of  Judah  "  in  the  twentieth 
year  of  Artaxerxes,  and  retained  the  office  for 
twelve  years.  During  all  that  time  he  might  have 
diawn  about  ^5  a  day,  with  rations  ;  but  he 
had  not  On  the  contrary,  the  city  and  the 
province  were  the  better  for  him  in  various 
ways  :  he  gave  the  labour  of  his  servants  with- 
out charge ;  he  avoided  the  temptation  to 
acquire  land  ;  he  did  not  allow  his  subordinates 
to  do  so  ;  and  he  practised  a  large-handed 
hospitality  toward  "  an  hundred  and  fifty  of  the 
Jews  and  rulers,  beside  those  that  came  unto 
us  from  among  the  heathen  that  are  about  us." 
All  was  done  from  the  highest  motives.  You 
have  no  call  to  impoverish  yourself  ;  feather 
your  nest  while  you  have  the  chance,  as  the 
rulers  did  before  you.  Such  might  be  the 
advice  of  shrewd  men.  It  is  not  likely  that 
Nehemiah  was  impoverished  ;  but  at  least  he 
knew  well  what  he  was  doing.  "  For  all  this 
required  not  I  the  bread  of  the  governor, 
because  the  bondage  was  heavy  on  this  people ;" 
the  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish 
was  worth  more  to  him  than  all  gain. — A. 
Symington. 

[18590]  Nehemiah,  a  beautiful  model  in  other 
points  of  view  for  the  man  of  God  who  is  busied 
in  tiie  world,  is  especially  an  example  for  him 
in  the  single-mindedness  of  his  character.  We 
find  that,  whether  in  the  voluptuous  court  of 
Persia,  encompassed  with  the  fascinations  of 
pleasure  ;  or  whether  at  Jerusalem,  in  the  midst 
of  harassing  difficulties  and  besetments  ;  or 
whether  as  governor  of  Israel,  surrounded  by 
the  seductions  of  power  and  position,  he  still 
demeaned  himself  as  a  citizen  of  heaven.  Hence 
it  came  to  pass  that  whilst  many  of  the  nobles 
and  great  men  at  Jerusalem  were  chiefly  intent 
on  aggrandizing  themselves — taking  advantage 
of  their  poorer  brethren,  and  adding  field  to 
field,  and  house  to  house — he  did  not  so  much 
as  entangle  himself  with  any  purchase  of  pro- 
perty, but  devoted  himself  wholly  to  the  work 
which  God  had  assigned  him.  —  Rev.  H. 
,%towell. 


[18591]  It  is  a  rare  thing  to  see  a  man  re- 
fusing to  take  a  fairly-earned  salary  ;  but  such 
was  his  habit  during  this  first  residence  in  Jeru- 
salem. He  had  sufficient  property  to  enable 
him  to  maintain  a  proper  State  dignity,  and  a 
well-furnished  table  for  about  two  hundred 
people  daily  ;  and  he  used  it  for  conscience'  sake, 
rather  than  add  to  the  burdens  of  the  people. 
Scrupulously  he  had  guarded  himself  and  his 
servants  from  personal  emolument  by  the  per- 
quisites of  office,  or  by  opportunities  granted 
him  by  his  superior  position.  He  had  set  him- 
self in  determined  opposition  to  those  who  were 
taking  unfair  advantage  of  their  needy  brothers 
to  exact  an  unlawful  interest  upon  borrowed 
money,  and  had  now  a  warm  place  in  the 
hearts  of  many  whom  he  had  thus  befriended. 
His  name  would  be  associated  throughout  the 
city  with  every  thought  of  justice  and  up- 
rightness, and,  unconsciously  to  himself,  his 
example  had  been  leavening  the  whole  popu- 
lation.— Chapters  for  Christian  Workers. 

12  Charity. 

[18592]  The  governor  took  a  noble  revenge 
on  the  false  prophets.  He  might  have  "  set  a 
great  assembly  against  them,"  and  condemned 
them  to  death  as  traitors  ;  but  that  was  not 
Nehemiah's  way.  When  men  broke  civil  laws 
or  neglected  religious  duties  he  rebuked  them 
and  used  force  ;  but  sin  as  such  cannot  be  cor- 
rected by  force.  The  public  influence  of  She- 
maiah  and  Noadiah  was  sufficiently  blasted  by 
his  exposure  ;  any  further  measures  it  was  not 
for  him  to  take.  Revenge  was  not  trusted  to 
his  hands  ;  and  the  mischief  was  so  complicated 
and  deeply-rooted  that  he  would  do  more  harm 
than  good  in  trying  to  remove  it.  "  My  God, 
think  Thou  upon  Tobiah  and  Sanballat  accord- 
ing to  these  their  works,  and  on  the  prophetess 
Noadiah  and  the  rest  of  the  prophets  that  would 
have  put  me  in  fear."  Surely  they  cannot  be 
angry  with  Nehemiah  for  this,  seeing  he  prays 
for  them  precisely  what  he  had  prayed  for  him- 
self !  (v.  19.)  A  man  need  not  wince  at  God 
thinking  on  him  unless  his  deeds  are  evil 
(John  iii.  19-21)  ;  and  even  then  God  alone  can 
so  think  on  the  sinner  as  to  deal  with  him  in 
righteousness  and  mercy.  Let  it  be  seen — this 
is  what  Nehemiah  wished — that  there  is  a  King 
in  Judah  who  is  able  so  to  punish  sin  as  to 
purify  and  save  his  people. — A.  Symington. 

13  Humility. 

[1S593]  He  obtained  all  his  desire  :  but  he 
did  not  ascribe  the  happy  issue  to  his  o.wn 
adroitness  or  address,  to  his  influence  with  the 
king,  or  to  the  prudence  with  which  he  had 
conducted  himself.  No  !  he  attributed  all  his 
success  to  Him  on  whom  alone  he  had  de- 
pended ;  he  summed  up  his  record  of  the  whole 
transaction  in  this  touching  manner  :  "  And  the 
king  granted  me,  according  to  the  good  hand 
of  my  God  upon  me."  He  asked — the  king 
granted  ;  but  all  was  of  God.  The  same  simple 
avouchment  of  the  Divine  hand  shines  forth  on 


I8593-I8598] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


355 


[nehemiah. 


another  occasion  in  this  very  chapter.  When 
he  came  to  Jerusalem,  and  found  the  people 
utterly  disheartened,  and  strove  to  stir  them  up 
to  gird  themselves  anew  to  the  work,  how  did 
he  encourage  them  ?  What  was  his  most 
powerful  incentive  .''  In  the  eighteenth  verse  he 
says  :  ''  Then  I  told  them  of  the  hand  of  my 
God  which  was  good  upon  me  ;  and  they  said, 
Let  us  rise  up  and  build.  So  they  strengthened 
their  hands  for  this  good  work."  He  might 
have  boasted  of  his  services  to  the  king — of 
his  place  and  authority  in  Babylon  ;  he  might 
have  arrogated  to  himself  the  credit  of  his 
success.  But  he  was  of  another  spirit ;  he 
sought  not  his  own  glory,  but  the  glory  of  his 
Master  in  heaven  ;  therefore  he  told  them  of 
the  goodness  of  God.  To  this  fountain  he 
traced  up  every  stream  of  blessing. — Rev.  H. 
Stowell. 

[18594]  After  all,  and  when  he  had  done  all, 
he  trusted  in  nothing  that  he  had  either  gained 
or  done  :  but  the  more  he  was  laden  with  the 
fruits  of  righteousness,  the  more  he  felt  himself 
to  be  laden  with  infirmities  ;  so  that,  however 
illustrious  he  was  in  the  eyes  of  his  fellow-men, 
he  felt  that  before  his  God  he  had  no  plea  to 
urge,  save  "  the  mercy  that  endureth  for  ever." 
This,  therefore,  was  his  lowly  prayer — "  Re- 
member me,  O  my  God,  concerning  this  also, 
and  spare  me,  according  to  the  greatness  of 
Thy  mercy."  His  hope  sprang  not  from  the 
smallness  of  his  guilt,  but  from  the  greatness  of 
the  mercy  of  his  God  ;  he  relied  not  on  what 
he  himself  had  accomplished,  but  on  what  the 
Saviour  of  sinners  should  accomplish  in  the 
fulness  of  the  time,  when  He  should  come  in 
the  flesh. — Ibid. 

[1S595]  W^e  should  have  been  sorely  dis- 
appointed had  we  not  found  him  adorned  with 
this  crowning  virtue — a  grace  of  which  Augus- 
tine said,  when  he  was  asked,  "  What  is  the 
first  thing  in  religion?" — "  humility."  "What 
the  second  .? " — ''"humility."  "  What  the  third  t " 
— "humility."  But  we  trace  in  the  model 
which  we  are  commending  to  you,  a  beau- 
tiful humbleness  of  mind.  There  are  those, 
indeed,  who  find  fault  with  some  of  his  ex- 
pressions, such  as  "  Think  upon  me,  O  God, 
for  good,  according  to  that  I  have  done  for  th'.s 
people  ;"  and  such  as  the  one  in  this  very 
chapter — "  Remember  me,  O  my  God,  concern- 
ing this,  and  wipe  not  out  my  good  deeds  that  I 
have  done  for  the  house  of  my  God,  and  for  the 
offices  thereof."  They  think  that  such  senti- 
ments savour  of  self-righteousness — that  they 
have  more  of  the  spirit  of  the  Pharisee  than 
that  of  the  publican  in  them.  But  such  persons 
do  not  understand  the  consistency  of  deep 
humiliation  on  account  of  the  flesh,  with  joyful 
consciousness  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
Divine  life.  A  believer  may  mourn  over  his 
secret  corruptions,  at  the  same  time  that  he 
rejoices  at  what  God  has  wrought  in  him. — Ibid. 

[18596]  We   should  have  been   deeply  sur- 


prised had  Nehemiah  put  any  confidence  in  the 
flesh,  or  failed  to  take  refuge  in  the  mercy  of 
God,  It  IS  therefore  delightful  to  find  that 
spirit  of  humility  which  pervaded  his  whole 
career,  shining  out  in  the  closing  passage  of  the 
history  with  surpassing  distinctness  and  lustre. 
—Ibid. 

14     Zeal, 

(i)  For  the  Jionour  of  God's  name. 

[18597]  He  was  not  only  valiant  in  fighting 
the  good  fight  of  faith— braving  every  foe,  and 
weathering  every  hardship,  in  the  service  of  his 
God — but  he  was  tremblingly  alive  to  any  dis- 
honour brought  upon  Him  whom  he  served, 
and  above  all,  when  brought  upon  Him  by  those 
who  bore  His  name,  and  were  identified  with 
His  truth.  When,  therefore,  with  just  indig- 
nation, he  reprehended  the  usurious  and  op- 
pressive conduct  of  the  richer  Jews  towards  their 
poorer  brethren,  he  not  only  appealed  to  their 
sense  of  justice,  but  Jie  still  more  cuttingly 
appealed  to  them  on  the  ground  of  the  disrepute 
into  which  they  brought  the  holy  name  of  the 
God  of  Israel — giving  occasion  to  the  enemies 
of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme.  "  Ought  ye  not," 
he  exclaimed,  "  to  walk  in  the  fear  of  God 
because  of  the  reproach  of  the  heathen  our 
enemies  ?  " — Ibid. 

(2)  For  the  hotioiir  of  Gods  day. 

[18598]  He  was  filled  with  just  dismay,  holy 
agitation  of  mind,  and  righteous  indignation, 
when  he  witnessed  what  he  thus  describes  : — 
"  In  those  days  saw  I  in  Judah  some  treading 
wine-presses  on  the  Sabbath,  and  bringing  in 
sheaves,  and  lading  asses  ;  as  also  wine,  grapes, 
and  figs,  and  all  manner  of  burdens,  which  they 
brought  into  Jerusalem  on  the  Sabbath  day  :  " 
and  "  I  testified  against  them  in  the  day  wherein 
they  sold  victuals.  There  dwelt  men  of  Tyre 
also  therein,  which  brought  fish,  and  all  manner 
of  ware,  and  sold  on  the  Sabbath  unto  the 
children  of  Judah  and  in  Jerusalem.  Then  I 
contended  with  the  nobles,"  who  seem  to  have 
partaken  with  the  people  in  their  unhallowed 
gains,  or  who  at  least  had  taken  no  steps  to  put 
a  stop  to  the  profanation — "  I  contended  with 
the  nobles  of  Judah,  and  said  unto  them,  What 
evil  thing  is  this  that  ye  do,  and  profane  the 
Sabbath  day  1  Did  not  your  fathers  thus,  and 
did  not  our  God  bring  all  this  evil  upon  us,  and 
upon  this  city .''  Yet  ye  bring  more  wrath  upon 
Israel  by  profaning  the  Sabbath."  Nor  was  he 
satisfied  with  simply  protesting  against  their 
conduct.  As  a  ruler  he  took  steps  to  enforce 
that  which  he  inculcated.  "And  it  came  to  pass, 
that  when  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  began  to  be 
dark  before  the  Sabbath,  I  commanded  that  the 
gates  should  be  shut,  and  charged  that  they 
should  not  be  opened  till  after  the  Sabbath  ; 
and  some  of  my  servants  set  I  at  the  gates,  that 
there  should  no  burden  be  brought  in  on  the 
Sabbath  day.  So  the  merchants  and  sellers  of 
all  kind  of  ware  lodged  without  Jerusalem  once 
or  twice.      Then  I  testified  against  them,  and 


3S6 

18598— 18603] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[NEHEMIAH. 


said  unto  them,  Why  lodge  ye  about  the  wall  ? 
if  ye  do  so  again,  I  will  lay  hands  on  you.  From 
that  time  forth  came  they  no  more  on  the  Sab- 
bath. And  I  commanded  the  Levites  that  they 
should  cleanse  themselves,  and  that  they  should 
come  and  keep  the  gates,  to  sanctify  the  Sabbath 
day."  How  noble  the  example  which  this  de- 
voted man  thus  bequeathed  to  the  Church  !  He 
not  only  sanctified  the  Sabbath  himself— giving 
a  pattern  to  the  people  ;  but  he  stood  in  the 
breach  to  avert  the  displeasure  of  God,  by  vin- 
dicating the  honour  of  the  sacred  day,  wielding 
for  that  purpose  the  authority  with  which  he  was 
invested  as  a  ruler. — Ibid. 

(3)  For  the  hottotir  of  God's  house. 

[18599]  After  seventy  years  of  tribulation,  God 
hearkened  to  their  cries  :  He  thought  upon  His 
people,  and  pitied  them  for  His  Name's  sake. 
He  caused  Cyrus  to  issue  a  decree  that  Israel 
should  return  to  their  land.  Multitudes  hastened 
back  to  the  home  of  their  heart.  They  rebuilt 
their  temple  ;  they  gradually,  under  the  guidance 
of  that  illustrious  leader  whose  character  we  are 
dwelling  upon,  raised  from  the  dust  the  walls  of 
their  city  ;  and  now  the  work,  through  the  good 
hand  of  their  God  upon  them,  was  brought  to  a 
happy  consummation.  Then  kept  they  a  solemn 
festival,  and  accompanied  it  with  deep  humilia- 
tion— mingling  their  sorrows  and  confessions 
with  their  joys  and  thanksgivings.  After  that, 
they  renewed  their  covenant  with  God  ;  family 
after  family,  each  represented  by  its  head,  sub- 
scribed and  sealed  the  holy  compact.  They 
bound  themselves  to  restore  to  God's  house  the 
tithes  and  sacrifices  which  the  law  ordained. 
Yea — and,  though  impoverished  and  oppressed, 
such  was  their  rekindled  love  to  the  sanctuary, 
that  they  voluntarily  undertook  to  give  of  their 
own  freewill,  over  and  above  what  the  law  de- 
manded, such  things  as  were  needful  for  the  full 
service  of  the  temple.  And  thus  it  was  that, 
chastened  and  taught,  penitent  and  grateful, 
remembering  how  their  fathers  had  deserted 
the  habitation  of  the  Lord,  and  how  fearful  had 
been  the  consequences — the  whole  assembly,  in 
unison  with  their  governor,  protested  with  one 
mind  and  one  mouth,  "  We  will  not  forsake  the 
house  of  our  God." — Ibid. 

IV.    Summary   of   his    Character   and 
Career. 

[18600]  In  his  early  life,  elevated  by  the  pro- 
vidence of  God  to  an  office  of  high  trust  and 
distinction  in  the  service  of  the  king  of  Assyria, 
being  appointed  his  cupbearer,  and  thus  sur- 
rounded by  the  seductions,  and  in  contact  with 
the  defilements  of  an  idolatrous  court  ;  after- 
wards led  of  God  to  repair  to  Jerusalem,  for  the 
purpose  of  rousing  and  succouring  the  remnant 
of  his  people  to  restore  the  desolated  walls  of 
the  holy  city  ;  subsequently  occupied  in  govern- 
ing and  estalDlishing  those  whom  he  had  rallied 
and  organized  ;  at  one  time,  harassed  by  in- 
sidious and  insulting  foes  ;  at  another,  embar- 
rassed by  the  misconduct  of  his  own  subjects  : 


now,  redressing  grievances ;  now,  rectifying 
abuses — through  all,  and  in  all,  he  still  de- 
meaned himself  as  became  a  child  of  the  Most 
High,  and  ''  served  his  own  generation  according 
to  the  will  of  God."  Bearing  adversity  with 
fortitude,  and  prosperity  with  soberness,  he 
manifested  how  a  man  may  embellish  with  the 
beauty  of  holiness  every  situation  in  life,  and 
pass  through  the  vicissitudes  of  his  career,  so  as 
to  be  true  to  his  principles  and  faithful  in  his 
stewardship. — Ibid. 

[18601]  Animated  simply  by  love  to  his  God 
and  his  country,  he  undertook,  and  successfully 
completed,  a  very  difficult  task,  manifesting 
throughout  many  noble  qualities,  and  proving 
himself  worthy  to  be  counted  a  star  of  the  first 
magnitude  among  the  Old  Testament  saints. 
His  zeal  was  not  that  of  a  blind  rider,  who  knows 
not  how  to  guide  his  steed,  but  was  tempered 
with  remarkable  prudence,  and  his  boldness  in 
the  path  of  right  was  coupled  with  wise  modera- 
tion and  patience. — Rev.  IV.  Harris. 

V.  Lesson  for  Our  Own  Times. 

[18602]  Doubtless  Nehemiah  had  his  faults; 
it  would  have  been  strange  if  he  had  not  shown 
somewhat  of  the  harsh  impetuosity,  or  some- 
what of  the  self-consciousness  that  often  charac- 
terize the  ardent  and  successful  reformer.  Never- 
theless his  excellences  wei^e  such  that,  even  to 
this  day,  he  stands  before  us  as  a  stimulating 
example  of  earnest,  prudent,  and  practical  zeal 
in  the  cause  of  God  and  of  man.  His  name  has 
not  been  allowed  to  go  down  into  oblivion.  And 
although  he  lived  in  what  some  may  be  pleased 
to  call  a  dark  and  narrow  age,  he  was  so  faith- 
ful to  the  light  he  had,  that  his  career  is  a 
practical  rebuke  to  many  of  the  enlightened 
Christians  of  the  present  day.  Especially  is  he 
a  model  for  men  of  practical  business  ability. 
Layman  though  he  was,  he  did  a  noble  work  for 
Jerusalem,  which  neither  priest  nor  prophet 
could  have  so  well  accomplished. — T.  Fifilay- 
son. 

[18603]  He  shows  us  what  wealth  can  do 
when  wealth  is  consecrated  to  the  service  of 
God.  His  life  rebukes  the  men  who  shut  them- 
selves up  in  their  own  selfish  money-getting  or 
money-hoarding,  and  never  manifest  any  public 
spirit  on  behalf  either  of  their  country  or  the 
Church  of  God.  He  shows  us,  too,  what  may 
be  done  in  a  community  by  even  one  man  of 
practical  sagacity  and  energetic  zeal — how  such 
a  man  can  stir  up  others  by  his  example  and  his 
influence,  and  can  carry  out  his  plans  for  the 
common  good,  in  spite  of  enemies  without  and 
croakers  within.  Let  us  then  take  a  practical 
lesson  from  this  patriot  and  reformer  of  the 
olden  time.  Let  us  not  shut  ourselves  up  in  our. 
own  individual  and  domestic  interests.  Let  us 
extend  our  sympathies  and  efforts.  Let  us  see 
what  we  can  do  according  to  the  special  needs 
of  our  own  time  to  serve  God  and  man  in  our 
day  and  generation. — Ibid. 


i86o4 — 18607] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWJSH    EKA. 


357 


[nehemiaii. 


VI.   HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  history  of  Nehemiah  illustrates  the 
importance  of  securing  the  Divine  favour 
by  a  life  of  practical  righteousness. 

[18604]  Here  is  the  beginning  and  end  of  the 
whole  matter.  God  has  an  eye  to  see  us,  an  ear 
to  hear  us,  a  face  to  shine  on  us,  and  a  hand  to 
succour  us.  The  man  who  can  claim  God  for 
his  own,  as  Nehemiah  could,  is  sure  to  prosper. 
Any  one  will  admit  that  :  if  the  favour  of  the 
God  of  heaven  can  be  secured,  there  is  no  doubt 
about  the  success  ;  but  the  "if"  seems  a  great 
one.  How  is  the  favour  of  the  God  of  heaven 
to  be  secured  }  As  Nehemiah  secured  it.  Re- 
member the  long  prayers  of  the  closet,  and  the 
short,  swift  ejaculation  in  the  court.  "Ask  and 
ye  shall  receive,  seek  and  ye  shall  find  ;  knock 
and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you.  For  everyone 
that  asketh  receiveth  ;  and  he  that  seeketh 
findeth  ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be 
opened"  (Matt.  vii.  7,  8).  When  sin  is  heartily 
put  away  witli  shame  ;  when  resolutions  are 
formed  to  serve  God,  working  hard  and  risking 
all  for  Him  ;  when  He  is  thoroughly  trusted  for 
everything,  blessing  is  sure  to  come.  We  may 
or  may  not  have  to  transact  with  unbelieving 
rulers,  and  to  build  with  stone  and  lime  ;  but 
we  have  God's  will  to  do  and  a  dangerous  world 
to  walk  through.  Praying  in  our  secret  places, 
we  may  pray  also  in  crowded  streets,  in  the 
midst  of  work,  on  encountering  sudden  tempta- 
tion, to  our  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  ;  and  He 
will  reward  us  openly.  But  Nehemiah  had  much 
sore  labour  before  the  open  reward  came :  so 
shall  we  have,  if  the  reward  is  to  be  true  and 
lasting. — A.  Symin^i^ton. 


2       The  history  of  Nehemiah  affords  a  striking 
example  of  the  power  of  prayer. 

( I )  As  rei^ards  prayer  generally. 

[18605]  The  whole  narrative  constrains  us  to 
remark  on  the  power  of  prayer  in  influencing 
the  history  of  the  Church  and  the  world.  It  is 
impossible  not  to  feel,  after  the  study  of  such  a 
passage  as  this,  that  if  human  history  were  to  be 
truly  written,  written  as  we  may  conceive  an 
angel  to  write  it,  much  less  influence  would  be 
ascribed  to  the  policy  of  kings  and  the  diplo- 
macy of  statesmen,  and  more  to  the  prayers  of 
holy  men.  Common  history  deals  mainly  with 
material  forces  ;  inspired  history  lifts  the  veil, 
and  shows  us  those  more  subtle  and  spiritual 
forces  in  operation,  which  do  so  much  to  shape 
the  destiny  alike  of  individuals  and  of  commu- 
nities. As  this  one  Hebrew,  for  example,  retired 
to  some  quiet  chamber  in  the  palace  of  Shushan, 
or  to  the  deep  shade  of  some  tree  in  the  gardens 
around  the  palace,  to  "  pray  his  prayer  day  and 
night,"  what  an  influence  was  he  thereby  putting 
forth  upon  the  counsels  of  Artaxerxes,  upon  the 
distant  Jerusalem,  and  upon  the  future  history 
of  the  kingdom  of  God — touching  the  first  link 
in  the  chain  on  which  all  others  depended, 
moving  the  hand  that  was  moving  the  universe  ! 
— Rev.  A.  Thoinpson,  D.D. 


(2)  As  regards  ejaculatory  prayer  in  par- 
ticular. 

[1S606]  "  For  what  dost  thou  make  request  ? " 
But,  before  he  answers  Artaxerxes,  there  is 
another  King  to  whom  he  makes  his  request. 
"So  I  prayed,"  says  he,  "to  the  God  of  heaven." 
This  is  one  of  the  most  striking  instances  re- 
corded in  the  Bible  of  what  is  commonly  termed 
ejaculatory  prayer— an  example  of  the  way  in 
which  good  men,  in  the  intercourse  and  business 
of  daily  life,  especially  when  brought  into  cir- 
cumstances of  unexpected  difficulty,  even  when 
there  is  no  motion  of  the  lips,  scarcely  more, 
indeed,  than  an  "  upward  glancing  of  the  eye," 
may  yet  send  up  such  a  quick  and  compacted 
supplication  to  God  as  shall  bring  down  all 
heaven  to  their  aid.  It  is  not  meant  that  such 
ejaculations  are  to  be  a  substitute  for  those  more 
lengthened  seasons  of  supplication  of  which  we 
have  just  seen  so  interesting  an  example  on  the 
part  of  Nehemiah,  but  that  they  may  be  profit- 
ably used  by  us  when  the  other  is  for  the  time 
impossible.  "When  we  are  time-bound,"  says 
good  Thomas  Fuller  in  his  "Good  Thoughts," 
"  place-bound,  or  person-bound,  so  that  we  can- 
not compose  ourselves  to  make  a  large  solemn 
prayer,  this  is  the  right  instant  for  ejaculations, 
whether  orally  uttered  or  only  poured  forth 
inwardly  in  the  heart.  Ejaculations  take  not 
up  any  room  in  the  soul.  They  give  liberty  of 
callings,  so  that,  at  the  same  time,  one  may 
follow  his  proper  vocation."  Oh,  what  a  blessed 
resource  to  the  Christian  merchant  amid  the 
fretting  annoyances  and  the  thousand  per- 
plexities of  business  !  And  what  a  benefit  to 
all,  thus  to  fill  up  the  intervals  between  their 
more  prolonged  devotions  by  brief  ejaculatory 
prayers  which  go  to  make  the  whole  life  devout ! 

"  These  form  the  links  of  an  electric  chain 
That  joins  the  orisons  of  morn  and  eve, 
And  propagate  through  all  its  several  parts, 
While  kept  continuous,  the  ethereal  fire." 

— Ibid. 

3  The  history  of  Nehemiah  presents,  in  the 
opposition  with  which  he  met,  a  type  of 
the  vainglorious  and  scornful  infidelity 
which  opposes  the  progress  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith  to-day. 

[1S607]  In  all  this  we  have  an  example  of  the 
terms  of  incredulity  and  scorn  in  which  men 
without  religion  often  speak  of  Christian  efforts 
for  the  highest  good  of  the  world.  "  It  is  only  a 
fit  of  momentary  enthusiasm,"  they  will  tell  us  ; 
or,  if  perseverance  contradicts  this,  then  we  are 
assured  that  the  work  is  impracticable,  and  that 
a  few  feeble  worms  might  as  soon  attempt  to 
level  the  Alps  into  a  plain.  In  this  way  they 
are  ever  measuring  spiritual  forces  by  a  mere 
material  standard  which  cannot  be  applied  to 
them,  and  constantly  finding  their  "  glory  turned 
into  shame."  Hume,  in  his  famous  argument 
on  miracles  m  which  every  new  writer  on  the 
Christian  evidences  has  discovered  a  new 
sophism,  boasted  that  he  had  found  an  argu- 
ment by  which  he  would    drive  superstition— 


358 


i86o7 — 18611] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[EZRA. 


by  which  he  meant  the  Christian  religion — from 
the  earth.  And  there  have  not  been  wanting 
similar  boasters  in  the  camp  of  intldelity  ever 
since.  But  it  has  been  remarked,  in  terms 
which  the  history  of  centuries  might  be  adduced 
to  confirm,  that  while  "  infidels  are  always 
boasting  that  they  have  given  the  Bible  its 
death-blow,  meanwhile  they  somehow  perish, 
and  it  hves  and  laughs  at  them." — Ibid. 

4  The  history  of  Nehemiah  presents,  in  the 
calmness  with  which  he  met  the  opposition 
offered  to  him,  an  example  of  the  spirit 
in  which  the  Christian  should  face  mockery 
to-day, 

[18608]  There  are  some  natures — and  these 
by  no  means  the  most  ignoble — that  are  pecu- 
liarly sensitive  to  ridicule.  They  are  apt  to 
become  ashamed  of  convictions  or  of  actions 
which  are  subjected  to  mockery,  and  then  after- 
wards they  are  ashamed  of  their  shame.  They 
could  meet  a  blow  better  than  a  sneer,  and 
would  rather  be  persecuted  than  despised.  But 
if  we  are  working  in  any  way  for  Christ  and  His 
kingdom,  if  we  are  striving  to  promote  the  cause 
of  righteousness  and  truth,  let  us  learn  from 
Nehemiah  to  confront  mockery  with  calmness. 
If  we  hold  certain  views  on  political  or  religious 
questions,  let  us,  indeed,  make  sure  that  we  are 
holding  them  on  good  grounds  ;  but  let  us  not 
give  them  up,  or  be  ashamed  of  them,  merely 
because  we  may  be  sneered  at  as  being  "  behind 
the  age."  There  is  an  intellectual  self-conceit 
which  shelters  its  own  ignorance  behind  the 
authority  of  great  names,  and  all  but  exhausts 
its  own  shallow  powers  in  flippant  sarcasm  and 
clever  scorn. — Ibid. 


EZRA. 
I.  Leading  Traits  of  Character. 
I       Heroic  faith, 

[18609]  The  stony  desert,  which  stretches 
unbroken  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  uplands  on 
the  East  of  Jordan,  was  infested  then  as  now 
by  wild  bands  of  marauders,  who  might  easily 
swoop  down  on  the  encumbered  march  of  Ezra 
and  his  men,  and  make  a  clean  sweep  of  all 
which  they  had.  And  he  knew  that  he  had 
but  to  ask  and  have  an  escort  from  the  king 
that  would  ensure  their  safety  till  they  saw 
Jerusalem.  Artaxerxes'  surname,  "  the  long- 
handed,"  may  have  described  a  physical  pecu- 
liarity, but  it  also  expressed  the  reach  of  his 
power  ;  his  arm  could  reach  these  wandering 
plunderers,  and  if  Ezra  and  his  troop  were 
visibly  under  his  protection,  they  could  march 
secure.  So  it  was  not  a  small  exercise  of  trust 
in  a  higher  hand  that  is  told  us  here  so  simply. 
It  took  some  strength  of  principle  to  abstain 
from  asking  what  it  would  have  been  so  natural 
to  ask,  so  easy  to  get,  so  comfortable  to  have. 


But,  as  he  says,  he  remembered  how  confidently 
he  had  spoken  of  God's  defence,  and  he  feels 
that  he  must  be  true  to  his  professed  creed, 
even  if  it  deprives  him  of  the  king's  guards. 
He  halts  his  followers  for  three  days  at  the 
last  station  before  the  desert,  and  there,  with 
fasting  and  prayer,  they  put  themselves  in  God's 
hand  i^  and  then  the  band,  with  their  wives  and 
little  ones,  and  their  substance — a  heavily- 
loaded  and  feeble  caravan— fling  themselves 
into  the  dangers  of  the  long,  dreary,  robber- 
haunted  march.  Did  not  the  scribe's  robe 
cover  as  brave  a  heart  as  ever  beat  beneath  a 
breastplate,'' — Rev.  A.  Maclaren,  D.D. 

2       Single-eyed  consistency. 

[18610]  Note  Ezra's  sensitive  shrinking  from 
anything  like  inconsistency  between  his  creed 
and  his  practice.  It  was  easy  to  talk  about 
God's  protection  when  he  was  safe  behind  the 
walls  of  Babylon  ;  but  now  the  push  had  come. 
There  was  a  real  danger  before  him  and  his 
unwarlike  followers.  No  doubt,  too,  there  were 
plenty  of  people  who  would  have  been  delighted 
to  catch  him  tripping  ;  and  he  felt  that  his 
cheeks  would  have  tingled  with  shame  if  they 
had  been  able  to  say,  "  Ah  !  that  is  what  all  his 
fine  professions  come  to,  is  it  1  He  wants  a 
convoy,  does  he  ?  We  thought  as  much.  It  is 
always  so  with  these  people  who  talk  in  that 
style.  They  are  just  like  the  rest  of  us  when 
the  pinch  comes."  So,  with  a  high  and  keen 
sense  of  what  was  required  by  his  avowed  prin- 
ciples, he  will  have  no  guards  for  the  road. 
There  was  a  man  whose  religion  was,  at  any 
rate,  not  a  fair-weather  religion.  It  did  not  go 
off  in  fine  speeches  about  trusting  to  the  pro- 
tection of  God,  spoken  from  behind  the  skirts 
of  the  king,  or  from  the  middle  of  a  phalanx  of 
his  soldiers.  He  clearly  meant  what  he  said, 
and  believed  every  word  of  it  as  a  prose  fact, 
which  was  solid  enough  to  build  conduct  on. — 
Ibid. 

[18611]  I  am  afraid  a  great  many  of  us  would 
rather  have  tried  to  reconcile  our  asking  for  a 
band  of  horsemen  with  our  professed  trust  in 
God's  hand  ;  and  there  would  have  been  plenty 
of  excuses  very  ready  about  using  means  as 
well  as  exercising  faith,  and  not  being  called 
upon  to  abandon  advantages,  and  not  pushing 
a  good  principle  to  Quixotic  lengths,  and  so  on, 
and  so  on.  But  whatever  truth  there  is  in  such 
considerations,  at  any  rate,  we  may  well  learn 
the  lesson  of  this  story — to  be  true  to  our  pro- 
fessed principles  ;  to  beware  of  making  our 
religion  a  matter  of  words ;  to  live,  when  the 
time  for  putting  them  into  practice  comes,  by 
the  maxims  which  we  have  been  forward  to 
proclaim  when  there  was  no  risk  in  applying 
them ;  and  to  try  sometimes  to  look  at  our 
lives  with  the  eyes  of  people  who  do  not  share 
our  faith,  that  we  may  bring  our  actions  up  to 
the  mark  of  what  they  expect  of  us.  If  "the 
Church"  would  oftener  think  of  what  "the 
world"   looks   for  from   it,  it  would  seldomer 


-i86i6] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


359 

[ezka. 


have  cause  to  be  ashamed  of  the  terrible  gap 
between  its  words  and  its  deeds. — IbiiL 

3       Methodical  spirituality. 

[18612]  Notice  Ezra's  preparation  for  receiv- 
ing the  Divine  help.  There,  by  the  river 
Ahava,  he  haks  his  company  like  a  prudent 
leader,  to  repair  omissions,  and  put  the  last 
touches  to  their  organization  before  facing  the 
wilderness.  But  he  has  another  purpose  also. 
*'  I  proclaimed  a  fast  there,  to  seek  of  God  a 
right  way  for  us."  There  was  no  foolhardiness 
in  his  courage  ;  he  was  well  aware  of  all  the 
possible  dangers  on  the  road  ;  and  whilst  he  is 
confident  of  the  Divine  protection,  he  knows 
that,  in  his  own  quiet,  matter-of-fact  words,  it  is 
given  "to  all  them  that  seek  Him."  So  his 
faith  not  only  impels  him  to  the  renunciation  of 
the  Babylonian  guard,  but  to  earnest  supplica- 
tion for  the  defence  in  which  he  is  so  confident. 
He  is  sure  it  will  be  given — so  sure,  that  he  will 
have  no  other  shield  ;  and  yet  he  fasts  and 
prays  that  he  and  his  company  may  receive  it. 
He  prays  because  he  is  sure  that  he  will  receive 
it,  and  does  receive  it  because  he  prays  and  is 
sure.  So  for  us,  the  condition  and  preparation 
on  and  by  which  we  are  sheltered  by  that  great 
hand,  is  the  faith  that  asks,  and  the  asking  of 
faith.  We  must  forsake  the  earthly  props,  but 
we  must  also  believingly  desire  to  be  upheld  by 
the  heavenly  arms.  We  make  God  responsible 
for  our  safety  when  we  abandon  other  defence, 
and  commit  ourselves  to  Him.  With  eyes  open 
to  our  dangers,  and  full  consciousness  of  our 
own  unarmed  and  unwarlike  weakness,  let  us 
solemnly  commend  ourselves  to  Him,  rolling 
all  our  burden  on  His  strong  arms,  knowing 
that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which  we  have 
committed  to  Him.  He  will  accept  the  trust, 
and  set  His  guards  about  us.  As  the  song  of  the 
returning  exiles,  which  may  have  been  sung  by 
the  river  Ahava,  has  it  :  "  My  help  cometh  from 
the  Lord.  The  Lord  is  thy  keeper.  The  Lord 
is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand." — Idid. 

n.    HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

I  The  history  of  Ezra  illustrates  the  duty 
of  a  due  subordination  of  visible  means 
to  a  faithful  reliance  upon  God. 

[1S613]  Especially  in  regard  to  this  matter 
of  trust  in  an  unseen  hand,  and  reliance  on 
visible  helps,  we  all  need  to  be  very  rigid  in 
our  self-inspection.  Faith  in  the  good  hand  of 
God  upon  us  for  good  should  often  lead  to  the 
abandonment,  and  always  to  the  subordination, 
of  material  aids.  It  is  a  question  of  detail, 
which  each  man  must  settle  for  himself  as  each 
occasion  arises,  whether  in  any  given  case 
abandonment  or  subordination  is  our  duty. 
This  is  not  the  place  to  enter  on  so  large  and 
difficult  a  question.  But,  at  all  events,  let  us 
remember,  and  try  to  work  into  our  own  lives, 
that  principle  which  the  easy-going  Christianity 
of  this  day  has  honeycombed  with  so  many 
exceptions,  that  it  scarcely  has  any  whole  sur- 


face left  at  all  ;  that  the  absolute  surrender  and 
forsaking  of  external  helps  and  goods  is  some- 
times essential  to  the  preservation  and  due 
expression  of  reliance  on  God.  There  is  very 
little  fear  of  any  of  us  pushing  that  principle  to 
Quixotic  lengths.  The  danger  is  all  the  other 
way.  So  it  is  worth  while  to  notice  that  we 
have  here  an  instance  of  a  man  being  carried 
by  a  certain  lofty  enthusiasm  further  than  the 
mere  law  of  duty  would  take  him.  There 
would  have  been  no  harm  in  Ezra's  asking  an 
escort,  seeing  that  his  whole  enterprise  was 
made  possible  by  the  king's  support.  He 
would  not  have  been  "leaning  on  an  arm  of 
flesh"  by  availing  himself  of  the  royal  troops, 
any  more  than  when  he  used  the  royal  firman. 
But  a  true  man  often  feels  that  he  cannot  do 
the  things  which  he  might  without  sin  do.  "All 
things  are  lawful  for  me,  but  all  things  are  not 
expedient." — Ilnd. 

[1S614]  What  shall  we  say  of  people  who 
profess  that  God  is  their  portion,  and  are  as 
eager  in  the  scramble  for  money  as  anybody  .'' 
What  kind  of  a  commentary  will  sharp-sighted, 
sharp-tongued  observers  have  a  right  to  make 
on  us,  whose  creed  is  so  unlike  theirs,  while  our 
lives  are  identical }  Do  you  believe  that  "  the 
hand  of  our  God  is  upon  all  them  for  good  that 
seek  Him"?  Then,  do  you  not  think  that 
racing  after  the  prizes  of  this  world,  with 
flushed  cheeks  and  labouring  breath,  or  long- 
ing with  a  gnawing  hunger  of  heart,  for  any 
earthly  good,  or  lamenting  over  the  removal  of 
creatural  defences  and  joys,  as  if  heaven  were 
empty  because  some  one's  place  here  is,  or  as  if 
God  were  dead  because  our  dear  ones  die,  may 
well  be  a  shame  to  us  and  a  taunt  on  the  lips  of 
our  enemies .''  Let  us  learn  again  the  lesson 
from  this  old  story — that  if  our  faith  in  God  is 
not  the  veriest  sham,  it  demands,  and  will  pro- 
duce the  abandonment  sometimes,  the  subordi- 
nation always,  of  external  helps  and  material 
good. — Ibid. 

2  The  history  of  Ezra  illustrates  the  suc- 
cessful issue  which  will  always  in  the 
end  attend  a  right-minded  confidence  in 
the  Divine  protection. 

[186 1 5]  A  flash  of  joyful  feeling  breaks 
through  the  simple  narrative,  as  it  tells  how 
the  words  spoken  before  the  king  came  true  in 
the  experience  of  the  weaponless  pilgrims  : 
"  The  hand  of  our  God  -was  upon  us,  and  He 
delivered  us  from  the  hand  of  the  enemy,  and 
of  such  as  lay  in  wait  by  the  way  ;  and  we 
came  to  Jerusalem."  It  was  no  rash  venture 
that  we  made.  He  was  all  that  we  hoped  and 
asked.  Through  all  the  weary  march  He  led 
us.  From  the  wild,  desert-born  robbers  that 
watched  us  from  afar,  ready  to  come  down 
on  us,  from  ambushes  and  hidden  perils.  He 
kept  us,  because  we  had  none  other  help,  and 
all  our  hope  was  in  Him. — Ibid. 

[18616]  The  ventures  of  faith  are  ever  re- 
warded.    We  cannot  set  our  expectations  too 


360 

i86i6 — 18620] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA. 


[ezekiel. 


high.  What  we  dare  scarcely  hope  now  we 
shall  one  day  remember.  When  we  come  to 
tell  the  completed  story  of  our  lives  we  shall 
have  to  record  the  fulfilment  of  all  God's  pro- 
mises and  the  accomplishment  of  all  our  prayers 
that  were  built  on  these.  Here  let  us  cry,  Be 
Thy  hand  upon  us.  Here  let  us  trust,  Thy 
hand  shall  be  upon  us.  Then  we  shall  have 
to  say,  "The  hand  of  our  God  was  upon  us." 
And  as  we  look  from  the  watch-towers  of  the 
city  on  the  desert  that  stretches  to  its  very 
walls,  and  remember  all  the  way  by  which  He 
led  us,  we  shall  rejoice  over  His  vindication  of 
our  poor  faith,  and  praise  Him  that  "  not  one 
thing  hath  failed  of  all  the  things  which  the 
Lord  our  God  spoke  concerning  us." — Ibid. 


EZEKIEL. 

I.  Introductory. 

His  place  among  the  prophets. 

[186 1 7]  Ezekiel  is,  among  the  prophets,  what 
Michael  Angelo  is  among  painters  and  sculp- 
tors. Vast  and  colossal  in  his  imagery,  ma- 
jestic in  his  diction,  copious  in  fancy,  he  never- 
theless often  transcends  in  his  ideas  the  powers 
of  language,  and  becomes  obscure  and  difficult 
to  be  understood.  This  is  well  exemplified  in 
the  vision  by  which  he  was  called  to  his  office. 
— Rev.  R.  Payne  Smith. 

II.  Formation  of  Character. 

[18618]  He  was  a  priest  by  descent,  the  son 
of  Buzi,  a  circumstance  which  he  records  him- 
self, and  one  with  which  the  cast  of  his  mental 
associations  is  in  striking  agreement.  The  ark 
and  the  cherubim  forming  God's  visible  throne, 
and  the  temple  forming  God's  visible  palace  or 
habitation,  under  the  typical  dispensation  of 
Judaism,  seem  to  have  been  vividly  present  to 
his  imagination,  and  to  have  been  employed  by 
the  Spirit  of  prophecy  as  the  groundwork  of  the 
astonishing  visions  which  occur  at  the  beginning 
and  end  of  the  book.  We  can  conceive  of  him 
in  youth,  ere  he  was  torn  from  his  native  land, 
receiving  into  his  mind,  as  if  burnt  into  his 
memory,  the  images  of  those  sacred  things, 
which  rose  as  the  background  of  the  life  of  a 
Jewish  priest — imiiges  with  a  spirit  and  meaning 
as  pure  and  exalted  as  those  of  what  he  saw,  in 
the  land  of  his  exile,  were  corrupt  and  debased. 
— Rev.  y.  Stouglito7t. 

III.  Leading  Characteristics. 

I       Imaginativeness. 

[18619]  His  mind  was  evidently  of  the  most 
imaginative  cast  ;  wont  to  dwell  long  upon  the 
objects  which  he  was  taught  to  employ  as  the 
materials  of  symljolic  lessons  to  his  countrymen; 


wont  to  dwell  so  long  on  them  as  to  bring  out 
their  minutest  peculiarities  in  his  pictorial  de- 
tails. He  expands  his  images  with  a  wonderful 
power  of  amplification,  and  in  this  respect  may 
be  compared  with  Isaiah,  who  dismisses  his 
figures  with  a  i&w  bold  strokes.  Ezekiel  enlarges 
his  drawings,  and  gives  free  scope  to  his  pencil, 
crowding  with  grand  conceptions,  and  enriching 
with  exquisite  touches,  his  magnificent  cartoons 
of  prophecy.  Yet  not  as  a  mere  artist,  not  as  a 
mere  poet,  not  as  a  mere  rhetorician,  did  Ezekiel 
employ  the  faculties  with  which  God  had  en- 
dowed him. — Ibid. 

2      Sense  of  responsibility. 

This  lay  at  the  root  of  the  -perfect  fidelity  and 
obedience  which  his  life  exhibits. 

[18620]  The  sense  of  responsibility  in  re- 
ference both  to  the  people  and  himself  was  in 
the  prophet's  mind  a  cogent  motive  to  fidelity — • 
as  it  must  ever  be  when  it  really  exists.  It 
formed  the  groundwork  of  that  obedience  of 
which  the  whole  history  of  the  prophet  is  an 
example.  Though  he  was  not  responsible  for 
success  or  failure,  he  was  responsible  for  that, 
without  the  doing  of  which  there  could  not  be 
success,  there  must  be  failure.  Though  he  had 
to  do  things  the  reason  of  which  he  could  not 
see,  he  was  responsible  if  they  were  not  done. 
Though  some  exercises  of  mind  which  he  was 
called  to  endure  were  terrible  to  flesh  and  blood, 
his  responsibility  as  a  minister  and  a  man  de- 
manded that  he  should  sustain  them.  At  the 
very  outset  he  had  a  discouraging  prospect  ; 
for  those  to  whom  he  was  to  minister  were  de- 
scribed to  him  as  a  rebellious  nation — impudent 
children  and  stiff-necked.  Yet  he  obeyed  the 
Divine  mandate,  and  went  and  ministered  to 
them.  He  was  bidden  to  take  a  tile  and  portray 
upon  it  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  and  lay  mimic 
siege  to  it,  and  build  a  fort,  and  cast  up  a  mount ; 
to  lie  down  upon  his  left  side,  and  then  upon  his 
right  side,  for  many  days  ;  to  make  barley  bread 
in  a  vessel  and  eat  of  it  ;  to  cut  otT  his  hair  and 
weigh  it  in  balances  ;  to  bring  forth  his  stuff  out 
of  his  house,  and  remove  to  another  place  in 
the  sight  of  the  people.  Such  things  he  was 
commanded  to  do  —  some  trivial,  and  others 
tedious  ;  but  all,  whether  he  saw  it  or  not, 
having  a  Divine  meaning,  and  being  a  sign  and 
a  witness  to  the  children  of  Israel.  He  most 
scrupulously  obeyed  every  injunction  to  the 
letter.  More  painful  than  all,  he  was  to  submit 
to  the  heaviest  of  domestic  sorrows.  "  The 
word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  him,  saying,  Son 
of  man,  behold,  I  take  away  from  thee  the  de- 
sire of  thine  eyes  with  a  stroke  :  yet  neither 
shalt  thou  mourn  nor  weep  :  neither  shall  thy 
tears  run  down.  Forbear  to  cry,  make  no 
mourning  for  the  dead,  bind  the  hair  of  thine 
head  upon  thee,  and  put  on  thy  shoes  upon  thy 
feet,  and  cover  not  thy  lips,  and  eat  not  the 
bread  of  men."  Stern  though  he  seemed  in  his 
public  character,  his  heart  gushed  with  hus- 
bandly love,  and  the  loss  of  the  dearest  com- 
panion of  his  life  was  enough  to  deluge  his  soul 
with  grief ;  but  even  this  heavy  calamity  he  was 


18620—18625] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


361 

[ezekif.l. 


ready  to  endure  at  the  command  of  God,  with- 
out a  murmur  or  a  tear.  "  So  I  spake  unto  the 
people  in  the  morning  :  and  at  even  my  wife 
died  ;  and  I  did  in  the  morning  as  I  was  com- 
manded."— Ibid. 

[18621]  His  strong  sense  of  responsibility 
produced  in  him  a  spirit  of  obedience  ;  a  firm, 
unlhnching,  and  faithful  obedience  to  every 
word  of  the  Lord,  comes  out  as  the  constant 
habit  of  the  propliet's  life.  With  the  simplicity 
of  a  child,  and  the  earnestness  of  a  man,  he  did 
what  he  was  bidden.  That  which,  in  relation 
to  any  human  master,  would  have  been  degra- 
ding, became,  in  submission  to  a  Divine  Master, 
a  principle  of  mental  and  moral  elevation.  He 
is  an  abject  slave  whose  will  is  entirely  subject 
to  that  of  another  man's  ;  he  only  is  free  whose 
will  is  entirely  subject  to  that  of  God.  The 
grand  lesson  of  this  portion  of  Ezekiel's  history 
is  obedience  to  the  Infinitely  Wise  and  Good, — 
obedience,  even  where  it  may  seem  fruitless  ; 
obedience  in  the  minutest  particulars,  and  the 
strangest  service  ;  obedience,  though  involving 
self-denial  in  our  dearest  affections,  even  to  the 
very  crucifixion  of  the  heart. — Ibid. 

3  Persevering  energy. 

[18622]  The  prophet  is  distinguished  by  un- 
common strength  and  energy.  We  see  in  him  an 
individuality  naturally  endowed  with  great  intel- 
lectual strength,  penetrated  and  sanctified  by  a 
higher  power  to  which  it  is  made  subservient. 
The  appearance  of  Ezekiel  as  an  inspired  mes- 
senger of  God  must  have  been  among  the  most 
impressive  of  any  of  those  who  under  the  Old 
Testament  dispensation  spake  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  glow  of  Divine 
wrath,  the  holy  majesty  of  Jehovah,  the  mighty 
rushing  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  as  the  seer 
himself  had  seen  and  heard  them,  were  reflected 
in  his  discourse.  He  opposed  with  abruptness 
and  firmness  the  corrupt  spirit  of  the  age  in 
which  he  lived.  When  he  had  to  contend  with 
a  people  of  brazen  brow  and  stiff  neck,  he  also 
on  his  part  is  of  unbending  nature,  opposing 
presumption  with  unwavering  boldness,  and  de- 
nouncing abominable  deeds  with  words  of  con- 
suming fire.  This  glow  of  discourse  is  united 
with  a  clear  and  constant  prudence.  The  prophet 
never  passes  hastily  from  one  subject  to  another, 
he  occupies  himself  entirely  with  the  one  before 
him,  embraces  it  with  all  his  power,  views  it  in 
all  its  aspects,  and  does  not  rest  till  he  has  com- 
pletely exhausted  it.  Hence  he  often  returns 
to  the  great  leading  thoughts  that  animate  him. 
In  these  he  lives  and  moves.  Unceasingly  he 
presents  to  the  hardened  ears  and  hearts  of  the 
people  what  the  necessity  of  the  case  requires. 
And  to  this  union  of  perseverance  and  strength 
the  great  efficacy  of  his  eloquence  is  to  be  as- 
cribed.— BibliotJicca  Sacra. 

4  The  sacerdotal  spirit. 

[18623]  Ezekiel  is  distinguished  by  his  sacer- 
dotal spirit.     This  is  much  stronger  in  him  than 


in  Jeremiah.  Even  as  a  prophet  he  does  not  deny 
his  Levitical  origin  and  disposition,  for  he  has 
with  all  his  soul  served  the  Lord  in  the  sanc- 
tuary. Moreover,  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  was  placed,  required  him  to  maintain  the  cha- 
racter of  a  priest,  not  merely  because  a  man  of 
his  family  must  of  course  enjoy  a  certain  autho- 
rity among  the  people,  but  because  in  him  as 
priest  a  spiritual  blessing  was  conferred  upon 
them,  a  continual  memento  of  the  sanctuary 
of  the  Lord  was  given  them,  and  his  voice 
awakened  their  longings  for  those  gracious 
manifestations  of  Jehovah  which  had  been  lost. 
—Ibid. 

[18624]  Numerous  evidences  of  this  sacer- 
dotal spirit  are  found  in  the  Book  of  Ezekiel. 
It  appears  in  the  manner  of  his  calling  (chap.  i. 
cf.  chap.  X.).  Individual  features  of  it  are  fre- 
quently seen  in  his  attachment  to  the  law  given 
by  Moses  (xx.  12,  xxii.  8,  26).  Some  "have 
wished  to  discover  in  this  disposition  of  the  pro- 
phet a  narrowness  of  mind.  Even  Ewald  says 
that  "  it  was  in  consequence  of  a  one-sided 
attachment  to  the  ancient  Judaism  as  described 
in  books  and  made  venerable  by  tradition,  as 
well  as  a  result  of  a  despondency  of  spirit  in 
view  of  the  long  banishment  and  present  degra- 
dation of  the  people."  But  in  opposition  to  this 
opinion  vve  might  say  that  Ezekiel,  from  the 
commencement  of  his  life  as  a  prophet,  was 
devotedly  attached  to  the  law,  and  that  so  far 
from  manifesting  any  despondency  of  mind,  he 
possessed  a  noble  courage,  looking  away  from 
the  suffering  of  the  present  time,  and  living  with 
constant  enthusiasm  in  the  hopes  of  a  new  for- 
mation of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  future. — 
Ibid. 


IV.  Comparison  with  Jeremiah. 

[18625]  Comparing  Ezekiel  with  Jeremiah  we 
are  struck  with  the  method  of  amplifying 
figures  through  a  vivid  realization  of  them  as 
present  things,  which  we  so  plainly  discover  in 
the  first  of  these  inspired  men,  as  compared  with 
the  less  pictorial  cast  of  mind  indicated  by  the 
second.  But  the  moral  comparison  of  them  is 
still  more  interesting.  "  The  one  presents  the 
spectacle  of  the  power  of  Divine  inspiration 
acting  on  a  mind  naturally  of  the  finest  texture, 
and  at  once  subduing  to  himself  every  element 
of  the  soul  ;  whilst  the  other  furnishes  an  ex- 
ample not  less  memorable  of  moral  courage, 
sustained  by  the  same  inspiration,  against  the 
constantly  opposing  influence  of  a  love  of  re- 
tirement and  strong  susceptibility  to  impressions 
of  outward  evil.  Ezekiel  views  the  conduct  of 
his  countrymen  as  opposed  to  righteousness  and 
truth  ;  Jeremiah  thinks  of  it  rather  as  produc- 
tive of  evil  and  misery  to  themselves  ;  Ezekiel's 
indignation  is  roused  at  the  sins  of  his  people, 
Jeremiah's  pity  is  excited  by  the  consequences 
of  their  sins  ;  the  former  takes  an  objective,  the 
latter  a  subjective  view  of  the  evils  by  which 
both  were  surrounded." — Rev.  J.  Stoitj^/itoft. 


362 

i8526 — 10633] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS, 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[DANIEL. 


DANIEL. 

I.  Introductory. 

General  view  of  his  character  and  career, 

[18626]  We  have  here  one  of  those  noble 
witnesses  who  compose  the  cloud  of  which  St. 
Paul  speaks,  and  which  surrounds  the  Church 
during  her  combats  on  earth  (Heb.  xii.  i).  He 
is  bui  a  man,  it  is  true  ;  but  he  is  a  faitJiful 
man,  and  so  placed,  that  he  attracts  our  most 
lively  attention  whilst  giving  us  the  most  impor- 
tant lessons.  This  Daniel  is  a  young  man, 
distinguished  in  every  way,  and  surrounded 
with  all  the  charms  and  allurements  of  the  world. 
In  blooming  years,  and  accomplished  in  person, 
of  high  birth  and  a  cultivated  mind. — Rev.  C. 
JMala7i. 

[18627]  Called  at  the  beginning  of  the  Baby- 
lonian captivity  to  witness  for  Jehovah,  he  was 
honoured  to  maintain  a  blameless  record 
throughout  the  entire  seventy  years  of  the  exile, 
and  to  take  a  principal  part  in  the  events  which 
led  to  the  famous  edict  of  Cyrus,  by  which  per- 
mission was  given  to  the  Jews  to  return  to  their 
own  land.  He  lived  thus  through  a  critical  era  in 
the  history  of  his  nation.  He  was  tried  by  adver- 
sity, and  by  the  more  searching  test  of  sudden 
prosperity  ;  yet  he  was  always  true  to  the  con- 
victions of  his  conscience,  and  faithful  to  the 
commandments  of  his  God.  Though  in  the 
world  of  Babylon,  he  was  not  of  it  ;  his  heart 
was  ever  holding  fellowship  with  Jehovah  ;  and 
the  temptations  to  honour  and  emolument  were 
as  impotent  to  move  him  as  were  the  flames  of 
the  furnace  or  the  lions  of  the  den. — Rev.  W. 
Taylor,  D.D. 


II.  Special  Characteristics. 
I       Early  piety. 

[18628]  He  could  not  have  been  more  than 
fourteen  years  of  age  when,  with  his  three  com- 
panions, he  was  sent  to  be  educated  at  the 
college  of  the  Chaldeans.  Yet  even  then  he  had 
learned  to  love  Jehovah,  and  to  make  the  Divine 
law  the  rule  of  his  life. — Rev.  F.  Huniingdo/i, 
D.D. 

[18629]  He  was  one  of  the  young  men  of  the 
higher  rank  (himself  generally  believed  to  be  of 
the  royal  kindred)  who  were  carried  to  Babylon 
in  the  great  captivity  ;  and  there,  with  three 
others  of  them,  he  was  selected,  on  account  of 
conspicuous  personal  and  mental  qualifications, 
to  be,  after  due  training,  introduced  into  the 
service  of  the  court — a  very  hazardous  thing  for 
young  men  ;  but  here,  for  once,  the  pestilent 
influence  struck  on  uncorruptible  materials. — 
Rev.  y.  Foster,  D.D. 

[18630]  Piety  in  youth  is  especially  lovely  and 
attractive.  This  was  conspicuous  in  Daniel. 
He  was  still  a  youth  when,  though  a  captive  in 
a  foreign  land,  and  surrounded  with  temptations 


in  a  heathen  and  luxurious  court,  he  resolved  to 
deny  himself  the  luxuries  of  the  king's  table, 
and  to  live  upon  beans  and  water,  rather  than 
do  what  he  believed  was  contrary  to  the  law  of 
God.  His  amiability  and  sweetness  of  disposi- 
tion were  such  as  to  gain  for  him  the  favour  and 
attachment  of  the  officer  in  the  palace,  under 
whose  charge  he  and  the  other  Jewish  youths 
were  placed.  Daniel  was  still  only  a  young 
man  when,  in  a  crisis  of  great  danger  to  others 
as  well  as  himself,  he,  in  childlike  confidence, 
carried  the  matter  to  the  Lord,  and  obtained, 
through  a  Divine  communication  vouchsafed  to 
him,  deliverance  both  for  himself  and  the  wise 
men  of  Babylon.  Daniel's  piety  in  youth  was 
the  foundation  of  his  character  and  greatness 
as  a  man. — Homiletic  Commentary. 

[18631]  Nothing  is  recorded  of  the  home  in- 
fluence which  guarded  and  sanctified  the  earliest 
youth  of  Daniel  ;  but  we  may,  in  the  first  place, 
iDe  sure  it  existed,  and  in  the  second  its  general 
character  can  be  clearly  ascertained.  Every 
effect  must  have  a  cause.  When  we  find  a  lad 
of  fourteen  coming  to  an  heroic  moral  resolve, 
arranging  wisely  for  its  execution,  carrying  it 
through  over  long  years,  and  that  in  a  foreign 
land,  away  from  holy  associations,  seemingly 
unwatched  by  the  eye  of  any  human  love,  sur- 
rounded by  the  flatteries  and  seductions  that 
wait  on  princes,  we  may  feel  perfectly  sure  that 
there  had  been  a  religious  education  of  a  very 
thorough  character  under  the  shadow  of  Jeru- 
salem's temple  and  towers. — Rev.  E.  Pusey, 
D.D. 

[18632]  We  are  not  certain  as  to  who  may 
have  presided  over  his  early  culture.  We  do  not 
know  that  father  or  mother,  or  both,  took  in  it 
their  appropriate  part.  For  aught  we  know, 
Daniel  may  have  been  an  orphan.  But  of  this 
we  are  assured,  that,  before  he  was  plunged  into 
the  overwhelming  sorrow  of  the  captivity,  and 
was  exposed  to  the  fierce  temptation  that  is  wont 
to  play  on  the  heads  of  men  in  king's  courts, 
Daniel  learnt,  somehow,  those  lessons  of 
heavenly  wisdom  which  were  invariably  imparted 
to  Hebrew  youth,  and  to  say  :  "  I  have  heard 
with  my  ears,  O  God,  my  fathers  have  told  me, 
what  work  Thou  didst  in  their  days, in  the  times 
of  old.  .  .  .  Thou  art  my  King,  O  God  :  com- 
mand deliverance  for  me.''' — Ibid. 

[18633]  No  doubt  the  very  peculiar  circum- 
stances in  which  he  was  placed  at  Babylon  did 
something  towards  drawing  out  the  piety  whose 
principles  lay  deep  within.  Circumstances  can- 
not make,  but  they  may  develop  character. 
First  principle,  then  opportunity.  The  miseries 
of  the  deportation,  followed  by  immediate  trans- 
lation into  the  delicate  living  of  the  king's  court, 
the  moral  trial  which  instantly  supervened,  the 
triumphant  issue,  and  consequent  elevation,  are 
all  events  which,  in  the  providence  of  God,  and 
by  His  grace,  may  have  contributed,  doubtless 
did  contribute,  to  the  full  development  of  that 
transcendent  saintliness  which  we  know  to  have 


I8633-I8637] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[DANIEL. 


been  characteristic  of  the  prophet  Daniel. 
Early  life  is  probationary  in  relation  to  maturity, 
as  is  all  life  in  relation  to  eternity.  According^ 
as  we  then  demean  ourselves  are  the  issues  in 
character  and  destiny.  Assuredly  was  this  the 
case  with  Daniel,  and  well  did  he  abide  the 
trial.  More  than  this  we,  perhaps,  cannot  say 
of  those  secondary  causes  which,  under  God, 
made  Daniel  the  man  he  was,  and  "built"  for 
him  "  an  everlasting'  name." — Ibid. 

[18634]  His  piety  did  not  interfere  with  his 
pre-eminence.  He  was,  shall  I  say,  the  vale- 
dictorian of  his  year.  He  held  all  through  the 
very  highest  place  in  his  class,  and  was  not  the 
less  distinguished  as  a  student  because  he  was  so 
prominent  in  the  matter  of  religion.  Nay,  his 
elevation,  as  we  see  in  the  various  incidents  of 
his  career,  was  closely  connected  with  his  piety. 
No  doubt  he  had  to  suffer  for  his  religion  ;  for 
it  was  true  then,  as  it  is  now,  that  all  who  will 
live  godly  in  the  world  must  suffer  persecution 
of  some  sort  ;  but  still  he  proved  it  to  be  true 
that  "  godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things, 
having  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and 
of  that  which  is  to  come."  Nor  was  there  any 
element  of  feebleness  about  him.  He  was 
healthy  alike  in  body  and  in  mind  ;  and  in  his 
conduct  in  the  matter  of  the  meat  and  the  wine 
that  came  from  the  royal  table,  there  were  those 
characteristics  of  pluck  and  manliness  which 
have  always  been  so  attractive  and  so  stimula- 
ting to  young  men.  He  had  the  courage 
not  only  to  have  convictions,  but  also  to  act 
upon  them  ;  and  that  courage,  so  far  from 
standing  in  the  way  of  his  promotion,  was  one 
of  the  things  which  contributed  to  it. — Ibid. 

2       Faith. 

[18635]  This  was  the  life  of  his  life.  And 
we  notice  concerning  it  :  (i)  His  faith  was  an 
early  possession.  As  a  youth  he  believed  in 
right,  and  in  the  invisible  God  of  right.  It 
was  this  principle  that  was  the  moulding  force 
in  his  boyhood's  character,  conquering  all  that 
was  adverse  to  him  in  the  temptations  of  his 
masters  or  the  example  of  his  companions,  and 
compelling  the  admiration  and  trust  of  those 
who  could  not  understand  the  secret  spring  of 
his  conduct.  (2)  His  faith  was  cherished  in 
adverse  circumstances.  Not  only  were  there 
the  temptations  to  paganism,  and  materialism, 
and  animalism,  which  Babylonish  life  cast  like 
so  many  meshes  about  the  young  captive,  but 
there  was  the  deprivation  of  all  the  ordinary  out- 
ward aids  to  religious  faith.  No  temple,  no 
ceremonial,  no  sacrifice,  came  to  his  aid..  He 
had  solely  to  depend  on  the  personal  but, 
thank  God,  inalienable  "means  of  grace,"  of 
private  prayer.  (3)  His  faith  discovered  to  him 
a  glorious  future.  He  had  visions  of  the  colossal 
dynasties  of  men  falling  under  the  blessed 
dominion  of  the  Son  of  God.  He  had  fore- 
gleams  of  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  Man.  And  thus  the  future  was  exerting  a 
calming,  inspiriting  influence  on  his  heart  as  a 


patriot,  on  his  whole  nature  as  a  distressed  and 
tried  lover  of  his  race.  (4)  His  faith  realized 
the  invisible  present.  True  faith  ever  does  that, 
even  tliou:^'h  it  cannot  always  descry  the  future. 
It  sees  what  is  now  around  and  above  and 
within,  but  which  is  to  sense  unseen.  His  faith 
saw  God,  duty,  conscience.  And  so,  whilst  it 
was,  in  its  visions  of  the  future,  "the  substance 
of  things  hoped  for,"  it  was,  in  its  perception  of 
the  present,  "  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen." 
—  Urijah   Thomas. 

3       Steadfastness  under  temptation. 

As  a  model  of  youthful  temperaiice. 

[18636]  What  were  Daniel's  temptations  to 
abandon  a  life  of  abstinence  from  strong  drink? 
(i)  He  was  tempted  by  his  youth.  He  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  from  eighteen  to  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  when  the  question  of  abstinence  be- 
came a  practical  one  to  him.  He  was  at  the  age 
when  appetite  is  strong,  health  good,  principle 
weak,  and  experience  not  at  all.  (2)  Daniel  was 
tempted  also  by  the  usages  of  his  social  rank. 
He  was  a  noble,  probably  of  the  blood-royal.  It 
was  the  usage  of  his  order  to  drink  wine,  and 
the  best  of  it,  and  much  of  it.  Probably  then, 
as  now,  it  was  the  sign  of  a  gentleman  in  the 
circle  of  society  in  which  the  young  nobleman 
moved,  to  know  good  wine  when  he  tasted  it,  to 
use  it  freely,  and  to  enjoy  the  social  hilariiy  of 
it  without  scruple.  (3)  Daniel  was  tempted  by 
the  courtesies  of  official  station.  He  was  in 
training  for  the  first  office  in  the  realm.  (4) 
Daniel  was  tempted  also  by  his  absence  from 
home  and  native  land.  He  was  not  only  in  a 
foreign  land,  in  the  Paris  of  the  ancient  world, 
in  the  court  of  a  king,  associating  with  corrupt 
young  nobles  and  aristocratic  pleasure-seekers, 
but  he  was  a  captive.  He  had  no  home.  His 
own  country,  as  an  independent  kingdom,  was 
blotted  from  the  map  of  Asia.  Judaea  was  to 
Asia  what  Poland  is  to  Europe — nationally  and 
politically  it  had  ceased  to  be.  Put  now  all 
these  things  together — youth,  social  usage, 
official  rank,  professional  interests,  absence 
from  home  and  native  land,  and  the  mortifica- 
tion of  captivity — and  where  in  modern  life  can 
you  find  a  case  of  stronger  temptation  to  self- 
indulgent  and  pleasure-seeking  career  ? — Rev. 
A.  Phelps,  D.D. 

[18637]  In  that  brief  trial  of  his  youth  (Dan.  i.) 
he  laid  the  foundation  of  a  robust  vigorous 
manhood.  He  laid  then  the  train  which  led  to 
a  long  and  splendid  career  of  courtly  usefulness. 
The  mysterious  power  which  subsequently 
closed  the  mouths  of  lions  for  his  safety  began 
at  this  time  to  gather  around  his  person.  In 
this  early  and  brief  fragment  of  his  life  he 
settled  the  future  of  his  professional  career  as 
a  prophet  of  the  living  God.  Those  ten  short 
days  secured  to  him  a  place  in  the  world's  history, 
in  which  he  is  destined  to  live  in  the  grateful 
and  reverent  afiections  of  mankind  for  ever. 
Who  cares  now  for  the  Chaldasan  monarch  and 
his  haughty  court  }  They  live  to-day  in  the 
world's     memory     only     because    this    young 


364 

18637— 18645I 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[DANIEL. 


Hebrew  seer  has  condescended  to  speak  of 
them.  As  one  of  the  authors  of  the  Word 
of  God,  and  one  of  the  great  actors  in  the 
history  of  God's  Church,  he  is  to  live  while 
time  lasts.  Men  of  all  ages  will  inquire  for 
him  in  heaven.  They  will  point  him  out,  one 
to  another,  as  the  interpreter  of  the  "  hand- 
writing on  the  wall."  Children  there  will  seek 
him  out  as  "  the  man  of  the  lions'  den."  The 
redeemed  of  all  times  will  revere  him  as  one  of 
God's  great  ministers  and  chosen  friends.  The 
foundation  of  this  magnificent  destiny,  extending 
into  two  worlds,  was  built  far  back  in  those  icw 
days — not  longer  than  a  boy's  holidays — in 
which  the  character  of  the  young  man  was 
proved,  and  his  principles  tried,  as  a  friend 
of  temperance  and  the  child  of  conscience. — 
Jbid. 

4  Moral  courage. 

(i)  As  evidenced  by  /n's  opetjness. 

[18638]  There  was  no  parade,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  was  no  concealment.  He 
prayed  with  his  "  window  open  toward  Jeru- 
salem." No  need  of  spies  for  him.  What  he 
did,  he  did  openly.  What  he  was,  he  was  to 
the  world. —  Urijah  Thomas. 

(2)  As  evidenced  by  his  dignify. 

[18639]  He  always  seems  royal  ;  as  royal  in 
his  mien  in  the  lions'  den  as  in  Belshazzar's  hall. 
Courage  stamps  a  man  with  nobility,  crowns 
him  with  kingship.  What  word  to  the  envious 
rivals  round  him,  to  the  despot  over  him,  or 
to  the  minions  who  did  that  despot's  bidding, 
is  recorded  that  is  unworthy  of  a  moral 
monarch  1 — Ibid. 

(3)  As  evidenced  by  his  calmness. 

[18640]  In  Daniel's  presence  many  a  man  has 
learned  how  to  be  calm  ;  Roman  martyr  and 
Huguenot  and  Puritan  statesman  and  school- 
boy have,  as  Dean  Stanley  recalls  to  us,  learned 
calmness  from  this  great,  patient,  gentle,  brave, 
Hebrew  prophet. — Ibid. 

5  Humility. 

[18641]  He  does  not  talk  of  his  faith  ;  he 
simply  and,  as  in  the  act  before  us,  with  all  the 
simplicity  of  naturalness,  manifests  it.  Dr.  Pusey 
strikingly  calls  attention  to  this  reserve  of 
Daniel  :  "  Chief  statesman  of  the  first  empire  in 
the  world,  he  has  not  recorded  one  single  volun- 
tary act  of  his  own."  Notice  (i)  'Y\\&  signs  of  his 
humility.  He  says  little  of  himself  or  his  ex- 
ploits ;  his  book  tells  much  more  of  what  befell 
him  than  of  what  he  did.  (2)  The  producing 
cause  of  this  humility.  It  was  doubtless  his 
faith,  his  vision  of  the  unseen  present  and  the 
unseen  future,  that  hushed  and  awed  and  hum- 
bled him.  Just  as  grandeur  of  scenery  hushes 
all  thoughtful  men,  making  them  feel  nothing 
amid  its  immensities,  so  the  scenery  of  the  in- 
visible world  and  the  sight  of  the  invisible  God 
abashes  all  pride,  and  quickens,  in  Daniel,  as  in 
Isaiah,  the  spirit  that  cries,  "  Woe  is  me  :  I  have 
seen   the    Lord   of  Hosts."     Unbelief  mav  be 


proud,  half  belief  may  be  conceited,  thorough 
belief  is  ever  reverent  and  lowly. — Ibid. 

[18642]  The  special  peril  of  this  sort  of  cha- 
racter is  that  it  becomes  conscious  of  its  strength, 
proud  of  its  independence,  and,  before  it  is 
aware,  substitutes  the  human  heroism  of  self- 
reliance  for  the  holy  fidelity  of  Christ's  self- 
sacrifice.  How  many  high  examples  of  Christian 
courage  have  fallen  by  that  cunning  temptation 
— the  humility  of  the  cross  vanished  !  See  in 
Daniel  the  graceful  freedom  from  that  ostenta- 
tion of  conceited  and  opinionated  firmness.  He 
went  not  into  street  or  palace-court, but,  modestly, 
into  his  own  house.  There  was  just  so  much 
public  conformity  as  fidelity  and  the  sacred 
custom  demanded — no  more  ;  the  kneeling,  the 
open  windows  toward  Jerusalem  :  no  noisy 
defiance,  no  boastful  resistance,  no  aggravating 
proclamation  of  his  resolve  ;  he  "  prayed  and 
gave  thanks  before  his  God  "  just  "  as  he  did 
aforetime."— Tv'^^A  F.  Htmtingdott,  D.D. 

[18643]  Daniel  is  careful  to  let  Nebuchad- 
nezzar understand  that  he  has  not  received  the 
secret  from  God  for  any  excellence  about  him- 
self He  fears  to  stand  between  the  king  and 
Jehovah.  He  gives  all  the  glory  to  the  Most 
High.  There  is  always  a  modesty  about  true 
greatness,  and  you  may  know  whether  or  not 
piety  is  genuine  by  inquiring  if  it  be  characterized 
by  humility.  The  good  man  will  never  seek  to 
hide  God  from  the  view  of  his  fellow-men.  He 
will  endeavour  to  make  his  light  shine,  but  he 
will  not  make  it  shine  so  as  to  draw  attention  to 
himself.  He  will  arrange  it  so  that  its  rays  will 
all  converge  in  God,  and  men  shall  glorify  the 
Father  in  heaven. — Rev.   W.   Taylor,  D.D. 

[18644]  The  entire  absence  of  self-conscious- 
ness seems  to  us  a  fundamental  element  in  the 
noble  character  of  Daniel.  Vanitj'  would  have 
marred  everything.  Perhaps  it  would  not  have 
occurred  to  us  to  note  this  trait,  had  not  the 
very  opposite  been  charged  against  him.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  self-obtrusion  is  alike  un- 
lovely, and  to  the  subject  of  it  fraught  with  great 
peril.  The  constant  exhibition,  in  every  spoken 
or  written  word,  of  the  "  I  ; "  the  evident  living 
on  the  breath  of  popular  approbation,  the  object 
being  to  secure  a  fair  show  of  seeming  good, 
instead  of  solid  and  permanent  worth  :  all  this 
tends  to  insure  misery  to  the  man,  offence  to 
others,  and  the  destruction  of  all  that  might  have 
otherwise  been  great  and  good.  It  is  one  form 
of  that  self-centredness  in  which,  not  without 
reason,  the  very  essence  of  sin  has  been  said  to 
consist.  Daniel  was  singularly  free  from  this 
fundamental  vice  of  character. — Rev.  E.  Pusey, 
D.D. 

[18645]  Conceive  any  mere  human  writer, 
occupying  such  a  position  as  Daniel  had,  a  chief 
adviser  of  a  great  monarch,  and  a  great  pro- 
tector, doubtless,  of  his  people,  saying  not  one 
word  of  all  the  trials,  plans,  counsels  of  these 
seventy  years  ;  nothing  of  the  good  which  he 


18645— 18650] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[DANIEL. 


furthered,  or  the  evil  which  he  hindered  !  " 
Could  we  have  a  more  complete  instance  of  self- 
abnegation  .f*  Such  silence  is  indeed  golden. 
To  take  but  one  illustration  : — in  the  account  of 
the  golden  image,  Daniel  retires  from  all  obser- 
vation. Attention  is  concentrated  on  the  spec- 
tacle itself,  and  then  on  the  gradual  development 
of  the  tragedy  connected  with  it.  The  historian 
is  silent  as  to  the  part  he  played,  if  any  ;  on  the 
assumption  that  he  had  no  place  in  those  dread 
transactions,  wonderful  is  his  reticence  as  to  all 
apology  or  explanation  ;  thus  teaching  us  to  live 
less  in  ourselves,  more  in  others,  and  most  of  all 
in  God. — Ibid. 

6  Conscientiousness. 

[18646]  The  first  movement  for  his  promotion 
found  his  conscience,  and  found  it  of  a  firm  and 
sound  consistence.  The  question  was,  of  his 
living  on  the  appointed  portion  of  the  king's 
provisions.  This  might  seem  no  such  very  con- 
siderable matter,  to  be  made  an  insurmountable 
obstacle  at  the  very  entrance  of  a  prosperous 
career.  With  an  ordinary  man,  how  many  per- 
suasive pleas  and  extenuations  would  have  come 
in  to  help  him  over  it  !  But  conscience  cannot 
well  begin  the  exercise  of  its  jurisdiction  at 
matters  too  small.  When  comparatively  small 
matters  of  conscience  can  easily  be  disposed  of, 
in  favour  of  inclination  and  worldly  interest,  it 
is  a  very  unpromising  sign  for  the  conduct  in 
greater  ones.  It  is  true  that  sometimes  (indeed 
very  commonly  among  the  superstitious)  men 
have  made  much  of  little  things,  in  order  to 
obtain  a  kind  of  licence  to  make  little  of  great 
ones.  It  was  notoriously  so  among  the  Jews  in 
our  Lord's  time.  But  Daniel  was  not  one  of 
those  who,  while  "  straining  at  a  gnat,"  can 
"swallow  a  camel."  He  carried  his  conscience 
throughout — as  the  one  thing  he  was  not  to  for- 
feit, whatever  else  he  should  forego,  or  incur. 
—Rev.  J.  Foster,  D.D. 

7  Consistency. 

[18647]  Daniel's  conduct  was  the  same  through- 
out, always  in  harmony  with  itself.  Attentive  to 
his  duty  to  God,  he  was  ecjually  so  in  his  duty  to 
man.  Faithful  to  his  God,  he  is  equally  faithful 
to  his  king.  His  morality  is  no  less  conspicuous 
than  his  religion.  He  is  fervent  in  spirit,  but  no 
less  diligent  in  business.  Regular  and  earnest 
in  his  closet,  he  is  equally  assiduous  in  his  office. 
Studious  in  his  Bible,  as  a  man  of  business  he 
is  well  acquainted  with  his  books.  His  enemies 
can  find  no  fault  in  him,  and  no  ground  of 
accusation  with  the  king,  but  in  the  matter  of  his 
religion.  He  is  favoured  with  revelations  from 
heaven  and  the  visits  of  angels  ;  yet  no  sooner 
are  his  visions  withdrawn  and  his  usual  state  of 
health  recovered,  than  he  returns  to  do  "  the 
king's  business."  He  is  endowed,  even  while 
yet  young,  with  a  wisdom  and  understanding 
superior  to  that  of  all  the  wise  men  of  Babylon, 
yet  disclaims  all  merit  and  wisdom  of  his  own  as 
being  greater  than  those  of  other  men.  He  is 
tender  and  gentle,  while  bold  and  uncompro- 


mising in  professing  the  truth  and  reproving  sin. 
He  is  distressed  as  being  the  bearer  of  evil 
tidingsto  Nebuchadnezzar,  yet  fearlessly  declares 
to  the  hardened  Belshazzar  both  his  sin  and  his 
doom. — Homilctic  Comnienlary. 

8  Prayerfulness. 

[1864S]  This  comes  out  first  in  connection 
with  the  recovery  and  interpretation  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar's forgotten  dream  ;  for  then  not  only 
did  he  engage  his  three  friends  to  pray  on  his 
behalf,  but  he  also  himself  poured  out  his  heart 
in  thanksgiving  to  Jehovah.  But  it  was  the 
habit  of  his  life  to  wait  at  stated  times  on  God. 
His  custom  was  to  observe  these  appointed 
seasons  of  devotion  ;  and  from  the  record 
which  we  have  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  his  study 
of  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah,  we  are  warranted 
in  concluding  that,  when  he  was  in  his  closet,  lie 
gave  himself  to  meditation  on  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, as  well  as  to  earnest  supplication.  This 
helps  to  explain  much  of  his  conduct.  We  cease 
to  wonder  at  his  boldness  before  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, Belshazzar,  and  Darius,  when  we  learn 
that  he  maintained  such  constant  communion 
with  his  God.  The  roots  of  his  character  were 
"  mellowed  and  fattened  "  by  the  dews  of  heavenly 
influence  which  fell  upon  them  in  the  closet.  He 
drew  his  strength  from  the  heaven  with  which 
he  was  in  such  continuous  communication.  He 
was  "  Daniel,"  the  judge  of  God,  because  he  was 
first  "  Israel,"  a  prince  of  God,  who  prevailed 
with  Him  in  prayer.  His  public  life  was  holy 
and  incorruptible,  because  his  hidden  life  was 
prayerful  and  devout.  He  carried  his  business 
habits  with  him  into  the  closet  ;  and  so  he  was 
enabled  to  carry  his  devout  spirit  with  him  into 
business.  His  life  was  not  divided  into  two 
portions,  separated  from  each  other  like  the 
water-tight  compartments  in  a  ship  ;  but  it  was 
one  and  the  same  everywhere.  In  the  closet, 
he  was  transacting  business  with  God  ;  in  the 
presidential  bureau,  he  was  transacting  business 
for  God  ;  and  his  sincerity  in  the  former  enabled 
him  to  maintain  faithfulness  in  the  latter. — Re^i. 
W.  Taylor,  D.D. 

9  Fidelity  to  God. 

[18649]  The  great  statesman  of  Babylon  fell 
before  duplicity  and  stratagem.  Yet  the  work 
of  his  defence  was  not  of  that  sort.  He  did  not 
try  to  outwit  intrigue  by  intrigue.  His  was  a 
much  more  simple  and  safe  procedure.  He  had 
simply  to  do  right.  He  said  his  prayers  "as  he 
did  aforetime."  He  prayed  kneeling,  as  he  had 
always  done.  He  prayed  aloud,  as  had  been 
his  wont.  Three  times  a  day,  and  with  windows 
open,  he  called  on  the  God  of  his  fathers,  as  his 
mother  had  taught  him  in  his  boyhood. — Rev. 
Austin  Phelps,  D.D. 

[18650]  A  more  adroit  man  would  have  prac- 
tised casuistry  upon  himself.  A  diplomatic 
saint  would  have  sliut  his  window,  drawn  a  cur- 
tain, prayed  in  a  whisper,  lessened  the  number  of 
his  devotions,  had  some  other  engagem.ent,  if 
haply  he  might  thus  have  saved  his  quivering 


366 

18650— 18658] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHAR  4CTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[DANIEL. 


limbs  from  the  lions'  teeth.  Not  so  this  simple 
child  of  God.  Not  so  much  as  by  the  lowering 
of  his  voice  or  the  closing  of  a  shutter  would  he 
seem  to  fear  man  more  than  God. — Ibid. 

[18651]  The  very  name  of  Daniel  has  come  to 
be  a  synonym  for  resolution  and  endurance. 
And  deservedly,  for  his  faith  enabled  him  to  be 
firm,  (i)  In  spite  of  subtle  temptation.  The 
great  ordeal  of  his  life  was  much  more  search- 
ing than  that  which  came  to  the  three  Hebrew 
youths.  They  were  challenged  to  open  idolatry  ; 
and  they  nobly  refused,  choosing  rather  the 
"burning  fiery  furnace."  Daniel  was  invited 
simply  to  neglect  prayer  to  the  true  God.  He 
might  have  complied,  and  none  but  God  and 
his  own  soul  have  known  of  his  compliance. 
But  he  spurned  the  seductive  temptation  to  dis- 
honour his  God,  and  chose  rather  "  the  den  of 
lions."  He  would  not  silence  his  devotions  even 
for  a  few  days.  He  was  constant,  (2)  In  spite 
of  protracted  trial.  There  were  repeated  efforts 
on  the  part  of  the  envious  and  the  malign.  There 
was  a  long-continued  captivity.  And  yet  in  all, 
as  in  the  first,  in  his  old  age  as  in  his  boyhood, 
there  was  the  answering  constancy  of  which 
faith  alone  is  the  sufficient  root,  the  firm,  broad 
foundation.  He  taught,  and  he  worked,  even  as 
he  prayed,  at  the  end  just  "as  he  did  aforetime." 
—  Urijah   Thomas. 

[18652]  He  dared  to  stand  before  the  throne 
of  a  capricious  and  cruel  monarch  and  denounce 
him  to  his  face  with  the  awful  interpretation  of 
his  dream — that  he  should  be  driven  from  his 
kingdom,  and  dwell  with  the  beasts  of  the  field, 
and  be  wet  with  the  dew  of  heaven,  till  he  should 
know  that  the  Most  High  ruletli  in  the  kingdom 
of  men,  and  giveth  it  to  whomsoever  He  will — • 
not  afraid  of  consequences,  and  at  last  wringing 
from  the  convicted  tyrant  that  lofty  and  yet 
lowly  confession  of  faith,  ending,  "  Now  I 
Nebuchadnezzar  praise  and  extol  and  honour 
the  King  of  Heaven,  all  whose  works  are  truth, 
and  His  ways  judgment:  and  those  that  walk 
in  pride  He  is  able  toabase."— 7?^z/.wF.  Hunting- 
do?i,  D.D. 

[18653]  The  courtly  flatteries  of  Belshazzar 
could  not  make  the  candle  of  that  clear-shining 
soul  pale  or  flicker  an  instant  :  "  I  have  even 
heard  of  thee,  that  the  spirit  of  the  gods  is  in 
thee,  and  that  light  and  understanding  and  excel- 
lent wisdom  is  found  in  thee."  He  only  answered, 
"  Thou,  O  king,  art  weighed  in  the  balances  and 
art  found  wanting.  God  hath  numbered  thy 
kingdom  and  finished  it." — Ibid, 

[18654]  A  third  king  came,  promulgating  his 
arrogant  decree  that,  tor  thirty  days,  if  any  man 
in  the  realm  should  ask  a  petition  of  any  god  or 
man  save  of  him,  he  should  be  cast  into  the  den 
of  lions.  "  Now  when  Daniel  knew  that  the 
writing  was  signed  he  went  into  his  house  ;  and, 
his  windows  being  open  in  his  chamber  toward 
Jerusalem,  he  kneeled  upon  his  knees  three 
times  a  day,  and  prayed,  and  gave  thanks  before 
his  God,  as  he  did  aforetime." — Ibid. 


[18655]  Over  all  perilous  tempters  we  are 
shown  here  one  steadfast  and  victorious  Master 
— religious  fidelity.  It  wears  in  this  saintly  pro- 
phet a  peculiar  charm.  It  is  a  fidelity  intensified 
yet  without  boasting  or  pretension — incorrup- 
tible without  self-confidence,  fixed  without  ob- 
stinacy, patient  without  pusillanimity,  invincible 
in  front  of  men  and  princes,  but  humble  and 
docile  at  the  feet  of  the  Lord.  For  a  fidelity 
like  this  there  is  an  involuntary  and  almost  uni- 
versal admiration  among  men  that  fall  farthest 
short  of  it.  So  far  the  best  sentiments  of  human 
nature  second  the  requirements  of  our  religion. 
Place  a  Daniel,  an  Elijah,  a  Gideon,  or  a  Joshua 
before  them,  and  they  see,  they  confess,  the 
stamp  of  greatness  on  his  spirit.  So  far  the 
Bible  and  the  soul  answer  to  each  other. — 
Ibid. 

[18656]  The  grandeur  of  the  Book  of  Daniel 
is  not  only  the  sweep  of  those  majestic  visions 
which  opened  the  mysteries  of  future  time,  but 
the  vivid  portrait  it  holds  before  us  of  a  man 
who  has  all  the  springs  of  his  actions  in  faithful- 
ness to  God  : — a  man  so  thoroughly  forgetful  of 
himself  that  the  one  only  question  which  rises 
in  him,  when  anything  is  to  be  done  or  suffered, 
is  whether  that  thing  is  his  Lord's  will.  If  it  is, 
no  doubt  remains  ;  nothing  is  to  be  said  or 
thought  about  costs  or  consequences.  If  it  is 
not,  no  consequences  will  justify  it. — Ibid. 

[1S657]  Such  honour  as  we  give  to  martyrs 
must  needs  be  accorded  to  the  prophet  Daniel. 
A  martyr — so  far  as  the  strict  etymology  of  the 
word  goes — is  one  who  witnesses,  and  is  usually 
applied  exclusively  to  one  who  has  witnessed 
unto  death  for  righteousness  and  truth.  Those 
who  witness  to  the  truth  without  dying  for  it 
are  commonly  called  confessors.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  decide  to  which  "goodly  fellowship  " 
Daniel  strictly  belonged.  But  we  are  not  care- 
ful to  decide  :  enough  for  us  to  know  that  all 
the  essential  characteristics  of  those  who  are 
enrolled  in  "the  noble  army  of  martyrs"  were 
found  in  him.  His  was  the  martyr  spirit,  though 
the  celestial  sentry  stood  over  him,  that  he 
might  not  be  slain. — Rev.  E.  Fusev,  D.D. 

10      Fidelity  to  man. 

As  evidenced  in  his  loyalty  to  the  State. 

[18658]  Side  by  side  with  the  martyr  spirit 
which  led  Daniel  to  resist  authority  when  it  in- 
trenched on  the  prerogative  of  God,  we  may  set 
his  deference  to  authority  when  it  moved  within 
its  own  appointed  lines.  This  excellence  is  the 
complement  of  the  other.  The  more  in  one 
direction  constrained  to  resist,  the  more  in  the 
other  would  Daniel,  with  all  humility,  defer. 
Just  as  in  the  realm  of  gorgeous  cloud  each 
high  light  has  its  complement  of  harmonious 
shade — the  gold  set  off  with  purple  or  blue — so 
was  it  in  this  character,  whose  radiance  was  not 
of  earth  but  of  heaven.  Towards  heaven  there 
shone  fidelity  to  God  ;  on  the  other  side,  which 
looked  earthward,  the  same  principle  assumed 
the  form  of  loyalty  to  the  throne. — Ibid. 


18659—18664] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH  ERA. 


[DANIEL. 


[18659]  Daniel  recognized  government  in  the 
abstract  as  an  ordinance  of  God,  its  particular 
form  as  at  least  permitted  by  heaven's  Kinir, 
and  he  bent  his  head  accordingly.  But  a  general 
statement  of  this  kind  needs  particular  illustra- 
tion. There  are  instances  of  loyal  deference  to 
every  king  mentioned  in  the  history,  brief  as  it 
is.  This  was  exemplified  in  his  conduct  when, 
in  the  presence  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  it  was  his 
duty  to  unveil  the  calamities  of  a  darkened 
future.  Nothing  could  be  more  reverential  or 
aftectionate.  A  huge  human  heart  throbs  be- 
hind the  prophet's  words  ;  and,  although  there 
was  nothing  in  the  sensual  and  impious  Bel- 
shazzar  to  elicit  either  respect  or  love,  the 
loyalty  of  this  great  soul  finds  expression  n  his 
allusions  to  the  departed  glory  of  the  royal 
house.  The  feeling  of  Daniel  towards  Darius 
is  manifested  scarcely  at  all  to  the  king  himself. 
There  is,  however,  an  unmistakable  absence  of 
vindictiveness  in  what  he  says  after  the  danger 
and  deliverance  of  that  dreadful  night:  "  O 
king,  live  for  ever.  My  God  hath  sent  His 
angel,  and  hath  shut  the  lions'  mouths,  and 
they  have  not  hurt  me  :  forasmuch  as  before 
Him  innocency  was  found  in  me  ;  and  also 
before  thee,  O  king,  have  I  done  no  hurt." 
But  his  feeling  towards  the  king  is  given  to  us, 
who  read  the  history,  in  the  way  in  which  the 
tragedy  is  unfolded.  '*He  dwells  on  all  the 
good  side  of  the  weak  king,  his  reluctance 
to  execute  the  decree  (which  perhaps,  with 
safety  to  his  throne,  he  could  not  recall),  his 
sorrow  at  it,  his  ineffectual  desire  to  evade  it, 
and  his  one  night's  repentance."  Such  a  mode 
of  telling  a  story,  in  which  he  was  so  deeply 
concerned — a  story  of  transactions  in  which  he 
had  been  so  deeply  aggrieved — reveals  clearly 
the  tone  of  his  mind  towards  all  involved,  and 
more  particularly  towards  the  king. — Ibid. 

[18660]  Can  we  describe  this  persevering 
fidelity  in  terms  more  fit  or  eloquent  than  these.'' 
"  This  love  (love  for  the  city  of  his  God)  sur- 
vived an  unbroken  political  greatness  of  seventy 
years.  The  stripling  of  seventeen  sat  in  the 
king's  gate  ('in  the  Porte,'  as  we  say,  retaining 
the  Oriental  term),  president  over  all  the  col- 
leges of  the  wise  men,  and  of  the  whole  pro- 
vince of  Babylon.  '  Daniel  continued,  even 
unto  the  first  year  of  king  Cyrus,' are  the  simple 
words  ;  but  what  a  volume  of  tried  faithfulness 
is  unrolled  by  them  !  Amid  all  the  intrigues, 
indigenous  at  all  times  in  dynasties  of  Oriental 
despotism,  where  intrigue,  too,  rolls  round  so 
suddenly  on  its  author's  head  ;  amid  all  the 
envy  towards  a  foreign  captive  in  high  office  as 
a  king's  councillor  ;  amid  all  the  trouble  inci- 
dental to  the  insanity  of  the  king,  or  to  the 
murder  of  two  of  his  successors — in  that  whole 
critical  period  for  his  people  Daniel  '  continued.' 
Vv^e  should  not  have  had  any  statement  of  his 
faithfulness,  but  for  the  conspiracy  against  his 
life  under  the  new  Median  dynasty,  which  knew 
not  those  past  years.  '  The  president  and  sa- 
traps sought '  in  vain  '  to  find  any  occasion 
against    him   concerning    the  kingdom  ;    foras- 


much as  he  was  faithful,  neither  was  any  error 
or  fault  found  in  him.'  The  picture  is  the 
greater,  because  the  lines  which  mark  it  are  so 
few.  They  are  a  few  simple  touches  of  truth." — 
Ibid. 

11  Fidelity  to  self. 

As  evidenced  in  ike  preservation  of  his 
jnoral  identity. 

[18661]  In  the  narrative  of  Daniel's  being 
committed  to  the  den  of  lions  one  trait  comes 
out  quite  incidentally,  which  was  one  of  his 
grandest  characteristics.  His  enemies  could 
calculate  on  the  certainty  of  the  prophet's 
maintaining  his  fidelity  to  duty  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, and  irrespective  of  any  conse- 
quences whatsoever.  There  is  nothing  finer 
than  this  in  the  whole  history.  Could  we  have 
more  emphatic  testimony  to  the  exalted  piety 
of  Daniel.''  It  was  resolved  to  ruin  him.  A 
certain  method  was  deliberately  adopted.  One 
important  element  in  the  calculation  was  that 
the  intended  victim  would  do  the  same  faithful 
thing,  though  it  seemed  to  lead  straight  into  the 
abyss.  Daniel  did  not  belie  the  calculation. — 
Ibid. 

[18662]  He  saw  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  first 
great  empire.  He  lived  long  enough  to  see  the 
last  gleam  of  glory  die  away  like  light  out  of 
the  evening  sky.  But  Daniel  through  all  vicis- 
situdes preserved  essentially  the  same  self. 
Empires  might  come  and  go,  but  Daniel  re- 
mained the  same. — Ibid. 

[18663]  Himself,  in  uniform  integrity,  out- 
living envy,  jealousy,  dynasties  ;  surviving  in 
untarnished,  uncorrupting  greatness  the  seventy 
years  of  the  captivity  ;  he  was  honoured  during 
the  forty-three  years  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  reign; 
"doing  the  king's  business"  under  the  insolent 
and  sensual  boy  Belshazzar ;  owned  by  the 
conquering  Medo-Persians  ;  the  stay,  doubtless, 
and  human  protector  of  his  people  during  those 
long  years  of  exile  ;  probably  commissioned  to 
write  the  decree  of  Cyrus  which  gave  leave  for 
that  long  longed-for  restoration  of  his  people, 
whose  re-entrance  into  their  land,  like  Moses  of 
old,  he  was  not  to  share.  Deeds  are  more  elo- 
quent than  words.  Such  undeviating  integrity, 
beyond  the  ordinary  life  of  man,  in  a  worshipper 
of  the  one  God,  in  the  most  dissolute  and  de- 
praved of  the  merchant  cities  of  old,  first 
minister  in  the  first  of  the  world  monarchies, 
was  in  itself  a  great  fulfilment  of  the  purpose  of 
God  in  converting  the  chastisement  of  His 
people  into  the  riches  of  the  Gentiles. — Ibid. 

12  Spirituality. 

[18664]  He  wanted  no  patron  ;  the  smiles  or 
frowns  of  monarchs  were  indifferent  to  him. 
He  was  in  favour  with  the  Highest  Power,  in- 
somuch that  he  was  addressed  by  an  angelic 
messenger  with  the  unequalled  appellation. 
"  O  man  greatly  beloved  !  "  To  a  man  who  had 
heard  that,  think  how  any  title  of  worldly  dig- 
nity, of  mortal   favour,   would    have   sounded  ! 


368 

18664— 18669] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[DANIEL. 


We  can  conceive  of  him,  more  even  than  of 
many  other  of  the  prophets  that  the  general 
habitual  state  of  his  mind  was  of  an  elvation, 
in  thought  and  devotion,  peculiarly  adapted  to 
receive  the  special  illapses  of  inspiration — that 
(if  we  might  express  it  so)  heavenly  visits  had 
not  to  descend  so  entirely  to  the  earth  to  reach 
him.  These  communications  from  on  high  he 
probably  enjoyed  often.  Several  of  his  pro- 
phetic visions,  foreshowing  a  distant  futurity, 
are  related  in  his  book,  occupying  indeed  the 
larger  part  of  it :  especially  some  sublime  re- 
presentations of  the  Messiah  and  His  kingdom. 
—Rev.  J.  Foster,  D.D. 

13       Decision. 

[18665]  When  the  unclean  articles  of  diet 
were  set  before  him,  he  did  not  hesitate  as  to 
the  course  which  he  would  follow.  Come  what 
would,  he  was  determined  that  he  should  not 
touch  them.  True,  he  very  prudently  made  ap- 
plication to  the  prince  of  the  eunuchs  in  the 
matter.  Yet  he  had  already  purposed  in  his 
heart  that  he  would  not  defile  himself;  and  this 
conduct  of  his  in  his  youth  enables  us  to  under- 
stand the  valour  of  his  latter  life,  when  he 
braved  the  fury  of  the  lions  rather  than  give  up 
the  privilege  of  prayer.  Of  what  good  would 
longer  earthly  existence  have  been  when  that 
which  gave  it  its  charm  and  inspiration  was  no 
longer  to  be  enjoyed  by  him.''  So  this  habit  of 
decision  grew  up  in  him,  and  was  fed  in  him, 
by  the  communion  of  the  closet.  He  learned 
there  to  look  at  things  as  in  the  sight  of  God ; 
and  he  carried  that  test  with  him  through  life. 
He  acted  "  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible." — 
Rev.  W.  Taylor,  D.D. 


[18666]  God  was  more  to  him  than  all  else  ; 
and  that  made  it  easy  for  him  to  decide  ques- 
tions which  to  others  would  have  been  difficult, 
and  to  brave  dangers  which  to  others  would 
have  been  appalling.  This  sense  of  the  Divine 
presence  and  assurance  of  the  Divine  favour 
lifted  him  above  the  influences  of  the  world,  and 
kept  him  ever  on  the  side  of  the  right  and  the 
true.  It  made  no  matter  what  men  threatened 
— God  was  on  his  side  ;  and  so  he  was  not  ter- 
rified. It  made  no  matter  what  men  promised 
— God  was  already  his  ;  and  so  it  was  impos- 
sible to  bribe  him.  The  man  who  had  heard 
these  words  from  the  lips  of  Gabriel,  "  O  man 
greatly  beloved,"  could  not  be  allured  by  any 
title  of  worldly  dignity  or  any  token  of  mortal 
favour.  He  lived  above  all  these  things  ;  so  he 
could  speak  with  calm  faithfulness  to  Nebu- 
chadnezzar and  Belshazzar,  and  look  with  com- 
posure on  the  lions  of  Darius.  He  saw  not  the 
grandeur  of  the  former  by  reason  of  the  greater 
glory  of  Jehovah  ;  and  he  feared  not  the  fury  of 
the  latter  by  reason  of  his  confidence  in  the 
omnipotence  of  God. — Ibid. 

14      Diligence. 

[18667]  As  a  student,  his  industry  was  so 
great  that  he  easily  overtopped  his  fellows  ; 
and  in  the  management  of  imperial  affairs  he 


developed  a  faculty  for  organization,  and  evinced 
an  energy  and  perseverance  that  were  beyond  all 
praise.  After  a  time  of  devotion,  we  read  that 
"  he  arose  and  did  the  king's  business  ;  "  and 
the  principles  on  which  he  conducted  the  de- 
partment that  was  entrusted  to  his  care  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that,  when  his  enemies 
sought  an  occasion  against  him,  they  could  find 
nothing  wrong  in  his  office,  and  had  to  en- 
deavour to  entrap  him  in  the  matter  of  his  God. 
He  had  his  ups  and  downs,  like  others,  but  in 
the  main  he  was  what  even  the  world  would  call 
a  successful  man,  and  his  prosperity  was  not 
the  result  of  any  accident,  but  was  the  conse- 
quence of  the  perseverance  and  integrity  by 
which  he  was  distinguished. — Ibid. 

15  Genuine  friendship. 

[18668]  When  Daniel  was  exalted,  he  did  not 
forget  his  companions.  Knit  to  Hananiah, 
Mishael,  and  Azariah  by  congenial  tastes,  as 
well  as  by  the  ties  of  country  and  religion,  he 
had  become  to  them  a  friend  indeed  ;  and  they 
had  shown  their  deep  interest  in  and  attach- 
ment to  him,  not  only  in  sharing  his  protest 
against  the  diet  of  the  college,  but  also  in  pray- 
ing for  him  at  his  special  request.  It  was  meet, 
therefore,  that  he  should  remember  them  in  his 
prosperity.  He  did  no  more  than  his  duty  to- 
ward them  in  speaking  for  their  elevation,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  he  did  a  service  to  the  king 
by  introducing  to  him  men  of  such  integrity  and 
ability.  But  this  conduct  is  not  common  ;  for 
many  are  like  the  chief  butler,  and  in  the  hour 
of  their  exaltation  forget  the  Joseph  to  whom,  in 
their  time  of  humiliation,  they  had  been  be- 
holden. Multitudes  are  moved  with  envy,  so 
that  they  cannot  think  of  others  rising  ;  and 
even  if  they  have  been  formerly  indebted  to 
them,  they  do  their  best  to  keep  them  down. 
But  there  was  no  such  feeling  in  the  breast  of 
Daniel.  The  prosperity  of  his  friends  was  his, 
and  he  would  have  them  sharers  with  him  in 
the  honourable  position  to  which  their  prayers 
had  contributed  to  raise  him.  "A  man  that 
hath  friends  must  show  himself  friendly." — 
Ibid. 

16  Affectionateness. 

[18669]  An  affectionate  solicitude  for  the  best 
interests  of  all  about  him  appears  several  times 
in  the  course  of  the  history,  brief  as  it  is.  After 
interpreting  the  dream  of  the  four  fragile  empires 
and  of  the  one  kingdom  that  should  "stand  for 
ever,"  Daniel  was  unwilling  to  rise  without 
the  three  sharing  his  elevation.  On  the  occa- 
sion of  his  warning  Nebuchadnezzar  of  perhaps 
the  most  dreadful  calamity  that  can  befall  any 
human  being,  his  tone  would  well  befit  that  of 
an  elder  brother  to  the  unhappy  king.  His 
words  tremble  with  the  tenderness  that  is  in 
them.  In  the  courtesy  he  ever  manifests,  in 
the  absence  of  all  vindictiveness,  in  his  pas- 
sionate love  for  his  country  and  his  people,  we 
have  the  same  affectionateness  of  disposition 
and  tenderness  of  spirit. — Rev.  E.  Pusey,  D.D, 


18670— 18674] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


369 


[DANIEL. 


17       Patriotism. 

[18670]  Loyalty  to  the  Babylonian  or  Persian 
throne  did  not  make  impossible  a  passionate 
love  of  fatherland.  Through  all  the  long  years 
of  absence,  crowded  as  they  had  been  with  those 
temptations  to  forgetfulness  which  ever  assail 
greatness,  the  windows  of  the  soul  had  never 
ceased  to  be  open  "toward  Jerusalem."  If  any 
would  know  the  habitual  sentiments  of  Daniel's 
mind  and  heart,  he  has  only  to  turn  to  the  very 
words  of  his  great  confession  and  prayer  (Dan. 
ix.).  In  him  we  see  the  loftiest  patriotism  con- 
secrated by  religion. — /did. 

[18671]  It  was  concern  for  his  country  that 
moved  him  to  that  day  of  solemn  prayer  and 
fasting  which  brought  Gabriel  down  with  an 
answer.  To  an  enlightened  man  the  cause  of 
his  country  will  be  bound  up  with  the  cause  of 
God  and  of  religion,  as  it  can  be  well  with  the 
former  only  as  it  is  so  with  the  latter.  This 
was  especially  the  case  with  Daniel,  whose 
country  God  had  made  and  called  His  own, 
and  whose  city,  Jerusalem,  was  God's  holy 
mountain,  the  city  of  the  great  King,  who  had 
chosen  it  for  the  place  of  His  special  worship. 
That  country  was  now  in  desolation,  and  Jeru- 
salem with  its  temple  was  in  ruins.  God's 
worship  there  had  been  brought  to  an  end.  Sin 
on  the  part  of  the  people  had  brought  the  deso- 
lating foe  that  had  put  a  stop  to  their  solemn 
feasts.  Provoked  to  anger  by  their  continued 
rebellion  and  apostasy,  the  Lord  had  "caused 
the  solemn  feasts  and  sabbaths  to  be  forgotten 
in  Zion,  and  had  despised,  in  the  indignation  of 
His  anger,  the  king  and  the  priest.  The  Lord 
had  cast  off  His  altar  ;  He  had  abhorred  His 
sanctuary;  He  had  given  up  into  the  hand  of 
the  enemy  the  walls  of  her  palaces  "  (Lam.  ii. 
6,  7).  This  was  the  burden  that  pressed  upon 
the  heart  of  the  beloved  prophet.  The  cause 
of  his  people,  and  with  that  the  cause  of  God 
and  of  true  religion,  which  was  bound  up  with 
it,  was  his  deep  sorrow,  and  drove  him  to  inces- 
sant prayer  as  the  time  of  the  promised  deliver- 
ance drew  nigh.  He  was  concerned  not  only 
for  his  country's  peace,  but  for  his  people's 
repentance,  which  must  be  at  the  foundation  of 
it.  It  was  this  that  led  him,  as  a  true  patriot, 
to  pour  out  his  heart  before  God  in  fervent 
prayer  and  deep  humiliation. — Homilctic  Com- 
mentary. 

III.    Force  of  Personal  Character  as 

DISPLAYED    BY    HIS     PROPHETIC     MIS- 
SION. 

[1S672]  Reminding  us  though  he  does  of 
John,  the  beloved  disciple  and  apocalyptic  seer, 
Daniel  has  an  official  greatness  distinct  even 
from  that  of  the  prophet  of  Patmos.  His  predic- 
tions took  their  character  from  his  position  in 
life.  He  was  educated  in  earthly  kingdoms, 
that  he  might  tell  of  the  higher  greatness  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ.  We  owe  to  him,  more  than 
to  any  others  of  his  brethren  in  the  Old  Testa- 

VOL.  VI. 


ment,  our  ideas  of  the  royalty  of  Jesus.  His 
"  prophetic  watch-tower,"  as  Auberlen  has  finely 
said,  "was  erected  beside  the  throne  of  Babylon  ; 
and  standing  there  in,  and  yet  above,  the  first 
world-monarchy,  he  looked  out  into  the  farthest 
future,  and  discerned,  with  prophetic  eye,  which 
Godhad  opened,  the  changing  shapes  and  events 
of  coming  kingdoms,  and  tlie  growing  glory  and 
ultimate  triumph  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
Thus  his  distinctive  prophetic  mission  grew  out 
of,  or  was  grafted  upon,  his  position  in  public 
life;  but  that,  again,  was  the  result  of  his 
personal  character  ;  and  so  we  arc  led  most 
naturally  to  the  consideration  of  his  individual 
peculiarities. — Rev.  IV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

IV.  Parallel    between    Daniel    and 
Joseph. 

[18673]  There  are  many  points  of  resenv 
blance  between  these  two  seers.  Both  were 
peculiarly  dear  to  the  heart  of  God.  Joseph 
and  Daniel  were  alike  in  that  they  were 
both  men  of  incorruptible  fidelity  and  devout 
humility  ;  and  they  stand  out  in  Jewish  his- 
tory— the  one  at  its  beginning,  and  the  other 
near  its  close — as  men  in  whom  few,  if  any, 
defects  of  character  or  blemishes  of  conduct 
appear.  As  Auberlen  has  beautifully  said, 
"  They  were  both  representatives  of  the  true 
God  and  His  people  at  heathen  courts;  both 
were  exemplary  in  their  pure  walk  before  the 
Lord ;  both  were  endowed  with  the  gift  of 
bringing  into  clear  light  the  dim  presentiments 
of  truth  which  express  themselves  among  the 
henthen  in  God-sent  dreams ;  both  were  gifted 
with  marvellous  wisdom  and  insight,  and,  for 
this  reason,  highly  honoured  by  the  powers  of 
this  world.  They  represent  the  calling  of  Israel 
to  be  a  holy  people,  a  royal  priesthood  among 
the  nations,  and  the  final  end  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment theocracy  to  lead  to  one  universal  is 
clearly  shown  forth  by  their  history.  Thus, 
also,  they  are  types  of  Christ,  the  true  Israel, 
and  types  of  the  destiny  of  their  nation  by 
which  it  would  be  a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles. 
.  .  .  Daniel,  in  every  respect  more  visibly 
blessed  than  Joseph,  is  the  most  prominent 
figure  and  the  greatest  character  in  the  last 
centuries  of  the  Old  Covenant,  the  most  excel- 
lent example  of  a  true  Israelite. — Ibid. 

V.  Parallel  between  Daniel  and  St. 
John. 

[18674]  It  was  the  love  of  God  that  pre- 
sented him  with  a  clearer  landscape  of  the 
Gospel  than  any  other  prophet  ever  had  :  he 
was  the  beloved  prophet  under  the  Old  Dispen- 
sation, as  John  was  the  beloved  disciple  under 
the  New;  and,  both  being  animated  by  the 
same  Divine  love,  there  was  a  wonderful  harmony 
between  them ;  both  of  them  had  miraculous 
preservations — one  from  the  lions,  the  other 
from  the  burning  caldron  :  both  engaged  young 
in  the  service   of  God,  and  consecrated  their 


37° 

18674— 18678] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[DANIEL. 


lives  by  an  early  piety  ;  and  both  lived  to  a 
great  and  equal  age — to  about  an  hundred  years. 
Both  had  the  like  intimacy  with  God — the  like 
admittance  into  the  most  adorable  mysteries — 
and  the  like  abundance  of  heavenly  visions. 
Both  had  the  like  lofty  flights  and  ecstatic 
revelations. — Bp.  Ken. 

VI.  Testimony  of  Ezekiel. 

[18675]  What  makes  that  testimony  more 
striking  is,  that  it  was  borne  when  Daniel  was 
still  in  early  manhood.  When  he  was  about 
twenty-nine  years  of  age,  Ezekiel  uttered  in  the 
course  of  a  prophecy  these  words  :  "  The  word 
of  the  Lord  came  again  to  mc,  saying.  Son  of 
man,  when  the  land  sinneth  against  Me  by 
trespassing  grievously,  then  will  I  stretch  out 
Mine  hand  upon  it,  and  will  break  the  staff  of 
the  bread  thereof,  and  will  send  famine  upon  it, 
and  will  cut  off  man  and  beast  from  it  :  though 
these  three  men,  Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job  were 
in  it,  they  should  deliver  but  their  own  souls  by 
their  righteousness,  saith  the  Lord  God."  Four 
times  are  these  saints  introduced  to  give  point 
and  terror  to  Divine  threatening.  A  few  years 
later,  when  Daniel  was  about  thirty-five  years 
of  age,  his  name  was  introduced  into  a  rebuke, 
ironical  in  form,  of  the  then  king  of  Tyre. 
The  king  had  all  but  deified  himself,  and  placed 
his  human,  heathen  wisdom  in  antagonism  with 
that  of  God.  He  had  forgotten  his  dependence 
upon  God  ;  and  so  the  prophet,  with  bitins; 
irony,  thus  addresses  him  :  "  Behold  !  thou  art 
■wiser  than  Daniel  :  there  is  no  secret  that  they 
■cannot  hide  from  thee."  These  references  to 
the  then  living  statesman  and  prophet  are  very 
remarkable. — Rev.  E.  Pusty,  D.D. 

VIL    HOMILETICAL   HINTS. 

1  The  history  of  Daniel  teaches  adherence 
to  duty  under  all  circumstances. 

[18676]  It  is  always  right  to  do  right.  That 
may  seem  to  be  a  truism,  yet  it  is  very  far  from 
being  universally  acted  upon.  Men  will  fre- 
quently admit  that  a  thing  in  the  abstract  is 
duty,  and  then  persuade  themselves  to  do  the 
opposite,  with  the  plea  that  in  their  circum- 
stances they  could  not  help  themselves.  But 
no  circumstances  can  make  that  right  which  is 
in  its  own  nature  wrong.  It  never  can  be 
necessary  to  sin.  No  doubt  we  may  say  that 
if  we  refuse  to  sin  under  certain  pressure,  death 
will  be  the  result.  But  that  will  not  alter  the 
case  ;  for  it  is  better  to  die  than  to  sin  ;  and  if 
there  be  no  other  way  out  of  it,  we  ought  to  be 
willing  to  die  rather  than  to  sin. — Rev.  VV. 
Taylor,  D.D. 

2  The  history  of  Daniel  furnishes  an  illus- 
tration of  the  value  of  temperance  and 
abstinence. 

[18677]  It  is  supposed  by  many  that  a  luxu- 
rious diet  is  necessary  to  health,  and  not  seldom 
men    use     intoxicating    drink    as    a    constant 


beverage,  under  the  delusion  that  it  imparts 
strength.  But  both  "of  these  mistakes  are  ex- 
posed in  the  narrative  before  us.  A  sparing 
diet  is  conducive  to  health  and  long  life,  while 
the  pampering  of  the  appetite  with  many  dain- 
ties tends  to  the  production  of  disease.  Then, 
as  regards  strong  drink,  we  have  the  testimony 
of  medical  men  of  highest  standing  to  the  fact  that 
it  is  not  necessary  to  a  healthy  person,  and  that 
its  habitual  use  is  always  more  or  less  injurious. 
Hence,  if  for  no  other  reason,  we  might  well 
abstain  from  it  as  an  article  of  diet.  But  when 
we  take  into  account  the  insidious  nature  of 
alcohol,  which  always  creates  a  craving  for 
itself,  and,  above  all,  when  we  think  of  the 
numbers  in  the  land  who  are  continually  falling 
under  its  power,  and  of  the  fearful  amount  of 
misery  and  crime  which  is  traceable  directly  or 
indirectly  to  its  influence,  we  may  surely  be 
brought  to  adopt  the  course  of  Daniel  and  his 
friends  in  regard  to  it,  the  rather  as  no  evil 
consequences  will  follow  the  carrying  out  of  such 
a  resolution.- — Ibid. 

[18678]  The  royal  provisions  in  themselves 
good,  but  in  the  circumstances  not  to  be  par- 
taken of  by  Daniel  and  his  friends  without  sin 
and  moral  defilement.  So  even  in  his  old  age, 
Daniel  for  a  special  religious  purpose  abstained 
for  a  time  both  from  flesh  and  wine  (chap,  x  3). 
"  Every  creature  of  God  is  good,  and  to  be 
received  with  thanksgiving  of  them  that  know 
and  believe  the  truth."  But  there  are  times 
when,  for  the  sake  of  others,  if  not  for  our  own, 
it  may  be  our  duty  to  abstain  from  the  use  of 
some.  Christian  wisdom  and  an  enlightened  con- 
science are  needed  to  direct  us  in  regard  to  such 
abstinence.  The  same  apostle  who  counselled 
Timothy  to  "  use  a  little  wine"  for  his  stomach's 
sake  and  his  frequent  infirmities,  asserts  that 
"it  is  good  neither  to  eat  flesh,  nor  to  drink 
wine,  nor  anything  whereby  thy  brother  stum- 
bleth,  or  is  offended,  or  is  made  weak;"  and 
declares  for  himself,  "  If  meat  make  my  brother 
to  offend,  I  will  eat  no  flesh  while  the  world 
standeth,  lest  I  make  my  brother  to  offend" 
(Rom.  xiv.  21  ;  I  Cor.  viii.  13).  The  character 
of  the  wines  and  other  intoxicating  drinks  used 
in  this  country,  the  prevalence  of  the  drinking 
customs,  the  continued  evidence  before  our  eyes 
of  the  terrible  effects  of  the  use  of  these  drinks, 
both  physically,  socially,  and  morally,  slaying 
as  they  do  their  tens  of  thousands,  and  drawing 
in  their  train  both  misery,  poverty,  disease,  and 
crime — these  facts  are  believed  by  many  to 
make  it  the  duty  of  Christian  men  and  women 
in  general,  in  the  exercise  of  that  charity  that 
"pleaseth  not  itself"  and  "seeketh  not  her 
own,"  to  abstain  entirely  from  the  use  of  these 
beverages  for  at  least  the  sake  of  those  who 
must,  one  way  or  other,  be  influenced  by  our 
example.  Grace  is  needed  most  in  times  of  diffi- 
culty and  triaL  That  grace  is  now  afforded  to 
Daniel  and  his  friends  in  their  perplexity.  To 
Paul's  thrice  repeated  prayer  that  the  "  thorn  in 
the  flesh"  might  depart  from  him,  the  only 
answer  vouchsafed  was,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient 


18678—18684] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS.  37 1 

JEWISH    ERA.  [the   THREE   CHH.DREN    IN    DAN.    III. 


for  thee  ;  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weak- 
ness." Believing  this,  Paul  gloried  in  his  in- 
firmities and  necessities.  Neither  tribulation, 
nor  persecution,  nor  famine,  nor  nakedness,  nor 
peril,  nor  sword,  are  able  to  separate  the  genuine 
believer  "from  the  love  of  (jod  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." — HomileticCouimcniary. 

3       The  history  of  Daniel  illustrates  the  moral 
worth  of  resolution  in  a  character. 

[18679]  Resolution  is  both  an  act  and  a  habit. 
As  a  habit,  it  marks  the  character  of  the  man 
who  makes  a  resolution  and  acts  upon  it. 
The  habit  is  formed  by  frequent  acts  of  re- 
solving and  acting  accordingly.  As  a  habit, 
resolution  is  a  most  important  part  of  character. 
It  gives  a  man  moral  strength,  energy,  back- 
bone. It  constitutes  force  of  character.  It 
makes  a  man  strong.  It  forms  the  hero,  the 
scholar,  the  statesman,  the  artist.  It  makes 
the  successful  merchant,  the  man  of  science, 
the  philanthropist,  and  the  benefactor  of  his 
kind.  "  I  will  be  a  hero,"  was  the  turning-point 
in  Nelson's  history.  Reynolds  resolves  at 
Rome  to  study  the  works  of  the  old  masters  till 
he  has  understood  their  excellence,  and  becomes 
a  master  himself  Paley  at  college  resolves  to 
shake  off  his  habitual  indolence  and  rise  at  four 
o'clock  to  his  studies,  and  produces  works  that 
cannot  die.  Daniel's  resolution  in  regard  to 
his  diet  was  one  of  the  means  of  strengthening 
his  character  and  fitting  him  for  future  great- 
ness. Each  resolution  carried  out  in  spite  of 
difficulty  or  natural  reluctance  makes  a  man 
strongep  An  irresolute  man  is  a  weak  man. 
The  pa!rt  of  weakness  is  either  to  make  no 
resolution,  or  to  make  it  and  fail  to  keep  it — 
"  resolves  and  re-resolves,  and  dies  a  fool." 
Broken  resolutions  leave  a  man  weaker.  One 
resolution  kept  prepares  for  keeping  the  next. 
A  resolution  manfully  carried  out  is  often  the 
turning-point  in  a  man's  life  and  the  determina- 
tion of  a  man's  character. — Ibid, 


THE    THREE    CHILDREN  IN 
DAN.  Ill 

I.  Their  Conspicuous  Virtues. 

1       Fear  of  God. 

[18680]  These  three  men  were  on  the  ground 
among  the  other  persons  in  high  office.  It  had 
been  in  vain  for  them  to  absent  themselves  if 
they  had  been  inclined  to  do  so.  But  they  had 
higher  orders  to  be  there  !  orders  which  they 
dared  not  disobey,  though  we  soon  see  what  else 
they  could,  without  hesitation,  set  at  defiance. 
Their  faith  was  warned  of  another  Monarch, 
and  also  of  another  fire  !  a  proper  fear  of  whom, 
and  of  which,  will  overcome  all  other  fear. 
''  Fear  not  them  who  can  kill  the  body,  but  after 
that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do  ;  but  fear 
Him  who  is  able  to  destroy  both  body  and  soul 


in  hell."  They  were  certain  to  be  at  the  place, 
without  any  force  used  by  their  enemies  ;  for  they 
knew  it  could  not  be  permitted  by  their  "  Master 
in  heaven  "  that  his  servants  should  be  in  a 
conspicuous  station,  in  a  heathen  land,  without 
bearing  on  them  the  most  explicit  marks  to 
whom  they  belonged.  They  were  assured  that 
in  the  present  case  there  must  not  be  allowed 
a  grand  triumphant  day  to  idolatry  and  the 
impious  pride  of  power, — undisturbed  by  at 
least  a  protest  in  the  name  of  the  Almighty. 
Was  it  for  them,  when  their  eternal  Lord  was 
to  be  dishonoured,  to  slink  away  into  a  base 
impunity.''  And,  besides,  were  they  to  give  to 
their  own  people  in  captivity  there  the  lesson 
and  example  of  betraying,  even  negatively,  their 
religion,  the  only  true  one  on  earth  ?  They 
knew  their  duty,  and  addressed  themselves  to 
perform  it. — Rev.  J.  Foster. 

2  Prompt  decision. 

[18681]  Nebuchadnezzar  had  not  to  wait  for 
their  decision.  "  VVe  are  not  careful  to  answer 
thee  in  this  matter,"  meaning,  "  we  have  no 
thought  or  deliberation  to  give  to  the  alterna- 
tive ;  no  question  or  hesitation  remains  to  us  ; 
we  seek  no  evasion  or  delay  ;  our  decision  is 
absolute  because  our  duty  is  plain." — Ibid. 

[18682]  They,  probably,  did  not  even  speak  to 
one  another.  There  was  nothing  they  could 
need  to  say  ;  it  was  past  the  time  for  consulting, 
questioning,  or  mutual  exhortation.  They  were 
in  the  wrong  place  if  anything  remained  to  be 
yet  decided. — Ibid. 

3  Invincible  fortitude. 

[18683]  There  were  three  men  come  on  the 
ground  under  the  fearful  vocation  to  brave  the 
authority,  and  power,  and  wrath  of  a  lofty  poten- 
tate,— the  indignation  of  all  his  mighty  lords, 
and  the  rage  of  a  devouring  fire.  VVe  adinire 
heroic  self-devotement  in  all  other  situations, — • 
we  are  elated  at  the  view,  for  instance,  of 
Leonidas  and  his  small  band  calmly  taking 
their  station  in  Thermopylae,  in  the  face  of 
countless  legions.  But  here  was  a  still  nobler 
position  taken  by  men  who  were  fit  to  take  it, 
because  they  were  sure  not  to  desert  it.  And  it 
would  betray  a  most  corrupt  state  of  our  senti- 
ments, if  heroic  devotement  displayed  for  God, 
for  truth,  for  religion,  do  not  affect  us  as  sub- 
limer  than  all  other  heroism.  We  may  sup- 
pose the  utmost  calmness — the  most  unostenta- 
tious manner  in  these  three  men  ;  that  belongs 
to  real  invincible  fortitude.  And  they  had  no 
occasion  to  begin  with  parade — to  make  a 
flourish  of  premature  zeal  !  Exhibition  enough 
was  to  come  erewhile  !  They  were  "  to  be  made 
a  spectacle  to  God,  and  to  angels,  and  to  men." 
They  quietly  waited,  looking  at  the  monarch, 
the  idol,  and  the  fire. — Ibid. 

4  Perfect  trust. 


[18684]  "  If  Jt  be  so,  our  God  whom  we 
serve  is  able  to  deliver  us  from  the  burning 
fiery   furnace  ;    He   will   deliver  us  out  of  thy 


372 

18684— 1S690] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH   ERA.  [the   THREE   CHILDREN    IN   DAN.    III. 


hand,  O  king."  "  But  if  not,  be  it  known  unto 
thee,  O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods, 
nor  worship  the  golden  image  which  thou  hast 
set  up."  Some  learned  critics  have  given,  as 
more  exactly  expressive  of  the  sense  of  the 
original,  an  altered  construction  of  the  two 
verses  together,  thus,  "  Whether  our  God, 
who  is  able  to  deliver  us,  shall  deliver  us  or 
not,  be  it  known  unto  thee,"  &c.  ;  thus  taking 
away  the  apparent  expression  of  their  assurance 
that  He  would  deliver  them.  We  cannot  know 
in  what  degree  they  did  expect  any  extraor- 
dinary Divine  interposition,  but  this  construction 
of  their  reply  exhibits  them  in  a  still  higher, 
completer  character  of  magnanimity  and  devote- 
ment.  Such  a  magnanimity,  which  the  em- 
peror might  know  there  was  but  one  other 
person  among  all  his  great  men  capable  of 
evincing,  might  have  struck  him  with  reveren- 
tial admiration,  might  have  thrown  him  back  on 
his  reflections  and  remembrance,  for  he  could 
not  but  recollect  something  of  the  God  of  Daniel 
and  his  friends. — Ibid. 


II.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  conduct  of  the  three  children  illus- 
trates the  truth  that  a  religion  of  principle  is 
lounded  on  intelligent  conviction  of  truth, 
so  fixed  in  the  heart  as  to  be  beyond  the 
reach  of  argument. 

[18685]  Their  answer  to  the  king's  command 
has  been  the  watchword  of  martyrs  from  that 
day  to  this  :  "  We  are  not  careful  to  answer  thee 
in  this  matter.  .  .  -  But  be  it  known  unto  thee, 
O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods."  There 
is  a  state  of  religious  experience,  possible  to 
eveiy  Christian,  of  which  this  is  a  sample.  It 
is  a  state  in  which  the  believer  no  longer  needs 
argument  to  support  his  convictions,  and  is  no 
longer  open  to  argument  against  them.  Certain 
central  truths  of  religion  are  fixed  in  his  very 
soul.  They  have  been  settled  once  for  all  and 
for  ever.  An  oak  of  a  hundred  years'  growth  is 
not  rooted  so  immovably.  They  are  thus  settled, 
because  they  have  become  matters  of  experience. 
They  long  ago  passed  out  of  the  realm  of  theory 
into  the  realm  which  Whitefield  called  "  soul- 
life."  The  believer  no  longer  believes  :  he 
knows.  His  faith  has  become  his  life.  It  has 
passed  into  the  same  rank  of  truths  as  that  of 
gravitation.  It  gives  to  the  whole  religious 
being  of  the  man  a  certain  planetary  fixedness 
and  serenity,  like  those  of  Orion  and  the 
Pleiades.  Canst  thou  loose  the  bands  of  Orion.-' 
— Austin  Phelps,  D.D. 

[18686]  On  such  foundations  a  religion  of 
principle  is  built.  When  infidelity  assails  it, 
when  ridicule  scoffs  at  it,  when  science  disproves 
it,  when  authority  forbids  it,  when  fire  and  sword 
and  gibbet  would  crush  it,  its  calm  reply  is,  "We 
are  not  careful  to  answer  thee,  but  we  will  not." 
In  these  very  words  the  father  of  the  Wesleys 
sent  back  his  answer  to  an  iniquitous  order  from 
James  II.  of  England. — Ibid. 


[18687]  When  Philip  II.  of  Spain  sent  "Alva 
the  Butcher  "  on  his  crusade  against  the  people 
of  the  Netherlands,  thousands  of  men,  women, 
and  children  sent  back  from  the  scaffold  and  the 
stake  these  words  of  calm  defiance  :  "  We  are 
not  careful  to  answer,  but  be  it  known  that 
we  will  not  obey."  Children  from  ten  to  fifteen 
years  of  age  used  to  imitate  in  solemn  sport  the 
scene  of  the  auto-da-fe,  in  token  of  their  resolve 
to  die  in  the  faith  of  their  fathers.  And  when 
the  sport  became  grim  reality,  and  their  tender 
limbs  shrivelled  and  crackled  in  the  flames,  they 
did  not  flinch.  That  was  the  religion  of  prin- 
ciple, uttering  itself  from  the  depths  of  a  "soul- 
life,"  which  had  outlived  the  need  of  argument 
to  support  it,  and  the  power  of  argument  to 
change  it.  What  could  those  children  know  of 
the  argument  for  Christian  truth  which  ages  of 
debate  and  of  august  councils  had  elaborated? 
They  neither  knew  nor  cared  to  know.  They 
had  received  from  God  a  profounder  teaching. 
Theirs  was  an  experience  of  truth  in  the  soul's 
life.  They  knew  it  because  they  had  lived  it. 
They  could  as  easily  have  been  argued  out  of 
their  faith  in  the  sunrise  as  out  of  their  faith  in 
Christ.  Just  that  kind  of  evidence  and  that 
degree  of  conviction  are  the  privilege  of  every 
child  of  God.— Ibid. 

2  The  conduct  of  the  three  children  presents 
a  noble  illustration  of  the  duty  of  obedience 
to  God  without  regard  to  consequences. 

[18688]  So  far  as  it  appears  from  the  story  of 
these  "  men  in  the  fire,"  this  was  their  reasoning, 
and  the  whole  of  it  :  "  We  have  only  to  do 
right  in  the  fear  of  God."  Not  a  word  is 
uttered  from  which  we  can  infer  that  they  think 
for  one  moment  of  what  is  or  is  not  expedient. 
They  are  in  a  strait  in  which  they  may  well  be 
pardoned  if  they  do  ask  themselves,  "  Can  we 
not  somehow  save  our  lives  ? "  Not  a  word  of 
that  sort  appears,  except  a  subhrne  assurance  that 
God  will  save  them,  but  a  more  sublime  purpose 
to  obey  him  whether  he  will  or  not.  No  nice 
points  occur  to  them  to  be  settled,  no  possible 
evasions,  no  concealment  of  their  convictions, 
no  hiding  of  their  purposes. — Ibid. 

[18689]  Volumes  have  been  written  by  wise 
men  on  questions  relating  to  possible  escape 
from  martyrdom  by  crafty  victims.  "  May  a 
man  lie  to  save  his  life  from  the  flames  ?  Has 
an  enemy  to  God  a  right  to  know  the  truth  from 
one  to  whom  a  disclosure  of  the  truth  is  death  ? 
How  much  of  one's  faith  may  one  hold  in  secret, 
under  threat  of  axe  and  gibbet .-'  For  wife  and 
children  may  not  a  man  lie,  when  he  would  not 
to  save  his  own  life  ?  "  Said  one,  "  I  will  not  tell 
one  falsehood  to  save  my  life,  but  I  will  tell  ten 
to  save  my  boy."  Not  a  hint  of  any  such  Jesui- 
tical strategy  do  these  victims  of  pagan  ferocity 
give  us.  There  is  a  magnificent  fling  of  self- 
abandonment  in  their  sole  resolve  and  its  bold 
avowal,  "  Be  it  known  that  we  will  not."~-Ibid. 

[1S690]  The  grandeur  of  the  whole  procedure 
is  that  their  conscience  is  so  eagle-eyed  as  to  see 


18690 — 18694] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  373 

JEWISH   ERA.  [the   THREE  CHILDREN    IN   DAN.    III. 


the  right  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  They  are 
not  startled  into  a  momentary  equivocation. 
When  good  men  deny  Christ  they  are  commonly 
surprised  into  it.  Not  so  these  three  captives 
of  the  tire.  They  might  be  the  three  "wise  men 
of  the  East,"  for  their  self-collected  and  clear- 
headed discernment  of  the  right.  With  the 
hell  of  the  furnace  in  the  one  scale,  and  beauti- 
ful young  life  in  the  other,  there  is  not  an  instant 
of  doubt  which  shall  kick  the  beam.  Said  a 
Roman  general,  when  urged  to  save  his  life  at 
the  cost  of  his  honour,  "It  is  necessary  that  my 
honour  should  live  :  it  is  not  necessary  that  I 
should."  So  say  these  gentle  youth,  as  they 
look  into  the  mouth  of  that  white  furnace  :  "  It 
is  necessary  that  we  be  true  to  God  :  it  is  not 
necessary  that  we  live." — Ibid. 

3  The  conduct  of  the  three  children  affords  a 
striking  exemplification  of  the  influence  of 
a  profound  sense  of  a  personal  God. 

[18691]  "  Our  God  whom  we  serve."  This  is 
the  first  and  last  and  ruling  thought  of  these 
youthful  heroes.  Duty  is  no  abstraction  to  them. 
They  are  not  philosophers.  They  are  simply 
believers  in  a  living  God.  Poor  souls  !  they 
know  no  better.  They  have  never  heard  of  the 
"  Over-Soul "  and  the  "  Soul  of  the  world." 
They  have  not  been  taught  the  dignity  of  their 
descent  from  baboons,  by  the  force  of  "  natural 
selection."  Advanced  thinkers  have  not  in- 
structed them  in  the  religion  of  "protoplasm." 
But  they  do  the  best  they  know,  humbly  hoping 
that  things  will  not  go  hard  with  them  for  trust- 
ing in  a  personal  God.  They  enter  into  no 
discussion  of  the  Hebrew  as  compared  with  the 
Chaldasan  ethics.  God,  the  living  God,  is  the 
beginning  and  the  end  of  the  whole  business. — 
Ibid. 

[1S692]  A  singular  type  of  religious  belief — or 
negation,  call  it  which  you  please — has  sprung 
up  in  our  day,  perhaps  for  the  first  time  in  the 
world's  history.  It  proposes  to  build  a  system 
of  Christian  ethics  on  the  intuitions  of  conscience 
alone,  denying  the  authority  of  Christ  and  the 
being  of  a  God.  "  Do  right "  is  its  moral  law. 
"  Obey  conscience."  "  Care  not  for  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  :  He  was  a  man  like  the  rest  of  us. 
As  for  God,  have  no  fear  of  Him  :  He  is  a 
bugaboo  of  dark  ages."  A  healthy  mind  recoils 
from  this  as  an  absurdity.  To  such  a  mind 
duty  and  God  are  correlative  ideas.  Each  is 
inseparable  from  the  other.  The  force  of  each 
corresponds  to  the  force  of  the  other  in  the  faith 
of  the  believer.  Talk  to  a  man  of  duty,  and  his 
instinctive  query  is,  "  Duty  to  whom  V  Tell  a 
man  that  he  ought,  and  he  rejoins,  "  Ought  ! 
Why?"  "  Ought '•  implies  obligation;  obliga- 
tion to  whom.''  The  very  structure  of  the 
language  mirrors  a  person.  It  means  that  or 
nothing.  This  mysterious  indweller,  v/hich  we 
call  "conscience,"  and  which  is  the  still  guest  of 
every  man,  is  simply  God  writing  His  will  on  the 
walls  of  the  soul's  inner  chambers.  It  is  impera- 
tive as  God  is,  pure  as  God  is,  deathless  as 
God  is.     To  hold  to  conscience  and  deny  God 


is  to  grasp  the  shadow  and  reject  the  substance. 
—Ibid. 

4  The  conduct  of  the  three  children  illus- 
trates the  truth  that  whereas  false  religion 
is  fruitless  in  the  time  of  trial,  true  re- 
ligion does  then  abound  in  fruit. 

[18693]  Who  would  have  predicted  that  three 
young  men,  but  a  little  above  the  age  and  rank 
of  boys,  waifs  from  a  foreign  land  and  a  subject 
people,  exposed  at  any  moment  to  the  penalty 
of  death,  should  win  over  to  a  new  and  despised 
religion  the  respect  of  the  haughtiest  monarch 
of  the  East  ?  Yet  this  was  the  fruit  of  their 
daring  defiance  of  his  commands.  His  outraged 
pride  was  awed  by  their  fidelity  to  a  principle. 
"Blessed  be  the  God  of  Shadrach,  Meshach, 
and  Abednego  !  There  is  no  God  that  can 
deliver  after  this  sort.  His  servants  have 
yielded  their  bodies,  that  they  might  not  wor- 
ship any  god  but  their  own  God."  Such  is  the 
outburst  of  astonished  conviction  from  the  awe- 
struck king.  Always  and  everywhere  men  fall 
back  and  give  place  to  those  who  practise  a 
religion  which  costs  them  something.  Other 
sorts  of  religion  there  are  which  serve  their  turn 
in  idle  hours  and  times  of  ease.  There  is  a 
religion  of  form,  whose  pageantries  please  the 
eye,  and  which  does  well  enough  for  a  religion  of 
state  on  festive  days.  There  is  a  religion  of 
taste,  in  which  music  and  architecture,  and  the 
poetry  of  a  painted  window,  may  charm  the 
fancy  of  culture  and  refinement,  when  no  great 
stress  of  real  life  is  upon  them.  There  is  a  re- 
ligion of  feeling,  which  may  uplift  great  assem- 
blies on  great  occasions,  and  bear  them  on  waves 
of  reHgiosity  which  to  certain  temperaments 
may  seem  for  the  time  to  mount  up  to  the  gates 
of  heaven.  But  when  the  tug  of  real  life  comes, 
when  temptation,  bereavement,  disappointment, 
death,  bring  men's  religion  to  the  proof,  these 
religious  fictions  vanish  into  thin  air.  No  re- 
ligious plaything  answers  the  purpose  then. 
Men  feel  then  the  need  of  something  real,  some- 
thing solid,  something  profound,  something 
Godlike. — Ibid. 

5  The  conduct  of  the  three  children  sug- 
gests that  while  we  should  be  thankful  for 
the  quietness  of  our  lives,  we  should  ex- 
amine ourselves  as  to  our  standing  in 
the   faith. 

[1S694]  Let  us  thank  God  that  we  live  in  no 
such  times  as  these,  when  the  command,  short 
and  stern,  was  "  turn  or  burn."  "  Cease  to  wor- 
ship God  as  your  consciences  direct,  or  give 
your  bodies  to  the  stake."  But  at  the  same  time 
let  us  examine  ourselves.  Let  us  inquire  wliether 
we  be  partakers  of  their  faith,  or  whether  our 
faith  be  of  the  kind  to  fail  us  in  the  hour  of  trial. 
Whether  our  foundation  be  upon  the  sand,  leav- 
ing our  house  in  ruins  before  the  storm  ;  or  upon 
the  rock,  abiding  sure  and  steadfast.  Our  barque 
may  carry  us  gaily  along,  so  long  as  there  is  a 
sunny  sky  and  a  gentle  and  propitious  breeze, 
but  how  will  it  serve  us  when  dark  clouds  appear, 
and  the  howling  tempest  is  upon  us  .''     That  is 


374 


'] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 


the  question.  "  Prosperity  makes  friends,  but 
adversity  tries  them."  Have  we,  then,  that 
within  us  which  shall  enable  us  to  be  true  to 
God  in  the  cloud  as  in  the  sunshine  ;  to  follow 
Him  through  evil  as  well  as  through  good  re- 
port ;  to  lead  Him  to  say  of  us  :  "  I  have  chosen 
thee  from  the  furnace  of  affliction"? —  \V.  Inglis. 


NEB  UCHADNEZZAR. 

I.  A  Successful  Conqueror. 

[18695]  Nebuchadnezzar  was  not  one  of  those 
rare  examples  in  which  the  hero  and  the  states- 
man were  combined.  He  was  as  far  from  the 
statesman-like  cjualities  of  the  prophet  Daniel  as 
he  was  from  the  military  qualities  of  Cyrus.  The 
little  intellect  that  he  had,  and  the  few  resources 
of  genius  that  were  at  his  command,  were  not 
even  exerted  in  a  cause  for  which  justice  and 
righteousness  bade  him  put  on  the  armour.  It 
is  in  no  such  light  that  he  is  presented  to  us. 
He  came  to  oppress  and  enslave.  He  took  up 
arms  against  the  people  of  God,  and  without 
cause.  He  basely  slew  the  sons  of  Judaea's 
king  in  the  presence  of  their  royal  father  ;  then 
put  out  the  father's  eyes,  bound  him  in  fetters  of 
brass,  and  carried  him  captive  to  his  own  idola- 
trous land.  He  pillaged  the  treasures  of  the 
palace  of  God's  temple,  and  carried  away  its 
sacred  vessels,  and  great  numbers  of  the  prin- 
cipal Jews  to  Bab\lon.  These  were  not  the  deeds 
of  a  high-minded  warrior.  His  single  aim  was 
conquest  and  gain.  Yet  he  was  a  conqueror, 
and  advanced  from  victory  to  victory  with  the 
resistless  might  of  the  tempest.  His  conquests 
secured  his  crown. — Gat  diner  Spring,  D.I). 

II.  A    Tyrannous    and    Demoralizing 

Monarch. 

[18696]  When  we  read  his  history  with  care, 
we  find  little  to  applaud,  and  almost  everything 
to  condemn.  His  reign  was  marked  by  no 
measures  of  reform,  and  no  progress  in  improve- 
ment, either  civil,  or  social,  or  religious.  Once, 
indeed,  we  read  of  his  assembling  his  magis- 
trates, and  rulers,  and  counsellors  of  state  :  but 
it  was  not  to  consult  upon  the  interests  of  the 
empire,  to  correct  abuses,  and  perform  the  varied 
duties  of  wise  and  wholesome  legislation.  He 
assembled  them,  and  it  was  done  with  idle, 
childish  pomp,  to  worship  a  golden  image  !  He 
possessed  many  of  the  qualities  of  a  tyrant. 
He  was  arbitrary  and  rash,  and  appears  to  have 
been  subject  to  paroxysms  of  ungovernable  fury. 
When  under  the  influence  of  these,  he  committed 
excesses  of  cruelty  ;  yet  cruelty  docs  not  appear 
to  have  been  a  predominant  ingredient  in  his 
character.  Born  to  the  throne,  and  nursed 
amid  the  clangour  of  arms,  he  had  never  been 
taught  to  cultivate  that  moderation,  and  exercise 
that  self-control  which  should  mark  the  conduct 


of  one  to  whom  the  guidance  and  welfare  of  a 
nation  were  entrusted.  Tjiere  need  be  no  greater 
proof  of  his  fitful  tyranny  than  his  command  to 
the  wise  men  of  his  kingdom  to  tell  him  his  for- 
gotten dream, and  the  interpretation.  A  monarch 
may  impose  the  weightiest  burden,  and  inflict 
the  severest  punishment ;  but  when  he  com- 
mands impossibilities,  it  is  worse  than  tyranny. 
His  wise  men  very  rationally  replied,  "There  is 
not  a  man  upon  the  earth  that  can  show  the  king's 
matter  ;  therefore  there  is  no  king,  nor  lord,  nor 
ruler  that  asked  such  things."  He  might  as 
well  have  asked  them  for  the  sun,  or  the  moon. 
His  conduct  was  that  of  a  madman,  and  his 
cruel  edict  against  them  was  in  keeping  with  his 
mad  command.  He  was  a  furious  and  wicked 
king.— /^/V/. 

[18697]  Instead  of  the  memorials  of  his  vir- 
tues, we  find  only  the  sad  memorials  of  his  vices. 
His  whole  history  shows  him  to  have  been 
luxurious  and  effeminate  ;  immoral  himself,  and 
the  demoralizer  of  his  nation.  It  would  have 
been  a  melancholy  view  to  have  stood  upon  the 
walls  of  Babylon,  and  to  have  marked  the  influ- 
ence which  went  forth  from  his  palace  to  corrupt 
all  orders  of  men,  instigating  his  subjects  to 
deeds  of  sensuality  and  crime,  and  preparing 
that  fair  land  for  its  approaching  doom.  The 
name  of  king  Nebuchadnezzar,  instead  of  being 
the  pride  of  a  loyal  people,  and  embalmed  in 
the  affections  of  a  grateful  posterity,  lives  only 
because  it  is  associated  with  the  history  of  a 
nation  which  he  consigned  to  their  seventy 
years'  captivity,  and  lives  only  to  be  thought  of 
on  the  one  hand  with  admiration  of  God's  jus- 
tice, and  on  the  other  with  admiration  of  His 
Divine  mercy.— /did. 

III.  A  Prince  among  Idolaters. 

[18698]  At  the  head  of  an  idolatrous  people 
stood  Is'ebuchadnezzar,  himself  the  idolater  king, 
and  the  great  patron  of  idolatry.  He  was  a  con- 
temner of  the  true  God,  and  taught  his  subjects 
to  be  contemners.  His  idolatry  lies  at  the  basis 
of  some  of  the  imperfections,  and  many  of  the 
vices  of  his  character.  He  was  superstitious, 
because  he  was  an  idolater.  Superstition  is  one 
of  the  great  features  of  idolatrous  lands.  The 
superstition  of  Rome  is  one  of  the  appendages 
of  her  idolatry.  The  most  wicked  of  her  popes 
were  the  most  superstitious  of  men.  The  pro- 
phet Isaiah  represents  Babylon  as  "wearied" 
by  the  multitude  of  her  senseless  divinations, 
star-gazers,  and  prognosticators.  The  supersti- 
tion of  Nebuchadnezzar's  character  is  obvious 
from  his  reliance  upon  the  occult  arts  of  divina- 
tion and  astrology.  The  professors  of  these 
arts  were  the  great  men  of  his  kingdom  ;  they 
were  his  privy  counsellors,  to  whom  he  had 
resort  in  all  seasons  of  embarrassment  and  diffi- 
culty. He  appoints  the  prophet  Daniel  to  his 
college  of  diviners,  as  though  he  himself  were 
one  of  the  fraternity.  His  hopes  and  his  fears, 
his  power  and  his  wealth,  his  pride  and  his 
effeminacy,  found  their  element  in  his  idolatry. 


18698— 18703] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


375 
[nebuciiadnezzak. 


His  contempt  of  God,  and  his  love  of  wicked- 
ness, were  sanctioned  by  his  idolatry.  He  had 
the  boldness  to  enact  laws  aj^ainst  the  God  of 
heaven,  and  to  prohibit  His  worship  in  all  the 
provinces  of  Babylon.  There  were  periods  in 
his  reij^n  when  even  the  captive  Hebrews  wliom 
he  had  torn  from  their  temple  on  Mount  Zion 
were  not  allowed  to  pay  their  homage  to  the  God 
of  Israel.  They  were  mocked  as  the  worshippers 
of  the  true  God,  and  were  called  on  as  princes 
were  wont  to  call  on  their  fools  and  jesters,  to 
make  merriment  at  the  court  festivities.  The 
infidel  and  scoffing  demand  was  rung  in  their 
ears,  "  Come,  sing  us  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion  ! " 
—Ibid. 

[18699]  Behold  the  man  before  whom  kings 
prostrated  themselves,  who  did  shake  kingdoms, 
and  who  had  just  said,  "  I  will  exalt  my  throne 
above  the  stars  of  God,"  himself  falling  down  in 
the  presence  of  shouting  multitudes  and  wor- 
shipping the  god  his  own  hands  had  made  1 
This  is  that  king — Nebuchadnezzar. — Ibid. 

IV.  A  Bigoted  Persecutor. 

[18700]  It  was  not  enough  that  he  exercised 
a  political  despotism  ;  he  was  a  religious  despot, 
and  wa,s  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  absolute 
control  over  the  conscience.  His  religious  edicts 
were  more  or  less  rigorous,  as  his  feelings  dic- 
tated them,  and  as  his  rage  and  fury  were  excited 
or  moderate.  Sometimes  the  penalty  of  resist- 
ance was  the  work  of  the  headsman  ;  sometimes 
it  was  to  be  cut  in  pieces,  and  the  houses  of  the 
rebellious  to  be  made  a  dunghill  ;  sometimes  it 
was  to  be  cast  into  the  den  of  lions,  and  some- 
times it  was  to  be  bound  hand  and  foot  and 
thrown  into  the  burning  fiery  furnace.  The 
three  captive  Hebrew  youths  who  had  the  in- 
tegrity and  firmness  to  refuse  their  hoinnge  to 
his  golden  deity  were  cast  into  the  furnace 
seven  times  heated.  To  worship  the  God  of 
Israel  was  heresy  ;  it  was  an  encroachment  upon 
the  royal  prerogative  that  could  not  be  tolerated. 
Nebuchadnezzar  himself  constituted  the  State 
and  the  Church.  He  was  the  Emperor- Bishop  ; 
and  woe  betide  the  man  who  refused  to  worship 
the  god  of  Chaldcea,  or  presumed  to  worship  the 
God  of  the  Hebrews.  He  was  the  great  eccle- 
siastical ancestor  of  St.  Dominic,  as  Babylon  was 
of  Rome.  Babylon  was  the  first  inquisitorial 
court,  where  cord  and  faggot  began  the  work 
of  torture  and  death.  Subsequent  persecutors 
have  surpassed  this  prince  in  the  inventions  of 
cruelty ;  none  have  surpassed  him  in  the  torrent 
of  their  fury. — Ibid. 

V.  A  Proud  and  Arrogant  Man. 

[18701]  There  was  no  harm  at  all  in  being 
the  ruler  of  a  mighty  kingdom,  provided  that 
his  elevation  to  so  high  a  place  had  been 
accomplished  by  honest  means.  His  sin  was 
pride.  His  success,  in  everything  he  undertook, 
called  forth  no  gratitude  to  God.  His  constant 
prosperity  only  hardened  his  heart.     He  con- 


sidered himself  as  the  contriver  of  his  own 
fortune.  He  gloried  in  the  strength  of  his 
armies.  He  feasted  his  eyes  with  the  prospert 
of  exhaustless  riches.  He  looked  down  with 
contempt  upon  prostrate  foes.  He  drank  in 
with  greediness  the  fulsome  flatteries  with  which 
feiwning  courtiers  filled  his  ears.  Walking 
proudly  upon  the  roof  of  his  palace,  from  which 
he  could  command  an  extensive  view  of  the 
mighty  capital  of  his  vast  empire,  his  mind 
revelled  in  dreams  of  greatness  and  glory.  For 
more  than  fifteen  miles,  on  either  hand,  the 
great  Babylon,  "the  Golden  City,"  "the  Lady 
of  Kingdoms,"  "the  Beauty  of  the  Chaldces' 
Excellency,"  "  the  Praise  of  the  whole  Earth," 
was  spread  out  before  him.  He  gazed  upon  its 
massive  walls  and  brazen  gates  ;  its  citadel  and 
towers  ;  its  royal  palaces  ;  its  idol  temples  ;  its 
hanging-gardens,  and  its  varied  marks  of  beauty 
and  magnificence,  until  the  feelings  of  pride 
which  swelled  his  heart  found  utterance  in  words 
of  self-satisfaction  and  vainglory  : — "  Is  not  this 
great  Babylon,  that  I  have  built  by  the  might  of 
my  power,  and  for  the  honour  of  my  majesty  ?  " 
—J.  Norton,  D.D. 

[18702]  He  had  indeed  not  a  little  to  be  proud 
of — as  this  world  estimates  the  occasions  and 
incentives  to  pride — in  his  royal  lineage,  in  the 
success  of  his  arms,  in  the  extent  and  wealth 
of  his  dominions,  and  in  the  adulation  of  his 
courtiers,  and  in  his  own  youthful  magnificence 
and  prospects.  The  city  of  Babylon  was  at  the 
zenith  of  its  glory.  .  .  .  No  city  could  be  com- 
pared with  it  in  dimension,  strength,  or  beauty. 
Its  stupendous  walls,  the  magnificence  of  its 
streets,  the  beauty  of  its  waters,  the  splendour 
of  its  temple,  tower,  and  palace,  and  the  luxury 
of  its  hanging-gardens,  rendered  it  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world.  ...  It  was  the  richest 
city  in  the  world.  These  were  sufficient  incite- 
ments to  the  monarch's  pride.  They  were  fasci- 
nating to  such  a  mind  as  Nebuchadnezzar's  ;  he 
was  infatuated  by  them,  and  his  heart  was  lilted 
up.  He  was  arrogant  ;  he  must  have  "the  king's 
seed  to  serve  him  ; "  the  princes  of  his  conquered 
provinces  must  be  his  slaves. — Gardiner  Sprifiq;, 
D.D. 

[18703]  It  was  not  enough  that  from  his  lofty 
seat  he  looked  upon  ChaUla^a  as  his  footstool  ; 
he  presumed  to  pass  sentence  even  on  the  whole 
earth.  And,  because  earth  could  not  gratify  his 
pride,  he  was  not  content  without  contesting  the 
claim  of  sovereignty  with  his  Maker.  It  was  not 
enough  for  him,  in  his  princely  arrogance,  to  say, 
"  Is  not  this  great  Babylon  which  I  have  built 
for  the  house  of  the  kingdom,  by  the  might  of 
my  power,  and  for  the  honour  of  my  majesty  ?  " 
The  "rod  had  blossomed  ;  pride  had  budded." 
Its  fruits  were  bold  presumption  and  impiety. 
One  cloud  of  proud  thoughts  after  another  rolls 
over  the  mind  of  this  infatuated  prince  until  he 
forgot  that  he  was  God's  creature.  As  he  looked 
forth  from  the  turret  of  his  palace  upon  the  stars 
of  heaven,  he  conceives  the  impious  thought, 
"  I  will  ascend  into  heaven  ;    I    will  exalt   my 


376 

18703—18708] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 


throne  above  the  stars  of  God  ;  I  will  sit  upon  the 
mountain  of  the  congregation  in  the  sides  of 
the  North.  I  will  ascend  above  the  heights  of 
the  clouds  ;  I  will  be  like  the  Most  High  !  "  He 
could  not  remain  satisfied  while  there  was  one 
Being  in  the  universe  above  him.  He  was  the 
Antichrist  of  his  age.  — /^zV/. 


VI.  A  Wonder  of  Weakness. 

[18704]  If  we  mistake  not,  he  was  greatly 
wanting  in  decision  and  firmness.  He  was  a 
weak  man  and  a  weak  prince.  As  a  warrior, 
he  does  not  compare  with  Cyrus,  or  Alexander, 
or  Ceesar,  or  Napoleon.  He  often  leaves  his 
work  half  done,  where  a  conqueror  of  strong 
and  decided  character  would  have  finished  it 
without  repeating  the  blow.  In  the  progress  of 
his  conquests,  he  was  awestruck  and  terrified, 
he  knew  not  why.  As  a  king  he  is  a  tyrant  ; 
but  a  weak  and  vacillating  one,  giving  absurd 
orders,  flying  into  fury  when  they  are  disobeyed, 
and  when  his  victims  are  miraculously  rescued, 
falling  down  before  them  and  acknowledging 
their  God,  just  as  he  would  acknowledge  Bel  or 
Dagon.  He  is  arbitrary  and  rash.  The  pre- 
vailing ingredient  of  his  government  seems  to 
be  weakness.  Nature  had  done  little  for  him  ; 
good  fortune  everything. — Ibid. 

[18705]  His  acts  of  cruelty  seem  the  acts  of 
a  weak  mind,  under  the  influence  of  sallies  of 
frenzy  that  were  perhaps  constitutional  ;  while 
his  acts  of  clemency  and  profusion  were  the  acts 
of  a  feeble,  easy  temper,  liable  to  be  abused. 
He  is  often  weak,  not  only  to  capriciousness,  but 
to  contradiction.  There  was  very  little  strength 
of  mind  in  him  ;  and  in  fact  his  whole  life  seems 
like  a  school  to  prepare  him  for  those  seven 
years'  exile  from  among  men,  when  he  "  did  eat 
grass  as  oxen,  and  his  hairs  were  grown  like 
eagles'  feathers,  and  his  nails  like  birds'  claws." 
—Ibid. 

[18706]  His  intellectual  faculties,  naturally 
feeble,  obviously  had  not  received  the  culture 
which  might  have  improved  them  and  elevated 
them  to  the  standing  of  mediocrity.  He  was 
essentially  a  man  of  feeble  character.  In  every- 
thing he  did  he  seemed  to  be  endeavouring  to 
bring  royalty  into  contempt.  He  had  wise  men 
in  liis  kingdom  ;  but  instead  of  instructing  him- 
self in  their  wisdom,  or  directing  it  to  noble 
objects,  he  held  it  in  estimation  only  as  it  was 
able  to  interpret  his  visions  !  .  .  .  His  dreams 
seem  to  be  the  principal  concern  of  his  life  ; 
and  God  sent  him  dreams  that  troubled  him, 
and  a  prophet  to  interpret  them,  and  fearless  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duty.  What  weakness  was 
it  when  he  says  to  S'hadrach,  IVIesliach,  and 
Abednego,  "Who  is  that  God  that  shall  deliver 
you  out  of  my  hands?"  after  he  had  ofi'ered 
oblations  to  Daniel,  and  had  made  the  confes- 
sion to  him,  "  Of  a  truth  it  is  that  your  God  is 
a  God  of  gods." — Ibid. 


VII.  A  BEACON' OF  Warning. 

The  details  of  his  humiliation  exhibit  a  remark- 
able illustration  of  the  retributive  nature  of 
the  end  which  the  word  of  God  declares 
awaits  a  haughty  spirit. 

[18707]  No  further  time  was  allowed  for  re- 
pentance. The  day  of  mercy  had  gone  by.  The 
same  hour  was  the  sentence  carried  into  execu- 
tion. The  proud  and  boastful  words  had  hardly 
escaped  his  lips,  when  his  mind  became  so  dis- 
ordered, that  he  fancied  himself  changed  into 
an  ox,  and  at  once  assumed  the  habits  of  that 
animal,  roaming  through  the  fields,  and  eating 
grass.  What  a  grievous,  frightful  fall  !  The 
mighty  monarch  of  Chaldipa  brought  down  to 
such  a  state  !  Had  trembling  princes  bowed 
before  his  throne,  anxious  to  win  his  favour,  or 
turn  aside  his  wrath  t  Now  is  he  banished  from 
the  abodes  of  men,  an  object  of  pity  or  contempt : 
"  and  none  so  poor  to  do  him  reverence."  Did 
a  hundred  provinces  send  in  their  yearly  tribute, 
to  swell  the  coffers  of  the  king,  and  purchase 
dainties  for  his  festive  board  ?  Grovelling  in  the 
dust,  crushed  in  mind,  lost  to  all  the  tastes  and 
habits  of  a  man,  "  he  did  eat  grass  like  an  ox." 
Had  the  carved  and  gilded  roofs  of  magnificent 
palaces  shielded  him  from  the  heat  and  cold  ? 
Not  even  a  tattered  tent  was  left.  His  body 
was  wet  with  the  dew  of  heaven,  and  the  pitiless 
storm  spent  its  fury  upon  his  defenceless  head. 
Had  purple,  and  fine  linen,  and  sparkling  gems, 
adorned  his  royal  person  .''  Naked,  and  loath- 
some, and  abhorred,  "his  hairs  grew  like  eagles' 
feathers,  and  his  nails  like  birds'  claws."  Well 
might  Isaiah  exclaim,  in  bold,  poetic  figures,  in 
reference  to  this  wretched  prince  :  "  How  art 
thou  fallen  from  heaven,  O  Lucifer,  son  of  the 
morning  !  How  art  thou  cast  down,  which  didst 
weaken  the  nations  !  "  (Isa.  xiv.  12.)  Such  was 
the  punishment  of  pride.  The  degree  of  punish- 
ment is  determined  by  the  degree  of  pride. 
Few  can  be  guilty  to  the  extent  that  Nebuchad- 
nezzar was.  Few  can  fall  so  terribly  and  so 
low.— y.  Norton,  D.D. 

[18708]  God  smote  him,  and  he  became  an 
idiot — a  senseless  maniac — wandering  in  the 
mountains  and  in  the  open  field.  He  lost  his 
relationship  to  man,  and  in  no  small  degree  the 
human  form.  He  was  transmuted  to  a  brute. 
He  by  whom  nations  had  been  overturned,  and 
who  had  been  idolized  as  a  God,  was  debased 
below  the  condition  of  a  slave  ;  ranged  the 
fields  of  Babylon  with  brutes,  and  with  no  pro- 
tection from  sun  or  storms  ;  exchanged  his 
imperial  robes  for  the  long  and  rough  hair  of 
the  desert,  and  the  delicacies  of  royalty  to  eat 
grass  with  oxen.  His  princes,  and  his  counsel- 
lors, and  his  wise  men  looked  for  him,  and  found 
him  among  cattle.  Babylon  looked  for  him,  and 
turned  with  disgust  from  his  filthiness.  The 
army,  the  populace,  his  wives,  his  children 
looked  for  him  only  to  see  that  the  hand  of  the 
Omnipotent  was  upon  him,  and  only  to  hope 
that  he  was  a  melancholy  madman.  "  How  art 
thou  fallen,  O  Lucifer,  son  of  the  morning  !   how 


18708— I87I2] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


377 

[NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 


art   thou   cut  down    to  the  ground    that    didst 
weaken  the  nations  ! " — Gardiner  Spring,  D.D. 

VIII.  A  Monument  of  Mercy. 

[18709]  With  humble  and  contrite  heart  he 
now  confessed  that  God's  judgments,  although 
so  terrible,  had  been  good  and  just.  This  sincere 
acknowledgment  received  its  merited  reward. 
The  glory  and  greatness  of  his  kingdom  was 
again  restored.  Councillors  and  lords  sought 
his  presence,  .and  obeyed  his  will;  and  still 
more  brightness  shone  upon  his  latter  days  than 
that  which  had  adorned  his  youth.  As  if  to 
make  some  atonement  for  his  fault,  by  a  full 
and  frank  confession,  he  published  this  declara- 
tion to  the  world  :  "I,  Nebuchadnezzar,  praise 
and  extol  and  honour  the  King  of  Heaven,  all 
whose  works  are  truth,  and  his  ways  judgment  ; 
and  those  that  walk  in  pride  He  is  able  to  abase." 
How  kind  and  merciful  is  God  !  The  first  and 
faintest  prayer  of  the  returning  penitent  is  heard 
in  heaven.  As  soon  as  pride  has  been  humbled, 
and  the  hardened  heart  made  soft,  He  withdraws 
His  chastening  hand.  He  gives  "beauty  for 
ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the  garment 
of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness." — J.  Norton, 
D.D. 

[187 10]  At  last  he  looked  up,  as  men  do  when 
they  pray  ;  up  from  himself  to  One  greater  than 
himself;  up  from  the  earth  to  heaven  ;  up  from 
the  natural  things  which  we  do  see,  which  are 
temporal  and  born  to  die,  to  moral  and  spiritual 
things  which  we  do  not  see,  which  are  real  and 
eternal  in  the  heavens  ;  up  from  his  own  lonely 
darkness,  looking  for  the  light  and  the  guidance 
of  God  ;  for  now  he  began  to  see  that  all  the 
light  which  he  had  ever  had,  all  his  wisdom,  and 
understanding,  and  strength  of  will,  had  come 
from  God,  however  he  might  have  misused  them 
for  his  own  selfish  ambition  ;  that  it  was  because 
God  had  taken  from  him  His  light,  who  is  the 
Word  of  God,  that  he  had  become  a  beast. 
And  then  his  reason  returned  to  him,  and  he 
became  again  a  man,  a  rational  being,  made, 
howsoever  fallen  and  sinful,  in  the  likeness  of 
God  ;  then  he  blessed  and  praised  God.  It 
was  not  merely  that  he  confessed  that  God  was 
strong,  and  he  weak  ;  righteous,  and  he  sinful  ; 
wise,  and  he  foolish  ;  but  he  blessed  and  praised 
God  ;  he  felt  and  confessed  that  God  had  done 
him  a  great  benefit,  and  taught  him  a  great 
lesson — that  God  had  taught  him  what  he  was 
in  himself  and  without  God,  that  he  might  see 
what  he  was  with  God  in  its  true  light,  and 
honour  and  obey  Him  from  whom  his  reason 
and  understanding,  as  well  as  his  power  and 
glory,  came. — Rev.  C.  Kingsley. 

[18711]  If  the  sacred  volume  had  closed  his 
history  here,  who  would  deny  that  this  weak, 
superstitious,  and  supercilious  tyrant  deserved 
his  doom?  He  has  trifled  with  opportunities. 
Miracle  after  miracle  has  been  wrought  before 
his  eyes,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  He  has  sinned 
long,  and  committed  crimes  enough.     But  God 


is  longsuffcring  and  gracious.  This  is  not  the 
last  page  of  his  history.  There  is  still  hope  for 
Chalda:a's  poor  and  outcast  king.  There  was 
no  hope  for  him  upon  his  throne.  There  was 
no  hope  for  him  in  his  pride  of  power  and 
station.  There  was  no  hope  for  him  while  he 
was  at  rest  in  his  house,  and  flourishing  in  his 
palace.  But  there  is  hope  in  his  deep  ailliction, 
and  now  that  he  is  humbled  to  the  dust.  Of 
the  process  by  which  his  brutish  heart  became 
again  changed  to  man's  heart,  we  know  nothing. 
Whether,  even  in  his  abject  abasement,  there 
remained  a  glimmering  of  reason  and  conscious- 
ness sufficient  to  be  the  object  of  Divine  grace  ; 
or  whether  the  change  was  effected  at  the 
moment  when  his  understanding  returned  to 
him,  we  are  also  ignorant.  We  can  only  say 
that  we  know  enough  not  to  be  without  hope 
for  this  poor  pagan  monarch.  We  see  this 
pitiable  man,  with  scarce  a  vestige  of  human 
form,  or  human  reason,  coming  to  the  light  of 
life,  and  not  improbably  to  the  hopes  of  immor- 
tality. We  listen  to  him,  as  his  brutish  covering 
falls  off,  and  his  understanding  returns,  and  he 
lifts  up  his  face  toward  heaven.  We  listen  to 
him  as  he  rises  from  the  earth — not  suddenly — 
not  to  exult  in  his  restored  humanity — nor  to 
snatch  with  eager  grasp  the  power  and  honours 
of  which  he  has  been  so  long  divested  ;  but 
kneeling  with  outspread  hands  under  the  open 
heavens,  his  eyes  directed  thither,  and  the  bands 
of  his  tongue  loosened.  We  listen  to  him,  and 
from  lips  sealed  for  seven  long  years,  we  hear 
the  song  of  praise  to  the  Most  High.  We  listen, 
and  the  first  words  which  burst  from  the  heart 
of  this  repentant  monarch  rise  like  perfume  from 
flowers  just  washed  by  the  rain,  like  incense  from 
an  altar  newly  reared  and  crowned  with  the  first 
ofterings  of  the  humble  and  contrite. — Gardiner 
Spring,  D.D. 


IX.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  history  of  Nebuchadnezzar  forcibly 
emphasizes  the  inference  which  was  drawn 
by  that  monarch,  that  "the  Most  High 
ruleth  among  the  children  of  men." 

[187 1 2]  We  look  at  these  wondrous  overturn- 
ings  in  human  affairs,  and  find  no  peace,  no 
repose  of  mind,  except  in  the  thought  that  "the 
Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth."  The  loftiest 
monarch  can  no  more  govern  this  world  than 
Xerxes  could  curb  the  impetuosity  of  the  waves 
by  casting  iron  fetters  into  the  sea.  This  is 
God's  work.  "  Dominion  is  with  Him."  Princes 
are  to  Him  but  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter, 
to  be  made  vessels  unto  honour,  or,  like  the  king 
of  Babylon,  made  to  eat  grass  with  oxen.  How 
should  we  give  glory  to  the  Lord  our  God, 
before  our  feet  stumble  upon  the  dark  moun- 
tains !  It  is  the  tyrant's  fear  and  freedom's 
hope  that  God  is  on  the  throne.  Let  this  land 
hearken  to  His  voice,  lest  He  "trample  us  in  His 
fury,  and  vex  us  in  His  sore  displeasure."  The 
Most  High,  that  ruleth  among  men,  grant 
that  our   prosperity   may  not  be   prosperity  of 


378 

18712— 18717] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

JEWISH    ERA. 


[belshazzar. 


wickedness,  lest  in  our  overthrow  Babylon 
itself  should  say,  "Art  thou  also  become  as  one 
of  us  ?  ''—Ibid. 

2  The  history  of  Nebuchadnezzar  forcibly 
emphasizes  the  certain  abasement  of 
human  pride. 

[18713]  This  is  one  of  the  lessons,  also,  which 
it  taught  Nebuchadnezzar.  The  last  words  in 
his  memorable  acknowledgment  of  the  Divine 
supremacy  were,  "  those  that  walk  in  pride  He 
is  able  to  abase."  They  were  words  the  force 
of  which  he  deeply  felt,  and  which  ought  never 
to  be  lost  sight  of.  There  is  nothing  God  will 
more  certainly  accomplish  than  stain  the  pride 
of  all  human  glory.  .  .  .  Lofty  airs  and  insolent 
self-sufficiency  and  self-exaltation  ill  become 
man  who  is  a  worm. — Ibid. 

[18714]  Nebuchadnezzar  eating  grass  like 
oxen  ;  Belshazzar  slain  in  his  palace  ;  Herod 
eaten  of  worms  ;  Ctesar  slaughtered  in  the 
senate-house  ;  Tiberius  suffocated  in  his  bed  ; 
Nero  fleeing  from  the  sentence  of  death,  de- 
nounced by  his  own  subjects  ;  Charles  of 
England  and  Louis  of  France  executed  on  the 
scaffold  ;  and  the  great  Napoleon,  like  a  por- 
tentous meteor  darting  across  the  heavens, 
sinking,  glimmering  and  exhausted  on  a  barren 
rock  in  the  ocean — all  these  teach  us  that  the 
widest  dominion  of  pride  is  the  surest  and  often 
the  most  sudden  descent  to  abasement  and 
shame. — Ibid. 

3  The  history  of  Nebuchadnezzar  forcibly 
emphasizes  the  vanity  and  mutability  of 
all  earthly  things. 

[187 1 5]  God  reads  us  this  lesson  from  His 
Word.  All  history  reads  it.  Our  own  observa- 
tion reads  it.  And,  if  it  is  not  confirmed  by  our 
own  experience,  we  are  the  most  favoured  of 
mortals  or  the  most  slow  to  learn. 

"  All  has  its  date  below  ;  the  fatal  hour 
Was  registered  in  heaven  ere  time  began. 
We  turn  to  dust,  and  all  our  mightiest  works 
Die  too.     The  deep  foundations  that  we  lay 
Time  ploughs  them  up,  and  not  a  trace  remains. 
We  build  with  what  we  deem  eternal  rocks, 
A  distant  age  asks  where  the  fabric  stood  ; 
And  in  the  dust,  sifted  and  searched  in  vain, 
The  undiscovered  secret  sleeps." 

There  is  no  relief  from  these  changes  of  time. 
From  such  a  world  there  is  no  lasting  good  to 
hope  for.  Nor  is  there  any  earthly  refuge  from 
its  disappointments  and  its  fears.  Peradventure 
you  see  days  of  trouble,  like  the  Babylonian 
monarch.  The  visions  of  wealth,  honour,  and 
pleasure  are  receding  from  your  eager  grasp. 
Dreams  upon  your  bed  trouble  you.  Thoughts 
HI  the  night-watches  whisper  to  you.  And  what 
is  it  that  caii  now  give  you  peace  and  tran- 
quillity ?  Who  and  where  are  they  that  can 
guide  and  comfort  you  .'  Are  they  the  magicians, 
the  Chakktans,  wise  the  men  of  this  world } 
Have  they  any  interpretations  that  satisfy  you  .? 
Can  they  quiet  the  conscience,  and  silence  the 


still  small  voice,  and  banish  the  visions  that 
make  you  afraid  .?  No  ;  if  they  would  be  honest, 
they  would  confess,  with  the  prognosticators  of 
old,  "  There  is  none  other  can  show  this  matter 
except  the  gods  whose  dwelling  is  not  with 
flesh."  A  precious  truth  is  this,  though  uttered 
by  the  diviners  of  Babylon.  "  God  is  our 
refuge  and  strength  ;  a  very  present  help  in 
trouble." — Ibid. 

[187 16]  Cease  ye  from  man  whose  breath  is 
in  his  nostrils.  In  the  intimacies  of  friendship, 
in  the  accumulations  of  wealth,  in  the  house  of 
pride,  in  the  festivities  and  walks  of  pleasure, 
you  will  meet  with  changes,  disappointments, 
and  death.  Nebuchadnezzar  did  not  live  in 
vain,  if  it  were  only  to  proclaim  in  our  ears  the 
uncertainty  of  all  earthly  joys.  Oh,  how  does 
the  bright  vision  vanish  in  that  dark  hour  when 
the  Last  Enemy  approaches  !  What  is  the 
world  good  for  then  .''  Speak  to  a  dying  man 
of  gold.  Tell  the  grasping  ambitious  of  their 
honours.  Hold  up  to  expiring  princes  their 
sparkling  crowns.  Tell  the  man  of  pleasure 
that  his  cup  is  not  exhausted.  Whisper  to  the 
man  of  science  how  green  the  laurels  are  that 
will  adorn  his  grave.  Ah,  there  the  laurels 
wither,  the  cup  of  pleasure  is  dried,  and  crowns 
and  gold  become  dross.  "  Son,  remember  that 
thou,  in  thy  lifetime,  receivest  thy  good  things." 
There  is  no  more  affecting  sight  than  to  see  a 
man  who  has  toiled  for  the  world  convinced  too 
late  that  he  has  had  his  reward.  The  last  change 
makes  the  worldling  poor.  The  emperor  goes 
without  his  crown  ;  the  effeminate  without  his 
pleasures  ;  the  rich  man  without  his  gold,  into 
that  eternity  that  knows  no  change.  No  ;  no 
change.  Eternity  alone  knows  no  change. 
Heaven  knows  none.  Nor  is  there  any  where 
Babylon  sunk.  "  What  then  shall  it  profit  a 
man  to  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own 
soul  ! " — Ibid. 


BELSHAZZAR. 

I.  General  View  of  his  Character. 

[18717]  As  to  Belshazzar  himself,  all  historians 
combine  in  painting  his  portrait  in  the  blackest 
colours.  He  seems  to  have  been  just  a  mean, 
brainlesssensualist— one  of  those  poor,  miserable 
fools  who  come  into  a  great  inheritance,  and 
then,  laying  the  reins  on  the  back  of  their  lusts, 
post  to  perdition  as  fast  as  ever  they  can.  He 
was  violent  in  his  temper,  and  yet  easily  man- 
aged ;  soft  and  pliable  as  wax  to  those  who 
understood  how  to  manage  his  caprices.  Hu- 
mour him,  flatter  him,  yield  to  him,  and  he  was 
the  pleasant  companion— the  king  who  would 
lay  aside  his  royalty  to  mingle  with  the  pleasures 
and  pursuits  of  his  subjects.  But  cross  and 
thwart  him,  even  by  accident— offend  him  even 
m  the  slightest  degree— and  his  womanish  face 
would  darken  with  the  ferocity  of  a  demon,  and 


I87I7 — 18722] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


379 


[belshazzar. 


you  would  find  his  wrath  as  cruel  and  as  in- 
satiable as  the  grave. — Rev.  G.  Caltlirop. 

II.  His  Heinous  Iniquity. 

I       He  despised  all  warnings  until  it  was  too 
late  to  reform. 

[18718]  You  must  not  think  that  the  last  was 
the  only  warning  which  Belshazzar  had  received. 
If  it  came  too  late,  that  was  because  it  was  the 
warning  of  retribution,  not  the  warning  of 
mercy  ;  it  was  only  because  all  previous  warn- 
ings had  been  neglected  and  despised.  His 
father's  dreams  of  the  shattered  colossus  and 
the  felled  tree  ;  the  brute  madness  which  had 
afflicted  him  ;  the  besieging  of  his  own  city  ; 
the  fact  that  the  shouts  of  an  enemy  might  have 
mingled  with  the  very  songs  of  his  banquet — 
these  were  all  warnings  to  this  crowned  fool,  but 
they  had  all  been  fruitless. — Archdeacon  Farrar. 

[187 1 9]  During  the  time  that  the  Jews  were 
in  captivity  at  Babylon,  a  variety  of  singular 
events  concurred  to  prove  that  the  sins  which 
brought  desolation  to  their  country,  and  sub- 
jected them  for  a  while  to  the  Babylonish  yoke, 
had  not  dissolved  that  covenant  relation  which, 
as  the  God  of  Abraham,  Jehovah  had  entered 
into  with  them  ;  and  that  any  act  of  indignity 
perpetrated  against  this  afflicted  people,  or  any 
insult  cast  upon  the  service  of  their  temple, 
would  be  regarded  as  an  affront  to  the  Majesty 
of  Heaven,  and  not  suffered  to  pass  with  im- 
punity. The  fate  of  Belshazzar  affords  a  remark- 
able instance  of  this.  He  had  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  in  the  case  of  his  ancestors 
how  hateful  pride  is,  even  in  royalty  itself;  how 
instantly  God  can  blast  the  dignity  of  the 
brightest  crown  ;  and,  consequently,  how  much 
the  prosperity  of  kings  and  the  stability  of  their 
thrones  depend  upon  acknowledging  that  "  the 
Most  High  ruleth  in  the  kingdom  of  men,  and 
giveth  it  to  whomsoever  He  will."  But  this 
solemn  lesson  was  lost  upon  Belshazzar. — 
McClintock  and  Strong. 

2       He  offered  open  insult  to  the  Most  High. 

[18720]  "Belshazzar  the  king  made  a  great 
feast  to  a  thousand  of  his  lords,  and  drank  wine 
before  the  thousand."  So,  as  with  a  crashing 
overture  of  orchestral  music,  the  tale  begins. 
Imagine  the  following  splendour  for  yourselves  : 
—that  vast  Babylonian  palace,  with  its  kiosks 
and  fountains,  its  hanging-gardens,  and  long 
arcades  ;  every  wall  glowing  with  its  weird 
images  of  pagan  symbolism  ;  every  portal 
guarded  by  colossal  forms  of  winged  cherubim, 
half  animal,  half  human,  staring  through  the 
dusk,  with  calm  eyes,  on  the  little  lives  of  men  ; 
and  everywhere,  sweeping  through  court  after 
court  and  chamber  after  chamber,  the  long  and 
gorgeous  processions  of  Chaldaean  conquerors, 
portrayed  with  vermilion,  exceeding  in  dyed 
attire  ;  and  gathered  there  the  princes,  the 
wives,  the  concubines— all  that  the  satraps  could 
display  of  magnificence,  and  all  that  the  harems 


hid  of  loveliness,  as  though  in  scorn  of  the 
enemy  without,  vainly  thundering  at  those 
brazen  gates.  And,  at  last,  as  though  sacrilege 
were  needed  to  fire  the  mad  festivity,  they 
pledged  their  gods  of  brass  and  stone  in  those 
great  cups  of  consecrated  gold  which  -Solomon 
had  made  for  the  Temple  of  the  Eternal. — 
Archdeacon  Farrar. 

III.  His  Awful  Doom. 

1  It  was  sudden  and  overwhelming. 

[1872 1]  Think  of  the  awful  disturbance  of  the 
feast  :  that  gliastly  apparition  ;  that  something 
which  looked  like  the  spectral  semblance  of  the 
fingers  of  some  gigantic  hand,  moving  slowly 
along  the  wall  where  tiie  central  lamp  flung  its 
most  vivid  light  ;  and  those  seeming  letters, 
which,  as  it  moved,  passed  from  under  its  dark 
shadow  into  a  baleful  glare  ;  and  while  it  moved, 
and  when  it  went,  the  king,  with  fixed  eyes,  and 
ashy  looks,  and  knees  that  smote  together, 
staring  in  the  very  paralysis  of  fear,  not,  as 
before,  on  the  crimson  annals  of  Chalda;an 
conquest,  but  on  some  awful  decree  of  an 
offended  God  recorded  in  hieroglyphs  of  un- 
decipherable fire.  The  wild  cry  which  summoned 
his  magicians  ;  the  entrance  of  the  queen- 
mother,  to  tell  her  son  of  the  Jewish  boy — an 
old  man  now — whom  his  father  had  taken 
captive,  and  in  whom  was  the  spirit  of  the  holy 
gods  ;  and  how  Daniel  came  and  read  those 
fearful  letters  into  the  four  words,  "  Mene, 
Mene,  Tekel,  Upharsin, — Numbered,  numbered, 
weighed,  and  they  shall  divide  ; "  all  this  you 
know.  Short  was  the  space  for  repentance.  In 
that  night  was  Belshazzar,  king  of  the  Chal- 
da;ans,  slain.  "  That  night,"  as  an  English 
poet  has  written  it — 

"That  night  they  slew  him  on  his  father's  throne, 
The  deed  unnoticed  and  the  hand  unknown  : 
Crownless  and  sceptreless  Belshazzar  lay, 
A  robe  of  purple  round  a  form  of  clay  ! " 

—Ibid. 

2  It  appears  to  be  one  of  the  few  individual 
cases  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  of  men 
whose  eternal  condemnation  is  made 
morally  certain. 

[18722]  Rarely,  even  in  the  case  of  a  very 
wicked  man,  does  the  inspired  writer  lift  the 
veil  from  individual  destiny,  and  assure  us  that 
it  is  fatal.  But  in  this  instance  there  can  scarcely 
be  room  for  doubt.  The  implications  of  doom 
are  overwhelming.  Belshazzar  had  been  long 
familiar  with  a  knowledge  of  the  true  God.  He 
had  had  miraculous  evidences  of  it  in  the  ex- 
perience of  his  father.  "Thou  knewest  all 
this,"  is  the  faithful  reminder  which  the  prophet 
gives  him.  Yet  he  had  persisted  in  a  life  and 
reign  of  extreme  and  unblushing  guilt.  "  O  Bel- 
shazzar, thou  hast  not  humbled  thine  heart,  but 
hast  lifted  up  thyself  against  the  Lord  of 
heaven  !  "  Then  appeared  the  fearful  writing 
on  the  wall,  the  purport  of  which  is  too  plain  to 
admit  of  doubt.  That  night  the  king  was  sum- 
moned to  the  bar  of  God. — Austin  Phelps^  D.D. 


38o 
18723- 


-18726] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[BELSHAZZAR. 


IV.  HoMiLETiCAL  Reflections. 

I  The  case  of  Belshazzar  suggests  the 
degree  of  responsibility  which  is  incurred 
by  the  rejection  or  neglect  of  God's 
merciful  warnings. 

[18723]  Do  not  similar  warnings  to  those 
given  to  Belshazzar  come  to  every  sinner,  long 
before  the  warning  of  his  doom  ?  If  any  of  you 
are  living  a  life  of  sin,  have  they  not  come  to 
you.''  Have  there  been  no  dreams  in  the  dark- 
ness? no  voices  in  the  silence.''  no  hauntings 
of  fear  ?  no  burdens  of  remorse  ?  no  memo- 
ries of  innocence  ?  no  aches  of  shame  ?  no 
qualms  of  sickness  ?  no  echoing,  as  of  ghostly 
footfalls  in  the  far-off  corridors  of  life  ?  And 
later  on,  if  these  have  all  been  neglected,  are 
you  conscious  now  of  no  deriding,  deadly 
enemy  doing  siege  to  the  golden  Babylon  of 
life  .'' — no  attempts  of  your  own  to  drown  in  dead 
sloth,  or  hardened  perversity,  the  hoarse  mur- 
murs of  that  approacliing  foe  ?  And  if  in  spite 
of  all  these  the  soul  still  sin  and  sin — har- 
dened to  the  pain  of  sin^ — then  has  no  history, 
no  biography  told  you  that  there  comes  at  last 
sometimes — and  sometimes,  alas  !  too  late — a 
handwriting  upon  the  wall,  which  is  only  the 
handwriting  of  doom  ? — Archdeacon  Farrar. 

[18724]  But  though  this  handwriting  upon  the 
wall  was  the  doom  of  Belshazzar,  it  is  with  the 
earlier,  less  terrible  warnings  that  I  have  to  do  ; 
the  warnings  full  of  gentleness  and  mercy,  which 
tell  us  of  destruction  which  is  still  distant,  which 
bid  us  seek  refuge  while  there  is  time  to  fly. 
Those  warnings  are  always  written  on  the 
palace  wall  of  life.  But  is  it  not  literally  an 
everyday  experience  that  an  inscription  always 
before  the  eyes  is  little  heeded  t  I  imagine 
that  the  ancient  Athenians  paid  little  heed  to 
the  moral  sentences  which  were  carved  upon 
the  Hermae  in  every  street.  I  imagine  that  the 
Turks  of  Constantinople  have  taken  but  little 
notice  of  that  6  ^p'.arht;  viku  which  remains, 
legible  and  unobliterated,  like  a  prophecy 
which  shall  still  be  fulfilled  upon  their  central 
mosque.  And  just  in  the  same  way  do  we 
not,  all  of  us  alike,  often  thus  neglect  and 
forget  the  notices  of  God  .''  Yes  ;  and  that 
is  why  in  dealing  with  us  He  is  obliged,  now 
and  then,  to  7;!(i/:c  us  see  them — to  force 
their  meaning  into  us — to  interpret  them  again, 
Avhen  the  dimmed  wall  has  been  painted  over 
with  other  symbols,  and  familiarity  has  made 
them  meaningless  to  eyes  that  will  not  see. — 
/did. 

[18725]  These  reminders  from  God.  of  truths 
which  we  have  forgotten,  come  sometimes  very 
terribly  ;  not  whispered,  but  shouted — not 
shouted  only,  but  cut  deep — not  only  cut  deep 
before  the  eyes,  but  branded  in  letters  of  fire 
upon  the  soul.  When  palsying  sickness  is  the 
debt  due  from  weakened  manhood  to  sinful 
youth  ;  when  the  loss  of  the  last  chance  brings 
home  to  us  the  sense  of  the  squandered  oppor- 
tunity ;  when  the  cold  light  of  heaven,  bursting 


through  the  drawn  curtains  of  the  hypocrite, 
shows  him  to  himself  and  to  others,  not  as  he 
wished  to  be  thought,  but  as  he  is  ;  above  all, 
when  sin  has  been  punished  by  God's  suftering 
us  to  fall  into  deeper  and  deadlier  sin,  and 
crime  flings  its  glare  of  illumination  on  the  self- 
deception  which  said  of  sin,  "  There  is  no  harm 
in  it  " — then  it  is  that  God  puts  forth  the  fingers 
of  a  man's  hand,  and  His  inscription,  once  un- 
heeded, flashes  into  letters  of  fire.  And — since 
be  sure  your  sins  will  find  you  out — so  must  it 
be,  sooner  or  later,  to  every  sinner  to  whom 
repentance  calls  in  vain.  So  that  what  I  have 
been  trying  to  urge  on  you  is  to  read  those 
milder  warnings,  to  listen  to  those  stiller, 
smaller  voices,  which  come  to  us,  not  at  some 
terrible  crisis,  but  at  quiet  moments,  and  ere  we 
sleep  at  night,  and  on  our  knees,  and  when  we 
read  our  Bibles,  and  before  Holy  Communions, 
and  in  every  blessed  means  of  grace.  For 
indeed  those  words,  written  once  in  the  palace 
of  Belshazzar,  are  for  us  written  for  ever  in  the 
house  of  life ;  and  each  one  of  you,  in  your 
own  hearts,  may  still  read  the  Mene,  Mene, 
Tekel,  Upharsin,  as  they  were  left  by  the 
awful  moving  of  the  spectral  hand. — Idz'd. 


2  The  case  of  Belshazzar  affords  a  warning 
in  the  example  which  he  presents  of  clear 
and  prolonged  conviction  of  sin  faihng  to 
result  in  the  soul's  salvation. 

[18726]  Who  of  us  has  the  heart  to  follow  the 
doomed  monarch  beyond  the  scenes  of  that 
awful  night  ?  Let  us  draw  the  veil  over  that 
unwritten  and  unutterable  future,  and  turn  to  a 
class  of  men  whose  experience  on  the  subject  of 
religion  is  not  dissimilar,  so  far  as  this — that 
they  have  long  known  the  truth,  have  long  felt 
themselves  to  be  sinners  before  God,  yet  they 
stop  just  there,  with  the  acknowledged  sense  of 
sin  often  lying  as  a  wearisome  weight  on  their 
souls,  and  never  relieved  by  repentance  and  the 
consciousness  of  peace  with  God.  If  they  were 
to  be  suddenly  called  into  God's  presence  with 
hearts  unchanged,  as  the  Chaldjean  king  was, 
the  verdict  of  the  mysterious  hand  would  be  the 
same  :  "  Thou  art  weighed  in  the  balances,  and 
art  found  wanting."  One  young  man  1  once 
knew,  in  whose  mind  these  very  words  rested 
for  months,  as  the  summing  up  of  his  own 
character  and  destiny.  "  Weighed,  and  found 
wanting " — the  words  were  like  a  live  coal 
upon  his  eyeballs.  Wherever  he  looked  he 
saw  them.  They  glared  upon  him  from  the 
walls  of  his  chamber.  AH  faith,  all  hope, 
was  buried  in  them.  Outwardly  he  lived 
like  other  men.  Few  knew  the  dull  night- 
mare of  conscious  and  despairing  guilt  in  which 
he  lived.  Yet  rarely  was  he  conscious  of  an 
hour  when  he  did  not  feel  it,  resting  like  a 
pall  over  the  joys  of  this  world,  and  fore- 
shadowing in  silent  prophecy  his  doom  in 
another.  He  represented  a  class  of  men  who 
are  not  few,  who  suffer  for  years  under  hope- 
less and  fruitless  convictions  of  sin. — Austm 
Phelps,  D.D. 


18727 — 18732] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[ha  MAN. 


AHASUERUS. 

I.  His  Individuality. 

It  is    indicated    only    by    the    extent    of    his 
material  kingdom. 

[18727]  "This  is  Ahasuerus  which  reigned," 
&c.  His  kingdom  may  be  measured  by  the 
land  surveyor  and  described  by  the  historian. 
It  extended  from  India  to  Ethiopia.  He  em- 
braced in  his  rule  the  borders  of  India  on  the 
one  side,  and  Egypt  on  the  other — an  extent  of 
country  about  two  thousand  tive  hundred  miles 
in  length.  He  possessed  some  of  earth's  love- 
liest lands.  The  fertilizing  waters  of  the  Nile 
left  rich  deposits  on  one  portion  of  his  territory, 
and  another  almost  reached  the  sources  of  the 
sacred  Ganges,  while  the  Euphrates  washed  the 
walls  of  Babylon,  and  was  fed  by  streams  that 
flowed  near  the  royal  city  of  Susa.  The  Black 
Sea,  famous  in  the  history  of  modern  conflicts, 
and  the  Caspian,  were  partly  included  in  the 
territories  over  which  he  reigned.  Lands  and 
cities  of  historic  fame  were  compelled  to  pay 
him  tribute,  and  some  of  the  noblest  races  on 
earth  obeyed  his  commands. — Anon. 


II.  His  Greatness. 

It  consisted  in  external  display. 

[18728]  The  throne  on  v/hich  the  king  sat  was 
a  chair  made  of  gold,  adorned  with  a  costly 
carpet,  upon  which  none  might  sit,  on  pain  of 
death.  There  was  also  a  footstool  of  gold. 
The  king  held  a  golden  sceptre  in  his  right 
hand.  Close  behind  stood  an  eunuch  bearing 
a  fan,  and  with  his  mouth  covered,  for  fear  his 
breath  should  be  offensive  to  the  mighty 
monarch.  Such  are  the  pomp  and  circumstance 
with  which  Oriental  monarchs  endeavoured  to 
separate  themselves  from,  and  raise  themselves 
above,  their  fellow-creatures.  This  is  greatness 
in  the  estimation  of  the  children  of  this  world. 
But  true  greatness  is  superior  to  mere  gorgeous 
externals.  The  one  disappears  when  the  showy 
livery  is  removed,  but  the  other  abides  through 
all  changes.  Lazarus  was  great  in  his  rags  ; 
Dives  was  mean  in  his  purple  and  fine  linen.  A 
great  soul  ennobles  the  meanest  surroundings. 
—Ibid. 


III.    HOMILETICAL   HINTS. 

The   proud    position    of   Ahasuerus   is    by  no 
means     to     be    envied    by    the    Christian 
believer. 
[18729]  There  are  many  who   would  regard 
Ahasuerus  with  envy,  as,  amid  a  group  of  at- 
tendants, he  paced  those  terraced  heights  on 
which  the  palace  of  Shushan  was  erected,  as  he 
watched  the  gentle  gliding  of  the  sweet  waters 
of  the  Eulceus,  as   he   listened  to  the  music  of 
pipers  and  harpists,  as  he  pleased  himself  with 
the  natural  and  artistic  beauties  of  the  scene, 
and  as  he  gazed  upon  the  flat  and  fertile  plains 


that  stretched  at  the  base  of  the  royal  palace. 
The  riches  both  of  art  and  of  nature  seemed  to 
combine  in  order  to  make  existence  pleasant. 
But  no  human  lot  is  without  its  admixture  of 
pain.  From  the  high  places  of  the  earth  we 
catch  the  echo  of  those  wailing  cries  that  mingle 
with  the  mocking  sounds  of  revelry.  Kings  are 
but  men,  and  their  hearts  too  are  touciied  by 
the  painful  hand  of  sorrow.  The  inscription 
over  an  imaginative  palace  is,  "  Here  is  the 
abode  of  everlasting  pleasures  and  content." 
But  no  such  inscription  can  be  truthfully  placed 
over  the  gates  of  any  earthly  palace,  and  cer- 
tainly it  will  not  describe  Shushan  the  palace. 
Happy  he  who  wisely  keeps  the  palace  of  his 
soul,  and  finds  there  the  elements  of  true  glad- 
ness.— Ibid. 

[18730]  If  God  has  bestowed  true  faith,  un- 
feigned love,  and  unaffected  humility.  He  has 
bestowed  treasures  of  inestimably  greater  value 
than  all  the  possessions  of  Xerxes  and  Nero. 
A  man  may  rule  over  an  extensive  kingdom  and 
yet  be  a  slave  ;  for  lusts  are  tyrannical  masters. 
A  man  may  be  a  slave  in  outward  condition, 
and  yet  be  the  noblest  freeman,  the  grandest 
king  of  all.  He  is  royal  who  is  a  member  of 
that  kingdom  which  is  to  extend  from  sea  to 
sea,  and  from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
which,  in  f;ict,  is  to  include  all  nations.  Other 
kingdoms  shall  fail,  but  Christ's  kingdom  of  love 
shall  ever  endure. — Ibid. 

[18731]  The  moral  king  is  nobler,  and  has  a 
more  extensive  and  a  more  permanent  kingdom. 
Even  the  material  universe  is  the  believer's  pos- 
session, intended  for  his  spiritual  development. 
Death  strips  the  earthly  king  of  his  royal  robes, 
and  leaves  him  unthroned  ;  but  death  lets  the 
moral  king  into  a  larger  sphere,  and  the  results 
of  his  earthly  conquests  he  will  enjoy  in  heaven. 
The  kingliest  men  have  owned  only  a  few  feet 
of  land,  and  sometimes  not  enough  land  for  a 
tomb,  according"  to  short-sighted  views  of  owner- 
ship.— Ibid. 


HAMAN. 

I.  Features  of  Character. 

I       Overweening  pride. 

[18732]  See  him  going  forth  from  Shushan 
the  palace.  The  gates  are  scarcely  high  enough 
for  the  proud-hearted  man  on  that  richly 
caparisoned  horse.  Mark  that  smile  on  his 
countenance.  Haman  is  "exceedingly  glad  of 
heart."  Some  further  honour  has  been  put 
upon  him,  and  he  goes  to  his  home  to  reveal 
it  to  his  friends.  Why  may  not  a  man  of  his 
calibre  be  proud  ?  Can  his  honour  ever  be 
eclipsed  ?  Can  his  glory  ever  be  overshadowed  ? 
Can  his  name,  handed  down  by  his  many 
children,  ever  die?  Who  can  supplant  him  in 
the  king's  favour,  seeing  that  he  knows  so  well 
the  arts  of  courtiers,  and  exercises  his   office 


382 

18732— 18737I 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH    ERA. 


[haman. 


only  with  respect  to  the  pleasure  of  the  king  ? 
Do  not  all  the  rest  of  the  courtiers  and  place- 
seekers  look  to  him  ?  Is  not  his  favour  in  turn 
the  sun  that  "gilds  the  noble  troops  waiting 
upon  his  smile"?  "If  ever  man  may  flatter 
himself  in  the  greatness  and  security  of  his 
glory,"  thinks  Haman,  "  surely  I  may  do  so." 
"  His  weak  head  is  turned  by  his  cupful  of 
honour."  Ah,  Haman  !  thy  pride  is  dangerous  ; 
it  is  like  high-heeled  shoes,  fitting  thee  only  for 
a  fall.  Take  care  !  the  least  stone  may  cause 
thee  to  stumble.  Be  not  over  sure  of  thy  position. 
Pitfalls  are  around.  Ambition  and  pride  are 
heavy  canvas,  and  need  much  ballast.  Great 
is  thy  risk.  Thou  standest  on  the  narrow  apex 
of  a  mountain,  from  which  one  false  step  will 
set  thee  rolling  to  the  very  abyss.  How  many 
look  with  envy  upon  him  as  he  rides  forth  !  His 
servants  hasten  on  before  him,  crying,  "  Bow 
the  knee,  bow  the  knee."  Grateful  to  him  is 
the  reverence  he  receives.  He  cares  not  that 
it  is  reverence  lacking  respect,  so  long  as  there 
is  outward  obeisance.  Such  an  one  is  sure  to 
notice  the  least  slight  on  the  part  of  any  who 
conforms  not  to  the  general  rule.  His  temper 
will  not  endure  to  see  one  erect  head  among  so 
many  bowed  backs. — F.  Hastings. 

2       Insatiable  ambition. 

[18733]  It  was  to  the  material  rewards  of 
office  that  such  an  one  as  Haman  would  have  a 
hungry  eye.  He  well  understood  the  -ways 
of  court,  so  as  to  secure  the  best  tangible  results 
of  favouritism.  Obtaining  these,  he  then  aimed 
at  something  higher.  His  conceptions  of  higher 
honour  expand  in  proportion  to  his  elevation. 
At  length  a  thought  enters  his  mind,  to  which 
if  he  gave  utterance  his  immediate  deposition 
and  death  would  ensue.  This  thought  will  leak 
out  by  and  by.  It  only  needs  a  fitting  oppor- 
tunity. Nay,  it  will  seize  and  make  an  oppor- 
tunity out  of  the  flimsiest  pretext. — Ibid. 

[18734]  We  think  it  was  a  bold  thing  for  a 
man  to  suggest  to  a  king  that  a  subject  and  a 
servant  should  put  on  the  royal  robes,  ride  the 
king's  own  charger,  and  don  the  king's  own 
crown.  Did  Haman  desire  to  accustom  the 
people  of  the  city  to  a  sight  of  himself  as  the 
actual  king  ?  Was  his  hope  this,  that  the  people 
would  cry,  "  Long  live  king  Haman  ;  down 
with  Ahasuerus,"  a  cry  of  which  he  would  not 
have  been  slow  to  take  advantage  ?  He  could 
not  have  wished  to  wear  those  royal  robes  for 
one  day  only,  but  for  life.  We  strongly  suspect 
that  Haman  had  been  mixed  up  in  the  con- 
spiracy of  Bigthana  and  Teresh.  Perhaps  he 
proved  traitor  to  them  that  he  might  more 
surely  attain  his  end  another  way.  The  remark 
in  the  sacred  narrative  concerning  the  speedy 
advance  of  Haman  after  their  deposition  leads 
to  this  surmise.  His  aim  is  not  abandoned 
though  the  others  missed  it.  He  works  only  in 
a  more  cautious  and  subtle  way.  He  intends 
so  to  get  rid  of  the  king  that  he  shall  feel  it 
an  honour  to  be  bowed  out  of  his  palace. — 
Ibid. 


3       Contemptible  discontent. 

[18735]  After  all,  what  a  trifle  it  was  that 
vexed  the  mind  of  this  great  prince  !  It  was 
the  one  drop  of  poison  in  the  cup  of  his  joy. 
It  was  the  hidden  ulcer  inflicting  frightful  pain 
to  the  man  who  was  doing  his  best  to  maintain 
a  calm  countenance.  It  was  the  black  cloud 
glooming  the  sunshine  of  his  prosperity. 
Although  he  has  attained  an  elevation  that  may 
at  one  time  have  seemed  far  beyond  his  reach, 
he  finds  that  thorns  bestrew  his  path,  and  even 
leave  their  sharp  points  on  his  pillow.  The 
thorn  that  rankles  most  severely  is-  this,  that 
Mordecai,  who  sits  in  the  king's  gate,  will  not 
bend  to  him.  How  pitiable  is  such  pride,  how 
contemptible  such  miserable  whining  !  "  All 
this  availeth  me  nothing,"  &c. — Ibid. 

[18736]  Mordecai's  behaviour  so  affected 
Haman  that  he  could  not  hold  his  tongue  about 
it  when  with  his  friends.  To  them  he  acknow- 
ledged that  it  poisoned  all  the  advantages  which 
he  enjoyed.  It  was  in  the  hearing,  not  of 
strangers,  but  of  friends,  that  he  said — "  Yet  all 
this  availeth  me  nothing,"  &c.  Truth,  like 
murder,  will  out.  I  can  imagine  Haman  pre- 
tending, when  he  was  in  no  mood  to  unbosom 
himself,  that  he  attached  no  importance  to 
Mordecai's  manner  towards  him  ;  but  it  was 
all  a  pretence.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  confess, 
when  it  could  be  safely  done,  that  it  was  the 
bitter  drop  in  his  cup — so  bitter  that  it  imparted 
its  bitterness  to  the  entire  contents  of  the  cup. 
His  wife,  his  sons,  and  more  intimate  friends  all 
knew  how  hostile  were  his  feelings  toward 
Mordecai,  and  how  glad  he  would  be  to  see 
Mordecai's  place  in  the  king's  gate  empty,  or 
filled  by  another. — Ibid. 

II.  Question  as  to  the  Re.'Vson  and 
Propriety  of  MoRDECArs  Refusal  to 
DO  Homage  to  Haman. 

[•8737]  It  has  been  supposed  that  Haman 
carried  a  small  enamelled  picture  on  his  breast. 
As  a  Jew,  Mordecai  may  not  bow  down  before 
anything  that  is  the  "  likeness  of  anything  in 
heaven  above  or  the  earth  beneath."  Another 
reason  has  been  suggested,  viz.,  that  as  the 
king  claimed  in  some  sense  Divine  honours,  so 
in  his  command  he  intended  that  Haman 
should  have  some  Divine  honour  paid  to  him. 
Knowing  this,  Mordecai  dare  not  bend.  Some 
may  have  called  it  obstinacy,  but  it  was  in 
reality  consistency.  Allurements  and  affright- 
ment  are  tried  upon  him,  but  in  vain.  That  he 
had  showed  them  he  was  a  Jew  indicates  that 
he  pleaded  his  nationality  as  an  excuse  for  non- 
obedience  to  the  king's  command.  Still  in 
that  he  afterwards  urged  that  Esther  should 
present  herself  before  the  king  unbidden — a 
thing  she  could  not  do  without  rendering  the 
accustomed  obeisance  as  to  a  Divine  being — we 
do  not  think  that  this  is  to  be  taken  as  the 
strong  argument  for  Mordecai's  refusal.  Another 
reason  has  to  be  sought.  Possibly  it  is  to  be 
found  in  that  noted  enmity  with  which  the  Jew 


18737— I874I] 


OLD    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JKW'ISH   F.RA. 


[lIAMAN. 


583 


regarded  all  descendants  of  Amalek,  to  which 
nation  Haman  beloni^cd.  We  can  imagine  him 
replying  to  the  repeated  suggcslions  of  the 
servants  of  the  king  that  it  would  be  well  for 
him  to  obey.  "  He  is  an  old  enemy  of  my  race, 
and  shall  I  bow  down  to  him  ?  Such  as  he 
shall  be  destroyed  root  and  branch."  —  F. 
Hastins;s. 

[18738]  What  led  Mordecai  to  form  a  resolu- 
tion to  withhold  from  Haman  the  customary 
tokens  of  Oriental  submission  and  respect,  is  a 
point  on  which  no  light  is  cast  in  the  fascinating 
narrative.  It  may  have  been  due  to  indepen- 
dence of  spirit,  although  the  name  Mordecai 
means  either  "  a  little  man  "  or  "  a  worshipper 
of  Mars  ;  "  but  it  is  more  probable  that  it  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  Haman  was  an  Amalekite. 
At  all  events,  he  is  represented  as  ''  the  son  of 
Hammedatha  the  Agagite."  Now  Agag  was  a 
kind  of  title  of  the  kings  of  the  Amalekites  ; 
and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  Haman  was  descended 
from  the  royal  family  of  that  nation.  If  we 
assume  that  he  was,  we  can  the  better  explain 
his  connection  with  the  court  of  Ahasuerus.  It 
may  be  asked — What  was  there  in  the  circum- 
stance that  Haman  was  an  Amalekite  to  cause 
Mordecai  to  determine  that  he  would  neither 
bow  to  him  nor  reverence  him,  his  premiership 
notwithstanding  ?  I  answer  simply  this — the 
Amalekites  were  the  ancient  and  bitter  enemies 
of  the  Jews.  Of  course,  the  knowledge  that 
they  were  would  indispose  Mordecai  the  Jew  to 
yield  Haman  that  measure  of  respect  which  the 
king  had  ordered  to  be  paid  to  him  as  he  went 
in  and  out  of  the  palace. — G.  Cron. 


III.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  history  of  Haman  reminds  us  of  the 
inability  of  earthly  possessions  to  give 
complete  and  lasting  satisfaction. 

[18739]  Who  that  looked  upon  Haman  as 
he  rode  forth  in  all  the  glory  of  purple  and  gold, 
or  as  he  lounged  on  his  divan  in  the  midst  of 
his  friends,  would  have  supposed  that  he  had 
anything  to  cause  him  so  much  annoyance } 
And  yet  is  it  not  always  so  ?  There  is  a  skeleton 
in  every  house,  the  worm  in  every  rose,  sorrow 
in  every  heart.  Look  into  that  stately  mansion. 
See  how  richly  it  is  furnished  with  finely-carved 
chairs,  luxurious  lounges,  marble-topped  tables, 
and  book-cases  with  rows  of  costly  books. 
Pictures  of  the  choicest  character  deck  the 
walls.  Busts  and  antiques  are  here  and  there. 
The  velvety  carpets  feel  like  a  mossy  bank 
beneath  the  feet.  Ask  the  occupants  of  the 
mansion  if  they  are  content,  and  perhaps  the 
owner  will  tell  you,  "  All  this  availeth  me 
nothing"  so  long  as  my  neighbour  on  the  hill 
has  a  house  larger  and  better  furnished.  The 
wife  will  perhaps  tell  you  that  "  all  availeth 
nothing "  so  long  as  a  certain  family  is  ac- 
counted as  higher  in  the  social  scale  than  hers  ; 
or  because  at  a  dinner  party  she  noticed  with 
annoyance  that  some  one  had  taken  precedence 


of  herself  ;  or  because  she  had  not  been  invited 
to  some  great  gathering  where  certain  of  the 
elite  were  expected.  The  absurdities  and  vexa- 
tions of  the  weak-minded  and  exclusive  are 
more  than  equal  to  those  of  the  excluded.  The 
petty  social  fanciful  annoyances  oft  make  all 
comforts  and  possessions  to  "avail  nothing"  in 
the  production  of  real  happiness.  Enter  the 
shop  of  that  tradesman.  What  a  large  business 
he  carries  on  !  Yet  he  in  his  soul  is  not  happy. 
He  is  envious.  He  will  confess  to  himself,  if 
not  to  you,  "  All  this  availeth  me  nothing"  so 
long  as  a  certain  competitor  in  the  same  busi- 
ness can  buy  cheaper  or  make  money  more 
rapidly  than  myself.  Go  along  a  country  road 
and  note  some  pretty  homestead  nestling 
among  the  trees ;  surely  that  must  be  the  abode 
of  content  and  peace  !  You  approach  it,  and 
meeting  the  occupant  thereof,  you  congratulate 
him  on  the  beauty  of  his  dwelling-place  and 
charm  of  the  surrounding  hills  ;  he,  haggard 
and  worn,  only  replies,  "  All  this  availeth  me 
nothing."  Look  at  my  neighbour's  barn,  how 
much  larger,  and  his  crops  how  much  finer  than 
mine  !  So  the  warrior  or  statesman,  the 
preacher  and  the  potentate  are  alike  discon- 
tented. Dissatisfied,  successful  men.  The 
blessings  and  privileges  they  possess  are  no- 
thing ;  the  trifling  lack  or  annoyance  is  every- 
thing. Their  state  is  as  sinful  as  it  is  miserable. 
They  are  lineal  descendants  of  Haman  the 
Agagite.  It  is  not  in  the  nature  of  worldly 
possessions  or  position  to  give  full  satisfaction. 
If  they  could,  the  results  would  have  been  in- 
jurious to  man's  moral  nature.  No  thoughts  of 
higher  things  entering  man's  mind,  he  would 
soon  have  been  degraded  to  the  level  of  the 
brute  creation. — F.  Hastins;s. 

[18740]  Every  person  has  his  Mordecai  who 
sits  in  the  gate  refusing  to  do  reverence.  We 
hear  of  him  first  in  that  quaint  Oriental  story 
of  Esther  ;  but  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose 
he  was  embalmed  thousands  of  years  ago.  If 
he  had  a  beginning,  he  has  no  end  of  days,  and 
there  is  no  station  so  exalted  but  his  form 
haunts  it,  none  so  obscure  as  to  deter  him  from 
paying  it  the  compliment  of  his  presence. — L. 
Stout. 

[18741]  This  is  a  truth  which  cannot  be  too 
deeply  impressed  upon  us,  and  in  which  it  would 
be  well  that  men  had  more  faith.  If  they  had, 
there  would  be  more  of  contentment  and  less 
of  envy  and  covetousness  in  the  world.  There 
would  be  less  Communism  of  the  Paris  type. 
We  cannot  do  without  material  things.  Our 
bodies  are  parts  of  ourselves,  and  they  have 
wants  which  must  be  supplied,  otherwise  we 
cease  to  live  ;  but  it  is  not  in  material  things  to 
make  us  happy.  It  is  the  more  important  to 
note  this  that  we  are  so  apt  to  exaggerate  their 
power  to  bless  us.  Numbers  entertain  the  idea 
that  if  they  had  them  in  greater  abundance 
they  would  be  happy  ;  but  it  does  not  follow. 
There  are  thousands  in  splendid  worldly  cir- 
cumstances who  are  strangers  to  happiness,  and 


384 

I874I— 18747] 


OLD    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
JEWISH   ERA. 


[SANBALLAT. 


who  marvel  what  can  be  wrong  with  tliem  that 
they  are  not  truly  happy.  Plaman  had  heaps 
on  heaps  of  the  most  valued  material  things  ; 
but  what  did  they  avail  him  ?  He  declared  that 
they  availed  him  nothing.  He  was  not  happy 
for  all,  and  he  despaired  of  happiness  so  long 
as  Mordecai  the  Jew  had  a  seat  in  the  king's 
gate. — G.  Cro!2. 

[1S742]  Mordecai's  want  of  respect  was  in 
itself  a  small  matter  ;  but  it  sadly  interfered 
with  Haman's  enjoyment.  It  had  the  effect  of 
neutralizing,  and  more  than  neutralizing,  all  the 
felicities  of  his  office  and  condition  ;  and  from 
our  own  experience  we  can  understand  perfectly 
how  all  of  good  that  he  possessed  availed  him 
nothing  so  long  as  Mordecai  the  Jew  sat  at  the 
king's  gate.  He  may  be  compared  to  the  owner 
of  a  mansion  sitting  at  a  blind  window  seeing 
nothing,  and  all  the  while  there  are  windows  in 
every  room  from  which  excellent  views  of  the 
surrounding  scenery  can  be  obtained,  if  he 
would  only  place  himself  at  them  and  look 
through  them. — Ibid. 

2       The    history   of  Haman  reminds    us    that 
religion  alone  can  give  true  content. 

[18743]  To  prefer  the  world  to  heavenly  and 
spiritual  delights,  is  to  act  according  to  the 
folly  of  one  who,  being  heir  to  a  kingdom, 
should  yet  prefer  some  map  or  model  to  the 
kingdom  itself  How  easily  might  the  map  be 
torn,  or  the  model  be  broken  !  The  possession 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in  the  heart  can  never 
be  destroyed.  Those  who  possess  it  will  not 
make  Haman's  confession  theirs,  "  All  this 
availeth  me  nothing."  They  will  say  rather, 
"Seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  its 
righteousness  :  all  other  things  are  added  there- 
unto.' — F.  Has/iuics. 


SANBALLAT, 

A  Troublesome  Obstructionist. 

I       His    obstruction    was    born    of  a  jealous 
spirit. 

[18744]  When  Sanballat  heard  that  the  city 
of  Jerusalem  was  no  longer  to  be  left  to  the 
mercy  of  any  and  every  foe,  and  that  measures 
had  already  been  taken  to  build  the  wall,  his 
heart  was  filled  with  envy,  and  jealousy  lest  the 
renown  of  Nchemiah  should  become  greater 
than  his  own.  The  influence  and  power  of  the 
Samaritans  would  probably  decrease,  whilst  the 
safety  of  the  Israelites  would  be  secured  ;  so 
every  effort  must  be  made  to  prevent  the  plans 
of  Nehemiah  from  being  executed.  This  jealous 
spirit  is  manifested  to-day  in  every  circle  of 
society.  In  the  political  world,  how  many  use- 
ful measures  have  been  opposed,  not  on  prin- 
ciple, but  from  the  fear,  if  they  should  be 
adopted,  that  the  other  party's  power  would  be 
increased.  One  nation  is  prosperous,  and  her 
resources  are  legitimately  developed ;  the  neigh- 


bouring nation  perceives  this,  becomes  jealous, 
the  sword  is  unsheathed,  and  thousands  of  lives 
are  sacrificed.  A  man  cannot  succeed  in  his 
business  without  others  envying  him,  and  many 
attempts  will  be  made  to  crush  him.  It  is  to  be 
feared  that  this  spirit  has  a  great  influence  in 
the  religious  world.  If  any  Nehemiah  feels  it 
in  his  heart  to  build  the  wall  of  Jerusalem,  there 
will  be  many  Sanballats  ready  to  do  more  than 
shaking  their  heads  to  discourage  him,  and  that 
simply  because  he  does  not  belong  to  their  little 
sect.  A  sad  state  this,  nevertheless  true. — 
Anon. 

2  His  obstruction  expressed  itself  in   a  sar- 
castic malignity. 

[18745]  Sanballat  in  the  first  place  tried 
sarcasm,  thinking  it  would  be  strong  enough  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  work.  "  But  when  Sanballat 
the  Horonite,  and  Tobiah  the  servant,  the  Am- 
monite, and  Geshem  the  Arabian,  heard  it,  they 
laughed  us  to  scorn,  and  despised  us,  and  said, 
What  is  this  thing  that  ye  do  ?  will  ye  rebel 
against  the  king.? "  "And  he  spake  before  his 
brethren  and  the  army  of  Samaria,  and  said, 
What  do  these  feeble  Jews  ?  will  they  fortify 
themselves  .-'  will  they  sacrifice  .''  will  they  make 
an  end  in  a  day?  will  they  revive  the  stones  out 
of  the  heaps  of  the  rubbish  which  are  burned.-"' 
Sanballat  and  his  friends  are  at  liberty  to  scoff 
and  sneer;  the  work,  however,  will  not  be 
stopped  as  long  as  Nehemiah  is  able  to  go  with 
his  fears  and  burdens  to  the  Lord  his  God. — Ibid. 

3  His     obstruction     displayed     a     cowardly 
spirit. 

[18746]  Sanballat  threatened  to  lead  hisarmy 
against  the  Israelites,  "and  conspired  all  of 
them  together  to  come  and  to  fight  against 
Jerusalem,  and  to  hinder  it."  This  threat,  how- 
ever, was  never  carried  out  ;  the  enemies  of 
Nehemiah  were  afraid  to  resort  to  arms,  because 
they  knew  that  the  work  was  of  God.  Cowards, 
as  a  rule,  are  fond  of  indulging  in  strong  words 
and  of  assuming  grand  attitudes  ;  when  their 
strength  is  tested,  they  soon  beat  a  retreat.  It 
does  not  require  great  capabilities  to  oppose 
those  engaged  in  good  works,  and  to  destroy 
that  which  has  been  accomplished. — Ibid. 


His     obstruction    revealed 
hatred. 


a     murderous 


[18747]  Sanballat's  hatred  became  so  great 
that  he  conspired  against  Nehemiah's  life.  To 
carry  this  out,  he  invited  him  to  one  of  the 
villages  in  the  plain  of  Ono  ;  to  a  consultation 
concerning  the  object  he  had  in  view  in  building 
the  wall  ;  and  to  shut  himself  up  in  the  temple. 
These  were  cunning  schemes  to  take  away  his 
life  ;  but  the  prophet  understood  their  purport. 
When  the  tribe  of  Sanballat  find  their  sarcasm 
and  threats  unavailing,  their  hatred  becomes  so 
great  that  they  will  not  hesitate  to  murder  ;  if 
not  the  man  himself,  his  reputation,  which 
amounts  to  almost  the  same  thing.  The  de- 
fence of  the  good  and  righteous  against  these 
foes  is  the  Lord  of  \\osis.— Ibid, 


38s 


SECTION    XVII. 


NEW   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


THE  SAVIOUR. 

1.  The   Perfection  of   His  Childhood 

AND  Youth. 

The  little  that  is  told  to  us  suggests  a  gradual 
human  development. 

[18748]  St.  Luke  alone,  after  describing  the 
incidents  which  marked  the  presentation  in  the 
temple,  preserves  for  us  one  inestimable  anec- 
dote of  the  Saviour's  boyhood,  and  one  inesti- 
mable verse  descriptive  of  His  growth  till  He 
was  twelve  years  old.  And  that  verse  contains 
nothing  for  the  gratification  of  our  curiosity  ;  it 
furnishes  us  with  no  details  of  life,  no  incidents 
of  adventure  ;  it  tells  us  only  how,  in  a  sweet 
and  holy  childhood,  "the  child  grew  and  waxed 
strong  in  spirit,  filled  with  wisdom,  and  the  grace 
of  God  was  upon  Him."  To  this  period  of  His 
life,  too,  we  may  apply  the  subsequent  verse, 
"  And  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature, 
and  in  favour  with  God  and  man."  His  de- 
velopment was  a  strictly  human  development. 
He  did  not  come  into  the  world  endowed  with 
infinite  knowledge,  but,  as  St.  Luke  tells  us, 
"  He  gradually  advanced  in  wisdom."  He  was 
not  clothed  with  infinite  power,  but  experienced 
the  weaknesses  and  imperfections  of  human 
infancy.  He  grew  as  other  children  grow,  only 
in  a  childhood  of  stainless  and  sinless  beauty, 
"  as  the  flower  of  roses  in  the  spring  of  the  year, 
and  as  lilies  by  the  waters."  Like  Moses  in  the 
wilderness,  like  David  among  the  sheepfolds, 
like  Elijah  among  the  tents  of  the  Bedouin,  like 
Jeremiah  in  his  quiet  home  at  Anathoth,  like 
Amos  in  the  sycamore  groves  of  Tekoa,  the  boy 
Jesus  prepared  Himself,  amid  a  hallowed  ob- 
scurity, for  His  mighty  work  on  earth.  His 
outward  life  was  the  life  of  all  those  of  His 
age,  station,  and  place  of  birth.  He  lived  as 
lived  the  other  children  of  peasant  parents  in 
that  quiet  town,  and  in  great  measure  as  they 
live  now.  He  who  has  seen  the  children  of 
Nazareth  in  their  red  caftans,  and  bright  tunics 
of  silk  or  cloth,  girded  with  a  many-coloured  sash, 
and  sometimes  covered  with  a  loose  outer  jacket 
of  white  or  blue — he  who  has  watched  their 
noisy  and  merry  games,  and  heard  their  ringing 

VOL.  VI.  26 


laughter  as  they  wander  about  the  hills  of  their 
native  vale,  or  play  in  bands  on  the  hillside 
beside  their  sweet  and  abundant  fountain,  may 
perhaps  form  some  conception  of  how  Jesus 
looked  and  played  when  He  too  was  a  child. 

[18749]  He  stands  among  the  Rabbis,  not 
affrighted  certainly  by  their  dignity,  with  no 
sign  of  bashfulness,  but  also  with  none  of  for- 
wardness. He  is  not  eager  to  speak.  He 
wishes  to  listen.  The  doctors  are  conversing 
about  matters  which  they  presume  are  far  above 
the  comprehension  of  a  boy.  And  there  is  in 
the  face  of  this  Boy  nothing  which  tells  of  as- 
sumption or  precocity,  rather  of  quietness  and 
docility.  Such  a  one  may  be  allowed  to  hear 
their  discourse  ;  it  may  impress  Him  hereafter, 
if  not  at  once,  with  reverence  for  their  persons 
and  their  office.  And  what  was  that  listening 
of  His  ?  In  the  highest  sense,  as  in  every  lower 
one,  the  maxim  holds  good,  "Everything  is 
received  according  to  the  measure  of  the  re- 
ceiver." We  can  imagine  how  glibly  the  familiar 
texts  would  be  repeated  by  one  and  another — 
how  often  "sins"  and  "repentance"  would  be 
in  their  mouths,  how  they  would  debate  about 
the  hope  of  Israel  and  the  promise  of  dominion 
over  the  Gentiles — how  they  would  speak  of  ail 
God's  doings  with  them,  if  they  did  not  actually 
pronounce  the  name  which  signified  His  hidden 
essence.  What  awful,  unutterable  meanings 
lay  beneath  these  sounds  !  And  the  meaning, 
not  the  sound,  was  tliat  to  which  this  Boy  was 
listening.  That  of  which  the  learned  men  had 
only  the  faintest  consciousness  entered  into  His 
inmost  being.  It  was  in  the  fullest  sense  listen- 
ing, reverent  and  awful  listening — the  listening 
of  a  child,  not  the  judgment  of  a  man.  It  is 
hard  for  us  to  make  that  distinction,  but  if  we 
believe  the  Incarnation  we  shall  try  to  make  it. 
We  shall  believ^^e  that  the  Child  was  a  child,  the 
Boy  a  boy  ;  that  the  Child  was  perfect  as  such, 
and  therefore  did  not  anticipate  its  after-growth, 
which  would  imply  imperfection  ;  that  the  Boy 
was  a  perfect  boy,  and  therefore  had  none  of 
that  forestalling  of  manhood  which  our  con- 
sciences and  reason  tell  us  is  irregular  and 
untrue.     And  this  is  not,  as  some  would  state 


386 

1S749- 


-i875=] 


I^EIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


it,  merely  in  order  to  do  justice  to  the  humanity 
of  Christ.  We  cannot  in  any  other  way  see 
how  the  Divinity  manifested  itself  through  the 
humanity,  how  it  addressed  itself  to  all  the 
conditions  and  needs  of  humanity.  .  .  .  Do  you 
suppose  that  those  Rabbis,  after  forty,  say,  or 
fifty  years  of  reading  and  copying  out  the  Law, 
of  comparing  and  registering  the  different  com- 
mentaries upon  it,  had  ever  felt  such  a  presence 
of  Divinity  with  them  as  when  they  looked  into 
the  face  of  that  listening  Boy  ?  They  could 
copy  the  letters,  they  could  overlook  the  com- 
mentaries. If  there  was  something  very  deep 
and  mysterious  beneath  them,  they  could  reduce 
it  into  Cabbala  ;  they  could  talk  of  it  as  their 
possession,  their  distinction  from  the  multitude. 
But  which  of  them  could  penetrate  the  awe  and 
mystery  of  that  countenance,  clear  and  bright 
as  it  was?  What  spoke  to  them  through  that 
could  be  reduced  into  no  Cabbala.  .  .  .  Surely 
those  listening  eyes  were  reading  their  very 
hearts.  Surely  they  knew  better  than  they  ever 
did  before  that  God  was  reading  them. — Rev. 
F.  D.  Mau7-ice. 

[18750]  "He  was  sitting  among  them,"  it  is 
said,  "  both  hearing  them  and  asking  them 
questions."  Still  all  is  suitable  to  the  Boy.  He 
pronounces  on  nothing.  He  does  not  lay  down 
the  law  on  this  matter  or  that.  The  time  may 
come  when  He  shall  go  up  into  a  mountain, 
and  open  His  lips,  and  speak  as  One  having 
authority.  But  that  time  is  not  yet.  He  is  not 
above  the  Scribes,  but  is  sitting  at  their  feet. 
He  desires  to  know  what  they  think  about  this 
commandment  in  the  Law,  about  this  sentence 
of  David  or  Isaiah.  At  first,  no  doubt,  the 
answers  are  all  ready.  They  can  tell  that  which 
one  elder  or  another  had  written  down,  or  ex- 
pressed orally  to  his  disciples.  They  begin  to 
give  out  the  oracles,  perhaps  with  an  air  of 
patronage  or  condescension,  to  the  earnest 
youth.  Why  do  the  patronage  and  the  con- 
descension disappear.''  Why  is  the  well-trained 
memory  at  fault .-"  Why  is  there  that  look  of 
puzzle  and  perplexity,  almost  of  terror,  on  the 
countenances  of  those  who  are  used  to  resolve 
all  riddles,  to  silence  all  disputes  ?  The  question 
has  gone  beneath  both  commentary  and  text. 
The  second-hand  answer  does  not  avail. — Ibid. 

[1875 1 ]  We  are  told  that  "all  who  heard  this 
Child  were  astonished  at  His  understanding  and 
answers."  So  that  they  must  have  asked  Him 
questions  as  He  asked  them.  No  doubt  He 
showed  as  much  willingness  to  submit  to  their 
catechism  as  He  had  shown  eagerness  to  receive 
whatever  they  had  to  impart  ;  a  Child,  which- 
ever task  He  was  engaged  in,  taught  by  elder 
men,  doing  what  they  required.  And  the 
answers,  we  may  be  sure,  like  the  questions, 
would  not  be  new,  or  rare,  or  far-fetched.  They 
would  be  startling,  because  they  presented  the 
words  of  holy  men  in  their  direct,  full,  original 
force  ;  because  they  did  not  make  veils  for  them, 
but  drew  away  the  veil  which  had  concealed 
them  ;  because  the  words  came  forth  in  them 


as  if  the  men  were  there  in  whose  hearts  they 
had  been  as  a  burning  fire  ;  because  they  were 
indeed  shown  to  be  not  theirs,  but  His  who  had 
spoken  to  them,  and  had  declared  His  own 
purpose  through  them.  The  answers,  I  repeat 
it,  were  not  veils  ;  they  were  a  revelation,  or 
unveiling  ;  and  that  revelation  or  unveiling  was 
not  of  a  system  or  of  a  religion,  but  of  Him  who 
had  said,  "  Let  not  the  rich  man  glory  in  his 
riches,  nor  the  wise  man  in  his  wisdom  ;  but  let 
him  that  glorieth,  glory  in  this,  that  he  knoweth 
Me."  It  was,  therefore,  as  the  Evangelist  ex- 
presses it,  the  understanding  {(rvi'iatg)  of  this 
Child  which  astonished  the  doctors.  No  word 
can  indicate  more  beautifully  what  must  have 
been  the  impression  on  their  minds.  This  Boy 
7uent  along  with  the  words  which  they  had  read 
and  copied  and  committed  to  memory.  They 
had  never  gotie  along  with  them.  They  had 
drawn  conclusions  from  the  words,  generalized 
notions  from  them.  But  their  hearts  had  never 
come  into  contact  with  them.  .  .  .  What  a 
wonder  to  see  them  quick  and  breathing  again 
in  the  answers  of  this  Child  !  What  a  wonder 
to  find  that  He  went  along,  not  only  with  them, 
but  with  the  very  mind  of  Him  from  whom  they 
had  proceeded  ;  that  He  spoke  like  One  who 
had  been  brought  up  with  Him,  like  a  sharer 
of  His  counsels  !  Although,  therefore,  one  dis- 
covers nothing  in  the  listening,  or  questioning, 
or  answering  of  this  Boy  which  interferes  with 
that  growth  in  wisdom  and  stature  of  which  St. 
Luke  speaks — with  that  gradual  unfolding  of 
the  human  life  which  was  necessary  to  the 
manifestation  of  the  Divine  life — there  is  that 
foreshadowing  of  after  years  which  we  generally 
discern  in  an  individual  man  when  we  are  ac- 
quainted with  the  facts  of  his  story,  and  which 
we  should  confidently  expect  in  the  Man,  the 
representative  of  the  race. — Jbid. 

[18752]  He  begins  life  with  a  perfect  youth. 
His  childhood  is  an  unspotted,  and  withal  a  kind 
of  celestial  flower.  The  notion  of  a  superhuman 
or  celestial  childhood,  the  most  difficult  of  all 
things  to  be  conceived,  is  yet  successfully  drawn 
by  a  few  simple  touches.  He  is  announced 
beforehand  as  "  that  Holy  Thing  ;  "  a  beautiful 
and  powerful  stroke  to  raise  our  expectation  to 
the  level  of  a  nature  so  mysterious.  In  His 
childhood,  everybody  loves  Him.  Using  words 
of  external  description,  He  is  shown  growing  up 
in  favour  with  God  and  man,  a  child  so  lovely 
and  beautiful  that  heaven  and  earth  appear  to 
smile  upon  Him  together.  So,  when  it  is  added 
that  the  child  grew  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit, 
filled  with  wisdom,  and,  more  than  all,  that  the 
grace  or  beautifying  power  of  God  was  upon 
Him,  we  look,  as  on  the  unfolding  of  a  sacred 
flower,  and  seem  to  scent  a  fragrance  wafted  on 
us  from  other  worlds.  Then,  at  the  age  of 
twelve.  He  is  found  among  the  great  learned 
men  of  the  day,  the  doctors  of  the  temple,  hear- 
ing what  they  say,  and  asking  them  questions. 
And  this  without  any  word  that  indicates  for- 
wardness or  pertness  in  the  child's  manner,  such 
as  some  Christian  Rabbi  or  silly  and  credulous 


I8752-I8758] 


NEiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


387 


[the  saviour. 


devotee  would  certainly  have  added.  The  doc- 
tors are  not  offended,  as  by  a  child  too  forward 
or  wanting  in  modesty,  they  are  only  amazed 
that  such  a  degree  of  understanding  can  dwell 
iu  one  so  young  and  simple.  His  mother  finds 
Him  there  among  them,  and  begins  to  expostu- 
late with  Him.  His  reply  is  very  strange  ;  it 
must,  she  is  sure,  have  some  deep  meaning  that 
corresponds  with  His  mysterious  birth,  and  the 
sense  He  has  ever  given  her  of  a  something 
strangely  peculiar  in  His  ways  ;  and  she  goes 
home  keeping  His  saying  in  her  heart,  and 
guessing  vainly  what  His  thought  may  be. 
Mysterious,  holy  secret,  which  this  mother  hides 
in  her  bosom,  that  her  holy  thing,  her  child 
whom  she  has  watched  during  the  twelve  years 
of  His  celestial  childhood,  now  begins  to  speak 
of  being  "about  His  Father's  business,"  in  words 
of  dark  enigma,  which  she  cannot  fathom. — H. 
Bushnell,  D.D. 

[18753]  Several  of  the  first  years  of  our  Lord's 
temporal  life  were  passed  in  almost  entire  ob- 
scurity, wherein  He  accomplished  the  destiny 
of  man,  eating  the  bread  which  He  gained  in 
the  sweat  of  His  brow.  Submissive  to  every 
filial  obligation,  it  is  recorded  that  He  obeyed 
Joseph  and  Mary  with  perfect  docility  ;  He  ac- 
complished with  them  the  precepts  of  the  law, 
and  it  was  thus  that  He  grew  in  wisdom,  in  age, 
and  in  favour  before  God  and  men.  As  the 
deliverer  of  man  condemned,  the  ennobler  of 
man  degraded,  it  was  necessary  that  Jesus  should 
at  every  step  be  the  model  of  man  in  perfection, 
the  source  of  all  the  graces  by  which  we  can,  in 
following  His  precepts,  and  imitating  His  ex- 
amples, re-establish  in  ourselves  the  image  of 
God,  which  sin  has  defaced.  No  period  of  His 
progress,  no  incident  in  His  life,  is  unworthy 
of  our  profoundest  study.  We  should  strive  to 
penetrate  the  thoughts  of  Eternal  Wisdom,  and 
contemplate  His  ways  in  the  marvellous  work 
of  our  redemption. — E.  Alagoon. 

[18754]  Here  we  meet  at  the  very  threshold 
of  the  earthly  history  of  Christ,  that  singular 
combination  of  humility  and  grandeur,  of  sim- 
plicity and  sublimity,  of  the  human  and  Divine, 
which  characterizes  it  throughout,  and  distin- 
guishes it  from  every  other  history.  He  is  not 
represented  as  an  unnatural  prodigy,  anticipa- 
ting the  maturity  of  a  later  age,  but  as  a  truly 
human  child,  silently  lying  and  smiling  on  the 
bosom  of  His  virgin  mother,  "  growing  "  in  body 
and  ''  waxing  strong  in  spirit,"  and  therefore 
subject  to  the  law  of  regular  development  ;  yet 
dittering  from  all  other  children  by  His  super- 
natural conception  and  perfect  freedom  from 
hereditary  sin  and  guilt.  He  appears  in  the 
celestial  beauty  of  unspotted  innocence,  a  veri- 
table flower  of  paradise. — P^-of.  Schaff. 

[18755]  He  was  a  child,  and  a  child  that  grew 
in  heart,  in  intellect,  in  size,  in  grace,  in  favour 
with  God.  Not  a  man  in  child's  years.  No 
hotbed  precocity  marked  the  holiest  of  infancies. 
The  Son  of  Man  grew  up  in  the  quiet  valley  of 


existence — in  shadow,  not  in  sunshine,  noX  forced. 
No  unnatural,  stimulating  culture  had  developed 
the  mind  or  feelings:  no  public  flattery:  no 
sunning  of  His  infantine  perfections  in  the  glare 
of  the  world's  show,  had  brought  the  temptation 
of  the  wilderness  with  which  His  manhood 
grappled,  too  early  on  His  soul.  We  know  that 
He  was  childlike,  as  other  children  :  for  in  after 
years  His  brethren  thought  His  fame  strange, 
and  His  townsmen  rejected  Him.  They  could 
not  believe  that  one,  who  had  gone  in  and  out, 
ate  and  drank  and  worked  among  them,  was 
He  whose  name  is  Wonderful.  The  proverb, 
true  of  others,  was  true  of  Him  :  "A  prophet  is 
not  without  honour,  but  in  his  own  country,  and 
among  his  own  kin,  and  in  his  own  house." 
You  know  Him  in  a  picture  at  once,  by  the  halo 
round  His  brow.  There  was  no  glory  in  His 
real  life  to  mark  Him.  He  was  in  the  world, 
and  the  world  knew  Him  not.  Gradually  ancl 
gently  He  woke  to  consciousness  of  life  and  its 
manifold  meaning  ;  found  Himself  in  possession 
of  a  self  ;  by  degrees  opened  His  eyes  upon  this 
outer  world,  and  drank  in  its  beauty.  Early  He 
felt  the  lily  of  the  field  discourse  to  Him  of  the 
invisible  loveliness,  and  the  ravens  tell  of  God 
His  Father.  Gradually,  and  not  at  once.  He 
embraced  the  sphere  of  human  duties,  and  He 
woke  to  His  earthly  relationships  one  by  one — 
the  Son — the  Brother — the  Citizen — the  Master. 
— Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

[18756]  The  true  view  of  Christ  in  Hishuman 
development  is — that  He  set  before  us  the  suc- 
cessive stages  of  human  life  in  perfect  purity 
and  exemption  from  sin,  and  yet  at  the  same 
time  in  a  manner  which  was  never  out  of  keep- 
ing with  the  peculiar  natural  character  of  any 
period  ;  which  could  not  have  been  the  case 
had  Jesus,  when  a  child,  possessed  perfect  wis- 
dom. He  was  thoroughly  a  child,  thoroughly 
a  youth,  thoroughly  a  man  ;  and  thus  He  hal- 
lowed every  step  of  human  development.  No- 
thing" really  out  of  character  was  ever  seen  in 
Him,  as  if  His  sayings  as  a  child  had  been  such 
as  befitted  riper  years.— Z?/-.  Olshausen. 

[18757]  One  of  the  most  striking  features  of 
Christ's  education  was  the  purity,  strength,  and 
copiousness  of  His  affections.  From  the  aris- 
tocracies of  the  age,  in  both  Church  and  State, 
He  was  isolated  and  contradistinguished  ;  but 
to  His  sisters,  to  children,  and  to  all  spirits  not 
dwarfed  by  bigotry  and  degraded  by  passion, 
He  was  ever  closely  allied.  He  first  breathed 
on  the  breast  of  a  virgin,  and  perpetually  grew 
in  intimate  contact  with  the  great  heart  of 
humanity,  throbbing  in  the  bosom  of  unsophis- 
ticated life.  He  came  to  uprear  love's  standard 
upon  the  battlements  of  truth  ;  and  He  won  His 
best  preparation  for  the  task,  not  in  the  con- 
tracted and  desiccative  influence  of  polemical 
warfare,  but  amid  the  expanding  and  ennobling 
tendencies  which  prevail  where  "  glides  the  calm 
current  of  domestic  joy." — E.  Magoon. 

[18758]  The   youthful   days   of  our    Saviour 


388 

18758—187621 


^£iV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


were  full  of  toil,  such  as  is  common  to  mankind  ; 
and  this  toil  was  adapted  to  develop  His  ener- 
gies for  the  coming  strife,  and  enlarge  His 
sympathies  for  the  suffering  of  every  class. 
We  would  also  remark  that  in  those  early  scenes 
of  bitter  experience,  His  aspirations  were  Divine, 
and  doubtless  urged  Him  with  profounder  ar- 
dour to  break  the  fetters  of  the  world.  The 
Hebrew  nations  expected  a  deliverer,  and  Micah 
had  foretold  that  the  promised  king  should  be 
born  in  Bethlehem,  the  very  place  where  the 
house  of  David  had  its  origin.  The  Messiah 
appeared  ;  but  the  lowly  circumstances  of  His 
bnth  and  youth  w^re  in  striking  contrast  with 
His  inherent  dignity,  and  the  glory  it  was  sup- 
posed He  would  bring.  That  He  should  make 
His  advent  in  the  guise  of  a  carpenter's  son, 
and  accustom  Himself  to  manual  toil,  instead 
of  assuming  at  once  the  splendours  of  worldly 
dominion,  rendered  Him,  to  the  minions  of 
priestly  and  regal  power,  the  object  of  loathing 
and  contempt.  We  must  remember  that  Christ 
was  all  the  while  conscious  of  this  ;  that,  in  the 
face  of  the  upper  and  most  oppressive  circles, 
and  in  spite  of  their  rage,  He,  from  the  begin- 
ning, chose  to  identify  Himself  with  the  lovvest 
rank  of  common  people,  share  their  burdens, 
sympathize  with  their  sorrows,  and  aspire  to 
deliver  them  from  all  their  wrongs.  In  the 
midst  of  the  most  menial  pursuits,  He  fostered 
the  sublimest  purposes  of  soul  ;  in  "  clear  dream 
and  solemn  vision  "  He  contemplated  the  aus- 
picious destinies  of  the  human  race,  and,  in  view 
of  what  His  own  almighty  hand  should,  at  the 
proper  time,  perform,  laboured  on  in  patient 
thoughtfulness,  lifting  His  young  brow  ever  and 
anon  toward  heaven,  to  "hail  the  coming  on  of 
time." — Ibid. 

[18759]  We  need  not  complain  that  we  know 
too  little  of  His  youth  and  mental  development. 
We  know  enough,  and  what  we  do  know  of  this, 
His  period  of  silence,  is,  in  one  word.  His  meek- 
ness, which  is  peculiarly  striking  in  the  picture 
which  the  few  features  of  the  historical  narrative 
place  before  us. — Luthardt. 

2       Homiletical  remarks  and  applications. 

The  Saviour's  childhood  and  youth  suggest 
the  value  which  belongs  to  repression  as  an 
element  of  character. 

[18760]  We  almost  hear  each  consecrated 
votary  at  the  shrine  of  Eternal  Righteousness 
exclaim  from  the  depths  of  his  soul,  "  Poverty 
may  humble  my  lot,  but  it  shall  not  debase  me  ; 
temptation  may  shake  my  nature,  but  not  the 
rock  on  which  thy  temple  is  based  ;  misfortune 
may  wither  all  the  hopes  that  blossomed  in  the 
dewy  morning  of  my  life,  but  I  will  offer  dead 
leaves  when  the  flowers  are  no  more.  Though 
all  the  loved  objects  of  earth  perish,  all  that  I 
have  coveted  fade  away,  I  may  groan  under  my 
burden,  but  1  will  never  be  recreant  to  duty, 
never  disloyal  to  thee,  O  my  God."  Such  resigna- 
tion, and  suffering  supported  with  so  much  con- 
stancy, was  indeed  noble,  as  seen,  for  instance,  in 
the  immolation  of  Socrates  ;  but  how  much  more 


sublime  in  the  youthful  struggles  of  Jesus  Christ  ! 
What  is  there  so  exalted  or  Divine  "as  a  great 
and  brave  spirit  working  out  its  end  through 
every  earthly  obstacle  and  evil  ;  watching 
through  the  utter  darkness,  and  steadily  defying 
the  phantoms  which  crowd  around  it  ;  wrestling 
with  the  mighty  allurements,  and  rejecting  the 
fearful  voice  of  that  Want  which  is  the  deadliest 
and  surest  of  human  tempters  ;  nursing  through 
all  calamity  the  love  of  the  species,  and  the 
warmer  and  closer  affections  of  private  ties  ; 
sacrificing  no  duty,  resisting  all  sin  ;  and  amid 
every  horror  and  every  humiliation,  feeding  the 
still  and  bright  light  of  that  genius,  which,  like 
the  lamp  of  the  fabulist,  though  it  may  waste 
itself  for  years  amidst  the  depths  of  solitude  and 
the  silence  of  the  tomb,  shall  live  and  burn 
immortal  and  undimmed,  when  all  around  it  is 
rottenness  and  decay  ?  "  But  if  it  thrills  every 
generous  fibre  of  our  nature  to  observe  a  fellow- 
creature  thus  toiling  to  be  free  and  beneficent, 
what  shall  we  think  of  that  wonderful  Being 
who  deigned  to  assume  humanity's  woes,  and 
struggle  up  from  childhood  through  the  most 
abject  trials,  that  from  the  throne  of  heaven  and 
the  thrones  of  earth  he  might  win  the  energies 
of  almightiness  to  redeem  mankind  !  It  is 
indeed  strange  to  see  a  Saviour  incarnate  in  a 
manger,  and,  from  the  first  developments  of 
youth,  tied  with  base  entanglements  which, 
through  all  subsequent  life,  are  destined  to  grow 
closer  and  closer,  till  death  sets  the  enthralled 
divinity  free.  But  the  sight  is  glorious  and  in- 
structive as  it  is  strange.  It  tells  us  that  effort 
is  the  condition  of  growth  ;  that  He  who  came 
to  be  a  matured  and  perfect  Redeemer  had  first 
to  perform  the  appropriate  toils  of  a  youthful 
God. — E.  Magoon. 

[ 1 8761]  It  is  a  very  deep  and  beautiful  and 
precious  truth  that  the  Eternal  Son  had  a  human 
and  progressive  childhood.  Happy  the  child 
who  is  suffered  to  be  and  content  to  be  what 
God  meant  it  to  be — a  child  while  childhood 
lasts.  Happy  the  parent  who  does  not  force 
artificial  manners — precocious  feehng — prema- 
ture religion.  Our  age  is  one  of  stimulus  and 
high  pressure.  We  live,  as  it  were,  our  lives 
out  fast.  Effect  is  everything.  We  require 
results  produced  at  once  :  something  to  show 
and  something  that  may  tell.  The  folio  of 
patient  years  is  replaced  by  the  pamphlet  that 
stirs  men's  curiosity  to-day,  and  to-morrow  is 
forgotten.  "  Plain  living  and  high  thinking  are 
no  more."  The  town,  with  its  fever  and  its 
excitements,  and  its  collision  of  mind  with 
mind,  has  spread  over  the  country  :  and  there 
is  no  country,  scarcely  home.  To  men  who 
traverse  England  in  a  few  hours,  and  spend 
only  a  portion  of  the  year  in  one  place,  Home  is 
becoming  a  vocable  of  past  ages. — Rev.  F. 
Robertson. 

[18762]  I  instance  one  single  evidence  of 
strength  in  the  early  years  of  Jesus  :  I  find  it  in 
that  calm,  long  waiting  of  thirty  years  before 
He  began  His  work.     And  yet  all  the  evils  He 


18762—18765] 


NEW    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


was  to  redress  were  there,  provoking  indigna- 
tion, crying  for  interference — the  hollowness  of 
social  hfe— the  misinterpretations  of  Scripture 
— the  forms  of  worship  and  phraseology  which 
had  hidden  moral  truth — the  injustice — the 
priestcraft — the  cowardice — the  hypocrisies  : 
He  had  long  seen  them  all.  All  those  years 
His  soul  burned  within  Him  with  a  Divine  zeal 
and  heavenly  indignation.  A  mere  man — a 
weak,  emotional  man  of  spasmodic  feeling — a 
hot  enthusiast,  would  have  spoken  out  at  once, 
and  at  once  been  crushed.  The  Everlasting 
Word  incarnate  bided  His  own  time:  "Mine 
hour  is  not  yet  come"— matured  His  energies 
— condensed  them  byrepression — and  then  went 
forth  to  speak  and  do  and  suffer, — His  hour 
was  come.  This  is  strength  :  the  power  of  a 
Divine  Silence  :  the  strong  will  to  keep  force 
till  it  is  wanted  :  the  power  to  wait  God's  time. 
"  He  that  believeth,"  said  the  wise  prophet, 
"shall  not  make  haste." — Jbui. 

[18763]  As  is  the  case  with  all  redeemers,  His 
best  energies  were  developed  by  the  worst  trials. 
Christ  assumed  our  nature,  bore  our  sorrows, 
fought  our  battles,  won  our  triumphs.  He  came 
to  this  tearful  and  stormful  earth  to  live  out  in 
actual  experience,  from  the  first  pang  to  the 
last,  the  spiritual  sorrows  and  physical  depriva- 
tions of  all  Adam's  race.  Monarch  supreme  in 
heaven,  and  regal  on  earth  even  by  right  of 
birth,  He  chose  to  appear  in  the  ntost  humble 
condition.  For  our  sakes  He  became  poor,  and 
entered  upon  the  conquest  of  the  world  without 
noticing  either  its  honours  or  its  emoluments. 
In  the  eye  of  the  wealthy  and  powerful  He  was 
regarded  only  as  "the  carpenter's  son."  The 
morning  of  His  career  dawned  in  the  lowest 
vale  of  life,  where  He  shared  the  sufferings  of 
the  most  destitute,  the  wretched  abode  of  cattle 
even,  for  there  was  no  room  for  Him  and  His 
associates  at  the  inn.  Such  was  the  pomp  in 
which  the  Deliverer  of  mankind  appeared.  The 
first  acts  of  His  divinity  here  below  were  strug- 
gles against  want,  and  His  destitution  increased 
in  proportion  as  His  functions  arose.  The  foxes 
had  holes,  and  the  fowls  of  the  air  had  nests  ; 
but  the  Son  of  man  had  no  reposing  place  for 
His  head.  Poor  and  toilworn  to  the  end,  He 
earned  all  with  His  own  hands,  or  received  from 
charity  the  bread  He  ate,  the  garments  He  wore, 
and  the  winding-sheet  in  which  He  was  en- 
tombed. Whoever  has  struggled  with  difficulties 
almost  to  strangling  at  the  very  outset  of  his 
heroical  career, — whoever  has  toiled  all  day  to 
win  a  scanty  sustenance,  and,  in  mental  desolate- 
ness  and  gloom  deeper  than  night,  has  shrieked 
in  agony  to  the  God  of  heaven, — whoever  has 
cloaked  his  outward  wants  and  inward  aspira- 
tions beneath  the  humble  mechanic's  garb,  and 
gone  forth,  firm,  silent,  and  resolute,  learning  the 
"priceless  wisdom  from  endurance  drawn" among 
his  fellow-men, — whoever  has  mourned  for  "  all 
the  oppressions  which  are  done  under  the  sun," 
and  been  "  mad  for  the  sight  of  his  eyes  that  he 
did  see," — whoever  has  felt  all  the  "  wanderer  in 
his  soul,"  and  striven  through  the  tender  years  of 


youth  with  sweating  brow,  blistered  hands,  and 
bleeding  heart,  to  win  the  weapons  of  moral 
warfare,  and  cleave  a  way  to  self-emancipation 
and  the  disinthralment  of  all  mankind, — let  him 
come  and  hug  to  his  bosom  that  brotlier  of  the 
poor,  and  young  champion  of  the  weak  ;  let  him 
receive  cheering  words  of  fellow-feeling,  and 
strength  that  shall  never  fail,  from  that  Boy  of 
Nazareth,  the  working  Son  of  God.  And  in  his 
intercourse  with  such  an  example  of  overcoming 
courage  and  patient  efforts  for  the  common 
weal,  let  him  never  despond,  but  remember 


"  He  that  is  born  is  listed 
Eternal  war  with  woe." 


life  is  war — 
— E.  Magoon. 


[18764]  He  did  not  wait  until  He  arrived  at 
manhood  to  set  a  pattern  of  piety  ;  He  sancti- 
fied childhood  too  ;  even  then  He  humbled 
Himself;  even  then  He  magnified  God's  law 
and  made  it  honourable,  and  submitted  to  re- 
ligious ordinances,  and  was  found  in  the  com- 
pany of  those  eminent  for  learning  and  piety, 
and  did  not  disdain  parental  control  :  and  so 
doing  He  has  taught  children  and  boys  and 
young  men  how  they  all  ought  to  commence 
that  solemn  business  of  life,  which  their 
heavenly  Father  has  given  them  to  do — how 
they  must  minister  unto  God  in  their  youth,  and 
devote  to  Him  the  firstfruits  of  their  faculties, 
and  attend  to  common  duties,  and  hold  their 
parents  in  honour, — and  so  la^  the  foundation 
of  a  faith  which  shall  not  be  shaken,  and  of  a 
life  which  Christ  in  His  mercy  will  be  pleased 
to  recognize,  as  at  least  a  faint  resemblance  of 
His  own,  when  He  comes  in  the  fulness  of  His 
glory  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead. — Bp. 
Goodwin. 

II.  The  Perfection  of  His  Manhood. 
I       Its  varied  manifestations. 

[18765]  Mankind  yearned  for  the  advent  of 
one  in  whom  the  love  of  the  beautiful,  the  pur- 
suit of  the  good,  and  the  defence  of  the  true, 
would  not  be  a  mere  artistic  perception,  but  a 
natural  and  ardent  passion,  such  as  in  Christ 
only  is  realized.  He  best  served  the  salvation 
of  humanity  by  the  peculiar  education  of  Him- 
self as  an  individual.  When  He  had  once  made 
the  beautiful,  the  good,  and  the  true,  an  har- 
monious unity  for  Himself,  the  Divine  example 
of  this  unity  became  a  more  resistless  argument 
to  His  sympathetic  brethren  than  all  the  elo- 
quence that  man  or  angel  could  employ.  He 
broke  away  from  sectarian  despotism,  and 
aspired  to  become  thoroughly  and  energetically 
individual  in  the  purity  and  power  of  His  own 
light,  that  He  might  excite  kindred  aspirations 
in  all  other  individuals  ;  and,  for  their  encourage- 
ment, while  His  own  person  was  yet  sombre  in 
the  lowest  vale.  He  poured  the  dawn  of  universal 
deliverance  along  every  summit  of  the  world. 
All  that  was  needed  to  make  Him  a  tender 
friend,  a  perfect  teacher,  and  a  mighty  Re- 
deemer, He  acquired  by  experience  on  earth,  and 


39° 

18765—18769] 


NEW   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


transmitted  for  its  hope.  He  had  the  same  faith 
in  Himself  as  in  His  doctrine  ;  and  feeling  that 
both  were  Divine,  He  was  more  than  willing — it 
was  His  only  ambition  and  delight — to  lay  them 
at  the  feet  of  every  man.  He  would  transform 
each  immortal  creature  of  our  race  not  only  into 
a  disciple,  but  a  prophet,  placing  in  his  heart  a 
sublime  idea,  a  celestial  sentiment,  which  he 
should  profoundly  feel  was  destined  to  redeem 
the  world.  With  a  modest  but  majestic  self- 
reliance.  He  shrank  from  no  peril,  no  pain,  no 
obloquy,  that  He  might  accomplish  the  advocacy 
of  mercy  and  truth  in  word  and  deed.  He  went 
abroad,  armed  with  no  exclusiveness  and  no 
coercion,  but  radiant  with  the  energies  and 
beatitudes  of  a  salvation  designed  to  bless  all 
nations,  free,  purify,  and  exalt  all  mankind. — E. 
Ulagoon. 

[18766]  His  public  life  in  Galilee  may  be 
described,  both  externally  and  internally,  as  one 
of  exciting  and  exhausting  activity.  If  we  in- 
quire, however,  what  was  the  soul  of  this  activity, 
we  shall  be  constrained  to  say  that  it  is  the  life 
of  a  Saviour  which  is  here  depicted — a  life  dedi- 
cated to  the  poor,  the  sick,  the  forsaken,  the 
despised— a  life  of  devotion  to  the  unhappy,  to 
deliver  them  from  the  sorrows  of  life,  and 
especially  from  depression  of  soul.  Publicans 
and  sinners,  the  mourners  and  the  sorrowing, 
tl's.s  is  the  society  He  seeks.  To  the  afflicted 
He  brings  consolation,  and  calls  the  weary  and 
heavy-laden  that  He  may  give  them  rest.  A 
spirit  of  compassionate  love  and  beneficent 
kindness  animates  every  act  of  His  life.  ...  If 
ever  love  appeared  on  earth,  it  appeared  under 
the  form  of  gentleness  and  meekness,  in  Christ. 
But  over  the  form  of  the  meek  Saviour  of  sinners 
is  shed  abroad  a  glory  and  majesty  which 
cause  us  involuntarily  to  bow  the  knee  before 
Him.  Who  can  contemplate  Him  in  His  silent 
course  without  feeling  that  there  is  in  Him  a 
mysterious  and  hidden  majesty,  and  seeing  it 
shine  forth  from  His  every  word  and  deed .' 
And  most  of  all  in  His  deepest  humihation. — 
Luthardt. 

[18767]  Gentleness  never  running  into  weak- 
ness— tenderness  never  losing  sight  of  holiness 
— personal  endurance  ever  combined  with  pro- 
tective strength,  and  the  deepest  sympathy  with 
the  sinner  ever  set  side  by  side  with  the  sternest 
abhorrence  of  the  sin.  No  painter  ought  to 
represent  the  countenance  of  Jesus — some  have 
presumed  to  do  so  even  upon  the  cross — as  soft 
with  a  childish  softness  and  delicate  with  a 
woman's  delicacy  :  when  we  are  speaking  of 
Him  as  embodying  perfection,  we  must  be  care- 
ful to  rernember  that  the  perfection  of  a  man 
contains  in  it  not  sympathy  only  but  earnest- 
ness, not  love  only  but  (in  this  bad  world) 
indignation  too  ;  and  therefore  we  read,  as  one 
ingredient  of  the  perfection — and  read  with 
satisfaction— of  looks  of  anger  at  hypocrisy,  and 
words  of  scorching  fire  against  treachery  and 
cruelty — terrible  exposures  of  sleek  malignity, 
and  judicial   sentences   upon   long  pretentious 


prayers  by  devourers  of  widows'  houses. — Dean 
Vcueghan. 

[18768]  The  mental  independence  so  promi- 
nent in  Christ  is  a  rare  thing  on  earth,  and  most 
worthy  of  our  esteem.  We  see  many  persons 
who  are  able  to  act  with  vigour,  so  long  as  tliey 
are  sustained  by  popular  opinion  ;  but  the 
moment  this  deserts  them,  they  fall  into  utter 
imbecility,  and  the  wonder  is,  how  they  ever 
have  commanded  the  confidence  and  admiration 
of  their  fellows.  But  such  are  never  heroes  ; 
they  belong  not  to  the  goodly  fellowship  of  those 
who  stoop  their  anointed  heads  as  low  as  death, 
in  defence  of  ennobling  and  saving  truth.  Christ, 
on  the  contrary,  was  the  consummate  model  of 
the  noblest  cast  of  character  ;  one  "  by  its  own 
weight  made  steadfast  and  immovable."  Suffer- 
ing emancipated,  instructed,  and  consolidated 
his  mind,  as  it  does  in  every  hero  truly  great. 
The  burdens  which  Isaiah,  Stephen,  Paul,  and 
Luther  bore,  gave  steadiness  to  their  movements 
and  energy  to  their  limbs. 

"Thus  doth  strength 
To  wisdom,  courage,  and  long-suffering  love, 
Minister  like  a  slave." 

— E.  Magoon. 

[18769]  He  experienced  every  form  of  favour 
and  hate,  serene  confidences  as  well  as  sombre 
despair,  and  in  His  own  destiny  wrought  out  the 
destinies  of  all  our  race.  Truly  did  He  carry 
our  sorrows  and  experience  our  griefs  ;  and  it 
was  this  practical  knowledge  that  gave  Him  un- 
limited popular  power.  He  addressed  no 
peculiar  or  limited  order  of  feelings,  but  united 
in  His  discourse  all  the  qualities  and  emotions 
which  are  spontaneous  in  every  order  and  con- 
dition of  mankind.  His  audience  was  coexten- 
sive with  humanity  itself,  because  His  experience 
included  the  experiences  of  all,  and  as  His  heart 
thrilled  and  responded  to  their  own.  He  verified 
in  the  highest  sense  the  saying  that  "  one  touch 
of  nature  makes  the  whole  world  kin."  Hence 
the  mercifulness  and  wisdom  of  Christ's  incarna- 
tion ;  He  must  assume  the  form,  and  experience 
the  condition,  of  a  servant,  that  He  might  bind 
our  hearts  to  eternal  life  with  the  trembling 
fibres  of  His  own.  Even  for  those  fledged  souls 
who  desire  to  soar  upon  the  wings  of  devout 
meditation,  it  is  well,  from  time  to  time,  AntKus 
like,  to  rest  upon  this  grosser  sphere  ;  it  was 
infinitely  more  necessary  that  He  who  came  to 
elevate  us  from  earth  to  heaven  should  absorb 
into  His  own  person,  and  destroy  the  oppressions 
of  our  present  state,  that  we  might  have  both 
space  and  power  to  rise.  This  He  did.  He 
became  the  son  and  companion  of  the  common 
people ;  was  born  in  a  town  proverbially  de- 
praved ;  of  a  nation  pre-eminently  distinguished 
for  superstition,  national  pride,  bigoted  self- 
esteem,  and  contempt  towards  all  other  men. 
He  chose  to  arise  "in  an  age  of  singular  cor- 
ruption, when  the  substance  of  religion  had 
faded  out  from  the  mind  of  its  anointed 
ministers,  and  sin  had  spread  wide  among  a 


18769—18774] 


NEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[THE  SAVIOUR. 


people  turbulent,  oppressed,  and  downtrodden  ; 
a  man  ridiculed  for  His  lack  of  knowledge,  in  this 
nation  of  forms,  of  hypocritical  priests  and  cor- 
rupt people,  falls  back  on  simple  morality, 
simple  religion,  unites  in  Himself  the  sublimest 
precepts  and  divinest  practices  ;  thus  more  than 
realizing  the  dream  of  prophets  and  sages  ;  rises 
free  from  all  prejudice  of  His  age,  nation  or  sect  ; 
gives  free  range  to  the  spirit  of  God  in  His 
breast  ;  sets  aside  the  law,  sacred  and  time- 
honoured  as  it  was — its  forms,  its  sacrifice,  its 
temple,  and  its  priests  ;  puts  away  the  doctors 
of  the  law,  subtle,  learned,  irrefragable,  and 
pours  out  a  doctrine  beautiful  as  the  light,  sub- 
lime as  heaven,  and  true  as  God.  The  philoso- 
phers, the  poets,  the  prophets,  the  Rabbis — He 
rises  above  them  all. — Ibid. 

[18770]  He  is  a  perfectly  harmless  being, 
actuated  by  no  destructive  passions,  gentle  to 
inferiors,  doing  ill  or  injury  to  none.  The  figure 
of  a  lamb,  which  never  was,  or  could  be,  ap- 
plied to  any  of  the  great  human  characters, 
■without  an  implication  of  weakness  fatal  to  all 
respect,  is  yet,  with  no  such  effect,  applied  to 
Him.  We  associate  weakness  with  innocence, 
and  the  association  is  so  powerful,  that  no 
human  writer  would  undertake  to  sketch  a 
great  character  on  the  basis  of  innocence,  or 
would  even  think  it  possible.  We  predicate 
innocence  of  infancy,  but  to  be  a  perfectly 
harmless,  guileless  man,  never  doing  ill  even 
for  a  moment,  we  consider  to  be  the  same  as  to 
be  a  man  destitute  of  spirit  and  manly  force. 
But  Christ  accomplished  the  impossible.  Ap- 
pearing in  all  the  grandeur  and  majesty  of  a 
superhuman  manhood.  He  is  able  still  to  unite 
the  impression  of  innocence,  with  no  apparent 
diminution  of  His  sublimity.  It  is,  in  fact,  the 
distinctive  glory  of  His  character,  that  it  seems 
to  be  the  natural  unfolding  of  a  divine  inno- 
cence, a  pure  celestial  childhood,  amplified  by 
growth. — H.  Bushiiell,  D.D. 

[18771]  No  one  ever  thus  loved,  nor  did  any- 
thing so  truly  good  and  great  as  the  Bible  tells 
us  of  Him,  ever  enter  into  the  heart  of  man. 
...  A  Saviour,  such  as  the  Bible  depicts  the 
Lord  Jesus  to  have  been,  who  went  about  doing 
good,  yet  had  Himself  no  place  where  He  might 
lay  His  head  ;  who  spared  no  pains,  and  re- 
fused no  shame  ;  who  humbled  Himself  even  to 
death  upon  the  cross,  that  He  might  finish  His 
work  ;  who  came  into  the  world  to  save  the 
world  ;  who  was  therein  scourged  and  tormented, 
and  departed  thence  with  a  crown  of  thorns 
upon  His  head  I  Didst  thou  ever  hear  of  such 
a  thing,  and  do  not  thy  hands  fall  down  on  thy 
lap?  It  is  truly  a  mystery,  and  we  do  not 
understand  it  ;  but  it  comes  from  God  and  from 
heaven,  for  it  bears  the  stamp  of  heaven,  and 
overflows  with  Divine  mercy.  ...  It  is  a  holy 
form  rising  like  a  star  in  the  night  upon  the 
poor  pilgrim,  and  satisfying  his  inmost  craving, 
his  most  secret  hopes  and  wishes.  .  .  .  He 
who  can  be  stirred  to  laughter  or  mockery  must 
be  mad.     He  whose  heart  is  in  the  right  place 


lies  in  the  dust,  rejoices,  and  prays. — Matthias 
Clatidius. 

[18772]  In  the  midst  of  the  sufferings  which 
overwhelm  Him  in  His  death,  He  is  ever  equal 
to  Himself.  The  meek  tranquillity  with  which 
He  endures  whatever  wickedness  chooses  to 
inflict,  and  the  forgiving  love  with  which  He 
encounters  its  malice,  strikes  us  more  powerfully 
than  even  in  His  life.  .  .  .  Throughout  the 
whole  scene  of  the  crucifixion  there  shone  such 
a  splendour  of  greatness  and  majesty,  that  even 
from  the  heathen  centurion  broke  forth  the  con- 
fession, "Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God." 
.  .  .  That  union  of  meekness  and  majesty 
which  sets  so  incomparable  a  stamp  upon  His 
whole  demeanour,  that  silent  power  of  love 
which  makes  His  life  a  revelation  of  the  heart 
of  Gcd— all  are  but  the  manifestations  of  that 
holiness  which  is  the  moral  characteristic  of 
His  person  and  nature.  None  can  avoid  being 
most  forcibly  impressed  by  the  holy  purity  of 
His  nature.  If  all  else  be  denied,  this  at  least 
must  be  admitted. — Luthardt. 

[18773]  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  discipline  of  His 
early  manhood,  the  type  of  all  redemption, 
from  the  most  sombre  depths  of  obscurity  rose 
before  men  and  angels,  developing  the  attrac- 
tiveness of  infinite  worth,  nurtured  amid  trials 
of  every  sort,  like  a  sea-flower,  whose  roots 
interlace  and  penetrate  the  profoundest  caverns, 
but  whose  stem  mounts  through  unfathomed 
billows  to  the  surface,  and  unfolds  its  petals  to 
wanderers  in  storm  and  calm.  His  royalty  be- 
gan in  the  nakedness  and  gloom  of  the  manger, 
was  educated  through  a  career  of  incessant  toil, 
fatigues,  and  watchings,  in  which  the  rising 
Champion  gathered  a  i&w  palms  and  accla- 
mations from  the  masses,  between  whom  and 
Himself  there  was  cordial  love,  until  bigoted 
power  interposed.  But  these  were  soon  followed 
by  the  maledictions  which  kingcraft  and  priest- 
craft had  inspired,  the  anguish  of  the  garden 
and  the  tortures  of  the  pretorium.  finally, 
bowed  beneath  the  cross  He  bore,  His  brow 
being  wreathed  with  a  diadem  of  thorns,  and 
His  lips  redolent  of  blessings  on  His  murderers. 
He  goes  forth  to  expire  on  the  mount  which 
overlooked  Tophet,  that  type  of  hell,  whose 
powers  He  came  to  conquer  and  destroy. — E. 
Ma<^oon. 

2       Homiletical  applications. 

The  Saviour's  earthly  manhood  ilh(sf rates 
the  7tobility  of  fortitude  as  an  element  oj  human 
character. 

[18774]  The  whole  life  of  Christ  on  earth  was 
tragical  in  the  highest  degree  ;  the'  portions 
which  were  most  obscure,  not  less  so  than  the 
scenes  on  Calvary  and  Olivet.  Think  of  the 
desolateness  of  that  preparatory  state,  wherein 
His  own  kindred  discarded  His  claims,  and 
oppressed  Him  with  all  the  chilling  weight  of 
undisguised  distrust.  Nothing  is  sublimer  in 
the  history  of  mind  than  the  lonely  struggles 
which  precede  and  generate   success.      Every 


392 

18774— 18777] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


predestined  hero  will  have  to  demonstrate 
his  superior  worth  by  encountering  and  over- 
coming the  most  undeserved  obstructions.  Long 
before  an  effective  foothold  is  attained,  he  will 
have  suffered  most  from  unexpected  quarters, 
and  been  more  aroused  by  neglect  than  by 
timely  aid.  Misfortune  is  a  fire  that  melts  weak 
hearts,  but  renders  the  firm  purer  and  stronger. 
How  many  of  the  best  of  our  race  can  recognize 
their  model  and  consolation  in  the  unfriended 
youth  of  Nazareth  !  Let  the  young  man  com- 
pelled to  struggle  with  that  sorest  destiny, 
relatives  who  foster  not  but  rather  congeal  his 
warmest  hopes,  take  heart  from  the  experience 
of  his  Lord,  homeless  and  brotherless  among 
His  own  kindred,  but  yet  on  His  way  to  the  con- 
quest of  popular  prejudice,  the  redemption  of 
degraded  humanity,  and  the  possession  of 
power  the  most  comprehensive  and  supreme. — 
Idid. 

[18775]  At  an  early  day  the  great  Deliverer 
began  to  look  out  from  the  centre  of  His  own 
domestic  circle  through  all  the  ramifications  of 
the  human  race,  and  saw  that  injustice  and  op- 
pression everywhere  prevailed.  His  keen  ex- 
perience of  this  set  in  operation  His  super- 
human energies  to  defend  the  feeble  and 
demolish  the  strong.  He  won  a  mastership 
over  injustice  even  while  suft'ering  it,  and 
through  the  paths  of  distress  ascended  to  the 
highest  triumphs  and  the  best  repose.  Hence 
He  exclaimed  to  those  who  would  tread  in  His 
footsteps  and  emulate  His  deeds,  "  In  the  world 
ye  will  be  oppressed  ;  but  be  of  good  courage, 
1  have  conquered  the  world."  In  a  manner  full 
of  light  and  encouragement.  He  has  taught  the 
champions  of  righteousness  that  it  is  their  doom 
and  reward  to  endure  much  that  is  oppressive, 
in  order  that  they  may  the  better  know  how  to 
appreciate  the  invulnerable  nature  within  man, 
which  may  be  abused  but  cannot  be  destroyed. 
Providence  has  armed  the  mind  with  a  quality 
which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  many  excellences, 
and  supports  them  all.  This  is  fortitude  which, 
by  throwing  a  spirit  of  graceful  endurance  into 
every  mental  energy,  gives  beauty  to  grandeur, 
and  tranquillity  to  zeal.  Much  is  this  quality 
needed,  since 

"  In  this  wild  world  the  fondest  and  the  best 
Are  the  most  tried,  most  troubled,  and  dis- 
tressed." 

In  addition  to  the  bestowal  of  fortitude  as  a 
prime  element  of  the  soul,  there  is  a  fact  con- 
nected with  its  exercise  which  claims  our  grati- 
tude. It  is,  that  when  the  victim  has  endured 
his  appointed  suffering  with  unflinching  heroism, 
and  when  vanquished  fortune  is  compelled  her- 
self to  admire,  he  is  always  the  admiration  of 
the  world,  as  well  as  its  greatest  benefit.  There 
is  a  potency  in  the  daring  heart  of  the  resolute, 
to  which  even  destiny  must  yield.  Let  us  re- 
member that,  as  the  most  beautiful  roses  bloom 
in  dreary  Lapland,  as  the  richest  diamonds  are 
found  on  the  stormiest  coasts,  and  as  porphyry 


hardens  the  more  it  is  exposed  to  the  elements, 
so  the  best  virtues  of  the  soul  are  generally  dis- 
ciplined by  the  sternest  trials. — IduL 

in.  The    Complete    Harmony    of    His 
Nature. 

[1S776]  If  we  cast  a  glance  into  the  moral 
activities  that  fill  up  the  life  of  Jesus,  the  ques- 
tion does  not  hinge  on  making  a  catalogue  of 
virtues,  and  in  this  way  proving,  as  by  a  sum 
in  addition.  His  moral  perfection.  In  this  way 
we  should  not  arrive  at  any  lively  idea  of  His 
moral  character,  nor  have  any  guarantee  for 
His  perfection.  For  all  virtues  attain  their  per- 
fection only  by  unity  and  harmonious  symphony, 
and  this  exists  only  when  they  all  proceed  from 
the  totality  and  fulness  of  the  one  principle  of 
virtue.  This  unity  of  His  virtue,  by  means  of 
which  all  His  virtues  are  harmoniously  dove- 
tailed, cannot,  it  is'  true,  be  brought  into  full 
view  without  the  concrete  and  without  the 
detail.  But  the  main  point  is  to  view  together 
the  most  distant  elements  which  His  moral 
character  unites,  and  to  show  in  the  concrete 
that  one  spirit  harmoniously  regulates  and 
orders  all  according  to  one  great  law  of  life. — 
Dorner. 

[18777]  The  portrait  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  one 
of  sublimest  and  purest  harmony,  both  as  regards 
His  mental  and  moral  nature.  There  is  dis- 
harmony in  the  life  of  every  other  man.  Those 
two  poles  of  mental  life,  knowledge  and  feeling, 
head  and  heart  ;  those  two  powers  of  the  moral 
life,  the  reason  and  the  will — where  shall  we 
find  them  in  unison  .''  In  the  case  of  Jesus,  on 
the  contrary,  we  are  vividly  impressed  with  the 
feeling  that  perfect  harmony  prevails  in  His 
mental  life.  There  is  absolute  peace  in  His 
inmost  being.  As  we  could  not  bear  to  con- 
ceive in  Him  any  single  mental  faculty  pre- 
ponderating, and  others  consequently  retiring, 
but  are  constrained  to  think  of  His  intellectual 
parts  and  nature  as  perfectly  proportioned,  so 
is  it  also  with  His  entire  mental  and  moral  life. 
It  is  a  human  life  of  perfect  harmony.  He  is 
all  love,  all  heart,  all  feeling  ;  and  yet,  again. 
He  is  all  mind,  all  mental  enlightenment  and 
sublimity.  There  is  no  schism  between  feel- 
ing and  reason  in  His  nature.  There  is, 
moreover,  the  greatest  vitality  of  feeling  and 
emotion  of  thought  and  resolve,  and  yet  this 
vitality  of  His  inner  nature  never  passes  into 
passionate  excitement  ;  all  is  quiet  dignity, 
peaceful  simplicity,  sublime  harmony.  Such  is 
the  image  which  the  gospel  narrative  presents 
to  us,  and  of  which  we  are  constrained  to  say, 
Such  was  He,  such  must  He  have  been.  And 
in  such  an  image  is  reflected  the  moral  harmony 
of  His  nature.  It  is  because  there  was  in 
Him  nothing  of  that  moral  discord  which 
pervades  the  inner  world  of  all  other  men 
that  His  mental  and  spiritual  life  were  so 
harmonious,  so  peaceful.  Jesus  was  in  perfect 
harmony  with  Himself  because  He  was  in  per- 
fect harmony  with  God. — Luthardt. 


18778— 18780] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS, 
CHRISTIAN    KKA. 


393 


[the  saviour. 


[18778]  He  was  free  from  all  one-sidedness, 
which  constitutes  the  weakness  as  well  as  the 
strength  of  the  most  eminent  men.  He  was 
not  a  man  of  one  idea,  nor  of  one  virtue, 
towering  above  all  the  rest.  The  moral  forces 
were  so  well  tempered  and  moderated  by  each 
other,  that  none  was  unduly  prominent,  none 
carried  to  excess,  none  alloyed  by  the  kindred 
failing.  Each  was  checked  and  completed  by 
the  opposite  grace.  His  character  never  lost 
its  even  balance  and  happy  equilibrium,  never 
needed  modification  or  i-eadjustment.  It  was 
thoroughly  sound,  and  uniformly  consistent 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  We  cannot 
properly  attribute  to  Him  any  one  temperament. 
He  was  neither  sanguine,  like  Peter,  nor  choleric, 
like  Paul,  nor  melancholic,  like  John,  nor 
phlegmatic,  as  James  is  sometimes,  though  in- 
correctly, represented  to  have  been,  but  He  com- 
bined the  vivacity  without  the  levity  of  the 
sanguine,  the  vigour  without  the  violence  of  the 
choleric,  the  seriousness  without  the  austerity 
of  the  melancholic,  the  calmness  without  the 
apathy  of  the  phlegmatic  temperaments.  He 
was  equally  far  removed  from  the  excesses  of 
the  legalist,  the  pietist,  the  ascetic,  and  the  en- 
thusiast. With  the  strictest  obedience  to  the 
lav,'.  He  moved  in  the  element  of  freedom  ;  with 
all  the  fervour  of  the  enthusiast,  He  was  always 
calm,  sober,  and  self-possessed.  Notwithstand- 
ing His  complete  and  uniform  elevation  above 
the  affairs  of  this  world.  He  freely  mingled  with 
society,  male  and  female,  dined  with  publicans 
and  sinners,  sat  at  the  wedding  least,  shed  tears 
at  the  sepulchre,  delighted  in  God's  nature, 
admired  the  beauties  of  the  lilies,  and  used  the 
occupations  of  the  husbandman  for  the  illus- 
tration of  the  sublimest  truths  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  His  zeal  never  degenerated  into 
passion  or  rashness,  nor  His  constancy  into 
obstinacy,  nor  His  benevolence  into  weakness, 
nor  His  tenderness  into  sentimentality.  His 
unworldliness  was  free  from  indifference  and 
unsociability,  His  dignity  from  pride  and  pre- 
sumption. His  affability  from  undue  familiarity, 
His  selt-denial  from  moroseness,  His  temper- 
ance from  austerity.  He  combined  childlike 
innocence  with  manly  strength,  all-absorbing 
devotion  to  God  with  untiring  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  man,  tender  love  to  the  sinner  with  un- 
compromising severity  against  sin,  commanding 
dignity  with  winning  humility,  fearless  courage 
with  wise  caution,  unyielding  firmness  with 
sweet  gentleness.  He  is  justly  compared  with 
the  lion  in  strength,  and  with  the  lamb  in  meek- 
ness. He  equally  possessed  the  wisdom  of  the 
serpent  and  the  simplicity  of  the  dove. — Pro/. 
Schaff. 

[18779]  The  character  of  our  Lord  was  such 
that  no  one  virtue  had  undue  preponderance. 
Take  Peter,  and  there  is  a  promment  feature 
peculiar  to  himself;  one  quality  attracts  you. 
Take  John,  and  there  is  a  lovely  trait  in  his 
character  which  at  once  chains  you,  and  his 
other  graces  are  unobserved.  But  take  the  life 
of  the  blessed  Jesus,  and  it  shall  perplex  you  to 


discover  what  virtue  shines  with  purest  radiance. 
His  character  is  like  the  lovely  countenance  of 
a  classic  beauty,  in  which  every  single  feature 
is  so  in  exact  harmony  with  all  the  rest,  that 
when  you  have  gazed  upon  it,  you  are  struck 
with  a  sense  of  general  beauty,  but  you  do  not 
remark  upon  the  flashing  eye,  or  chiselled  nose, 
or  the  coral  lips  :  an  undivided  impression  of 
harmony  remains  upon  your  mind.  Such  a 
character  should  each  of  us  strive  after,  a 
mingling  of  perfections  to  make  up  one  per- 
fection ;  a  combining  of  all  the  sweet  spices  to 
make  up  a  rare  perfume,  such  as  only  Ciod's 
Holy  Spirit  itself  can  make,  but  such  as  God 
accepts  wherever  He  discovers  it. — C.  H.  Spur- 
^eon. 

[18780]  Christ  connects  the  non-resisting  and 
gentle  passivities  of  character  with  the  severest 
grandeur  and  majesty.  .  .  .  Observe  Him,  first, 
in  what  may  be  called  the  common  trials  of 
existence.  For  if  you  will  put  a  character  to  the 
severest  of  all  tests,  see  whether  it  can  bear, 
without  faltering,  the  little,  common  ills  and 
hindrances  of  life.  Many  a  man  will  go  to  his 
martyrdom  with  a  spirit  of  firmness  and  heroic 
composure,  whom  a  little  weariness  or  nervous 
exhaustion,  some  silly  prejudice,  or  capricious 
opposition  would,  for  the  moment,  throw  into  a 
fit  of  vexation  or  ill-nature.  Great  occasions 
rally  great  principles,  and  brace  the  mind  to  a 
lofty  bearing,  a  bearing  that  is  even  above  itself. 
But  trials  that  make  no  occasion  at  all,  leave  it 
to  show  the  goodness  and  beauty  it  has  in  its 
own  disposition.  And  here  precisely  is  the 
superhuman  glory  of  Christ  as  a  character,  that 
He  is  just  as  perfect,  exhibits  just  as  great  a 
spirit  in  little  trials  as  in  great  ones.  In  all  the 
history  of  His  life,  we  are  not  able  to  detect  the 
faintest  indication  that  He  slips  or  falters. 
And  this  is  the  more  remarkable,  that  He  is 
prosecuting  so  great  a  work  with  so  great  en- 
thusiasm;  counting  it  His  meat  and  drink,  and 
pouring  into  it  all  the  energies  of  His  life.  For 
when  men  have  great  works  on  hand,  their  very 
enthusiasm  runs  to  impatience.  When  thwarted 
or  unreasonably  hindered,  their  soul  strikes  fire 
against  the  obstacles  they  meet,  they  worry 
themselves  at  every  hindrance,  every  disap- 
pointment, and  break  out  in  stormy  and  fanatical 
violence.  But  Jesus,  for  some  reason,  is  just  as 
even,  just  as  serene,  in  all  His  petty  vexations 
and  hindrances,  as  if  He  had  nothing  on  hand 
to  do.  A  kind  of  sacred  patience  invests  Him 
everywhere.  Having  no  element  of  crude  will 
mixed  with  His  work.  He  is  able,  in  all  trial  and 
opposition,  to  hold  a  condition  of  serenity  above 
the  clouds,  and  let  them  sail  under  Him,  without 
ever  obscuring  the  sun.  He  is  poor,  and  hungry, 
and  weary,  and  despised,  insulted  by  His 
enemies,  deserted  by  His  friends,  but  never 
disheartened,  never  fretted  or  ruflled.  You  see, 
meantime,  that  He  is  no  Stoic  ;  He  visibly  feels 
every  such  ill  as  His  delicate  and  sensitive  nature 
must,  but  He  has  some  sacred  and  sovereign 
good  present  to  mingle  with  His  pains,  which, 
as  it  were  naturally  and  without  any  self-watch- 


394 

18780— 18784] 


NEiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN     ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


ing,  allays  them.  He  does  not  seem  to  rule  His 
temper,  but  rather  to  have  none ;  for  temper,  in 
the  sense  of  passion,  is  a  fury  that  follows  the 
will,  as  the  lightnings  follow  the  disturbing  forces 
of  the  winds  among  the  clouds  ;  and  accordingly 
where  there  is  no  self-will  to  roll  up  the  clouds 
and  hurl  them  through  the  sky,  the  lightnings 
hold  their  equilibrium,  and  are  as  though  they 
were  not. — H.  Bushnell,  D.D. 

[18781]  Men  undertake  to  be  spiritual,  and 
they  become  ascetic  ;  or,  endeavouring  to  hold 
a  liberal  view  of  the  comforts  and  pleasures  of 
society,  they  are  soon  buried  in  the  world,  and 
slaves  to  its  fashions  ;  or,  holding  a  scrupulous 
watch  to  keep  out  every  particular  sin,  they 
become  legal,  and  fall  out  of  liberty  ;  or,  charmed 
with  the  noble  and  heavenly  liberty,  they  run  to 
negligence  and  irresponsible  living  ;  so  the 
earnest  become  violent,  the  fervent  fanatical 
and  censorious,  the  gentle  waver,  the  firm  turn 
bigots,  the  liberal  grow  lax,  the  benevolent  os- 
tentatious. Poor  human  infirmity  can  hold 
nothing  steady.  Where  the  pivot  of  righteous- 
ness is  broken,  the  scales  must  needs  slide  off 
their  balance.  Indeed,  it  is  one  of  the  most 
difficult  things  which  a  cultivated  Christian  can 
attempt,  only  to  sketch  a  theoretic  view  of 
character,  in  its  true  justness  and  proportion, 
so  that  a  little  more  study,  or  a  little  more  self- 
experience,  will  not  require  him  to  modify  it. 
And  yet  the  character  of  Christ  is  never  modi- 
fied, even  by  a  shade  of  rectification.  It  is  one 
and  the  same  throughout.  He  makes  no  im- 
provements, prunes  no  extravagances,  returns 
from  no  eccentricities.  The  balance  of  His 
character  is  never  disturbed  or  readjusted,  and 
the  astounding  assumption  on  which  it  is  based 
is  never  shaken,  even  by  a  suspicion  that  He 
falters  in  it. — Ibid. 

IV.  The  Simple  Beauty  and  Striking 
Power  of  His  Teaching. 

[18782]  Wherein  does  the  peculiar  power  of 
His  teaching  consist  ?  The  secret  of  its  influ- 
ence lies  in  no  peculiar  excellence  of  diction. 
Jesus  was  no  poet,  no  orator,  no  philosopher. 
It  is  not  the  charm  of  poetry  which  attracts  us, 
not  the  ingenious  application  which  surprises, 
not  flights  of  eloquence  which  carry  us  away, 
not  bold  speculation  which  evokes  our  astonish- 
ment ;  it  is  none  of  these.  No  one  could  speak 
with  more  simplicity  than  Jesus  speaks — whether 
we  consider  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  or  His 
parables  on  the  kingdom  of  God,  or  the  so-called 
high-priestly  prayer.  But  this  is  the  very  reason 
of  His  influence,  that  He  utters  the  greatest  and 
most  sublime  truths  in  the  very  plainest  words, 
so  that,  as  Pascal  says,  one  might  almost  think 
He  was  Himself  unconscious  what  truths  He 
was  propounding,  unless  He  had  expressed  them 
with  such  clearness,  certainly,  and  conviction, 
that  we  see  how  well  He  knew  what  He  was 
saying. — Luthardt. 

[18783]  We  cannot  fail  to  see  that  the  world 


of  eternal  truth  is  His  home,  and  that  His 
thouglits  have  constant  intercourse  therewith. 
He  speaks  of  God  and  of  His  relation  to  Him, 
of  the  supermundane  world  of  spirits  of  the 
future  world,  and  of  the  future  life  of  man  ;  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earth,  of  its  nature 
and  history  ;  of  the  highest  moral  truths,  and  of 
the  supreme  obligations  of  man— in  short,  of  all 
the  greatest  problems  and  deepest  enigmas  of 
life,  as  simply  and  plainly,  with  such  an  absence 
of  mental  excitement,  without  expatiating  upon 
His  peculiar  knowledge,  and  even  without  that 
dwelling  upon  details  so  usual  with  those  who 
have  anything  new  to  impart,  as  though  all  were 
quite  natural  and  self-evident.  We  see  that  the 
sublimest  truths  are  His  nature.  He  is  not 
merely  a  teacher  of  truth,  but  is  Himself  its 
source.  Truth  is  a  part  of  His  very  being.  He 
can  say,  I  am  the  Truth.  And  the  feeling  with 
which  we  listen  to  His  words  is,  that  we  are 
listening  to  the  voice  of  truth  itself  Hence  the 
power  which  these  have  at  all  times  exercised 
over  the  minds  of  men. — Ibid. 

[18784]  He  knew  the  mental  habits  of  the 
people  to  whom  His  preaching  was  addressed. 
He  knew  that  in  general  they  were  not  a  culti- 
vated and  an  intellectual  people.  Their  con- 
ceptions were  gross,  and  they  needed  a  species 
of  instruction  which  should  make  much  use  of 
their  senses  in  so  setting  truth  before  their  minds 
as  to  do  them  good,  and  He  adapted  His  in- 
structions to  them  accordingly.  When  He 
would  rebuke  the  pride  of  man,  and  inculcate 
on  His  disciples  the  need  of  cultivating  a  lowly 
and  confiding  temper  of  heart,  He  does  not 
merely  deliver  to  them  the  abstract  and  general, 
though  all-important  truth,  that  man  must  be 
converted  and  experience  a  radical  transforma- 
tion of  character,  in  order  to  their  being  saved  ; 
but,  to  impress  this  sentiment  more  strongly. 
He  takes  a  little  child  and  sets  him  in  the  midst 
of  them,  and  then  tells  them  how  salvation  is  to 
be  obtained  :  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except 
ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children, 
ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Whoso  receiveth  not  the  kingdom  of  God 
as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter  therein." 
When  He  would  teach  men  to  confide  in  the 
all-governing  providence  of  God,  and  not  yield 
to  impatience,  or  discouragement,  or  unbelieving 
fear.  He  summons  to  His  aid  the  objects  of 
Nature  around  Him,  and  makes  the  dependence 
of  all  her  tribes,  animate  and  inanimate,  sub- 
servient to  His  design.  "  Consider  the  lilies  of 
the  field."  "  Consider  the  ravens."  Who 
nourishes  them  ?  Who  gives  them  their  deli- 
cate clothing  ?  Who  protects  them  in  the 
storm.''  Who  preserves  them  through  the 
changing  seasons .''  The  field,  untrodden  by 
the  foot  of  man,  and  uncultivated  by  human 
care,  has  flowers  surpassing  in  glory  the  richest 
and  wisest  of  earthly  kings  ;  but  "  they  toil  not, 
neither  do  they  spin."  Who  rears  and  upholds 
these  little  and  delicate  structures.-*  "If  God 
so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is, 
and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  He 


18784— 18789] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    EKA. 


395 


[the  saviouk. 


not  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith?"  When 
our  Saviour  would  impress  upon  us  the  duty  of 
kindness  to  our  poor  neighbour,  and  tell  us  who 
is  our  neighbour,  He  relates  the  misfortune  of 
a  Jew,  who  "went  down  to  Jericho  and  fell 
among  thieves." — E.  Magoon. 

[18785]  It  is  a  remarkable  and  even  super- 
human distinction  of  Jesus,  that,  while  He  is 
advancing  doctrines  so  far  transcending  all 
deductions  of  philosophy,  and  opening  mysteries 
that  defy  all  human  powers  of  explication,  He  is 
yet  able  to  set  His  teachings  in  a  form  of  sim- 
plicity that  accommodates  all  classes  of  minds. 
And  tliis,  for  the  reason  that  He  speaks  directly 
to  men's  convictions  themselves,  without  and 
apart  from  any  learned  and  curious  elaboration, 
such  as  the  uncultivated  cannot  follow.  No  one 
of  the  great  writers  of  antiquity  had  even  pro- 
pounded, as  yet,  a  doctrine  of  virtue  which  the 
multitude  could  understand.  It  was  taught  as 
being  to  kcCKov  (the  good),  or  to  TrptTrov  (the  be- 
coming), or  something  of  that  nature,  as  distant 
from  all  their  apprehensions,  and  as  destitute 
of  motive  power,  as  if  it  were  a  doctrine  of 
mineralogy.  Considered  as  a  gift  to  the  world 
at  large,  it  was  the  gift  of  a  stone,  not  of  bread. 
But  Jesus  tells  them  directly,  in  a  manner  level 
to  their  understanding,  what  they  want,  what 
they  must  do  and  be,  to  inherit  eternal  life,  and 
their  inmost  convictions  answer  to  His  words. 
Besides,  His  doctrine  is  not  so  much  a  doctrine 
as  a  biography,  a  personal  power,  a  truth  all 
motivity,  a  love  walking  the  earth  in  the  prox- 
imity of  a  mortal  fellowship.  He  only  speaks 
what  goes  forth  as  a  feeling  and  a  power  in  His 
life,  breathing  into  all  hearts.  To  be  capable  of 
His  doctrine,  only  requires  that  the  hearer  be  a 
human  creature  wanting  to  know  the  truth. 
Call  Him  then,  who  will,  a  man,  a  human 
teacher  ;  what  human  teacher  ever  came  down 
thus  upon  the  soul  of  the  race,  as  a  beam  of 
light  from  the  skies — pure  light,  shining  directly 
into  the  visual  orb  of  the  mind,  a  light  for  all 
that  live,  a  full  transparent  day,  in  which  truth 
bathes  the  spirit  as  an  element  ?  Others  talk 
and  speculate  about  truth,  and  those  who  can 
may  follow  ;  but  Jesus  is  the  truth,  and  lives  it, 
and,  if  He  is  a  mere  human  teacher,  He  is  the 
first  who  was  ever  able  to  find  a  form  for  truth 
at  all  adequate  to  the  world's  uses.  And  yet 
the  truths  He  teaches  out-reach  all  the  doctrines 
of  all  the  philosophers  of  the  world.  He  excels 
them,  a  hundredfold  more,  in  the  scope  and 
grandeur  of  His  doctrine,  than  He  does  in  His 
simplicity  itself. — H.  Bjislmell,  D.D. 

[18786]  He  realized,  in  the  presence  of  the 
human  race,  an  ideal  of  human  perfection  level 
to  popular  comprehension  and  within  the  reach 
of  all.  In  His  person,  His  demeanour,  and  His 
speech,  the  world  saw  the  infinite  brought  down 
to  our  standard,  so  realized  that  we  can  easily 
understand  it,  and  feel  the  majesty  and  beauty 
ofthatloveto  Christ  which  is  nothing  but  the 
imitation  of  God  brought  near  to  the  roused 
intellect  and  heart.      We  cannot  wonder  that 


the  people  were  spell-bound  in  the  presence  of 

such  a  teacher.  The  pure  and  joyous  effulgence 
of  truth  emanating  from  Him  must  have  capti- 
vated their  vision,  like  the  sun  as  he  batlies 
with  his  beams  fragrant  vales  and  bleak  moun- 
tain-tops. Christ  was  radiant  with  celestial 
benignity,  which  He  transfused  into  the  sur- 
rounding multitudes  through  the  simplest  ex- 
pressions and  most  transparent  life,  fascinating 
the  popular  heart,  and  lifting  it  to  a  participation 
of  immortal  bliss. — E.  Magoon. 

[18787]  The  chief  element  of  Christ's  power 
lay  in  the  fact  that  He  thrilled  the  principle  of 
perfectibility  latent  in  every  rational  creature 
whom  He  addressed.  By  His  own  incarnation 
He  glorified  humanity,  and  came  breathing  into 
every  recess  of  its  bleeding  and  aspiring  heart 
nothing  but  peace  and  love.  He  explained  the 
possibility  of  our  being  one  with  God,  and  pre- 
sented motives  for  our  becoming  grand  as 
eternity.  In  this  way  He  portrayed  the  soul  as 
a  treasure  most  precious,  which  the  universal 
Father  bends  down  with  infinite  solicitude  to 
rescue,  ennoble,  and  for  ever  preserve.  "  My 
Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work,"  said  He; 
and  His  incessant  effort  was  to  elevate  souls  by 
revealing  to  them  the  gospel  plan  of  spiritual 
perfection.  All  His  labours  and  lessons  were 
designed  to  lift  up  the  fallen  race  of  Adam,  to 
remove  every  obstruction  in  the  way  of  moral 
improvement,  and  to  show  how  man  is  to  be 
loved  as  God's  child,  a  creature  of  immortality, 
a  temple  built  for  the  skies.  Of  all  teachers 
Christ  was  the  best,  of  all  reformers  the  wisest 
and  most  beneficent  ;  for  His  thoughts  were  the 
mightiest,  and  He  strove  with  divinest  zeal. — 
Ibid. 

[18788]  Christ  best  knew  what  was  in  man, 
and  He  was  so  bent  on  developing  and  en- 
nobling his  torpid  powers,  that  gracious  words 
and  beneficent  deeds  were  as  common  to  Him 
as  vital  air  and  daily  bread.  If  He  was  the 
wisest  teacher  that  ever  descended  from  heaven, 
it  was  because  He  habitually  acted  on  the 
principle  that  the  religious  sentiment  in  human 
beings  is  the  mightiest  agent  on  earth.  To  give 
this  a  proper  training,  and  to  preserve  it  from  a 
perverted  use,  was  His  constant  aim.  To  ac- 
complish this  the  more  benignly,  and  with  the 
widest  advantage.  He  did  not  conduct  His 
hearers  through  the  dubious  region  of  conflicting 
theories,  but  brought  them  at  once  into  the  lucid 
medium  of  absolute  truth  ;  by  word  and  action 
He  reached  their  intentions  through  His  own 
deepest  and  most  tender  consciousness,  without 
permitting  any  intellectual  refinements  or  fas- 
tidious niceties  of  the  brain  to  check  and  chill 
their  outpouring. — Ibid. 

[18789]  He  preferred  solid  to  popular  virtues  : 
a  character  which  is  commonly  despised,  to  a 
character  universally  extolled  ;  He  placed  on 
our  licentious  vices  the  check  in  the  right  place, 
viz.,  upon  the  thoughts  :  He  collected  human 
duty  into  two  well-devised  rules  ;  He  repeated 


396 

18739—18793] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


these  rules,  and  laid  great  stress  upon  them, 
and  thereby  fixed  the  sentiments  of  His  followers. 
He  excluded  all  regard  to  reputation  in  our 
devotion  and  alms  ;  and,  by  parity  of  reason, 
in  our  other  virtues  ;  His  instructions  were  de- 
liveied  in  a  form  calculated  for  impression  ;  they 
were  illustrated  by  parables,  the  choice  and 
structure  of  which  would  have  been  admired  in 
any  composition  whatever  ;  He  was  free  from 
the  usual  symptoms  of  heat  and  vehemence  in 
devotion,  austerity  in  institutions,  and  a  wild 
particularity  in  the  description  of  a  future  state  ; 
He  was  free  also  from  the  depravities  of  His 
age  and  country,  without  superstition  among 
the  most  superstitious  of  men  ;  yet  not  decrying 
positive  distinctions  or  external  observances,  but 
soberly  recalling  them  to  the  principle  of  their 
establishment,  and  to  the  place  in  the  scale  of 
human  duties  ;  there  was  nothing  of  sophistry 
or  trifling,  though  amidst  teachers  remarkable 
for  nothing  so  much  as  frivolous  subtleties  and 
quibbling  expositions. — Palcy. 

[18790]  He  was  candid  and  liberal  in  His 
judgment  of  the  rest  of  mankind,  although  be- 
longing to  a  people  who  affected  a  separate 
claim  to  Divine  favour,  and,  in  consequence  of 
that  opinion,  prone  to  uncharitableness,  particu- 
larity, and  restriction;  in  His  religion  there  was 
no  scheme  of  building  up  a  hierarchy,  or  of 
ministering  to  the  views  of  human  governments  ; 
in  a  word,  there  was  everything  so  grand  in 
doctrine,  and  delightful  in  manner,  that  the 
people  might  well  exclaim,  "  Surely  never  man 
spake  like  this  man  !  " — Ibid. 

[18791]  His  object  was  not  to  compel,  but 
persuade  ;  to  gain  consent  where  consent  was 
wanting  ;  to  make  willing  what  before  was  re- 
luctant ;  to  actuate  the  affections  and  woo  their 
force;  to  make  man  say '' yes,"  willingly  and 
with  joy,  in  a  matter  in  which  he  was  belore  in- 
clined to  say  "  no."  The  power  He  aimed  at 
was  the  persuasion  of  creatures  endowed  with 
reason,  capable  of  faith,  and  strongly  affected 
by  passion  ;  accordingly  the  course  He  pur- 
sued was  harmonious  with  the  end  He  desired. 
The  secret  of  His  influence  consisted  in  the 
nature  of  the  religion  He  taught,  in  its  depth  of 
meaning  and  warmth  of  love,  in  its  perfect  sim- 
plicity and  universal  application.  He  expanded 
into  innumerable  forms,  and  diversified  by  in- 
finite varieties  of  illustration,  the  great  truths 
of  human  sinfulness  and  the  infinite  fulness  of 
Divine  redemption.  He  humbled  Himself  to 
the  condition  of  the  most  humble,  and  poured 
out  the  greatest  treasures  at  the  feet  of  the  most 
indigent,  while  in  each  act  He  was  never  formal, 
but  fraternal,  under  the  guise  of  a  servant  per- 
forming the  functions  of  a  God.  He  knew  that 
a  delicate  and  close  network  of  sensibility  is 
diffused  over  the  entire  body  of  society,  ren- 
dering it  susceptible  of  being  acted  upon  at 
every  point  ;  and  along  this  He  poured  a  tide 
of  His  own  sympathy,  seeking  the  greatest 
good  of  the  greatest  number,  until  He  had 
drawn    all   segments    of    the    great    circle    of 


humanity  to  one  central  spot,  the  throbbing 
core  of  His  own  great  and  benevolent  heart. 
It  was  this  kind  of  address  that  aroused  in  the 
common  people  "  all  the  mysterious  world  of 
eye  and  ear,"  making  them  to  hang  with  de- 
light upon  the  lips  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  to 
lean  fondly  towards  His  swelling  breast.  Each 
new  principle  He  announced  resounded  in  their 
intelligence  like  echoes  from  beyond  the  grave ; 
and  while  they  stood  enthralled  by  the  splen- 
dour of  a  truth  then  first  seen,  they  beheld  in  it 
a  glass  which  showed  "them  many  more — inter- 
minable vistas  of  glory,  joys  that  should  never 
end.  It  was  Christ  who  first  made  the  pulse  of 
true  religion  beat  in  all  the  arteries  of  the  com- 
mon heart,  and  caused  the  people  to  feel  that, 
invested  with  the  serene  and  blessed  atmo- 
sphere of  His  presence  and  instruction,  they 
indeed  stood  in  "  the  presence  chamber  of  the 
King  of  kings." — E.  Magoon. 

[18792]  He  made  popular  impressions  through 
preaching  and  practice,  that  was  replete  with 
love,  overflowing  with  mercy.  He  was  not  the 
impersonation  of  reason  so  much  as  affection  ; 
He  dealt  not  so  much  with  the  moonbeam's 
cold  dialectics,  as  with  the  brilliant  sun-rays 
of  fervid  benevolence.  He  bent  His  ear  to 
every  sigh,  put  forth  His  hand  to  relieve  every 
want  of  the  distressed  :  and  even  when  He  had 
departed,  it  was  natural  that  His  sympathetic 
tones  should  come  back  upon  the  popular  heart 
again,  thrilling  even  to  the  eye's  fountain. 
Christ  addressed  Himself  to  the  tendencies  of 
our  nature  most  easily  awakened,  whose  educa- 
tion is  the  promptest,  and  whose  results  are  the 
most  enduring  ;  to  the  powers  of  enjoyment, 
and  He  thereby  won  souls  to  happiness  and 
peace  ;  to  the  affections,  and  thus  captivated 
them  by  love  ;  to  conscience,  and  caused  it  to 
respond  to  the  instinctive  voice  of  the  moral 
sense  ;  to  the  religious  principle,  and  gave  it 
the  amplest  means  of  redemption  and  eternal 
progress.  In  every  miracle  He  performed  on 
matter  or  on  mind  it  was  our  merciful  Saviour's 
purpose 

"  To  raise  the  human  to  the  holy, 
To  wake  the  spirit  from  the  clay." 

—Ibid. 

[18793]  Can  we  wonder  that  the  eyes  of  the 
Redeemer,  "  which  seemed  to  love  whate'er 
they  looked  upon,"  as  they  met  the  popular 
gaze,  held  all  spirits  spell-bound  ?  Is  it  strange 
that  those  tones  of  His  which  everywhere  pro- 
claimed that  all  rational  beings  have  an  equal 
right  to  live  and  enjoy  elicited  applause  from 
the  throbbing  hearts  on  which  they  fell?  The 
common  people  must  have  been  something  less 
or  more  than  human  to  have  resisted  the  power 
of  wisdom  so  exalted,  and  love  so  impartial. 
He  taught  them  to  look  into  the  everlasting 
mysteries  of  God's  might,  to  be  assimilated  to 
infinite  excellence,  and  thus  to  become  Divine. 
He  created  in  the  common  people  faith,  that 
living  power  which  grows  by  the  struggles  it 
encounters,   and    outruns   the   demands   made 


18793— 18798] 


JNEll^   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


397 


[the  saviour. 


upon  it  by  the  trials  of  life.  As  Elijah,  who 
wore  a  rough  garment,  arose  to  heaven  with 
chariot  and  horses  of  fire,  so  Christ  would  en- 
courage the  humblest  of  earth's  children  to 
aspire  after  celestial  treasures  of  the  greatest 
worth,  through  a  career  the  most  resplendent 
and  full  of  beneficence.  Standing  in  the  pre- 
sence of  such  a  teacher  and  such  a  friend,  the 
people  saw  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  who  ad- 
dressed a  common  nature,  aroused  common 
emotions,  and  imparted  common  blessings,  and 
whose  life,  as  well  as  doctrines,  proclaimed  a 
model  worthy  of  being  not  only  admired  but 
imitated  by  SiW.—  Jk'd. 

V.    The   Example   of    His    Sinlessness 
AND  Merits. 

For  universal  imitation    and   perpetual    guid- 
ance. 

[18794]  Nothing  was  ever  more  simple  and 
open,  more  obvious  and  easy  to  common  imita- 
tion, than  the  life  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  in 
which  there  was  nothing  dark  and  mysterious, 
abstruse  and  intricate  ;  it  was  all  perfect  inno- 
cency  and  goodness,  and  He  carried  on  one 
plain  and  intelligible  and  uniform  design,  which 
was  to  do  all  the  good  He  possibly  could  to  all 
men.  This  He  pursued  with  all  His  might, 
with  the  greatest  vigour  and  industry,  with  an 
undaunted  courage  and  resolution,  with  an 
unwearied  diligence,  with  a  constant  cheerful- 
ness and  serenity  of  mind  ;  this  was  His  meat 
and  drink.  His  great  business  and  delight.  His 
life  and  His  happiness  ;  He  was  not  super- 
ciliously morose,  had  no  affected  singularities, 
no  peculiar  austerities  in  habit  or  diet,  different 
from  the  common  usage  of  men  ;  His  conversa- 
tion was  kind  and  innocent,  free  and  familiar, 
open  and  indifferent  to  all  sorts  of  persons  ;  for 
He  was  a  physician,  and  everybody  had  need 
of  Him,  all  mankind  were  His  patients.  He 
did  not  place  religion  (as  some  have  done  since) 
in  retirement  from  the  world,  shunning  the 
conversation  of  men,  and  taking  great  care  to 
do  nobody  good  :  not  in  profound  mysteries 
and  fine  speculations,  but  in  the  plain  and 
honest  practice  of  the  solid  and  substantial 
virtues  of  a  good  life  ;  in  meekness  and  humility, 
in  kindness  and  charity,  in  contentedness  in  a 
low  and  mean  condition,  and  a  calm  composure 
of  mind  under  all  accidents  and  events,  in 
patience  under  the  greatest  reproaches  and  suf- 
ferings, and  a  perfect  submission  to  the  will  of 
God  in  all  His  dispensations,  how  harsh  and 
unpleasant  soever.  Now  there  is  nothing  in  all 
this  but  what  lies  open  to  every  man's  under- 
standing, and  is  easy  to  our  practice  and  imita- 
tion, requiring  nothing  but  an  honest  mind,  and 
due  care  and  diligence  to  do  what  we  may 
easily  know,  to  follow  our  guide  in  a  plain  way, 
and  in  all  the  actions  of  our  lives,  to  tread  in 
those  steps  in  which  the  Son  of  God,  and  the 
best  man  that  ever  was,  hath  gone  before  us. — 
Abp.  Tillotson. 

[18795]  The   representation,  as   far  as   pos- 


sible by  man,  of  the  life  and  character  of  Christ 
in  His  own  nature  should  be  the  mainspring  of 
every  action  and  the  end  of  all  endeavour. 
Visible  to  the  pilgrim  follower's  eye  must  ever 
be  that  guiding  sign-post  along  the  Divine 
route— "This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it." — 
A.  M.  A.  IV. 

[18796]  If  Jesus  Christ  recommended  active 
benevolence.  He  went  about  doing  good  ;  if  He 
preached  forgiveness  of  injuries,  He  prayed  for 
His  murderers;  if  He  inculcated  self-denial.  He 
voluntarily  subjected  Himself  to  penury,  crosses, 
persecution,  and  death  ;  if  He  prescribed  piety 
toward  God,  He  passed  days  and  nights  in 
prayer ;  if  He  enjoined  resignation  to  the 
Divine  will,  He  freely  drank  the  cup  which  His 
Father  gave  to  His  lips.  In  these  respects  it 
scarcely  becomes  us  to  observe,  that  our  Lord 
presented  a  marked  contrast  to  the  example, 
often  pernicious,  always  imperfect,  of  other 
teachers  ;  since  there  is  almost  impiety  in  sup- 
posing the  bare  possibility  that  He  could  have 
infringed  His  own  laws.  But  we  may  remark, 
that  by  thus  practising  and  excmplifyng  them, 
He  has  rendered  no  small  service  to  the  great 
cause  of  virtue,  since,  in  addition  to  His  instruc- 
tions, He  has  exhibited,  and,  as  it  were,  em- 
bodied a  living  pattern  of  that  new  cast  and 
description  of  character,  of  those  original  and 
distinctive  excellences,  which  He  has  pre- 
scribed to  His  followers. — G.  Chandle,  LL.D. 

[18797]  "Call  upon  Me,"  saith  He,  "in  the 
day  of  trouble  ;  so  will  1  deliver  thee,  and  thou 
shalt  honour  Me."  Nothing  so  well  bridles  the 
rush  of  anger,  allays  the  swelling  of  pride,  heals 
the  wound  of  jealousy,  curbs  the  flow  of  sen- 
suality, quenches  the  flame  of  lust,  abates  the 
thirst  of  avarice,  and  banishes  the  irritation  of 
every  unseemly  feeling  ;  since,  when  I  name 
Jesus,  I  set  before  myself  a  man  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart,  conspicuous  by  all  moral  dignity 
and  holiness,  and  one  who  is  at  the  same  time 
God  Almighty  to  heal  me  by  His  example,  and 
to  strengthen  me  by  His  aid. — ^S7.  Bernard. 

[1879S]  In  the  virtues  of  His  life,  when  He 
went  up  and  down  doing  good,  and  suffering 
evil.  He  was  an  example  fit  to  be  proposed  to 
the  imitation  of  all  His  followers  ;  He  was  at 
once  an  example  of  the  active  and  the  passive 
virtues  ;  but  as  it  is  the  most  difficult  part  to 
suffer  in  a  right  manner,  to  bear  everything 
most  painful  and  disagreeable  to  human  nature, 
and  neither  quit  our  patience  nor  innocence  ; 
so  of  this  most  difficult  part  of  that  righteous- 
ness which  He  fulfilled  in  the  whole  extent  of  it, 
He  gave  us  tlie  most  perfect  pattern  in  the  last 
scene  of  His  life,  which  was  nothing  but  suffer- 
ing. And  to  carry  His  example  to  the  gre  itest 
height.  He  not  only  sufl'ered  from  men,  but 
from  God  ;  pain  and  shame  and  death  from 
men  ;  desertion  from  God  :  in  all  teaching  us 
how  to  behave  with  humble  filial  resignation  to 
the  one,  and  charity  and  meekness  to  the  other, 
— H.  Grove. 


398 

1C799  -12302] 


NEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


[18799]  'Tis  the  example  of  our  best  friend  and 
greatest  benefactor,  Him  who  laid  down  His 
life  for  us,  and  sealed  His  love  to  us  with  His 
own  blood,  and  while  we  were  bitter  enemies  to 
Him,  did  and  suffered  more  for  us  than  any 
man  ever  did  for  his  dearest  friend.  How 
powerfully  must  such  a  pattern  recommend 
goodness  and  kindness  and  compassion  to  us, 
who  have  had  so  much  comfort  and  advantage 
from  them  !  Had  not  the  Son  of  God  com- 
miserated our  case,  and  pitied  and  relieved  us  in 
our  low  and  wretched  condition,  we  had  been 
extremely  and  for  ever  miserable,  beyond  all 
imagination,  and  past  all  remedy.  All  the 
kindness  and  compassion,  all  the  mercy  and 
forgiveness  He  would  have  us  practise  towards 
one  another,  He  Himself  first  exercised  upon 
us  ;  and  surely  we  have  a  much  greater  obliga- 
tion upon  us  to  the  practice  of  these  virtues 
than  He  had.  For  He  did  all  this  for  our 
sakes  ;  we  do  it  for  our  own.  We  have  a 
natural  obligation,  both  in  point  of  duty  and 
interest.  His  was  voluntary,  and  what  He  took 
upon  Himself,  that  He  might  at  once  be  a 
Saviour  and  an  example  to  us.  He  that  coin- 
mands  us  to  do  good  to  others,  was  our  great 
benefactor  ;  He  that  requires  us  to  forgive  our 
enemies,  shed  His  own  blood  for  the  forgive- 
ness of  our  sins  ;  while  we  were  enemies  to 
Him,  laid  down  His  life  for  us,  making  Himself 
the  example  of  that  goodness  which  He  com- 
mands us  to  show  to  others. — Abp.  Tillotso7t. 

[18800]  The  character  of  our  Lord  is  to  be 
regarded  as  an  example.  "  I  have  given  you  an 
example,''  said  He,  "  that  ye  should  do  as  I 
have  done  unto  you.  Learn  of  Me.  A  new 
commandment  I  give  unto  you,  That  ye  love 
one  another  ;  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also 
love  one  another."  Thus  He  seeks  to  augment 
the  value  of  His  own  character,  regarded  as  an 
argument  for  the  gospel,  by  multiplying  the 
copies  of  His  excellence  in  the  lives  of  all 
His  people  :  He  would  render  each  of  His 
disciples  like  Himself — a  living  demonstration 
for  the  truth.  All  the  wealth  of  moral  power 
which  the  wise  and  the  good  have  ever  pos- 
sessed is  summed  up  in  Him,  and  infinitely 
augmented,  and  brought  to  bear  on  the  hearts 
of  His  people  ;  that  by  living  as  under  the  focus 
of  all  excellence,  they  might  be  transformed  into 
the  same  image.  Having  turned  all  His  infinite 
nature  into  grace,  having  dissolved  into  a  foun- 
tain of  healing  mercy  for  the  recovery  of  the 
world,  He  would  now  employ  the  hearts  of  His 
people  as  consecrated  channels  for  the  diffusion 
of  its  streams  :  He  would  have  their  natures, 
like  His  own,  changed  into  tenderness  and  love. 
It  is  true,  His  example  can  never  be  equalled, 
for  it  embodies  infinite  goodness  ;  but  with  so 
much  the  greater  force  does  it  oblige  us,  in  our 
humble  measure,  to  attempt  the  imitation. 
Having  adopted  our  humanity,  when  it  was 
only  related  to  Him,  like  other  natures,  by 
creation,  He  is  surely  entitled  to  expect  that  we 
should  love  our  own  flesh,  that  we  should  seek 
the  welfare  of  the  nature  which  is  essentially 


our  own,  by  diffusing  the  greatest  possible  hap- 
piness among  those  connatural  with  us.  Having 
died  for  the  good  of  man,  the  least  He  is  autho- 
rized to  expect  is,  that  we  should  live  for  the 
same  benevolent  object.— y.  Hanna,  D.D. 

[18801]  The  life  of  our  blessed  Saviour  is  an 
encouraging  example.  It  cannot  but  give  great 
life  to  all  good  resolutions  and  endeavours  to 
see  all  that  which  God  requires  of  us  performed 
by  one  in  our  nature,  by  a  man  like  our- 
selves. Our  Saviour,  indeed,  had  many  advan- 
tages above  us,  being  God  as  well  as  man  ; 
and  His  humanity  being  supported  by  the 
Divine  nature  to  which  it  was  united,  being 
clear  from  all  the  ill  effects  of  original  sin,  and 
from  all  kind  of  vicious  and  inordinate  inclina- 
tions ;  but  then  it  is  a  great  encouragement  to 
us  to  consider  that  God  doth  not  require  at 
our  hands  a  perfect  and  unsinning  obedience, 
as  the  condition  of  our  salvation  and  happiness  ; 
but  only  such  an  obedience  to  His  laws  as  is 
sincere  and  continually  aspiring  after  greater 
perfection,  which  is  very  possible  to  us  by  the 
grace  of  Christ,  even  in  this  imperfect  state  ; 
that  God  considers  our  weakness,  and  how 
much  we  stand  in  need  of  His  grace  and  assist- 
ance, and  hath  assured  us  that  it  shall  not  be 
wanting  to  us,  if  we  heartily  and  earnestly  beg 
it  of  Him  ;  and  that  strength  which  we  may  have 
for  asking,  is  as  good  as  if  it  were  our  own.  If 
Christ  were  the  Son  of  God,  so  are  we  in  a 
lower  degree,  by  grace  and  adoption  ;  and  if  we 
be  the  sons  of  God,  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells  in 
us,  to  quicken  and  raise  us  to  newness  of  life. 
And  He  that  hath  left  us  such  an  example,  on 
purpose  that  we  might  follow  it,  will  not  surely 
leave  us  destitute  of  power  to  enable  us  to  do 
so.  It  is  a  good  argument  to  us,  that  He  will 
enable  us  to  do  that  in  some  degree  in  our  own 
persons  which  He  Himself  did  for  our  example 
in  our  nature.  An  example  more  suitable  to 
our  weakness  might  seem  to  have  had  more  of 
encouragement  in  it  ;  but  we  are  to  consider 
that  the  Son  of  God  assumed  our  nature,  as 
compassed  with  infirmities,  and  liable  to  be 
tempted  in  all  things  as  we  are,  only  without 
sin  ;  so  that  His  example  could  not  possibly 
have  come  nearer  to  us  than  it  does,  without 
great  disadvantage  to  us,  without  wanting  that 
perfection  which  is  necessary  to  a  complete  and 
absolute  pattern.  In  short,  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
dwells  in  us,  and  the  same  Spirit  which  kept 
and  preserved  Him  from  all  sin  is  equally  able 
to  mortify  sin  in  us,  and  to  enable  us  to  do  the 
will  of  God  in  such  manner  as  He  will  accept 
to  our  justification. — Abp.  Tillotson. 

[18802]  Distinguish  between  a  model  and  an 
example.  You  copy  the  outline  of  a  model  ; 
you  imitate  the  spirit  of  an  example.  Christ 
is  our  example  :  Christ  is  not  our  model.  You 
might  copy  the  life  of  Christ,  make  Him  a 
model  in  every  act,  and  yet  you  might  be  not 
one  whit  more  of  a  Christian  than  before.  You 
might  wash  the  feet  of  poor  fishermen  as  He 
did,  live  a  wandering  life  with  nowhere  to  lay 


i88o2— i83o8] 


NEW   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA, 


399 


[the  saviour. 


your  head.  You  might  go  about  teaching,  and 
never  use  any  words  but  His  words,  never  ex- 
press a  rehgious  truth  except  in  Bible  language: 
have  no  home,  and  mix  with  pubHcans  and 
harlots.  Then  Christ  would  be  your  model  : 
you  would  have  copied  His  life  like  a  picture, 
line  for  line,  and  shadow  for  shadow  ;  and  yet 
you  might  not  be  Christlike.  On  the  other 
hand,  you  might  imitate  Christ,  get  His  Spirit, 
breathe  the  atmosphere  of  thought  which  He 
breathed  :  do  not  one  single  act  which  He  did, 
but  every  act  in  His  spirit  :  you  might  be  rich, 
whereas  He  was  poor  :  never  teach,  whereas 
He  was  teaching  always  ;  lead  a  life  in  all  out- 
ward particulars  the  very  contrast  and  opposite 
of  His  :  and  yet  the  spirit  of  His  self-devotion 
might  have  saturated  your  whole  being,  and 
penetrated  into  the  life  of  every  act  and  the 
essence  of  every  thought.  Then  Christ  would 
have  become  your  example  ;  for  we  can  only 
imitate  that  of  which  we  have  caught  the  spirit. 
— Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

[18S03]  Notwithstanding  the  profound  mys- 
tery which  belongs  to  our  Lord's  personality, 
and  notwithstanding  the  difficulty  we  may 
find  in  the  interpretation  of  His  words  and 
acts,  there  are  at  least  two  things  of  which 
we  feel  quite  certain.  First,  we  feel  cer- 
tain that  eternal  moral  law  lies  at  the 
very  heart  ot  His  holy  life,  and  of  the  great 
salvation  which  He  accomplished  by  His 
atoning  death.  And,  secondly,  we  feel  certain 
that  His  obedience  to  law  was  not  only  con- 
stant and  undeviating,  but  voluntary  and  free. 
He  is  therefore  the  Pattern  Man,  fully  realizing 
the  Divine  Ideal  of  humanity,  an  unchangeable 
Saviour,  "  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for 
ever."  He  is  the  beloved  Son  in  whom  the 
Father  is  well  pleased  ;  and  to  Him  belongs, 
in  its  fullest  sense,  the  saying  of  St.  John  :  "  He 
that  doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  for  ever." 
The  perfection  of  His  character  is  the  manifes- 
tation of  the  eternal  law  in  the  human  world  ; 
and  its  invariability  forms  the  ground  of  induc- 
tive inference  in  our  dealing  with  the  historical 
facts  of  His  earthly  life. — P.  Strutt. 

[1SS04]  The  works  of  love  that  He  requires 
of  us,  in  words,  are  preceded  and  illustrated  by 
real  deeds  of  love,  to  which  He  gave  up  all  His 
mighty  powers  from  day  to  day.  He  bore  the 
cross  Himself  that  He  commanded  us  to  take 
up  and  bear  after  Him.  Requiring  us  to  hate 
even  life  for  the  gospel's  sake.  He  went  before 
us  in  dying  for  the  gospel  ;  sufit'ering  a  death 
most  bitter  at  the  hands  of  enemies  exasperated 
only  by  His  goodness,  and  that  when,  at  a  word. 
He  might  have  called  to  His  aid  whole  legions 
of  angels,  and  driven  them  out  of  the  world. 
And  then  He  went  before  us  in  the  bursting  of 
the  grave  and  the  resurrection  from  it  ;  be- 
coming, in  His  own  person,  the  firstfruits  of 
them  that  slept.  And,  finally,  He  ascended, 
and  passed  within  the  veil  before  us,  as  our 
forerunner,  whom  we  are  to  follow  even  there. — 
H.  Bushnell,  D.D. 


[18805]  Christ's  divinity  does  not  destroy  the 
reality  of  His  manhood  by  overshadowing  or 
absorbing  it.  Certainly  the  Divine  attributes 
of  Jesus  are  beyond  our  imitation.  We  can 
but  adore  a  boundless  intelligence  or  a  resistless 
will.  But  the  province  of  the  imilable  in  the 
life  of  Jesus  is  not  indistinctly  traced  :  as  the 
Friend  of  publicans  and  sinners,  as  the  Con- 
soler of  those  who  suffer,  and  as  the  Helper  of 
those  who  want,  Jesus  Christ  is  at  home  among 
us.  We  can  copy  Him,  not  merely  in  the  out- 
ward activities  of  charity,  but  in  its  inward 
temper.  We  can  copy  the  tenderness,  the 
meekness,  the  patience,  the  courage,  which 
shine  forth  from  His  perfect  manhood.  His 
human  perfections  constitute,  indeed,  a  faultless 
ideal  of  beauty,  which,  as  moral  artists,  we  are 
bound  to  keep  in  view.  W'hat  the  true  and 
highest  model  of  a  human  life  is,  has  been 
decided  for  us  Christians  by  the  appearance  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  flesh.  Others  may  endeavour 
to  reopen  that  question  ;  for  us  it  is  settled,  and 
settled  irrevocably. — Canon  Liddon. 

[18806]  How  many  have  prayed  for  their 
murderers,  now  that  the  Pattern  Man  has 
enabled  our  hearts  to  feel  what,  but  for  His 
example,  might  have  been  for  ever  hidden  in 
the  undeveloped  capacities  of  man's  nature — 
that  revenge  is  less  noble  than  forgiveness.  Thus 
has  He  set  forth  the  perfect  type  of  manhood, 
and,  through  the  example  of  the  elder  brother, 
the  lineaments  of  truth  may  be  discerned  even 
in  the  corrupted  nature  of  His  brethren. — R.  J. 
Wilberforce. 

[18S07]  Imitation  is  an  instinct  in  human 
nature,  and  therefore  it  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  have  a  perfect  model  to  follow. 
Most  men  who  have  succeeded  have  had  some 
grand  model  before  them.  To  be  a  Christlike 
Christian,  it  is  most  essential  to  be  continually 
studying  the  life  and  character  of  Christ. — Rev. 
G.  Bowes. 


VI.  Effects  of  the  Wondrous  Life  of 
Christ. 

I       General  and  universal. 

//  sways  the  luorld^  and  influences  all 
ages. 

[18S08J  It  is  like  a  key  to  all  His  teaching 
and  to  Himself  likewise,  which  St.  Luke  has 
preserved  for  us,  not  in  his  Gospel,  but  in  the 
Acts,  in  that  precious  morsel  of  early  tradition, 
that  else  unrecorded  maxim  of  the  Master,  cited 
at  Miletus  by  St.  Paul  :  "  It  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive  ! "  When  this  Divine 
axiom,  illuminated  by  the  unspeakable  gift  of 
Christ  Himself  for  a  lost  race,  lodged  itself  in 
primitive  Christian  hearts,  it  changed  the  world. 
In  this  Paul  followed  Christ,  saying,  "  I  please 
all  men  in  all  things,  not  seeking  mine  own 
profit,  but  the  salvation  of  many."  In  this  he 
bade  the  Churches  follow  him  :  "Let  no  man 
seek  his  own,  but  every  man  another's."      The 


400 

i88o8— i88i2l 


IVEIi'    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


echoes  of  this  great  lesson  in  Godlike  love  have 
gone  on  ringing  and  repeating  themselves  all 
down  the  Christian  ages,  too  faint,  alas  !  yet 
never  dying  out. — Osivald  Dykes,  D.D. 

[18809]  The  effects  of  the  work  of  Christ  are 
even   to    the  unbeliever  undisputable  and  his- 
torical.    It  expelled  cruelty  ;  it  curbed  passion  ; 
it   branded  suicide  ;  it  punished  and  repressed 
an  execrable  infanticide  ;  it  drove  the  shameless 
impurities  of  heathendom  into  a  cong-enial  dark- 
ness.     There  was  hardly  a  class  whose  wrongs 
it  did  not  remedy.     It  rescued  the  gladiator  ;  it 
freed  the  slave  ;    it  protected   the  captive  ;    it 
nursed  the  sick  ;  it  sheltered  the  orphan  ;  it  ele- 
vated the  woman  ;  it  shrouded  as  with  a  halo  of 
sacred  innocence  the  tender  years  of  the  child. 
In  every  region  of  life  its  ameliorating  influence 
was  felt.      It  changed  pity  from  a  vice  into  a 
virtue.     It  elevated  poverty  from  a  curse  into  a 
beatitude.     It  ennobled  labour  from  a  vulgarity 
into  a  dignity   and  a  duty.     It  sanctified  mar- 
riage from  little  more  than  a  burdensome  con- 
vention into  little  less  than  a  blessed  sacrament. 
It  revealed  for  the  first  time  the  angelic  beauty 
of  a  Purity  of  which  men  had  despaired,  and  of 
a  Meekness  at  which  they  had  utterly  scoffed. 
It  created  the  very  conception  of  charity,  and 
broadened  the  limits  of  its  obligation  from  the 
narrow  circle  of  a  neighbourhood  to  the  widest 
horizons  of  the  race.    And  while  it  thus  evolved 
the  idea  of  Humanity  as  a  common  brother- 
hood, even  where  its  tidings  were  not  believed — • 
all  over  the  world,  wherever  its  tidings  were  be- 
lieved it  cleansed  the  life  and  elevated  the  soul 
of  each  individual  man.    And  in  all  lands  where 
it  has  moulded   the  characters  of  its  true  be- 
lievers, it  has  created  hearts  so  pure,  and  lives 
so  peaceful,  and  homes  so  sweet,  that  it  might 
seem  as  though  those  angels  who  had  heralded 
its  advent  had  also  whispered  to  every  depressed 
and  despairing  sufferer  among  the  sons  of  men, 
"Though  ye  have  lien  among  the  pots,  yet  shall 
ye  be  as  the  wings  of  a  dove,  that  is  covered 
with  silver  wings,  and  her  feathers  like  gold." 
Others,  if  they  can  and  will,  may  see  in  such  a 
work  as  this  no  Divine  Providence  ;  they  may 
think  it  philosophical  enlightenment  to  hold  that 
Christianity  and   Christendom    are    adequately 
accounted    for  by  the  idle  dreams   of  a  noble 
self-deceiver,  and  the  passionate  hallucinations 
of  a  recovered  demoniac.     We  persecute  them 
not,  we  denounce  them  not,  we  judge  them  not  ; 
but  we  say  that,  unless  all  life  be  hollow,  there 
could  have  been  no  such  miserable  origin  to  the 
sole  religion  of  the  world,  which  holds  the  per- 
fect balance  between  philosophy  and  popularity, 
between   religion   and    morals,    between    meek 
submissiveness  and  the  pride  of  freedom,  be- 
tween the  ideal  and  the  real,  between  the  inward 
and  the  outward,  between  modest  stillness  and 
heroic  energy,  nay,  between  the  tenderest  con- 
servatism and  the  boldest  plans  of  world-wide 
reformation.      The  witness  of  history  to  Christ 
is  a  witness  which  has  been  given  with  irresis- 
tible cogency  ;  and  it  has  been  so  given  to  none 
but  Him. — Archdeacon  Farrar. 


[18810]  The  impression  which  the  life  of 
Jesus  called  forth,  and  the  expression  which 
He  gave  to  His  own  consciousness  of  inward 
purity,  do  not  stand  isolated  and  alone,  but  are 
borne  up  and  attested  by  the  world-embracing 
effects  which  He  has  produced.  These  effects 
have  influenced  the  moral  and  religious  life  of 
humanity  in  the  individual  and  in  the  mass  ; 
and  they  are  of  such  a  character  as  can  be  com- 
prehended only  by  admitting  the  holy  purity  of 
His  person;  for  only  by  an  individual  of  sinless 
holiness  could  they  have  been  caused.  For 
what  are  these  effects  ?  They  are  the  complete 
renovation  of  the  moral  life,  the  assured  con- 
sciousness of  redemption  from  sin,  and  the  im- 
plantation of  the  element  of  holiness  in  man, 
which  rests  upon  the  conviction  that  this  holi- 
ness has  in  truth  appeared  among  men  as  perfect 
love  and  as  close  and  unbroken  fellowship  with 
God.—  Ullman. 

[1881 1]  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  without  money  and 
arms,  conquered  more  millions  than  Alexander, 
Caesar,  Mahomet, and  Napoleon  ;  withoutscience 
and  learning,  Heshedmore  lighten  things  human 
and  Divine  than  all  philosophers  and  scholars 
combined  ;  without  the  eloquence  of  schools.  He 
spoke  words  of  life  as  never  were  spoken  before 
or  since,  and  produced  elYects  which  lie  beyond 
the  reach  of  orator  or  poet  ;  without  writing  a 
single  line.  He  has  set  more  pens  in  motion,  and 
furnished  themes  for  more  sermons,  orations, 
discussions,  learned  volumes,  works  of  art,  and 
sweet  songs  of  praise,  than  the  whole  army  of 
great  men  of  ancient  and  modern  times.  Born 
in  a  manger,  and  crucified  as  a  malefactor.  He 
now  controls  the  destinies  of  the  civilized  world, 
and  rules  a  spiritual  empire  which  embraces 
one-third  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  globe.  There 
never  was  in  this  world  a  life  so  unpretending, 
modest,  and  lowly  in  its  outward  form  and  con- 
dition, and  yet  producing  such  extraordinary 
effects  upon  all  ages,  nations,  and  classes  of 
men.  The  annals  of  history  produce  no  other 
example  of  such  complete  and  astounding 
success,  in  spite  of  the  absence  of  those  mate- 
rial, social,  literary,  and  artistic  powers  and 
influences  which  are  indispensable  to  success 
for  a  mere  man. — P7-of.  Schaff. 

2       Special  and  individual. 

It  inspires  the  heart  of  7?ian  with  profoiind, 
impassioned  reverence,  and  co7itrols  his  inner 
life. 

[188 1 2]  Some  have  been  entirely  restrained 
from  violating  the  sanctuary  of  truth  by  the 
character  of  Christ,  which,  like  the  presence  of 
a  shrine,  has  protected  it.  As  the  house  of 
Obededoni  was  blessed  for  the  sake  of  the  re- 
siding ark,  so  religion  has  often  escaped  evil, 
and  received  homage  from  its  foes,  for  the  sake 
of  the  character  of  Christ.  Men  who  have  de- 
stroyed, in  intention,  every  other  part  of  the 
temple  of  truth,  have  paused  when  they  came 
to  this — have  turned  aside,  and  desisted  for 
awhile  from  the  work  of  demolition,  to  gaze 
and  bow  before  it ;  have  not  merely  left  it  stand- 


i88i2— 18817] 


NEIV    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


401 

[the  saviour. 


ing  as  a  column  too  majestic,  or  an  altar  too 
holy,  for  human  sacrilege  to  assail,  but  (it  was 
the  only  redeeming  act  in  their  history)  have 
even  inscribed  their  names  on  its  base,  and 
have  been  heard  to  burst  forth  in  admiring 
e.xclamations  approaching  to  love. — J.  Harris, 
B.D. 

[18S13]  As  long  as  men  are  men,  can  they 
ever  have  a  higher  moral  conception  of  God 
than  that  given  to  them  through  the  character 
of  a  Perfect  Man,  and  can  we  conceive,  in 
centuries  to  come,  men  ever  getting  beyond 
that  idea  as  long  as  they  are  in  the  human 
state?  The  conception  of  what  the  ideal  Man 
is  will  change,  as  men  grow  more  or  less  perfect, 
or  as  mankind  is  seen  more  or  less  as  a  vast 
organism  ;  but  as  long  as  there  is  a  trace  of 
imperfection  in  us,  this  idea — that  perfect 
humanity,  that  is,  perfect  Fatherhood,  perfect 
love,  perfect  justice — all  our  imperfect  good- 
nesses—realized in  perfection,  and  imperso- 
nated in  One  Being,  is  God  to  Jis — can  never 
fail  to  create  religion  and  kindle  worship. — 
Rev.  Stopford  Brooke. 

[188 14]  The  merits  of  Christ  are  the  cause 
operating  to  righteousness  ;  but  faith  is  the  pipe 
turning  the  stream  of  operation  upon  ourselves, 
instilling  the  living  waters,  the  vivifying  prin- 
ciple of  rectitude  or  holiness,  which  may  daily 
grow  more  and  more  predominant  over  our 
appetites  and  aversions,  annul  the  law  of  our 
members,  and  bring  us  gradually  under  obe- 
dience to  the  law  of  our  minds. — A.  Tucker. 

VII.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 

I       Christ   is   the  solace  of  the  obscure,  and 
the  fortifier  of  the  weak. 

[18S15]  Most  persons,  like  Tacitus,  delight  to 
portray  the  corruptions  of  their  fellow-men,  with- 
out once  attempting  either  to  reform  or  alleviate 
them.  Instead  of  making  human  culture  as 
universal  as  heavenly  light,  the  influence  of  re- 
demption co-extensive  with  the  disasters  of  the 
fall,  the  selfish  would  forbid  the  sun  to  shine 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  their  own  useless 
domain,  and  concentrate  their  intrinsic  mean- 
ness to  the  violent  enforcement  only  of  their 
own  bigoted  creed.  If  pure  and  promising 
talents  start  up  in  humble  shades,  like  rose- 
buds peeping  out  of  snow,  these  tramplers  on 
the  best  hopes  of  mankind  will  stamp  down 
their  first  unfoldings,  or  leave  them  to  freeze 
beyond  all  power  of  further  growth.  But  not 
so  would  Christ  have  us  deal  with  those  who 
are  in  danger  of  abiding  in  a  perpetual  Cim- 
merian sojourn  ;  He  directs  each  struggling 
plant  of  humanity  to  be  brought  out  into  a 
genial,  salubrious  air,  not  mutilated  by  tyranny 
nor  chilled  by  neglect.  Each  congealed  sensi- 
bility would  the  Saviour  gently  loosen  with  the 
soft  breath  of  love,  and  each  incipient  faculty 
would  He  energize  with  power  undying,  that  He 
might  transform  the  most  hidden  heart  into  a 
perennial  fountain,  "flinging  its   bright,  fresh 

VOL.  VI.  27 


feelings  up  to  the  skies  it  loves  and  strives  to 
reach." — E.  Magoon. 

[18816]  The  labour  of  reflection  is  best  facili- 
tated by  internal  quietude  ;  and  hence  there 
have  been  so  few  really  great  minds,  because  it 
is  rare  that  we  meet  with  those  who  are  emi- 
nently pure  of  heart.  It  is  only  the  taught  and 
sanctified  of  God  who  can  penetrate  the  mean- 
ing of  the  celebrated  oracle  of  Delphi,  "  Know 
thyself;"  and  they  who  at  the  foot  (jf  the  cross 
must  feel  their  weakness,  will  be  most  filled  with 
power.  Thus  from  our  feebleness,  ex[)erienced 
and  bemoaned,  grace  educes  and  confirms  the 
greatest  strength  ;  as  from  the  acorn,  driven 
before  the  wind  to  root  itself  in  genial  soil, 
springs  an  oak  which  the  mightiest  storm  can 
scarcely  bend. — Ibid. 

2  Christ  is  the  deliverer  of  the  oppressed, 
the  rewarder  of  the  sacrificed,  and  the 
patron  of  the  aspiring. 

[18817]  Said  Bolingbroke,  "  Liberty  is  to  the 
collective  body  what  health  is  to  every  individual 
body.  Without  health,  no  pleasure  can  be 
tasted  by  man  ;  without  liberty,  no  happiness 
can  be  enjoyed  by  society."  But  this  spirit  of 
freedom,  which  is  so  essential  to  the  promotion 
of  personal  worth  and  social  progress,  is  often 
destroyed  or  sorely  crippled  by  those  who  un- 
generously strive  to  dim  its  light  in  the  souls  of 
their  fellow-men.  Were  it  not  that,  to  defend 
and  perpetuate  the  best  interests  of  humanity, 
God  raises  up,  in  every  rank  and  age,  heroes 
who  feel  great  truths  and  dare  to  tell  them,  and 
whose  words  seem  winged  with  angels'  wings, 
purifying  the  air  they  winnow,  and  scattering 
light  and  strength  in  all  their  flight,  we  should 
indeed  fear  that  tyranny  at  last,  by  some  fearful 
combination  of  nefarious  powers,  might  succeed 
in  blotting  the  bannered  constellations  from 
Freedom's  skies.  Of  such  a  result,  however, 
there  is  little  occasion  for  fear,  since  we  know — 

"That  there  are  spirit-rulers  of  all  worlds, 
Which  fraternize  with  earth,  and,  though  un- 
known. 
Hold  in  the  shining  voices  of  the  stars 
Communion  on  high,  ever  and  everywhere." 

We  do  not  believe  that  man  on  earth  is  doomed 
to  perpetual  slavery  in  any  form.  Christianity 
plants  in  the  heart  a  sublime  idea,  a  celestial 
sentiment,  potent  enough  to  redeem  every  in- 
dividual and  bless  the  world.  It  makes  its 
recipients  not  disciples  merely,  but  prophets  to 
teach  and  redeemers  to  rescue  from  bondage 
all  their  fellow-sut'ferers.  It  sends  them  forth 
completely  armed  with  an  invulnerable  panoply, 
commissioned  to  avoid  no  peril  and  shrink 
from  no  pain  which  the  advocacy  in  word  or 
action  may  require.  They  encompass  the 
earth,  fortified  with  the  energies  and  exhila- 
rated with  the  beatitudes  of  heaven,  that  they 
may  elevate  the  remotest  victim  of  oppression, 
and  make  all  nations  a  band  of  brethren  joined. 
—Ibid. 


402 

i88i8— 18822] 


NEIV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  saviour. 


[18818]  Sacrifice  exacted  by  integrity  is 
always  its  own  exalted  reward,  since  he  whose 
life  is  consecrated  to  suffering  for  others  must 
necessarily  be  a  participant  of  the  universal 
felicity  which  the  Deity  diffuses,  infinitely  more 
than  he  whose  life  is  a  mere  pursuit  of  sensual 
pleasure.  The  existence  and  deeds  of  such 
men  are  bright  revelations  of  omnipotent  be- 
nevolence and  power.  This  is,  in  some  degree, 
true  of  all  disciples,  but  more  especially  does  it 
apply  to  the  prophets,  the  apostles,  the  martyrs, 
who  have  bravely  consecrated  their  energies  to 
the  service  of  their  race.  Truly  do  they  re- 
semble God  manifest  in  the  flesh.  Their  ex- 
ample in  time  is  the  brightest,  and  their  pre- 
paration for  eternity  is  the  best  ;  for  we  hold 
that  in  the  day  of  final  reckoning,  the  Judge 
will  not  so  much  inquire.  What  was  your  belief? 
as,  What  was  your  conduct  on  earth  }  What 
hast  thou  done .-'  Where  are  the  proofs  that 
thou  hast  fulfilled  a  beneficent  mission  with  all 
thy  might  ?  It  will  then  be  seen  that  all  who 
in  every  age  boldly  wore  a  martyr's  crown  of 
thorns,  in  order  that  truth  and  righteousness 
might  acquire  comprehensive,  pervading,  and 
ennobling  sway,  thereby  won  the  brightest 
honours  and  were  destined  to  the  highest 
thrones. — Ibid. 

[18819]  The  frigid  multitude  without  forces 
us  to  be  hypocrites,  when  we  have  the  strongest 
disposition  to  be  sincere  in  the  best  pursuit, 
and  to  assume  a  supineness  and  meagreness 
•which  ill  correspond  to  the  height,  and  depth, 
and  lavish  variety,  of  the  inner  man,  in  its 
-spontaneous  efforts  to  expand  and  soar.  But 
Jesus  most  acutely  experienced  "  the  reachings 
■of  our  souls,"  and  made  provision  for  their  freest 
and  widest  flight.  Impelled  by  divinest  aspira- 
tions. He  would  have  us  mount  to  the  starry 
gates  of  God's  dwelling  in  the  skies,  and  drink 
into  our  panting  souls,  with  unutterable  ravish- 
ment, broad  and  clear  beamings  of  His  mys- 
terious splendour,  and  then,  in  our  generous 
warmth.  He  would  have  us  hasten  to  distribute 
among  our  brethren  the  glad  and  sanctifying 
beams  with  which  we  are  imbued.  If  they  spurn 
our  gift,  depreciate  its  value,  deny  even  its 
existence,  and  question  our  capacity  to  attain 
views  so  blissful.  He  would  not  have  us  chilled 
into  despair  by  the  captiousness  we  incur,  but 
hold  on  our  way  in  patient  effort,  till  Omnipo- 
tence comes  to  crown  with  success  our  benefi- 
cent design." — Ibid. 

[18820]  Christ  was  the  divinest  of  theologians, 
because  He  taught  not  in  abstraction,  but  ex- 
emplification ;  not  in  dogmas  merely,  but 
deeds;  in  the  ardour  of  His  heart,  as  well  as 
the  energy  of  His  mind  ;  in  the  gentleness  of 
His  demeanour  and  the  beneficent  industry  of 
His  life.  The  love  of  the  beautiful,  the  good, 
and  the  true,  were  a  trinity  in  His  soul,  never 
mutilated,  smotliered.  or  divorced.  From  the 
earliest  youth  He  so  deepened  and  refined  the 
sentiment  of  the  beautiful,  that  He  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  good  ;  and  He  so  deepened  and 


refined  the  sentiment  of  the  good,  that  it  was 
impossible  for  Him  to  be  otherwise  than  true. 
He  chose  this  order  and  condition  of  develop- 
ment here  below,  that  He  might  prepare  for 
earth  that  which  earth  most  needs — men  and 
women  in  whom  the  beautiful,  the  good,  and 
the  true,  may  be  one,  harmonious,  and  Divine 
principle,  causing  their  hearts  instinctively  to 
soar  toward  heaven  whenever  they  behold  the 
flowers  of  the  field,  the  stars  in  the  firmament, 
and,  with  purer  vision  still,  gaze  on  angels  round 
the  eternal  throne. — Ibid. 

[18821J  The  great  and  truly  Divine  idea  of 
radically  curing  all  the  evil  with  which  humanity 
is  afflicted,  of  planting  institutions  which  should 
be  equally  advantageous  to  individuals  of  every 
rank  and  communities  of  every  clime,  thus 
raising  up  for  the  Creator  a  better  generation 
on  the  most  beneficent  plan,  originated  entirely 
with  Jesus  Christ.  No  mind  before  His  ever 
conceived  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  king- 
dom of  God,  ruled  only  by  truth,  morality,  and 
mutual  joy,  into  which  should  be  gathered  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  All  this,  too,  was  to 
be  done  without  the  use  of  any  arbitrary  force, 
merely  by  the  gentle  influence  of  convincing 
instruction,  ordinances  adapted  to  arouse  the 
moral  sensibilities,  stimulate  each  individual  to 
reflect  upon  his  most  important  concerns,  and 
warm  his  heart  with  fervid  aspirations  after  the 
highest  good.  Christ  would  have  man  feel, 
even  the  humblest  of  our  race,  that  he  is  en- 
dowed with  a  nature  far  exalted  above  the 
brutes,  a  soul  infinitely  superior  to  his  body, 
and  that  he  is  capable  of  knowledge,  goodness, 
and  friendship  of  the  highest  order — intercourse 
the  most  delightful  with  Heaven.  The  faintest 
intellectual  nature  that  gleams  far  down  the 
vale  of  life  admits  of  endless  improvement,  and 
he  cheerfully  bestows  resources  that  will  pro- 
mote growth  far  beyond  mortal  existence  and 
the  decay  of  unnumbered  worlds.  Lifting  an 
aspiring  eye  to  the  loftiest  pinnacles  of  finite 
attainment,  the  youth  who  leans  on  Christ  and 
follows  His  directions,  soars  rapturously  in 
eternal  approximation  to  the  infinite  excellence 
he  was  made  to  know.  Fostered  by  such 
patronage,  in  view  of  such  attainments,  the 
obscurest  and  weakest  aspirant  bravely  ex- 
claims— 

"  Rouse  thee,  heart ! 
Bow  of  my  life,  thou  yet  art  full  of  spring  ; 
My  quiver  still  hath  many  purposes." — Ibid. 

[18822]  All  youths  are  dead  for  the  present 
life  who  do  not  hope  for  the  future,  and  aspire 
to  shine  in  beneficent  goodness  as  they  soar  to 
attain  eternal  rewards.  They  are  unworthy  of 
being  the  companions  of  the  exalted,  and  the 
recipients  of  bliss  without  alloy,  so  long  as  they 
do  not  elevate  themselves  to  a  level  with  the 
objects  they  revere,  and  nourish  in  their  bosoms 
feelings  kindred  to  the  purest  truth  and  divinest 
good.  These  objects  of  the  highest  reverence, 
and  this  fountain  of  the  noblest  desires,  it  is  the 


18822—18828] 


2fE\y    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


403 


[SIMEON. 


prerogative  of  Christianity  to  create  in  the  mind 
and  heart  of  the  most  ignoble  in  the  world's 
estimation,  invigorate  with  the  best  supplies  in 
the  most  exhausting  race,  and  crown  with  the 
highest  honours  at  the  ultimate  goal.  There- 
fore, however  cold  and  constant  may  be  the 
selfishness  of  earth  towards  the  youthful  aspirant 
in  his  purest  and  most  needy  days,  he  never 
should  yield  to  despondency, 

"  While  the  voice 
Of  truth  and  virtue,  up  the  steep  ascent 
Of  nature,  calls  him  to  his  high  reward, 
Th'  applauding  smile  of  heaven." — Ibid. 

[18S23]  "  My  burden  is  light,"  said  the 
blessed  Redeemer.  A  light  burden,  indeed, 
which  carries  him  that  bears  it.  I  have  looked 
through  all  nature  for  a  resemblance  to  this,  and 
I  seem  to  find  a  shadow  of  it  in  the  wings  of  a 
bird,  which  are  indeed  borne  by  the  creature  and 
yet  support  her  flight  toward  heaven. — St. 
Bernard. 


ZACH ARIAS. 

I.  Introductory. 

The    spiritual    and    social    condition    of    the 
priests  in  his  day. 

[18824]  Originally  in  all  respects  the  standard 
for  an  officiating  priest  was  high.  This,  how- 
ever, owing  to  the  varying  religious  condition 
of  the  people,  was  not  always  reached.  Just 
now,  many  were  poor,  some  were  ignorant,  and 
not  a  few  were  corrupt  ;  while  others  were 
comfortable,  well  instructed,  and  faithful.  In 
the  first  days  of  the  gospel,  ''  a  great  company 
of  the  priests  were  obedient  to  the  faith."  The 
duties  of  the  priests  were  the  most  sacred. 
They  were  the  moral  and  spiritual  guides  of  the 
people  ;  and,  in  gifts  and  sacrifices,  they  minis- 
tered at  the  altars.  They  had  great  responsi- 
bilities, but  they  had  also  great  privileges. 
None  came  so  near  to  the  sensible  presence  of 
God  ;  none  could  do  more  for  the  highest  wel- 
fare of  the  people. — Sermons  by  the  Monday 
Club. 

II.  His  Personal  Character. 

[18825]  The  times  were  corrupt,  and  the 
priests,  as  a  class,  were  not  superior  to  the 
times.  Too  many  were  but  "blind  leaders  of 
the  blind."  But  Zacharias  was  "  righteous  be- 
fore God,  walking  in  all  the  commandments 
and  ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless."  That 
is,  he  made  the  will  of  God  his  rule.  He  was 
conscientious  and  steadfast.  He  did  not  choose 
out,  and  keep,  such  requirements  as  seemed  to 
himself  reasonable  and  agreeable  ;  but  walked 
in  a// the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the 
Lord.  Is  not  this  the  mark  of  true  obedience  } 
In  humility  it  submits  all   its  wisdom  and  will 


to  God's  ;  and  only  asks  what  he  has  thought  it 
fitting  to  appoint. — Ibid. 

III.  His  Gracious  Visitation. 

[18826]  His  course— that  of  Abia— was  on 
duty  for  the  week,  and  on  him  fell  the  lot  of 
burning  incense  in  the  Holy  Place.  This  he 
was  about  to  do.  But  at  that  most  impressive 
moment,  when  the  whole  multitude  were  hushed 
and  bowed  in  prayer,  there  appeared  before 
him  a  startling  apparition.  It  was  an  angel  of 
the  Lord.  And,  though  it  stood  upon  the  right 
side  of  the  altar,  the  side  of  good  omen,  he  w.is 
"  troubled,  and  fear  fell  upon  him."  At  this  we 
cannot  wonder.  In  whom  would  not  the  sudilcn 
uprising  of  a  messenger  from  the  unseen  world 
excite  fear.?  Angelic  appearances  had  not  been 
common.  Indeed  this  was  the  first,  as  it  was 
the  only  one,  ever  witnessed  in  the  temple. 
But  the  voice  which  broke  from  the  lips  of  the 
angel  not  only  dispelled  his  fears,  but  gave  him 
great  promise.  His  prayers  were  now  at  length 
to  be  answered.  And  they  were  to  be  so  an- 
swered as  to  fill  many  besides  himself  with  joy 
and  gladness.  Deeper,  no  doubt,  than  his 
desire  for  offspring,  had  been  the  longing,  he 
shared  with  the  more  devout  of  that  expectant 
generation,  for  One  who  should  come  to  his 
temple  and  thoroughly  purge  its  floor,  and  be 
the  Redeemer  of  his  people.  This  Redeemer 
was  about  to  come  ;  and  he,  the  faithful  but 
trembling  priest,  would  be  honoured  by  close 
relationship  to  him  ;  his  child  should  indeed  go 
before  to  prepare  his  way. — Ibid. 


SIMEON. 
I.  His  General  Character. 

[18827]  Why  were  priest  and  scribe  passed 
by,  and  Simeon  selected  as  the  one  to  whom  the 
great  disclosure  should  be  made  1  Inspiration 
answers  our  queries.  This  man  was  "just  and 
devout,  waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  was  upon  him."  He  was  not 
rutted  in  formalism  ;  he  was  not  enamoured  of 
rationalism  ;  he  was  not  besotted  with  world- 
liness  ;  he  was  not  satisfied  with  himself,  and  so 
careless  of  the  approaches  of  God  ;  but  he  was 
"just '' — faithful  in  external  duty  ;  "  devout  " — 
his  soul  turning  toward  God  as  flowers  turn  to 
the  sun;  "the  Holy  Ghost  was  upon  him," 
making  him  sensitive  to  the  impact  of  the 
spiritual  world  ;  and  he  was  "  waiting  " — listen- 
ing, looking,  expecting  the  Divine  manifestation. 
What  man  of  his  generation  better  fitted  than 
he  to  be  honoured  with  a  revelation  of  the  truth  ! 
— Sermons  by  the  Monday  Club. 

[18S28]  "And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  in 
Jerusalem,  whose  name  was  Simeon  ;  and  the 
same  man  was  just  and  devout."  These  are  the 
two  grand  elements  of  religion,  rectitude  and 


404 

18828—18833] 


NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[SIMEON. 


devoiitness.  He  was  eminent  in  the  two  great 
relationships  of  his  being.  Towards  God  he  was 
devout ;  towards  man  he  was  just. — Caleb  Morris. 

II.  His  Expectation. 

It  was  the  habitual  attitude  of  his  spirit,  and 
exercised  a  spiritualizing  influence  upon 
his  piety. 

[18829]  "Waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel." 
He  was  not  only  a  just  and  devout  man,  but  he 
was  also  waiting  for  Him  who  was  to  be  Israel's 
consolation  and  glory  and  the  Gentiles'  light. 
Simeon  was  not  a  man  of  a  narrow,  contracted, 
selfish  mind.  Oh,  no.  His  thoughts,  desires, 
solicitudes,  and  hopes  were  not  limited  to  him- 
self, nor  to  his  own  nation  ;  his  heart  burned  for 
the  public  good  ;  he  was  an  observer  and  inter- 
preter of  public  events.  Through  the  Divine 
medium  of  prophecy  he  surveyed  the  far-spread 
scenes  of  futurity.  From  the  mount  of  Vision 
he  contemplated  the  evolutions  of  Providence, 
the  source  and  the  spread  of  redemption,  the 
changes  and  the  predestinations  of  the  world — 
of  the  universe.  He  had  long  waited  for  the  day 
of  the  Lord  :  at  last  it  sweetly  dawned  upon  his 
hopes.  Faith  and  prayer  ever  wait  for  those 
eras  of  light  and  renewal,  by  a  succession  of 
which  God  has  promised  to  draw  humanity 
nearer  and  still  nearer  to  Himself.  Simeon 
waited  for  the  coming  of  Messiah  :  expectation 
was  the  habitual  attitude  of  his  spirit  ;  it  was  the 
theme  of  his  conversation  ;  the  breath  of  his 
prayers  ;  the  bright  beam  that  ever  cheered  the 
long  path  of  his  pilgrmiage.  In  the  teachings 
of  the  synagogue,  in  the  sacrifices  of  the  temple, 
in  the  changes  which  were  passing  over  the  in- 
stitutions of  his  people,  the  devout  patriarch 
saw  the  prophetic  signs  of  the  Son  of  man.  His 
constant  waiting  for  Christ  kept  his  affections 
in  a  state  of  healthy  excitement,  spiritualized  his 
piety,  shed  an  unearthly  lustre  around  his  general 
character,  and  raised  him  far  above  the  men  of 
his  age. — Ibid. 


III.  His  Faith. 

[18830]  Is  this  the  promised  Messiah,  this 
babe  in  the  arms  of  a  poor  woman  of  Bethlehem, 
her  husband  bearing  in  his  basket  "a  pair  of 
turtle-doves  or  two  young  pigeons,"  unable  to 
bring  the  usual  offering  of  a  lamb,  but  availing 
himself  of  the  alternative  offering  prescribed  for 
the  poor.''  What  a  sight  is  this  !  What  an  en- 
trance into  the  world,  if  this  be  the  Messiah  ! 
Does  this  meet  and  fulfil  Isaiah's  vision,  "  For 
unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given, 
and  His  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
Counsellor,  the  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting 
Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace".?  Is  this  "the 
desire  of  nations,"  "  the  Lord  whom  ye  seek," 
'•even  the  messenger  of  the  covenant"?  Is 
this  "the  King  of  the  Jews,"  this  "  the  man  that 
is  my  fellow,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts"?  What 
faith  Simeon  must  have  had,  to  believe  the 
simple  word  of  God  in  the  face  of  all  the  dis- 


paraging  and   contradictory   circumstances    of 
that  child  !— A^.  Adams,  D.D. 

[ 1 8831]  There  could  not  possibly  be  less  to 
encourage  faith  than  at  the  moment  when  he 
took  that  child  to  his  arms.  Had  he  the  heart 
of  Naaman  the  Syrian,  who  went  away  in  a  rage 
from  the  prophet's  door,  because  he  was  told  to 
go  and  wash  in  Jordan,  instead  of  receiving  a 
cure  from  the  prophet  with  ceremonious  appli- 
cation of  his  hand  to  the  leprosy,  Simeon  might 
have  turned  away  offended,  saying,  Is  this  root 
out  of  dry  ground,  my  Saviour  ?  Where  did  he 
find  in  that  humble  scene  anything  to  gratify 
his  fancy,  anything  answering  to  those  pictures 
with  which  imagination,  perhaps,  had  filled  his 
mind,  while  expecting  the  Lord's  Christ  ?  And 
have  I  waited  for  this  ?  is  this  what  Abraham 
desired  to  see  ?  is  this  David's  Lord  and  David's 
son  ?  is  this  the  burden  of  Isaiah  ?  There  is  no 
beauty  in  him  that  1  should  desire  him.  It  must 
have  been  the  purest  and  the  strongest  faith 
that  made  that  aged  saint  feel  and  act  as  he  did. 
Love  mingled  with  it,  and  made  his  faith  perfect ; 
and  so,  faith,  working  by  love,  purified  his  heart 
from  all  those  worlclly,  pompous,  and  merely 
Jewish  feelings  which  would  have  made  him 
despise  the  infant  Messiah. — Ibid. 

[18832]  The  manner  in  which  Simeon  recog- 
nized the  infant  Redeemer  affords  a  striking 
proof  of  the  strength  of  his  faith.  He  was  not 
offended  at  His  lowly  circumstances,  or  stumbled 
by  the  absence  of  every  outward  mark  of  His 
Divine  royalty.  If  it  be  said  that  the  super- 
natural impression  under  which  he  acted  suffici- 
ently accounts  for  this,  it  ought  to  be  remembered 
that  there  have  been  men  who,  after  receiving  a 
Divinecommunication  and  listeningtoaheavenly 
voice,  have  immediately  asked  for  an  additional 
sign  in  order  to  confirm  their  faith.  We  there- 
fore account  in  great  part  for  Simeon's  prompt 
and  unhesitating  recognition  of  the  Christ  in 
this  lowly  child,  by  the  fact  that  he  had  long 
been  so  devout  and  diligent  a  student  of  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures.  There  his  mental 
"eye  had  been  anointed  with  eye-salve,"  and  he 
had  been  taught  to  look  for  a  suffering  Messiah, 
— "for  the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that 
fear  Him."  These  outward  signs  of  humiliation 
had  accordingly  no  effect  in  disturbing  his  faith 
or  damping  his  joy.  Yea,  not  content  with 
seeing  the  Holy  Child  in  the  arms  of  His  mother, 
in  the  fine  exuberance  and  almost  ecstasy  of  his 
gratitude,  the  aged  saint  takes  the  infant  into  his 
own  withered  arms,  embraces  Him,  presses 
Him  to  his  heart,  and  sends  up  an  ascription  of 
praise  to  God  which  the  Church  for  eighteen 
hundred  years  has  treasured  as  among  the 
richest  utterances  of  inspired  worship. — Rev.  A. 
Thomson,  D.D. 

[18S33]  The  outward  exercise  was  in  fact  a 
most  beautiful  reflection  and  expression  of  the 
inward  sentiment  ;  a  kind  of  enacted  faith.  For 
what  is  saving  faith  but  a  recognition  of  Christ 
as  the  divinely  appointed  and  Divine  Saviour, 


I8833-I8837] 


NEJV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


405 


[SIMEON. 


and  a  grateful  appropriation  of  Him  as  our 
Saviour  ?  Do  not  love  to  Christ  and  joy  in  Him 
mingle  with  faith  as  its  first-fruits  ?  And  out  of 
the  abundance  of  the  heart  does  not  the  mouth 
speak  in  "  thanks  unto  God  for  His  unspeakable 
gift"?— /^zV/. 

IV.  His  Testimony  to  Christ. 

Its  force,  as   presenting   the  alternatives  of  a 
dilemma  to  sceptical  minds. 

[1SS34]  That  Simeon  spoke  these  words  con- 
cerning the  infant  Christ  is  a  fact  as  well  proved 
as  that  Cicero  wrote  his  orations  against  Catiline. 
The  fact  is  phenomenal.  Sceptics  who  deny 
the  deity  of  our  Lord  must  account  for  it.  Only 
two  suppositions  are  possible  :  either  the  aged 
prophet,  frenzied  with  expectation  long  ungrati- 
fied,  made  the  mistake  of  singling  out  a  peasant's 
child,  and  bestowing  on  him  the  honours  due  to 
the  Alessiah  ;  or  else  that  child  was  the  appointed 
One  for  whom  the  ages  had  waited.  The  latter 
is  the  only  reasonable  conclusion.  The  divinity 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  not  proved  merely  by  stray 
sayings  of  His  and  His  apostles.  There  is  a 
vast  array  of  circumstantial  evidence  crowding 
the  whole  history  from  the  manger  to  the  cross, 
that  of  itself  is  sufficient.  At  every  stage  of  that 
wonderful  life,  its  conditions  and  surroundings 
were  only  so  many  different  tones  of  the  one 
great  voice  of  God,  declaring,  "  This  is  My 
beloved  Son  ;  hear  ye  Him." — Sermons  by  the 
Mofiday  Club. 

V.  His  Reward. 

[18835]  He  was  permitted  to  embrace  the 
holy  infant.  He  had  been  studying  the  pre- 
dictions and  types  of  the  law  ;  he  had  been  long 
waiting  for  the  wonderful  One  to  whom  they 
pointed,  and  now  he  was  blest  with  His  presence. 
"  Then  took  he  Him  up  in  his  arms,  and  blessed 
God."  There  is  Joseph,  there  is  Alary,  there  is 
the  holy  patriarch,  and  there  is  the  mysterious 
babe  !  Who  can  describe  the  joy  that  was 
there  !  Oh  !  it  was  a  blessed  hour !  the  sweetest, 
the  brightest,  that  had  ever  passed  over  Simeon's 
heart.  As  he  took  the  incarnate  One  into  his 
arms,  the  sunshine  of  heaven  broke  upon  his 
soul  ;  as  he  pressed  Him  to  his  heart,  ideas, 
emotions,  and  beatitudes  unutterable  at  once 
overwhelmed  it  like  a  flood  :  and  before  he 
uttered  a  word  of  gratulation  to  the  blessed 
mother,  he  turned  to  God,  and  breathed  his 
praises  there  ;  he  blessed  God.  Oh  !  there  are 
hours  when  the  heart  is  too  full  to  speak  to  any 
but  its  God. — Caleb  Morris. 


VI.    HOMILETICAL   SUGGESTIONS. 

The   place   selected  by  God  for  His  reve- 
lation to  Simeon  suggests  the  blessedness 
of  seeking    God   in    His    earthly  house    of 
prayer. 
[18836]  If  indolence  or  indifference  had  kept 


Simeon  at  home  on  that  memorable  day,  he 
would  have  missed  the  revelation  for  which  he 
had  waited  so  long.  "In  the  temple;"  the 
aged  prophet  knew  well  that  that  was  God's 
chosen  place  in  which  He  delighted  to  make 
Himself  known.  The  men  of  to-day  do  well  to 
note  the  high  honour  thus  put  upon  tiie  place 
of  pul:)iic  worship.  There  is  a  growing  laxity 
in  the  matter  of  church  attendance.  Its  impor- 
tance is  contested.  What  is  one  place  more 
than  another  'i  is  a  current  question.  God  is 
everywhere  ;  why  go  into  a  church  to  meet  Him  ? 
The  reasoning  is  specious  but  inconclusive. 
God  has  chosen  to  put  special  iionour  upon  His 
sanctuary— "The  Lord  loveth  the  gates' of  Zion 
more  than  all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob."  Wiiy? 
He  has  not  told  men  why,  but  that  is  the  fact. 
Somehow  we  cannot  tell  how  the  house  of  God 
is  made  the  gate  of  heaven  to  the  longing  soul. 
The  church  is  only  a  building  of  man's  construc- 
tion, and  yet  within  its  walls  special  and  sacred 
influences  are  at  work.  The  man  who  neglects 
public  worship  cuts  himself  oft'  from  a  whole 
range  of  Divine  forces.  The  Psalmist  said,  "  A 
day  in  Thy  courts  is  better  thnn  a  thousand  ; '" 
and  that  declaration  was  the  utterance  of  an 
experience  that  counts  for  more  than  a  thou- 
sand sophisms.  As  a  rule,  where  are  men  led 
to  see  their  need  and  guilt  as  sinners  ?  In  the 
church.  Where  is  the  proclamation  of  grace 
most  fully  announced  }  In  the  church.  Where 
does  the  light  of  hope  most  clearly  break  through 
the  cloud  of  conscious  ill-desert,  and  the  sombre 
shadows  of  coming  doom.''  In  the  church. 
Infidelity  may  rave  against  the  house  of  God  as 
a  relic  of  superstition,  but  it  still  remains  true 
that  the  sanctuary  is  of  Divine  appointment, 
and  that  in  it,  as  nowhere  else,  the  glory  of  God 
is  manifested. — Sermons  by  the  Monday  Club. 


2  Simeon's  prayer  suggests  the  duty  of  being 
willing  to  live  as  long  as  God  wills,  and 
ready  to  die  whenever  He  calls. 

[18837]  Simeon's  is  a  beautiful  view  of  the 
last  days  of  an  aged  believer,  and  such  are  the 
effects  of  those  Divine  manifestations  which  he 
is  often  permitted  to  enjoy.  We  should  be 
happy  to  remain  in  this  world  as  long  as  God 
sees  fit  to  retain  us  ;  and  we  should  cheerfully 
await  and  welcome  the  hour  when  He  calls  us 
away.  There  is  something  unspeakably  plea- 
sant in  the  tranquil  and  joyous  death  of  those 
whose  privilege  it  has  been  to  fulfil  life's  full 
career  of  toil  and  duty.  Earth  is  no  place  of 
rest  for  them  then.  It  is  kind  in  God  to  allow 
them  to  "depart  in  peace."  He  only  is  able 
wisely  to  decide  the  place,  the  manner  of  our 
departure.  Nor  will  He  do  it  until  our  work  is 
done.  Our  anxiety  should  be  to  know,  not 
when  we  shall  die,  but  how  we  shall  live. 
Simeon  did  not  live  in  vain  up  to  a  good  old  age, 
were  it  but  for  this  record  which  is  left  us  of  his 
just  and  devout  character,and  the  joyous  antici- 
pations with  which  he  beheld  the  Lord's  Christ 
— yV.  Adams,  D.D. 


4o6 

18838—18843] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHKISTrAN    ERA. 


[JOHN   BAPTIST. 


3  Simeon's  willingness  to  depart  suggests 
that  a  sight  of  Christ  by  faith  makes  death 
welcome. 

[18838]  There  is,  most  commonly,  an  effort, 
with  the  dying,  to  be  assured  of  the  favour  of 
Christ ;  and  that  willingness  to  die,  which  so 
often  changes  the  views  and  feelings  of  those 
who  are  approaching  the  grave,  is  owing,  in 
most  cases,  to  an  increased  sense  of  the  Saviour's 
presence.  For  such  purposes,  among  others, 
He  became  flesh,  that  we,  in  the  hour  of  weak- 
ness and  death,  might  apprehend  Him,  as  we 
cannot  apprehend  the  infinite  God.  The  pre- 
sence of  Christ  makes  death  easy.  He  comes, 
and  finishes  His  redeeming  work  with  the  be- 
liever, at  death,  and  the  sight  of  Him  makes  the 
Christian  willing  to  depart  ;  and  not  only  will- 
ing, but  frequently,  he  says,  to  depart  and  be 
with  Christ  is  far  better.  Simeon,  with  Christ 
in  his  embrace,  longing  to  die,  is  a  good  emblem 
of  a  believer  on  his  dying  bed,  when  Christ, 
whose  friend  he  has  been,  reveals  Himself  as 
his  Friend. — Ibid. 

[18839]  What  a  dreadful  thing  it  is  to  see 
death  before  we  see  Christ  !  See  death  we  all 
must — -we  all  shall,  and  that  soon  ;  and,  like  our 
departed  friend,  perhaps  unexpectedly.  But 
have  we  seen  Christ.''  Have  we  embraced 
Christ?  Have  we,  by  faith,  seen  the  Divine 
grandeur  of  His  person,  the  transcendent  excel- 
lence of  His  character,  and  the  preciousness  of 
His  cross,  as  the  medium  of  pardon  and  the 
-means  of  perfection  ?  This  is  the  great  question. 
If  we  have  seen  the  Saviour,  then  all  will  be 
well  ;  then  we  shall  not  be  alarmed  when  illness 
comes  ;  then  we  shall  be  wilhng  to  leave  the 
dearest  friends  we  have,  to  descend  the  valley  of 
death,  and,  with  a  firm  step  and  a  song  of  hope, 
we  sliall  pass  across  it  to  the  everlasting  fields. 
— Caleb  iMorris. 

[18840]  That  sight  of  the  "  salvation  of  God  " 
more  than  reconciled  Simeon  to  the  thought  of 
dying.  It  had  been  promised  to  him  that  he 
"should  not  see  death  until  he  had  seen  the 
Lord's  Christ,"  and  this  blessed  hour  had  beheld 
the  promise  fulfilled  ;  but  the  very  terms  of  the 
promise  seemed  also  to  indicate  that  the  sight  of 
Christ  would  mark  the  term  of  his  continuance 
upon  earth.  And  now  that  his  arms  at  length 
embraced  his  Lord,  he  "  could  leave  the  world 
without  a  tear."  It  was  enough  for  him  to  have 
lived  to  witness  this  spectacle  of  the  world's 
light  and  deliverer.  "  Now  lettest  Thou  Thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  according  to  Thy  word  : 
for  mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation."  It  is 
not  a  prayer  for  dismissal  from  the  world,  but  a 
thankful  utterance  of  belief  that  the  hour  of  his 
departure  is  at  hand,  and  a  tranquil  confidence 
that  when  that  hour  arrives,  it  will  be  a  peaceful 
passing  away  from  service  to  glory,  honour,  and 
immortality. — Rev.  A.  Thomson.,  D.D. 

[  1 8841]  Even  a  pagan  prince,  in  a  day  of  great 
honour  to  his  country,  could  exclaim  in  a  burst 
of  patriotic  gladness,  "  Satis  est  vixisse," — "  It 


is  sufficient  for  me  to  have  lived  to  behold  this." 
Old  Jacob,  too,  when  his  favourite  son  was  re- 
stored to  him  after  an  interval  of  manychequered 
and  sorrowful  years  in  which  he  had  believed 
him  to  be  dead,  had  said  with  touching  paternal 
tenderness,  "  Now  let  me  die,  since  I  have  seen 
thy  face,  because  thou  art  yet  alive."  But 
Simeon,  in  what  he  now  said,  had  infinitely 
better  warrant  for  his  words.  A  believing  sight 
of  Christ  is  that  which  enables  us  to  look  the 
king  of  terrors  in  the  face  without  dread.  With 
Him  embraced  in  the  arms  of  our  faith,  we 
have  the  sure  pledge  of  heaven,  for  "  he  that 
hath  the  Son  hath  life." — Ibid. 


JOHN  BAPTIST. 

I.  General  View  of  his  Character. 

[18842]  Even  if  the  expression  of  our  Lord 
refers  immediately  to  the  office  of  the  Baptist 
and  to  his  position  in  close  proximity  to  the 
kingdom  of  God  which  had  now  made  its 
appearance  in  the  world,  yet  it  can  nevertheless 
be  also  said  of  him  with  entire  truthfulness,  that 
he  was  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  pious  worthies 
of  the  Old  Testament  in  respect  to  his  character 
and  his  conduct.  We  find,  indeed,  in  the  Old 
Testament  not  many  examples  of  such  purity 
of  mind,  of  such  faithfulness  in  the  fulfilment  of 
a  calling,  of  such  firmness  in  opposing  the  hos- 
tile spirit  of  the  times,  and  of  such  humility  and 
such  consciousness  of  a  subordinate  rank  as  we 
have  displayed  in  John  the  Baptist.  We  have 
seen  that  he  practised  from  his  earliest  youth 
the  greatest  self-denial,  and  this  he  exhibited,  in 
accordance  with  the  Old  Testament  standpoint, 
in  the  most  rigid  ascetic  practices.  For  this 
purpose  he  fled  into  the  wilderness  away  from 
the  sinful  converse  of  the  world  ;  he  renounced 
all  that  is  accustomed  to  entice  men  and  to  lead 
them  away  into  sinful  indulgence  ;  he  sought  to 
control  the  temptation  of  the  flesh  by  the  most 
rigid  abstinence,  by  ascetic  practices  and  morti- 
fications of  every  kind.  To  live  only  in  God 
and  with  God,  and  to  perform  His  commands 
with  the  utmost  diligence  and  faithfulness,  were 
the  objects  of  his  earnest  strivings. — Rev.  W. 
Dunca?!. 


II.  His  Distinguishing  Characteristics. 
I       Courage. 

[18843]  The  courage  of  John  was  of  the 
heroic  sort  ;  that  of  Elijah  in  his  encounters 
with  Ahab  had  not  exceeded  it.  Charged  to  the 
full  with  the  persuasion  of  God's  righteousness, 
he  took  no  heed  of  anything  which  Herod  could 
do  against  him.  Perhaps  in  the  days  of  Herod's 
first  seeming  willingness  to  hear,  the  allure- 
ments of  "  soft  raiment "  were  offered  to  the  man 
of  sackcloth  ;  if  so,  they  were  spurned.  "  It  is 
not  lawful  for  thee,  Herod,  to  have  her  :  "  the 
law  of  MoseSj  the  law  of  nature,  the  law  of  God, 


I8S43— 18848] 


I^EW    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


407 
[JOHN    BAPTIST. 


forbid  your  crime.  There  is  only  one  course  for 
you  and  Herodias  to  follow  :  separate  at  once, 
and  then  seek  God's  forgiveness.  This,  and 
nothing  else,  you  must  do.  Till  you  separate,  it 
matters  not  what  else  you  do  ;  the  wrath  of  (lod 
abides  on  you.  That  was  the  brave  preaching 
of  the  man  who  was  ordained  to  go  before  the 
face  of  the  Highest. — Rev.  A.  Symington, 
D.D. 

[18844]  John  the  Baptist  had  addressed  the 
voluptuous  tyrant  to  his  face.  "  For  John  had 
said  unto  Herod,  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  have 
thy  brother's  wife."  But,  in  any  case,  John 
would  not  confine  himself  to  private  speaking. 
The  crime  of  the  ruler  was  notorious  and  a 
matter  of  public  interest  among  his  subjects  : 
and  the  messenger  of  God  would,  besides  bring- 
ing it  home  to  thetetrarch's  conscience, denounce 
it  publicly.  And  it  was  not  one  crime  only  which 
John  spoke  freely  about  ;  Luke  says  he  ''  re- 
proved the  ruler  for  all  the  evils  which  Herod 
had  done."  The  man  who  had  had  plain  words 
for  the  priests  and  people,  for  soldiers  and  tax- 
gatherers,  found  ecjually  plain  words  for  royal 
personages.  Their  station  had,  in  his  judg- 
ment, no  etfect  except  to  enhance  their  respon- 
sibility :  they  were  still  men,  soon  to  die,  who 
had  only  the  present  opportunity  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come  ;  and  as  such  he  must  deal 
with  them  for  God. — Ibid. 

2       Humility. 

[18845]  John  delivered  his  message  with  very 
genuine  humility.  It  was  touching  to  hear  him 
say  once  and  again,  "  I  knew  Him  not."  He  was 
telling  the  darkling  crowd,  scarcely  yet  awake  to 
the  meaning  of  what  he  was  saying,  "  There 
standeth  One  among  you  whom  ye  know  not  ;" 
but  he  will  not  put  them  at  a  distance  from  him- 
self, and  take  up  an  attitude  of  proud  superiority. 
He  will  rather  stoop  to  them  and  say,  "  I  was 
quite  as  ignorant  as  you  in  myself  ;  it  was  grace 
that  made  me  differ  ;  and  I  am  sent  for  the  very 
purpose  of  lifting  you  up  to  hope  for  and  to  lay 
hold  on  the  same  grace." — Ibid. 

[18846]  You  would  have  me  boast  (or  grudge, 
which  is  in  spirit  the  same)  ;  but  how  can  I 
boast.''  It  is  impossible.  "  A  man  can  receive 
nothing,  except  it  be  given  him  from  above."  I 
am  in  myself  a  mere  empty  vessel  :  whatever 
good  there  has  been  in  me  was  put  in  me  by 
God  ;  I  merely  received  it,  and  not  bj'^  any  right, 
or  purchase,  or  power  of  mine,  but  as  a  gift  : 
how  then  could  I  boast .''  He  anticipates  Paul's 
appeal  :  "  Who  maketh  thee  to  differ .''  and  what 
hast  thou  that  thou  didst  not  receive  t  Now,  if 
thou  didst  receive  it,  why  dost  thou  glory,  as  if 
thou  hadst  not  received  it  ?  "  And  Paul's  ex- 
ample :  "  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  am  what  I 
am."  Their  suggestion  was  at  direct  variance 
with  all  his  testimony.  "  Ye  yourselves  bear  me 
witness  that  I  said,  I  am  not  the  Christ  ;  but 
that  I  am  sent  before  Him."  There  is  One 
— One  only — who  has  right  to  the  heart-alle- 
giance of  eveiy  man  ;  and  they  could  biar  John 


witness  how  often  and  how  earnestly  he  had 
warned  them  not  to  wrong  Christ  and  them- 
selves by  supposing  that  he  was  that  One.  He 
was  His  sandal-bearer,  and  even  that  was  honour 
beyond  his  desert. — Ibid. 

3       Disinterestedness. 

[18847]  Multitudes  listened  to  him,  trembled, 
and  obeyed.  Multitudes  from  far  and  near  not 
only  observed  and  heard  him  gladly,  but  incon- 
sequence (as  it  is  written  of  the  greatest  and 
wickedest  of  his  hearers)  did  many  things.  He 
must  have  been,  as  it  is  sometimes  expressed, 
more  or  less  than  man  if  he  had  not  felt  it.  Hut 
presently  there  arose  One  who  was  to  eclipse 
him.  He  watched  His  rising  ;  he  himself  saw 
and  worshipped.  He  perceived  the  diminution 
of  his  own  hearers  and  followers  :  some  of  his 
own  nearest  disciples  exchanged  his  service  for 
the  other.  There  were  not  wanting  those  who 
would  call  his  attention  insidiously  to  the  fact, 
coming  on  purpose  to  say  to  him,  as  if  with  the 
sole  design  of  awakening  his  jealousy,  "Rabbi, 
He  that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom 
thou  barest  witness,  behold,  the  same  baptizeth, 
and  all  men  come  to  Him."  But  their  design 
was  speedily  frustrated.  "  John  answered  and 
said,  A  man  can  receive  nothing,  except  it  be 
given  him  from  heaven."  If  another  is  now 
enjoying  a  fame  which  was  once  mine,  be  quite 
sure  that  God  who  once  gave  to  me  has  now 
given  to  another.  Nor  was  I  ever  ignorant,  or 
ever  silent,  as  to  this  result.  "  Ye  yourselves 
bear  me  witness,  that  I  said,  I  am  not  the 
Christ,  but  that  I  am  sent  before  Him."  I  told 
you  froin  the  first  that  I  was  only  a  voice  cry- 
ing in  the  wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of 
another  ;  of  one  preferred  before  me,  because 
in  the  glory  of  an  eternal  existence  He  also  was 
before  me.  And  if  the  dignity  of  pre-eminence 
as  a  prophet  and  teacher  and  messenger  of  God 
be  thus  denied  me,  I  have  yet, as  if  in  exchange 
for  it,  a  happiness  peculiarly  my  own.  "  He 
that  hath  the  bride  is  the  bridegroom  :  "  in  the 
rejoicings  of  the  nuptial  day  all  eyes  are  upon 
him  ;  his  is  the  position  of  honour  and  happi- 
ness :  but  there  is  joy  that  day  for  another  ; 
"  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom  rejoiceth  greatly 
because  of  the  bridegroom's  voice  :  "  he  is 
happy  because  his  friend  is  happy  ;  because  he 
sympathizes  in  another's  honour,  another's  hope. 
Even  thus  is  it  with  me  :  "This  my  joy,  there- 
fore, is  fulfilled.  He  must  increase,  but  I  must 
decrease."  Does  this  offend  me  ?  Nay,  I  know 
that  he  who,  like  me,  is  of  the  earth  is  earthly, 
and  speaketh  of  the  earth,  he  cannot  compete 
with  One  who  cometh  from  above,  and  who  is 
therefore  above  all. — Dean  Vanghan. 

[18848]  He  said  to  Christ,"!  have  need  to 
be  baptized  of  Thee,  and  comest  Thou  to  me?" 
and  could  feel  himself  so  far  inferior  in  dii^nity 
to  his  great  successor  as  to  declare  publicly  that 
he  was  not  worthy  to  undo  the  latchet  of  His 
sandals.  This  honest,  upright  sense  of  his  un- 
worthiness,  this  humility  worthy  of  all  admira- 
tion, he  carried  along  with  him  throughout  his 


4o8 
18848— 18854] 


NEIV  TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[JOHN   BAPTIST. 


whole  life  ;  he,  the  Baptist,  who  stood  so  high 
in  the  estimation  of  the  people  as  to  be  supposed 
by  them  to  be  the  Messiah,  to  whom  it  would 
have  been  an  easy  matter  to  place  himself  at  the 
head  of  a  great  party  and  to  strive  for  worldly 
honour,  or  to  announce  himself  as  the  theocratic 
king  who  was  called  to  re-establish  the  Jewish 
nation  in  its  former  splendour  and  dominions, 
he  who  was  continually  urged  by  his  own  dis- 
ciples to  vindicate  the  superiority  of  his  rank  to 
that  of  Him  who  first  received  testimony  in  His 
favour  from  John  himself,  and  had  been  ac- 
credited by  him  in  the  office  which  he  assumed, 
declared  nevertheless  with  calm  firmness  and 
confidence,  ''  I  am  not  the  Christ  :  .  .  .  I  must 
decrease,  but  He  must  increase  ;  "  and  not  for 
a  single  moment  do  we  see  him  varying  from 
his  proper  position  respecting  the  manner  in 
which,  in  spite  of  all  the  temptations  offered  by 
his  disciples  and  the  people  to  the  contrary,  he 
was  conscious  that  it  behoved  him  to  conduct 
himself  for  the  correct  discharge  and  fulfilment 
of  his  heavenly  calling. — Kt'v.  W.  Duncan. 

in.  His  Training. 

[18849]  The  boy's  opening  mind  was  first 
aftected  by  godly  example.  In  the  priestly 
home  there  was  nothing  to  pollute  and  degrade  ; 
but  everything  that  dawning  consciousness  en- 
countered there,  tended  to  instil  purity,  truth, 
love,  and  the  fear  of  God.  This  best  influence, 
beginning  earlier  than  any  of  a  direct  kind,  would 
continue  till  Zachanas  and  Elisabeth  fell  asleep  ; 
and  the  contrast  between  their  lives  and  the 
lives  of  others  would  be  pondered. — Rev.  A. 
Syjnmgton,  D.D. 

[18850]  Often  would  there  come  over  him  the 
pathos  of  these  words  :  "And  thou,  child,  shalt 
be  called  the  Prophet  of  the  Highest,  for  thou 
shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  prepare 
His  ways."  Not  in  one  day  or  month  or  year 
would  the  full  bearing  of  this  commission  be 
realized.  As  the  apprehension  of  it  grew  fuller 
and  fuller,  clearer  and  clearer,  possessed  his 
whole  being,  each  morning  bringing  a  more 
vivid  sense  of  the  urgency  of  the  crisis  and  of  the 
commission  laid  on  him  and  on  no  other,  there 
must  have  come  to  John  such  concentration  of 
thought  and  purpose,  such  entire  consecration 
of  himself  to  God,  and  such  prolonged  wrestling 
for  more  than  a  giant's  strength,  as  we  can  but 
very  imperfectly  understand. — Ibid. 

[1885 1]  Thirty  years  were  to  pass  before  John 
should  begin  to  preach  ;  and  the  only  record  of 
these  years  is  in  two  short  sentences  :  "  And 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with  him."  "  And 
the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit,  and 
was  in  the  deserts  till  the  day  of  his  showing 
unto  Israel."  We  at  first  regret  that  the  record 
is  so  brief  and  general  ;  yet  it  is  sufficient,  wiien 
read  in  the  light  of  Jewish  history  and  of  what 
has  been  already  told  concerning  him,  to  enable 
us  to  think  intelligently  about  the  training 
through  which  this  greatest  of  God's  servants 


passed.  For  there  is  no  service  without  training- 
for  it  ;  no  human  life  starts  from  the  point  of 
manhood  ;  the  growth  and  discipline  of  child- 
hood and  youth  were  not  dispensed  with  even 
in  the  case  of  the  Son  of  man.  Our  self-confi- 
dent impatience  is  rebuked  by  the  fact  that  in 
His  case  and  in  the  case  of  this  His  herald  such 
preparation  was  not  completed  until  each  was 
thirty  years  old  :  for  every  year  of  public  ac- 
tivity there  were  ten  years  in  which  the  needed 
strength  was  being  silently  matured.  In  the 
Baptist's  case  how  were  these  years  spent  ? — 
Ibid. 

[18852]  John's  long  solitudes  were  a  needful 
part  of  his  preparation.  Such  withdrawing 
from  the  world  has  entered  into  the  training  of 
all  great  reformers.  Moses,  after  making  a  rash 
attempt,  was  taken  into  the  solitude  of  Midian. 
Elijah  was  kept  in  Cherith  and  Zarephath,  and 
was  afterwards  guided  by  the  Spirit  into  the  wild 
desert  of  Horeb,  to  hear  there  the  still  small 
voice.  Paul  was  not  permitted  to  follow  his 
own  impulse  in  preaching  Christ,  until  he  had 
spent  three  years  in  the  quiet  of  Arabia,  re- 
ceiving there  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
And  there  are  many  more  recent  examples. 
"  Luther  came  forth  from  his  temporary  con- 
cealment, like  a  lion  from  his  den,  to  roar  in  the 
teeth  of  all  his  foes.  Knox  meditated  with  his 
noble  soul,  his  pious  work  of  reformation,  while 
he  was  lashed  to  the  oar  like  a  convict  on  the 
rivers  of  France,  and  from  the  place  of  his 
banishment  he  blew  the  first  blast  of  his  trumpet ; 
after  which  he  returned,  like  a  flame  of  pure 
fire,  to  set  his  country  in  a  blaze  of  religious 
ardour,  and,  like  a  pillar  of  fire,  to  guide  them 
in  their  most  glorious  work." — Ibid. 

[18853]  In  what  way  was  John  employed 
during  his  stay  in  the  wilderness.?  He  was 
engaged,  no  doubt,  in  perfecting  his  character, 
in  mortifying  his  fleshly  appetites,  in  the  sup- 
pression of  sinful  desires,  and  in  the  study  of 
the  word  of  God.  If,  in  general,  the  spending 
of  life  in  solitude  is  not  the  surest  means  of 
overpowering  sinful  inclination,  and  of  extin- 
guishing sin,  yet,  in  the  case  of  John,  one  is 
authorized  to  conclude,  from  the  serious  earnest- 
ness which  he  exhibited  in  his  whole  life,  and 
with  which,  therefore,  he  must  have  proceeded  to 
the  work  of  his  own  moral  perfections,  that  the 
seductive  power  of  all  sensual  enticements  was 
lost  upon  him  on  account  of  his  living  in  a 
manner  and  in  a  place  far  removed  from  their 
influence  ;  and  that,  in  like  manner,  the  habit  of 
practising  a  morality,  confessedly  only  Jewish, 
but  such  as  was  prescribed  by  the  law,  removed 
far  from  him  the  temptation  to  many  sins  of 
practice  and  of  thought. — Rev.  W.  Dicncan. 


IV.  His  Mission. 
Its  nature,  and  connection  with  Christ's. 

[18854]  John's  work,  while  it  was  essentially 
a  preparation  only,  and  therefore  in  one  sense 


18854—18860] 


N-Eiy    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


409 


[JOHN   BAPTIST. 


temporary,  was  also  a  preparation  absolutely 
required,  without  which  the  Christ  could  not 
come.  On  the  one  hand,  John  restored  the 
law,  and  gave  to  it  a  more  searching  manifesta- 
tion than  it  had  ever  received  before  ;  on  the 
other  hand,  Christ  brought  grace  and  truth  to 
light,  gave  them  positive  existence,  fixed  the 
eyes  of  mankind  upon  them,  offered  them,  be- 
stowed them  ;  so  that  there  is,  no  doubt,  a 
strong  contrast  between  the  work  of  John  and 
the  work  of  Christ.  But  let  us  not  fall  into  a 
mistake  here  :  there  is  no  opposition  between 
the  two  ;  there  is  more  of  connection  than  of 
contrast. — Rev.  A.  Symington,  D.D. 

V.  His  Message. 

[  1 88  5  5]  We  must  be  very  careful  not  to 
divorce  one  part  of  John's  teaching  from  the 
rest.  The  part  on  which  we  are,  at  first,  most 
apt  to  fasten  our  attention, — and  on  which  some 
who  ought  to  have  better  apprehended  the  sacred 
narrative  concerning  John,  too  exclusively  fix 
the  minds  of  their  readers — is  the  terrifying 
proclamation  of  coming  wrath,  the  heart-piercing 
exposure  of  sin,  the  fiery  denunciation  of  false 
refuges.  But  that  did  not  stand  alone,  even  for 
a  time  :  that  was  not  given  first,  and  some 
gentler  message  months,  or  even  weeks  after- 
wards. John  preached  the  baptism  of  "  repen- 
tance for  (ae=with  a  view  to)  the  remission  of 
sins."  John  was  not  a  pardoner,  but  he  kept 
high  and  bright  before  the  eyes  of  men  the  first 
and  greatest  blessing  God  has  to  bestow.  It 
was  no  new  idea  ;  their  Scriptures  were  full  of 
it  :  but  the  Lord  whom  he  heralded  was  to 
bring  to  light  with  surpassing  glory  both  the 
willingness  of  God  to  pardon  and  the  righteous 
ground  of  forgiveness. — Jdid. 

[18856]  We  are  likely  to  come  far  short,  after 
all,  of  a  profound  apprehension  of  the  Baptist's 
teaching  ;  but  without  taking  account  of  the 
deep  meaning  underlying  his  words,  we  might 
miss  the  scope  of  that  teaching  altogether. 
He  called  men  to  see,  in  their  insensibility  to 
Divine  things,  their  formalism,  their  proud 
clinging  by  hopes  of  God's  favour,  when  all  the 
while  they  were  indulging  themselves  in  known 
sin,  the  decisive  proofs  that  they  were  heirs  of 
a  fallen  nature,  in  which  "  there  dwelleth  no 
good  thing."  The  repentance  to  which  he 
urged  them  was,  therefore,  no  barren  form  of 
sackcloth  and  ashes,  but  rather  an  abasing  of 
themselves  before  God  who  searcheth  all  hearts, 
and  crying,  "  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity, 
and  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me.  .  .  . 
Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  and  renew  a  right 
spirit  within  me." — Jbid. 

VI.  His  Baptism. 
I       Its  authority. 

[18857]  It  is  of  some  consequence  to  mark 
that  John's  baptism  had  whatever  Divine  sanc- 
tion any  rite  can  have.      The  proof  of  this  is 


abundant.  The  Baptist  took  his  stand  on  the 
oracles  of  the  Old  Testament,  as  we  have  seen, 
and  claimed  the  prophetical  succession.  "There 
was  a  man  sent  from  God,"  says  the  fourth 
Evangelist.  "  He  that  sent  me  to  baptize  with 
water,  the  same  said  unto  me."  The  distinctive 
rite  had  the  same  Divine  authority  as  the  teach- 
ing with  which  it  was  associated. — J  bid. 

2  Its  meaning. 

[18858]  The  sign  with  which  we  have  to  do 
here,  is  the  religious  application  of  water.  The 
Pharisees  of  John's  day  were  familiar  with  this 
religious  use  of  water,  and  had  made  ritualistic 
extensions  of'  it  far  beyond  the  precepts  of 
Moses.  The  meaning,  then,  of  John's  baptism 
was,  in  the  light  of  his  teaching,  not  obscure. 
On  the  one  hand,  it  expressed  by  emblem  that 
cleansing  of  the  soul  from  the  pollution  of  sin 
which  accompanies  genuine  repentance  :  and  it 
was  a  visible  tangible  pledge  on  the  part  of 
God  of  the  truth  of  those  things  which  His 
messenger  proclaimed.  Great  Divine  threaten- 
ings,  and  very  great  Divine  promises,  were  the 
burden  of  John's  message  ;  and  his  baptism  was 
God's  pledge  to  the  people  of  His  willingness 
to  give  them  that  spiritual  cleansing,  the  need 
of  which  was  proved  by  the  threatenings,  the 
provision  of  which  was  secured  by  the  promises. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  corresponding  exactly 
to  this,  as  the  impression  does  to  the  seal,  the 
baptism  served  as  a  solemn  profession,  on  the 
part  of  the  people,  that  they  believed  God's 
message  sent  through  John  ;  that  they  were 
honestly  fleeing  from  God's  wrath,  and  that  they 
were  anxious  to  receive  "the  remission  of  sins." 
—Ibid. 

[18859]  His  was  a  baptism  of  repentance  and 
confession,  ultimately  leading  to  remission  of 
sins.  It  was  not  a  baptism  of  remission.  John 
could  not  wash  away  sins.  That  cleansing  from 
all  unrighteousness  for  which  he  yearned,  was 
to  be  etTected  by  another  baptism  administered 
by  other  hands,  not  a  baptism  with  water  at  all, 
but  a  baptism  with  fire  and  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.  John  knew  that  the  call  to  repentance 
and  to  righteousness  was  not  the  same  thing 
as  the  power  to  turn  from  sin  ;  that  the  "genera- 
tion of  vipers  "  could  not,  by  any  baptismal  rite, 
nor  by  anything  short  of  Divine  power,  become 
the  brood  of  doves.  He  might  move  the 
passions  and  stir  the  fears  of  the  multitude,  so 
that,  as  Josephus  says,  "they  were  eagerly  ready 
to  take  his  counsel"  and  accept  his  solemn 
warning.  But  John  was  not  exalted  to  gii'e  them 
repentance  or  remission  of  sin.  He  could 
not  put  them  right  with  God,  nor  cleanse  the 
thoughts  of  their  hearts. — H.  Reynolds,  D.D. 

3  Its  relation  to  Christian  baptism. 

[18860]  John's  baptism  was  not  the  baptism 
of  Christ.  That  could  not  signify  what  this 
signifies  :  the  righteous  ground  of  pardon  fully 
displayed  in  the  blood  of  the  cross  ;  the  sancti- 
fying of  the  Holy  Spirit  no  longer  hoped  for, 
but   freely   bestowed.     That  could  not   pledge 


4IO 

18860—18864] 


NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[JOHN   BAPTIST. 


from  God  to  man  the  blessings  which  this 
pledges  :  pardon  and  a  new  heart,  freely  and 
now  given — for  those  who  received  this  baptism 
at  the  first  were  told  to  look  up  to  Jesus,  "a 
Prince  and  a  Saviour,  to  give  repentance  and  re- 
mission of  sins,"  even  now  "  shedding  abroad 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Father's  promise  ; "  and  it 
is  the  same  to-day.  That  could  not  pledge  from 
man  to  God  what  this  pledges  ;  the  faith  of  the 
baptized  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  their 
righteousness,  the  actual  receiving  from  Him  of 
the  new  birth.  All  the  indignation  with  which 
we  recoil  from  the  destructive  heresy  of  sacra- 
mental efficacy  must  not  make,  us  hide  the 
grandeur  and  the  solemnity  of  what  Christian 
Ijaptism  signifies  and  seals  to  ia.\t\\.—Rev.  A. 
Symington,  D.D. 

[18861]  It  was  "from  heaven,"  and  served  a 
great  purpose  in  pledging  men  to  the  dawning 
hope.  As  Paul  put  the  matter  so  wisely  to  the 
twelve  at  Ephesus,  it  bound  them  ''  to  believe 
on  Him  who  should  come  after,  that  is,  on 
Christ  Jesus,"  He  Himself,  in  that  early  stage 
of  His  work  on  earth  which  so  closely  resembled 
the  work  of  His  forerunner,  took  up  this  pre- 
paratory baptism,  and  dispensed  it  by  the  hands 
of  His  disciples.  It  disappeared  only  in  that 
great  day  when  the  Lord  Jesus  "made  all  things 
new."- — Ibid. 

VII.  His  Inquiry. 

[18862]  "  Calling  unto  him  two  of  his  disciples 
he  sent  them  to  Jesus,  saying,  Art  Thou  He 
that  should  come.'*  or  look  we  for  anotlier  ?  " 
This  question  causes  undeniable  perplexity. 
Did  the  man  who  had  seen  the  opened  heavens, 
who  had  so  strenuously  asserted  that  Jesus  is 
the  Son  of  God,  the  Lamb  of  God,  the  Baplizer 
with  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Bridegroom  of  the 
Church,  now  doubt  his  own  testimony  ?  Could 
any  prison  have  so  darkened  his  soul  ?  Was  he 
to  resemble  Elijah  in  his  faint-heartedness  and 
petulance  when  he  cried,  "It  is  enough  :  now, 
O  Lord,  take  away  my  life,  for  I  am  not  better 
than  my  fathers"  .?  Had  his  heart  after  all  l)een 
cruel,  and  set  on  a  gourd  now  withered  by  the 
frown  of  Herod  .-*  There  is  no  occasion  to 
entertain  any  such  thoughts  concerning  John. 
One  solution,  indeed,  would  dispose  of  all  diffi- 
culty at  a  stroke — the  supposition  that  John 
himself  was  not  in  doubt,  but  sent  his  disciples 
to  get  from  the  Master  that  full  satisfaction 
which  no  teaching  of  his  could  give  them.  But 
one  feels  that  this  solution — although  it  be  that 
in  which  many  have  rested,  and  still  rest— is  too 
easy.  It  does  not  well  accord  with  the  language  of 
either  narrative,  in  which  the  question  is  plainly 
given  as  John's  question,  and  the  answer  is  sent 
by  our  Lord  to  John  :  "  Go  and  show  John  ;  go 
your  way,  and  tell  John."  We  must  look  deeper. 
Now,  it  is  not  said.  Because  John  became 
gloomy  and  disappointed  in  prison,  he  sent  his 
question  ;  but,  "  When  John  had  heard  in  the 
prison  the  works  of  the  Christ,  he  sent."  The 
question  arose  not  from  lack  of  knowledge  so 


much  as  from  comparative  fulness  ;  not  from 
any  cloud  darkening  his  soul,  but  from  his  being 
unable  to  adjust  the  mighty  truths  of  which  he 
was  persuaded  to  the  facts  so  far  as  they  had 
already  taken  place.  This  inability  brought  a 
measure  of  unrest  and  "searching,"  and  he  took 
the  right  means  for  allaying  it. — Ibid. 

[18863]  There  is  not  the  least  occasion  to 
suppose  that  John's  question  was  caused  by  any 
failing  of  his  faith.  We  have  only  to  bear  in 
mind  that  he  was  a  man,  short-lived  and  short- 
sighted. Perhaps  he  had  expected  that  one 
year,  one  life-time  at  longest,  was  to  see  the 
accomplishment  of  all  the  promise,  at  least  for 
the  holy  land  and  the  holy  people  ;  whereas  he 
saw  no  signs  of  that,  but,  on  the  contrary,  saw 
the  Lord  persevering  in  not  claiming  His  right 
as  the  Anointed  One  ;  organizing  no  community  ; 
cleansing  the  temple  indeed  once,  but  leaving 
it  to  be  again  polluted  ;  doing,  in  fact,  very  much 
the  same  work  which  John  hmiself  had  done, 
only  with  the  addition  of  miracles  ,  but  con- 
tinuing in  the  lowliness  and  poverty  and  weak- 
ness that  seemed  strangely  inconsistent  with 
what  John  knew  Him  to  be.  Therefore  he 
asked— merely  asked,  and  surely  was  right  in 
asking — whether  this  coming  was  to  fulfil  all .'' 
or  whether  he  should  look  for  another  incar- 
nation .''  Great  reformers  have  fallen  into  the 
natural  mistake,  less  excusable  in  their  case 
seeing  we  are  in  the  full  light  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, of  expecting  all  at  once  when  a  revival  has 
begun,  instead  of  remembering  that  God  accom- 
plishes His  work  according  to  His  own  standard, 
not  ours,  "  one  day  for  a  thousand  years,  a 
thousand  years  for  one  day,"  and  waiting  on 
those  hasteless  processes  by  which  He  accom- 
plishes Divine  perfection.  The  blame  of  such  a 
mistake  we  may,  perhaps,  impute  to  the  im- 
prisoned seer  ;  but  no  more. — Ibid. 


Vill.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 
Ad  clerum. 

[18864]  "  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  de- 
crease." It  is  a  necessity  ;  and  the  more  true- 
hearted  a  preacher  of  Christ  is  the  less  will  he 
regard  it  with  sorrow.  If  he  succeeds  in  his 
work,  it  is  in  filling  men's  hearts  with  Christ 
that  he  succeeds  ;  and  the  less  then  will  men 
regard  any  preacher  as  their  master.  The  best 
of  preachers  are  frail  and  short-lived,  and  unfit 
to  rule  :  Christ  alone  endures,  and  inherits  all 
things.  To  Him  the  gathering  of  the  people, — 
on  His  head  the  many  crowns.  The  names  of 
the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb  may  be  in  the 
foundations  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  but  only  the 
Lamb  is  the  temple  and  the  light.  Never  was 
John  more  "a  shining  light"  than  when  he 
spoke  these  words,  shining  with  the  lustre  of 
genuine  greatness,  because  "burning  "  with  the 
full  ardour  of  devotion  to  Christ.  Already  he 
was  casting  his  crown  at  the  feet  of  the  King, 
and  crying,  "  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  re- 
ceive glory  and  honour  and  power." — Ibid. 


18865—18872] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  41I 

CHRISTIAN    ERA.  [tHE  TWELVE   APOSTLES. 


[18865]  John  is  another  instance,  among 
many  ancient  and  modern,  of  the  worthlessness 
of  even  great  popularity.  Crowds  followed  him 
while  he  lived,  and  after  his  death  the  popular 
feeling  in  his  favour  was  strong  enough  to  forbid 
any  one  pronouncing  him  less  than  a  heaven-sent 
prophet  ;  but  comparatively  few  obeyed  the 
word  he  was  sent  to  preach,  and  public  favour 
could  not  long  shield  him  from  the  murderous 
hatred  of  royal  transgressors. — Ibid. 


THE    TWELVE  APOSTLES. 

I.  Their  Appointment. 

1  It  was  eminently  significant. 

[18866]  The  selection  of  twelve  disciples  by 
our  Lord  to  be  His  agents  and  ministers  in  the 
establishment  of  His  kingdom,  was  undoubtedly 
an  event  of  critical  import  to  the  Church.  It 
determined  some  principles  of  universal  appli- 
cation,and  suggests  considerations  of  permanent 
interest  to  all  who  meditate  upon  the  influences 
which  have  affected  the  state  of  humanity,  and 
contributed  most  powerfully  to  the  spiritual 
development  of  its  leading  and  representative 
races. — Rev.  F.  Cook. 

[18867]  The  appointment  of  the  twelve 
apostles  was  in  an  especial  sense  an  act  which 
marked  the  inauguration  of  that  kingdom,  an 
act  by  which  our  Lord  represented  the  assump- 
tion of  the  powers  which  belonged  to  Him  as 
the  true  Sovereign  of  the  theocracy,  for  which 
all  the  institutions  of  Judaism  were  understood 
by  the  people  of  Israel  themselves  to  have  been 
but  preparatory. — Ibid. 

2  It  was  unique  in  the  selection    exercised. 

[18868]  The  point  which  has  in  all  ages  struck 
observers  most  forcibly,  is  undoubtedly  the 
singular  disproportion  between  the  work  im- 
posed upon  those  twelve  Galileans  and  what 
we  must  believe  to  have  been  their  natural 
capacities  and  powers.  And,  in  truth,  there  is 
a  most  remarkable  contrast  between  our  Loi'd's 
mode  of  proceeding  in  this  transaction  and  that 
of  all  founders  of  religious  or  intellectual  systems 
which  have  left  any  lasting  impress  upon  the 
destinies  of  man.  All  the  great  leaders  of 
thought  have  always  sought  in  the  first  instance 
to  attach  to  themselves  some  converts  or  ad- 
herents whose  vigorous  character  or  commanding 
position  would  secure  for  them  a  certain  influ- 
ence over  the  men  of  their  time. — /bit/. 

[18869]  Here,  as  in  all  great,  essential  cha- 
racteristics, our  Master  stands  alone.  His  power. 
His  influence,  is  all  His  own.  All  that  His 
followers,  His  servants,  His  agents,  were  to 
have  or  to  be,  they  were  to  owe  to  Him.  His 
contact  with  every  heart,  with  every  race  of 
humanity, was  tobedirect.  Thechannels  through 
which  His  influence  was  to  be  conveved  were 


such  as  could  contribute  nought  to  its  fulness  ; 
the  fibres  along  which  the  electric  current  of  His 
own  impulsive  energy  was  to  run  were  to  be 
simply  passive  in  the  transmission.  He  was 
to  be  all  in  all,  at  once  the  centre  of  the  new 
life,  and  present  in  all  His  power  wherever  His 
name  should  be  known. — Jbid. 


II.    Their    Social    and    Intellilctual 
Position. 

[18870]  Look  at  them  as  they  came  to  Jesus. 
What  do  we  see  in  them  ?  Poor  men  indeed, 
ignorant,  uninformed,  untouched  by  "  the 
gracious  gleam  of  letters,"  unknown  to  science 
or  to  art,  regarded  by  those  of  their  country- 
men, whose  intellects  had  been  sharpened  by 
the  mental  discipline  of  their  schools,  as  unfit 
even  to  hear  the  truths,  of  which  the  Rabbis 
deemed  themselves  the  exclusive  possessors. 
Such  were  those  disciples  in  truth,  judged 
merely  by  a  secular  or  intellectual  standard  ; 
but  that  was  not  all  :  it  is  not  the  real  aspect  of 
their  character  to  one  who  looks  on  them  with 
a  spirit  divested  of  pharisaic  or  worldly  preju- 
dice. Those  poor  men  were  lovers  of  truth, 
seekers  after  righteousness. — Ibid. 


III.  Homiletical  Reflections. 

1  The  selection  of  the  twelve  apostles  is  an 
illustration  of  that  sovereign  love  in  Christ 
which  is  independent  of  human  merit. 

[1887 1]  With  all  the  distinctness  and  sepa- 
rateness  with  which  Christ  called  Andrew, 
and  Peter,  and  Philip,  and  Matthew,  did  He 
fix  His  thoughts  on  you,  and  call  you.  He 
came  "  to  seek  and  to  save  "  you.  There  was 
a  time  when,  at  your  work,  or  in  your  travels, 
or  in  your  home,  or  in  your  pew,  or  on  the 
deep  ;  sick,  bereaved,  or  rejoicing  in  some 
great  blessing,  Christ  stood,  and  said  to  you. 
Follow  Me  ;  and  you  arose  and  followed  Him. 
See,  in  the  calling  of  these  men,  how  Christ  has 
treated  you  ;  and  be  prepared,  by  adoring 
thoughts  of  His  sovereign  love,  to  cast  your 
crowns,  with  the  apostles,  at  His  feet,  saying, 
"And  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God 
and  His  Father."  What  humility  it  should 
excite  in  us  ;  how  destitute  of  pride,  and 
haughtiness,  and  coldness,  and  repulsiveness, 
how  meek,  and  gentle,  and  affable,  as  Christians, 
we  ought  to  be,  to  think  that,  if  we  are  Chris- 
tians, it  is  of  pure  grace,  mercy  to  the  unde- 
serving, the  voluntary  search  of  the  Good 
Shepherd  after  sheep  that  had  wandered,  and 
had  loved  to  wander  ! — N.  Adatns,  D.D. 

2  The  selection  of  the  twelve  apostles  reminds 
us  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  belongs  to 
the  poor  in  spirit. 

[18872]  These  men  had  no  ambitious,  aspiring 
thoughts,  such  as  learning,  and  riches,  and  rank, 
and  talents  too  often  excite.  Passing  by,  that 
very  morning,  perhaps,  the  place  where  the 
Sanhedrim  were  in  session,  or  the  scribes  and 


412 

18872— 18876] 


NEIV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 


CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  sons  of  thunder. 


Pharisees,  and  all  the  doctors  of  the  law,  were 
gathering  together, — neglecting,  too,  the  whole 
priesthood, — Jesus  goes  to  some  obscure  men, 
poor  in  spirit,  and  makes  them  rulers  over  all 
that  he  had.  It  is  a  great  satisfaction,  when 
God  calls  us  to  any  promotion,  whether  of 
happiness  or  honour,  to  reflect  that  we  had  not 
been  laying  ambitious  plans  for  it,  but  were 
meekly  and  patiently  following  our  humble 
business,  or  our  appointed  work,  whatever  it 
may  have  been  ;  and  that  He,  in  His  own  good 
time,  ca'led  us  to  inherit  and  to  serve  in  the 
place  which  He  had  chosen  for  us.  .  .  .  That 
is  the  best  honour  and  happiness  to  which  God 
calls  a  man  wh-^n  he  is  not  expecting  it,  but  is 
contentedly  doi  ig  his  duty,  as  unto  God  and 
not  unto  men,  in  the  place  which  Providence 
had  assigned  him.  In  like  manner,  if  we  but 
feel  our  unworthiness,  and  that  the  least  of 
God's  mercies  is  more  than  we  merit,  and  when 
He  afflicts  us,  that  it  is  far  less  than  we  deserve, 
we  shall  be  sure  to  receive  great  spiritual  bless- 
ings.— Ibid. 

3  The  promptness  with  which  the  twelve 
apostles  forsook  all  and  followed  Christ 
reminds  us  of  the  way  in  which  we  should 
obey  His  call. 

[18S73]  We  have  all  been  called  by  Him. 
He  is  calling  some  of  us  now.  See  how  these 
men  responded,  when  Jesus  said  to  them,  as 
He  now  says  to  some  of  us,  Follow  Me. 
Andrew  and  Peter  left  their  nets  and  followed 
Him.  Some  of  us,  there  is  reason  to  fear, 
would  have  said.  Lord,  suffer  us  first  to  enclose 
this  draught  of  tishes.  We  are  poor.  We  need 
to  labour  diligently  for  our  livelihood.  James 
and  John,  had  they  felt  like  some  of  us,  would 
have  said  to  their  father.  What  shall  we  do  ? 
Matthew  the  publican  would  have  pleaded  his 
pressing  business.  There  is  something — shall 
we  call  it  sublime,  or  beautiful  ?— in  the  way  in 
which  those  men  obeyed  Christ.  Half  the 
merit  of  obedience  consists  in  promptness.  A 
lingering,  hesitating  child  never  satisfies  a 
parent's  wishes  and  feelings  ;  but,  "  Here  am 
I  ;  send  me,"  always  awakens  love. — Ibid. 

4  The  history  of  the  twelve  apostles  reminds 
us  of  the  rewards  which  Christ  gives  to  His 
faithful  servants. 

[18874]  No  one  ever  served  Him  for  nothing. 
If  He  requires  much  of  us.  He  gives  more. 
"  He  that  loveth  son  and  daughter  more  than 
Me  is  not  worthy  of  Me."  "  If  any  man  come 
after  Me,  and  forsake  not  all  that  he  hath,  he 
cannot  be  My  disciple."  "  If  any  man  hate  not 
his  own  life  also,  he  cannot  be  My  disciple." 
Such  are  His  requisitions.  What  did  He  give 
these  followers  to  recompense  them  for  their 
sell-sacrifice.''  In  the  first  place,  the  pleasure 
they  had  in  doing  it  was  reward  enough.  But, 
in  the  second  place,  tiiey  enjoyed  the  richest  of 
blessings.  They  had  the  Saviour's  constant 
instructions.  They  enjoyed  His  constant  watch 
and  care.  "Those  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me  I 
have  kept."     "  While  I  was  in  the  world  I  kept 


them  in  Thy  name."  They  enjoyed  His  love. 
"  Having  loved  His  own  which  were  in  the 
world.  He  loved  them  unto  the  end."  He 
bestowed  great  favours  upon  them. — Ibid. 

[18875]  What  though  the  most  of  them  suf- 
fered martyrdom?  They  rejoiced  that  they 
were  counted  worthy  to  suffer.  When  Peter 
came  to  be  crucified,  he  only  requested  to  die 
with  his  head  downward,  as  not  worthy  to  suffer 
like  his  Master.  Their  pains  were  sharp,  but 
they  were  short  ;  and  the  end  was  life  everlast- 
incr.  What  must  be  the  reflections  of  those  men 
in  heaven  !  Some  of  them  look  back  to  that 
Lake  of  Galilee  ;  they  think  of  that  moment 
when  Christ  called  them.  Matthew  recollects 
his  seat  at  the  customs— how  Christ  came  by 
and  said,  "  Follow  Me  ; "  and  from  the  moment 
of  their  prompt  obedience  they  date  the  begin- 
nin'j  of  their  blissful  eternity.  Had  one  of  us, 
perhaps  they  say — had  one  of  us  hesitated  to 
follow  Christ  ;  had  we  loved  the  world  ;  had  we 
been  afraid  to  commit  our  all  to  Christ  ;  or  had 
we  feared  that  we  should  not  hold  out,  and  so 
had  not  set  out — what  should  we  have  lost  ? 
Where  in  the  universe  is  there  wealth  enough, 
honour  enough,  bliss  enough,  to  make  one  of 
them  willing  that  his  emblazoned  name  should 
be  raised  from  that  foundation-stone  ? — Ibid. 


THE   SONS  OF  THUNDER. 

I.  The  Name  "  Boanerges." 
I       Question  as  to  its  significance. 

[18876]  What  was  the  meaning  and  purpose 
of  this  name  ?  That  it  was  intended  as  a  name 
of  honour  was  never  for  an  instant  doubted  by 
Christian  antiquity  ;  and  indeed,  since  all  ac- 
knowledge the  title  given  to  Simon,  which 
immediately  precedes  it,  to  have  been  such  an 
honourable  superaddilion,  it  seems  wholly  in- 
conceivable that  there  should  have  been  another 
name  imposed  on  two  other  of  the  elect  twelve 
in  quite  a  different  intention  and  spirit.  Indeed, 
there  are  few  interpretations  of  Holy  Scripture 
more  monstrous  in  their  kind  than  that  other 
supposition,  namely,  that  the  two  sons  of 
Zebedee  acquired  this  addition,  "  sons  of 
thunder,''  from  the  untimely  and  passionate 
request  of  theirs,  that  they  might  be  allowed  to 
call  down  fire  from  heaven  on  the  inhabitants 
of  that  churlish  Samaritan  village  (Luke  ix.  54). 
Calmet  was,  I  believe,  the  first  who  started  this 
explanation — at  least  I  have  not  seen  it  traced 
to  an  earlier  source,  but  it  has  found  much 
acceptance  since.  Thus  Tholuck  assumes  it  as 
certain,  and  affirms  that  the  name  was  imposed 
upon  them  "  to  remind  them  evermore  of  that 
inner  foe  with  whom  they  needed  to  contend." 
But  not  to  urge  that  there  is  no  mention  of 
thunder,  or  allusion  to  it,  in  that  passage,  nor 
yet  at  2  Kings  i.  9-12,  to  the  precedent  of  which 
the   two   apostles   avowedly   refer    ("as    Elias 


18876—18881] 


NEiy   TESTAHTENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  413 

CHRISTIAN   ERA.  [tHE  SONS  OF  THUNDER. 


did"),  the  deriving  of  their  name  from  this 
fault  of  theirs  goes  counter  to  the  whole  tenor 
and  analogy  of  Scripture.  The  new  name 
there  is  evermore  the  expressing  and  fixing  of 
the  new  nature  ;  it  is  the  record  of  some  notable 
achievement,  some  glorious  confession  by  word 
or  deed,  tlirough  which  tiie  servant  of  God,  who 
thus  wins  this  name,  has  Ijcen  permanently  lifted 
up  into  a  higher  region  of  being  than  that  which 
he  moved  in  before  (Gen.  xxxii.  28  ;  Judg.  vi. 
32  ;  Acts  iv.  36,  2,7  ;  Matt.  xvi.  18  ;  Rev.  ii.  17). 
It  marks  some  signal  epoch  or  crisis  of  his 
spiritual  life,  which  with  its  results  is  by  aid  of 
this  new  title  stamped  upon  him  forever  (Num. 
xiii.  16  ;  Gen.  xvii.  5,  15). — Adp.  Trench. 

2  Question  as  to  its  disuse. 

[18877]  Various  explanations  of  this  fact  have 
been  offered.  Thus  it  has  been  ingeniously 
suggested  that  the  name  was,  so  to  speak,  a 
dual  name,  and  belonged  to  the  two  apostles, 
not  severally  and  independently  one  of  the 
other,  but  only  as  a  brother-pair,  and  in  their 
connection  one  with  the  other,  in  the  same  way 
that  Dioscuri  belonged  to  Castor  and  Pollux, 
or  to  Zethus  and  Amphion ;  which  being  so,  the 
occasions  of  its  use  must  have  been  of  rare 
occurrence,  and  with  the  early  death  of  James 
(Acts  xii.  2)  must  have  ceased  altogether,  the 
name  itself  becoming,  as  one  might  say,  extinct 
with  him.  And  yet,  ingenious  as  this  explana- 
tion must  be  owned  to  be,  it  is  doubly  at  fault. 
Even  granting  that  this  was  such  a  dual  name, 
and  only  proper  as  applied  to  the  pair,  yet  of 
such  opportunities  for  its  use  quite  sufficient 
occur  in  the  gospel  history  to  prove  the  in- 
adequacy of  this  explanation.  .  .  .  Besides,  the 
assumption  on  which  the  explanation  rests  is 
erroneous.  There  may  be  some  ambiguity  in 
our  Version,  "  He  surnamed  them  Boanerges," 
but  there  can  be  none  in  the  original.  Any  one 
turning  to  it  will  at  once  perceive  that  St.  Mark 
distinctly  implies  that  each  of  the  twain,  by 
himself  and  apart  from  the  other,  was  by  the 
Lord  called  "a  son  of  thunder  ;  "  that  while  the 
Evangelist  records  the  ^^  name'''  Peter  as  given 
to  Simon,  when  he  tells  of  James  and  John  it  is 
no  longer  the  name  (i'h'0;i/«),  but  the  '■•names'" 
{ovofiara),  "sons  of  thunder,'  which  they  receive  ; 
and  thus  no  room  is  left  for  such  a  solution  of 
the  difficulty.  But  may  not  this  difficulty  be  of 
a  much  simpler  solution.''  Of  no  other  than 
this,  that  the  surname  Boanerges,  being  common 
to  both  apostles,  would  not  have  sufficiently 
designated  which  of  them  was  intended  ;  and 
that  this  inconvenience  may  have  hindered  it 
from  ever  growing  into  an  appellation  ;  which, 
indeed,  there  was  no  need  that  it  should  do, 
having  been  given  with  quite  another  object  and 
intention. — Idid. 

3  Evidence  of  its  propriety. 

[18878]  There  can,  of  course,  be  no  difficulty 
in  regard  to  St.  James.  We  have  not,  indeed, 
very  much  in  his  history  accounting  for  and 
illustrating   this  name  ;  but  then  we  have  not 


much  in  any  shape  about  him  ;  and  in  what  we 
have  tliere  is  nothing  which  does  not  perfectly 
agree  with,  or  even  confirm,  we  may  say,  its 
fitness.  And  here,  indeed,  when  we  are  gather- 
ing notices  which  should  account  for  their  being 
so  called,  that  fiery  zeal  of  his  and  of  his  brother, 
who  would  have  burnt  up  the  village  that  re- 
fused the  shelter  of  a  night  to  their  Lord,  may 
be  fitly  adduced  as  illustrating  this  title,  though 
utterly  misleading  when  cited  as  explaining  and 
justifying  it.  It  illustrates  this  title,  because 
it  shows  us  what  in  these  two  apostles  was  the 
natural  groundwork  of  their  character  —  a 
groundwork  which  Christ  certainly  did  not 
dissolve  ;  but  ratlier,  calling  them  these  "  sons 
of  thunder,"  recognized  ;  even  while  by  the 
same  act  He  pledged  Himself  to  purify  it  from 
whatever  of  earthly  and  carnal  mingled  with  it, 
and  threatened  to  spoil  it. — Idid. 

[1S879]  The  very  failings  which  the  brother 
apostles  displayed  were  failings  of  no  common 
souls  ;  were  as  luxuriant  weeds,  which,  weeds 
as  they  were,  testified  for  the  richness  of  the 
soil  from  whence  they  sprang,  and  its  capacity 
for  bearing  the  very  noblest  fruits.  In  their 
sense  of  righteousness  and  judgment,  in  their 
indignation  against  sin — all  this,  indeed,  dis- 
playing itself  in  an  impatient  and  untimely 
severity,  that  would  have  consumed  the  sinners 
and  the  sin  together,  rather  than  the  sin  alone, 
with  a  saving  alive  of  the  sinners — we  see  the 
"sons  of  thunder"  on  their  natural  side,  and 
as  they  would  have  been  but  for  that  grace, 
which,  retaining  and  exalting  all  the  good  of  the 
natural  character,  did  at  the  same  time  trans- 
form it  from  human  to  Divine,  separate  all  the 
drossy  elements  of  earth,  and  retain  only  the 
pure  gold  of  heaven  .—/(^^V/. 

[18880]  The  early  martyrdom  of  James,  the 
fact  that  he,  first  of  the  apostles,  stained  with 
his  blood  the  persecutor's  sword  (Acts  xii.  2), 
we  may  accept  this  as  a  further  attestation  that 
he  indeed  was  all  that  his  name  implied.  A 
"  son  of  thunder,"  and,  as  such,  arousing, 
startling,  terrifying,  he  may  have  caused  the 
thunders  of  the  Divine  displeasure  against  sin 
to  be  heard  with  a  clearness  and  energy  which 
drew  on  him  the  peculiar  and  early  hatred  of 
the  ungodly  world — the  holiness  of  his  life  lend- 
ing additional  weight  and  terror  to  his  words — 
for  in  him  no  doubt  that  saying  will  have  found 
its  fullest  application,  "  Cujus  vita  fulgor,  ejus 
verba  tonitrua." — Ibid. 

[18SS1]  Much  of  the  embarrassment  which 
some  feel,  when  they  would  make  an  estimate 
of  what  in  St.  John  there  is  to  justify  this  title, 
arises  from  their  leaving  the  Apocalypse  out  of 
consideration.  For  it  is  in  the  Apocalypse  that 
those  which  eminently  may  be  called  the  thun- 
der-voices make  themselves  heard.  This  they 
do  with  a  greater  loudness  and  distinctness  than 
in  any  other  book  of  the  New  Testament.  It 
need  hardly  be  observed  that  the  thunder  in 
Scripture  is  no  mere  natural  phenomenon.    We 


414 


I7Eiy   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[peter. 


do  not  read  there  that  //  thunders,  but  that  God 
thunders  ;  the  thunder  being  contemplated  there 
as  His  voice  (Psa.  xviii.  13,  xxix.  3,  Ixviii.  33, 
Ixxvii.  18,  civ.  7,  cxliv.  6  ;  Job  xxvi.  14, 
xxxvii.  4,  5,  xl.  9  ;  i  Sam.  vii.  10),  as  the  voice 
above  all  of  His  displeasure  against  the  sins  of 
men  (r  Sam.  xii.  17,  18).  The  terror  which 
the  thunder  inspires  springs  from  the  interpre- 
tation of  it  which  every  one  unconsciously  makes, 
from  the  sense  which  every  one  has,  that  it  is  this 
voice  in  nature,  wherewith  God  is  speaking,  and 
speaking  in  anger,  to  a  sinful  world.  And  what 
book  is  there  in  Scripture  so  full  of  these  voices 
of  God  as  that  with  which  the  canon  is  sealed  .'' 
Nor  certainly  can  it  be  regarded  as  a  mere 
accident  that,  with  the  exception  of  this  pas- 
sage about  St.  John,  only  in  his  own  writings 
is  there  any  mention  of  thunder  in  the  New 
Testament  at  all. — Idtd. 

II.  Their  Wrong-spirited  Request. 

It  was  the  outcome  of  faith  and  reverence 
for  Christ,  yet  was  perhaps  felt  by  them- 
selves to  be  unfitting. 

[18882]  "Lord,  wilt  Thou  that  we  command 
fire  to  come  down  from  heaven,  and  consume 
them  even  as  Elias  did?"  With  all  of  carnal 
and  sinful  which  mingled  with  this  proposal  of 
theirs,  yet  what  insight  into  the  dignity  of  their 
Lord,  and  the  greatness  of  the  outrage  directed 
against  Him,  does  it  reveal  ;  what  faith  in  the 
mighty  powers  with  which  He  was  able  to 
equip  His  servants  !  How  mighty  a  power 
this  was  in  the  eyes  of  one  of  these  two  is  evi- 
denced from  the  fact  that,  when  in  the  Apo- 
calypse he  records  the  great  wonders  and  lying 
signs  of  the  false  prophet,  tlie  only  sign  which 
he  specially  names  is,  that  "  he  maketh  fire 
come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the 
sight  of  men  "  (Rev.  xiii.  13  ;  cf.  Lev.  ix.  24  ; 
I  Kings  xviii.  38  ;  i  Chron.  xxi.  26  ;  2  Chron. 
vii.  i).  And  yet  it  might  almost  seem  as 
though,  with  all  this  confidence  of  theirs,  there 
was  a  latent  and  lurking  sense  upon  their  part 
of  a  certain  unfitness  in  this  their  proposal  ; 
and  thus,  out  of  no  desire  to  intrude  into  their 
Lord's  ofilce,  but  only  out  of  a  feeling  that  this 
avenging  act  might  not  exactly  become  Him, 
they  proffer  themselves  as  the  executors  of  the 
judgment.  It  will  become  the  servants,  though 
it  might  not  perfectly  become  the  Lord. — Ibid. 

III.  Their  Rebuke. 
Its  precise  import. 

[18883]  Already,  as  would  seem.  He  who 
was  the  pattern  of  a  perfect  patience  had 
turned  to  go,  that  He  might  seek  in  another 
village  the  hospitality  denied  Him  in  this. 
They  meanwhile  Iiad  lingered  behind,  hardly 
enduring  that  the  guilty  village  should  escape 
the  punishment  which  was  its  due.  But  now 
on  this  word  of  theirs,  "  He  turned,  and " 
turning  "  rebuked  them  :  Ye  know  not  what 
manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of."     We  must  beware 


here  of  extenuating  these  words  of  our  Lord,  as 
though  "  what  manner  of  spirit"  did  but  signify 
"  what  temper  ;  "  of  paraphrasing  thus,  as  some 
do—"  You  know  not  that  you  are  speaking  out 
of  your  own  hasty  passionate  temper,  being 
hurt  as  much  by  the  slight  upon  yourselves  as 
that  put  upon  INIe,  even  while  you  suppose  your- 
selves zealous  for  My  glory  and  for  nothing 
else."  But  "  spirit  "  here  means  not  the  spirit 
of  a  man,  but  the  spirit  of  God  ;  and  the  saying 
is  a  far  weightier  one  than  such  an  extenuation 
of  its  sense  would  leave  it.  "  You  are  missing," 
Christ  would  say,  "  your  true  position  ;  which 
is,  having  been  born  of  the  spirit  of  forgiving 
love,  to  be  ruled  by  that  spirit,  and  not  by  the 
spirit  of  avenging  righteousness.  You  are  losing 
sight  of  the  distinction  between  the  Old  Cove- 
nant and  the  New,  missing  the  greater  glory  of 
the  latter,  and  that  it  is  the  higher  blessedness 
to  belong  to  it."  Thus  Hammond  rightly 
remarks  :  "  Christ  tells  them  they  know  not  of 
what  spirit  they  are,  that  is,  they  considered 
not  under  what  dispensation  they  were." — Ibid. 

[18884]  It  behoves  us  to  see  clearly  that  there 
is  no  slight  cast  on  the  spirit  of  Elias.  I  quote 
from  a  sermon  of  Bishop  Andrewes.  This 
truth  Bishop  Andrewes  has  well  expressed 
in  his  quaint  style.  "Elias'  spirit,  I  hope, 
was  no  evil  spirit.  No  ;  but  every  good 
spirit,  as  good  as  Elias',  is  not  for  every  per- 
son, place,  or  time.  Spirits  are  g'ven  by  God, 
and  men  inspired  with  them,  after  several 
manners,  upon  several  occasions,  as  the  several 
times  require.  The  times  sometimes  require 
one  spirit,  sometimes  another.  Elias'  time, 
Elias'  spirit.  As  his  act  good,  done  by  his 
spirit,  so  his  spirit  good  in  his  own  time.  The 
time  changed  ;  the  spirit,  then  good,  now  not 
good.  But  why  is  it  out  of  time  ?  For  '  the 
Son '  of  man  is  come." — Ibid. 


PETER. 

I.  General  View  of  his  Character. 

[18885]  I  assume  that  there  dwelt  in  him  a 
steadfast  faith  in  Christ  ;  but  there  were  found 
in  him  also  certain  defects,  such  as  impetuosity, 
ambition,  self-will,  and  self-confidence,  which 
sometimes  led  him  into  positions  of  peculiar"^^ 
temptation,  and  caused  him  to  neglect  those  ) 
safeguards  without  which  the  strongest  faith 
cannot  but  fail. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[18886]  We  must  not  undervalue  his  other 
excellencies,  his  Energy  and  zeal,  his  practical 
vigour,  his  warm-heartedjiess,  his  humility  .and' 
magnanimity,  his  entire  devotion  to  his  Lord. 
His  character  was  a  most  lovable  one  :  we  love 
him  for  his  virtues  :  we  love  him  for  his  very 
faults  :  without  a  tinge  of  meanness,  or  avarice, 
or  insincerity  ;  perfectly  guileless,  frank,  and 
open,  he  was  a  noble,  honest,  true-hearted  man. 
But   that  which  made  him  what  he  was,  that 


18886— 18891] 


NEIV    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CIlRKSTrAN    ERA. 


[peter. 


which  gave  unity  as  well  as  force  to  his  cha- 
racter, was  the  simplicity  and  stability  of  his 
faith.  He  was  great  as  an  apostle,  but  he  was 
above  all  great  as  a  Christian  :  yea,  his  apostolic 
eminence  was  entirely  owing  to  the  depth  and 
the  reality  of  his  faith  and  life  in  Christ. — 
Ibid. 

[18887]  I  think  there  is  ground  for  believing 
that  the  substratum  of  St.  Peter's  natural  clia- 
racter  contained  in  it  the  elements  of  steadfast- 
ness. In  that  memorable  interview  on  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan,  in  which  Jesus  first  made  Himself 
known  to  His  future  apostle,  the  Lord  bestowed 
upon  him  a  new  name — a  name  full  of  signi- 
ficance. "And  when  Jesus  beheld  him.  He 
said.  Thou  art  Simon,  the  son  of  Jona  :  thou 
shalt  be  called  Cephas,"  the  Syriac  or  Aramaic 
word  for  rock  :  "  which  is  by  interpretation," 
/.<?.,  in  the  Greek  language,  "  Petros."  The  in- 
ference surely  is,  that  our  Lord  spoke  with  a 
miraculous  discernment  of  His  disciple's  cha- 
racter, as  well  as  with  a  prophetic  insight  into 
his  future  career  ;  that  Christ  saw  before  Him 
one  who  was  by  nature  firm,  steadfast,  rock-like  ; 
one  not  to  be  overthrown,  however  severely  he 
might  be  tried  ;  one  fitted  well  to  grasp  the 
living  truth,  and  to  lay  deep  the  foundations  of 
the  new  kingdom  ;  and  that  he  saw,  moreover, 
one  for  whom  Divine  grace  would  do  much  ; 
one  who,  when  freed  from  all  enfeebling  ele- 
ments, would  stand  forth  immovable  in  his  con- 
victions, a  true  example  of  Christian  stability. — 
Ibid. 


^^\ 


[18888]  It  is  not  difficult,  from  the  frequent 
references  to  Peter  occurring  throughout  the 
Gospels,  to  obtain  some  estimate  of  his  natural 
temperament.  It  is  evident  that  among  the  other 
apostles  he  was  eipinently  the  man  of  action — 
a  man  of  quick  perception'and  rapid  execution. 
Combined  with  this  practical  tendency,  he 
possessed  a  strong,  courageous  spirit.  Hence, 
perhaps,  it  is  that  Christ  surnamed  him  "  the 
Rock  ;  "  for  although  this  name  in  a  measure 
arose  from  the  prominent  part  he  would  take  in 
founding  the  future  Church,  yet  all  Christ's 
names  are  indicative  of  character.  And  it  is 
equally  evident,  that  underneath  the  rough, 
strong  courage  of  the  man's  nature,  there  ex- 
isted profound  and  exquisite  tenderness.  We 
almost  always  find  these  characteristics  side  by 
side  in  men  of  the  noblest  boldness.  And  as 
with  David,  so  with  Peter,  with  all  their  fire, 
they  had  the  pity  of  a  little  child.  But  the 
most  characteristic  feature  of  the  man  is  this — 
that  his  strong  courageous  activity  rose  rather 
'\^  from  impulse  than  from  calm,  though.tiiii-<l©tef- 
mination.  He  \\;is  not  l^old  from  deliberate 
r^tteet-ion,  but  from  the  strong  excitement  of  the 
moment.  He  seldom  seems  to  have  acted  from 
quiet  resolve,  but  rather  from  the  prevailing 
emotion  of  the  hour.  And  so  every  new  im- 
pulse was  likely  to  turn  him  aside  from  his  path 
and  change  his  whole  purpose.  —  Rev.  E. 
Hull. 


II.  His  Dominant  Characteristic. 

He    was    continually  swayed    by    a   vehement 
impulsiveness. 

(1)  As   exemplified    m    liis    luaik    upon    the  ^ 
Tinitcrs  to  Christ. 

[18889]  "  Lord,  if  it  be  Thou,  bid  me  come 
unto  Thee  on  the  water."  His  eager  faith,  and 
impetuous  love,  now  prompted  a  wish  to  be 
close  beside  that  object  of  veneration.  He  felt 
that  at  His  bidding  he  could  attempt  a  deed 
above  mortal  strength.  His  Lord  tried  him, 
well  knowing  the  issue.  And  He  said — "  Come." 
Forthwith  there  appeared  that  phase  in  Peter's 
character  which  we  shall  have  again  to  mark. 
For  a  while,  through  faith  in  his  Lord,  he  did 
this  miraculous  walking  well  ;  but  presently  he 
thought  of  the  boisterous  wind.  He  turned  his 
eye  fiqm_  the  object  of  faith  to  look  at  objects  of 
sense  ;  and  now  —  what  might  be  expected 
followed — he  began  to  sink.  The  strong  faith 
failed.  The  courageous  heart,  all  at  once,  be- 
came full  of  cowardice.  The  bold  demand  of 
hopeful  trust  was  exchanged  for  the  almost 
despairing  prayer — "  Lord,  save  me."  There 
had  been  presumption  in  his  faith,  and  wher- 
ever there  is  presumption,  faith  does  not  long 
hold  up  its  head.  In  this  circumstance  we  see 
the  man.  It  reveals  his  soul.  Here  was  a 
dark  shade  of  Peter's  character,  as  well  as  a 
bright  trait.  We  are  struck  with  the  rapid 
changes  of  his  experience  ;  how  one  instant  he 
soars,  and  the  next  sinks.  All  this  we  shall 
find  repeated  as  we  proceed.  And  here,  do  not 
some  of  us  recognize  in  him  the  image  of  our- 
selves ?  Of  this  at  least  be  assured,  that  the 
moment  faith  takes  her  eye  off  Christ,  and  looks 
at  the  tempest,  instead  of  Him  who  alone  can 
uphold  us  above  the  dashing  surge,  the  soul  will 
be  submerged  in  fear  and  agony.  The  physical 
law  is  repeated  in  the  moral  world  ;  walking  in 
dangerous  places  we  must  look  up,  not  down. — 
Rev.  y.  Stoii^^htoJi. 

(2)  As  exemplified  in  his  "rand  confession  of 
faith  in  Christ  being  immediately  followed  by  an 

endeavour  to  dissuade  Christ  from  His  appointed 
path  of  suffering. 

[1S890]  By  the  momentary  force  of  faith  he, 
first  of  all  tiie  apostles,  made  the  open  confes- 
sion, "  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,"  and  immedi- 
ately afterwards  the  child's  heart  of  pity  within 
the  man's  heart  of  fire  trembled  at  the  prospect 
of  his  Master's  suffering,  and  he  endeavoured 
to  turn  Christ  from  His  chosen  path  of  sorrow. 
Roused  into  burning  ardour  by  Christ's  pro- 
phecy of  his  denial,  he  challenged  all  terrors  of 
imprisonment  and  death  to  tear  him  from  His 
side,  and  shortly  after  we  find  him  denying  the 
Lord  for  whom  he  had  sworn  to  die. — AV?/. 
E.  Hull. 

(3)  As  exemplified  in  his  attitude  towards 
Christ  when  about  to  wash  his  feet. 

[18891]  "Then  cometh  He  to  Simon  Peter: 
and  Peter  said  unto  Him,  Lord,  dost  Thou  wash 
my  feet?"     Peter  was  startled  at  the  thought  of 


4i6 


ATEIV    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[peter. 


One  so  great  performing  for  him  an  office  so 
lowly.  The  veneration  he  felt  for  his  Master 
was  shocked  by  the  proposal.  His  words  indi- 
cated no  want  of  desire  for  an  interest  in  His 
favour  ;  indeed,  anything  but  that.  It  was  love 
blended  with  awe  which  prompted  the  frank 
expostulation.  The  words  sprang  from  rever- 
ence, while  they  really  seemed  to  border  on 
irreverence.  But  when  Jesus  intimated  the  sym- 
bolic character  of  the  act,  showing  that  it  was 
a  kind  of  holy  baptism — that  it  pointed  to  the 
sanctification  of  His  followers  ;  and  when  He 
thus  declared  its  necessity,  "  If  I  wash  thee  not, 
thou  hast  no  part  with  Me" — then  what  a 
change  there  was  all  at  once  in  the  thoughts 
and  words  of  the  apostle  !  The  light  let  in  gave 
a  new  colour  to  his  ideas,  and  a  new  direction 
to  his  will  ;  and  he  was  now  as  eager  to  submit, 
as  he  was  previously  determined  to  refuse. 
Before  he  would  not  permit  Christ  to  touch  him 
at  all  ;  now  he  would  be  washed  by  Him  all 
over.  "  Lord,  not  my  feet  only,  but  also  my 
hands  and  my  head  '  "  The  impulsiveness  of 
the  man  is  again  manifest ;  but  here  it  does  not 
appear,  as  in  former  cases,  rushing  from  faith  to 
mistrust — plunging  out  of  light  into  darkness  ; 
it  is  now  seen  all  along  in  its  changeful  move- 
ment under  the  dominion  of  a  constant  heart. — 
Rev.  J.  Stougliton. 

V    III.  His  Great  Confession, 

[18S92]  "  But  whom  say  ye  that  I  am?  "  To 
this  question  Peter  immediately  replied,  "  Thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  It  is 
not  "  we  say,"  or  "  I  say,"  but  "  Thou  art." 
It  is  the  expression  of  the  deepest  inward 
conviction,  bringing  out  both  the  human  and  the 
Divine  nature  of  our  Lord  :  "  The  Christ,"  the 
Son  of  David,  the  anointed  King  :  "The  Son  of 
the  living  God,"  the  eternal  Son,  having  in  Him 
the  Divine  Sonship  and  nature,  in  a  sense  in 
which  they  could  be  in  none  else.  This  noble 
testimony  interprets  to  us  the  character  of 
Peter  :  it  verifies  the  Lord's  discernment  :  it 
abundantly  justifies  the  bestowment  of  the  new 
name.  Did  the  Gospel  narrative  close  here,  we 
should  all  admit  the  stability  of  the  apostle's 
faith. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[18893]  The  excellence  of  this  confession  is, 
that  it  brings  out  both  the  human  and  the 
Divine  nature  of  the  Lord  :  the  Messiah,  the 
Son  of  David,  the  anointed  King,  and  the 
Eternal  Son,  begotten  of  the  Eternal  Father,  as 
the  last  word  most  emphatically  implies  ;  not 
Son  of  God  in  any  inferior,  figurative  sense  ;  not 
ojte  of  the  Sons  of  God,  of  angelic  nature  ;  but 
"  the  Son  of  the  living  God,"  having  in  Him  the 
lordship  and  the  Divine  nature  in  a  sense  in 
which  they  could  be  in  none  else.  This  was  a 
view  of  the  Person  of  Christ  quite  distinct  from 
the  Jewish  Messianic  idea. — Dean  Al/o?-d. 

[18894]  "  The  heavenly  truth  flashed  on  him," 
it  has  been  similarly  remarked,  "  did  indeed 
contain   the    meeting-place    between    the    two 


dispensations  ;  the  anointed  Messiah  whom 
prophets  and  kings  had  desired  to  see  ;  the  Son 
of  Him  who  once  again,  as  at  the  burning  bush, 
had  come  with  ever-living  power  to  visit  and 
redeem  His  people.  ...  In  that  confession  were 
wrapt  up  the  truths  which  were  to  be  the  light 
of  the  future  ages  of  Christendom.  —  Bean 
Stanley. 

IV.  His  Commendation  and  Commission. 

[18895]  "And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  that  thou 
art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  My 
church  ;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it.  And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  ; 
and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall 
be  loosed  in  heaven."  Unfortunately  this  passage 
has  become  mixed  up  with  the  Romish  contro- 
versy. Papists  have  eagerly  laid  hold  upon  it, 
as  if  it  countenanced  the  pretensions  made  by 
the  bishops  of  the  seven-hilled  city  to  a  supreme 
lordship  over  Christendom.  But  the  fact  is, 
that  whatever  these  words  may  signify,  they 
have  no  more  to  do  with  the  bishops  of  Rome 
than  with  the  bishops  of  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  or 
any  other  place — that  no  ecclesiastical  connec- 
tion whatever  can  be  traced  historically  between 
Peter  and  the  Roman  prelates — that  it  is  quite 
certain  the  former  never  was  bishop  of  the  im- 
perial city — that  between  this  inspired  Galilean 
teacher  of  our  faith,  and  the  pontiff,  Pius  IX., 
there  is  no  chain  of  episcopal  succession,  but  a 
chasm  as  broad  as  the  universe  ;  and,  moreover, 
that  the  passage  before  us  does  not  apply  to 
Peter  as  a  bishop  at  all,  but  as  an  apostle  super- 
naturally  gifted,  who  in  his  wonderful  office 
never  had,  or  could  have,  any  successors.  God 
had  directly  inspired  him  with  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth  concerning  Christ — that  truth  which  lies 
at  the  foundation  of  saving  faith.  Peter,  through 
the  grace  and  power  of  the  Spirit,  thus  became 
identified  with  that  truth  which  had  been 
wrought  into  his  soul. — Rev.  J.  Stotighton. 

[18896]  He  was  commissioned  to  be  an 
authoritative  bearer  to  the  world  of  the  blessed 
message.  In  no  other  sense  could  he  be  a  rock 
on  which  to  build  the  church  than  that  in  which 
all  the  apostles  were,  who,  along  with  the 
prophets,  were,  by  virtue  of  their  inspired 
authorit)',  and  as  connected  with  the  chief 
corner  stone,  "  foundations,"  from  which  our 
belief  is  to  rise,  and  on  which  our  obedience  is 
to  rest.  Did  not  Peter,  by  his  preaching  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  by  the  testimony  which  he 
then  bore  to  Christ,  prove  himself  a  rock? 
Were  not  living  stones  then  built  up  upon  his 
ministry,  by  the  conversions  which  the  Spirit 
effected  through  it  ?  Did  he  not  also  show  that 
he  had  the  keys,  when  he  opened  the  door  of 
faith  unto  the  Gentiles  ;  and  did  not  he,  and 
the  rest  of  his  inspired  brethren,  exercise  a 
power  of  binding  and  loosing  in  their  original 
enactment  and  administration  of  ecclesiastical 
law  ? — Ibid. 


c^^  ^cXl 


fU~-5^U.^   -^--GJUvo  6^ £ 


18897—18903] 


NF.IV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[PETEK. 


[l8<S97]  He  did  not  say,  Upon  Peter;  for  He 
did  not  found  the  Church  upon  a  man,  Ijut  upon 
faith.  What,  therefore,  means,  ''On  this  rock"? 
upon  the  confession  contained  in  his  words. — 
Chrysostom. 

[18898]  Utterly  groundless  is  the  notion  that 
Peter  had,  or  pretended  to,  any  claim  to  dictate 
to  the  other  apostles,  to  decide  finally  on  all 
questions  of  faith  or  practice,  and  to  bear  rule 
over  the  universal  Church.  .  .  .  We  find  him, 
when  censured,  either  vindicating  himself  where 
he  was  right,  or,  where  he  was  not  right, 
modestly  submitting  to  reproof  and  correcting 
his  fault. — Abp.  Wiiately. 

[18899]  It  is  not  unworthy  of  preliminary 
note,  that  there  are  two  words  employed  in  the 
Saviour's  address  to  His  apostle — Thou  art 
Peter,  a  stone  {Petros),  and  upon  this  rock 
{Petra)  I  will  build  My  church  ;  Petros  being 
simply  a  stone  :  Petra  a  bold,  immovable  rock. 
So  that  the  Romish  writers  are  wide  of  the 
truth  who  would  represent  Christ  as  asserting 
that  Peter  was  the  rock  on  which  the  church 
was  to  be  built,  seeing,  if  our  Lord  had  intended 
to  convey  any  such  meaning,  He  would  not  have 
employed  a  mixed  metaphor,  but  would  at  once 
have  said  in  direct  words—"  Thou  art  Petros ; 
and  upon  thee  will  I  build,"  &c.  An  excellent 
practical  expositor  puts  this  same  observation 
in  a  different  form  :  "  When  our  Lord  says, 
'  Thou  art  Peter,'  or  thou  art  a  stone.  He  makes 
use  of  a  masculine  substantive,  and  one  usually 
applied  by  the  classical  writers  to  a  fragment  of 
a  rock,  or  such  a  stone  as  a  man  can  lift.  When 
He  continues  the  sentence,  'and  upon  this 
rock,'  He  changes  the  word  into  a  feminine 
noun,  which  is  always  employed  by  the  classical 
writers  to  express  the  solid  rock  itself,  and  He 
continues  to  refer  to  this  feminine  noun  through- 
out the  sentence  ; — a  change  of  expression, 
which,  to  say  the  least,  would  be  extremely  im- 
probable, if  our  Lord  were  speaking  of  the 
same  person  or  the  same  thing  throughout." — 
/.  Macduff,  D.D. 


V.  His  Fall. 


^ 


z  It  was  aggravated  by  his  previous  great 
spiritual  privileges,  and  the  warnings  of 
his  former  failures. 

[18900]  None  of  the  apostles  had  been  more 
loved,  more  trusted,  more  honoured  than  he  ; 
enjoying  constant  and  endearing  intercourse 
with  his  Lord  ;  admitted  into  the  inner  circle  of 
fellowship  ;  the  auditor  of  these  matchless  dis- 
courses spoken  on  Mount  Hattin  ;  the  witness 
of  these  miracles  of  power  alike  in  Capernaum 
and  Jerusalem.  He  had  beheld  the  glory  of  the 
Transfiguration — an  eye-witness  there  of  his 
Lord's  majesty  ;  he  had  sat  a  guest  at  the 
supper-table,  listening  to  those  valedictory  words 
of  kindness  which  must  have  reminded  him 
more  of  a  parent  speaking  to  his  children,  than 
a  Master  to  disciples  ;  he  had  partaken  of  the 
consecrated  bread,  and  drank  the  sacramental 

VOL.  VI.  : 


cup,  the  emblems  and  memorials  of  redeeming 
love,  and  the  ratification  of  previous  vows  of 
allegiance.  With  reiterated  protestations  he 
had  said,  "  Whatsoever  others  do,  as  for  me,  I 
will  serve  the  Lord." — Ibid. 

[18901]  We  might  well  have  expected  that  if 
any  grew  apostate  and  renegade,  it  would  not  be 
he  who  walked  fearlessly  at  his  Master's  bidding 
on  the  midnight  wave,  who  nobly  confessed  His 
Divinity  at  Csesarea  Philippi,  and  avowed, 
almost  in  the  words  spoken  by  the  young 
Moabitess  of  olden  time,  "  Where  Thou  goest, 

1  will  go  ;  .  .  .  death  itself  shall  not  separate 
between  Thee  and  me."  Yet  at  this  critical 
moment,  when  his  Redeemer  stood  companion- 
less  and  alone  among  His  foes,  "a  lamb  dumb 
before  His  shearers,"  uncheered  by  one  sym- 
pathizing look  in  the  palace-hall  of  Caiaphas — 
nay,  rather,  surrounded  by  an  infuriated  throng 
of  blasphemers,  who  are  soon  to  wreak  upon 
Him  their  vengeance  —  His  tender  heart  is 
wounded  most  of  all  by  the  faithlessness  of  His 
own  familiar  friend.  Peter  might  even  have 
made  some  partial  amends  and  compensation 
now  for  the  slumber  of  Gethsemane.  He  might 
by  his  presenre'  and  looks  have  given  the  meek 
Sufferer  the  assurance  that  amid  that  surging 
crowd,  with  their  rough  jostling,  cruel  taunts, 
and  ribald  jests,  there  was  one  heart  at  least 
that  beat  true  to  Him  in  its  unvarying  and  un- 
swerving attachment.  But  memory  and  heart 
seemed  to  be  strangely  dormant  and  extinct. — 
Ibid. 

2  It   was    occasioned,  perhaps,  by    all   hope 
of  a  temporal  kingdom  being  at  an  end. 

[18902]  "Then  said  Jesus  unto  Peter,  Put  up 
thy  sword  into  the  sheath  :  the  cup  which  My 
Father  hath  given  Me,  shall  1  not  drink  it.'"' 
As  if  He  had  said,  "Submission  to  God,  not 
resistance  to  man,  is  the  law  of  My  kingdom  : 
by  patience,  not  by  force,  are  our  triumphs  to  be 
won."  That  sentiment  was  a  heavy  blow  to  Peter's 
prejudices.  Perhaps  here  we  have  the  special 
occasion  of  his  fall.  Was  it  that  his  carnal 
expectations  of  Messiah's  reign  were  now 
dissipated — that  the  bright  clouds  of  his  imagi- 
nation now  melted  away — that  the  hope  of 
Jesus  being  such  a  Redeemer  of  Israel  as  he 
had  looked  for  was  now  at  an  end,  becau'^e, 
instead  of  ascending  the  throne,  He  was  going 
to  the  bar — and  to  the  cross  ?  At  any  rate 
there  was  now  some  tremendous  revulsion  in 
the  soul  of  this  impulsive  man.  He  could  have 
bravely  fought,  but  he  could  not  patiently  sub- 
mit. The  faith  that  would  have  triumphed  in 
the  battle-field  could  not  rejoice  in  the  furnace 
of  suffering. — Rev.  J.  Stoughton. 

3  It     was     undoubtedly     the     outcome      of 
natural  temperament. 

[18903]  His  natural  temperament  must,  in 
some  measure,  modify  our  judgment  of  his  sin. 
Had  he  been  a  man  of  cold,  calculating,  unex- 
citable  nature,  his  sin,  great  as  it  was,  would 
have   been   stHl   greater ;   but  being  a  man  of 


4i8 

18903— I 


KEVV    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[peter. 


fiery,  impulsive  nature,  we  can  partly  under- 
stand how  he  fell.  Because  he  had  not  yet 
learned  utterly  to  distrust  himself — because  he 
was  yet  relying  exclusively  on  the  power  of  his 
own  ardent  nature,  not  knowing  that  in  its 
rapid  changes  it  was  frail  as  a  broken  reed — 
it  is  not  wonderful  that  he  publicly  denied  his 
hord.—Rev.  E.  Hull. 


^    VI.  His  Repentance. 

1  His  sorrow  was  not  the  result  of  knowledgfe 
that  his  guilty  denial  was  suspected  by 
his  enemies. 

[1S904]  If  you  survey  all  the  circumstances  of 
his  position,  you  will  be  almost  compelled  to 
believe  that  he  felt  he  was  discovered.  During 
the  hour  which  he  passed  in  that  judgment 
hall,  undergoing  the  keen  glances  of  the  servant 
and  the  soldier,  and  hearing  it  said  again  and 
again  that  he  was  a  disciple,  he  must  have  been 
convinced  that  he  was  known.  His  rough 
Galilean  accent  betrayed  him.  His  repeated 
protestations — protestations  rising  at  last  into 
oaths— only  add  to  the  proof  that  he  was  con- 
scious of  detection,  and  was  vainly  endeavouring 
to  conceal  his  alarm.  He  knew  thus  that  they 
were  aware  of  his  guilt — he  felt  sure  that  he  was 
regarded  as  an  apostate — but  yet  he  exhibited 
no  sorrow  for  the  fact  that  he  appeared  degraded 
in  the  eyes  of  men. — Ibid. 

2  His  sorrow  was  not  the  evidence  of  re- 
morse. 

[18905 J  Most  certain  it  is  that  Peter  must 
have  experienced  the  profoundest  remorse 
during  that  hour.  After  the  holy  companionship 
of  Christ,  especially  after  the  last  solemn  supper 
from  which  he  had  just  gone,  conscience  must 
have  been  quickened  into  power,  and  must  have 
been  thundering  loudly  at  the  door  of  his  heart. 
Why  did  he  protest  with  cursing  and  swearing, 
"  I  know  not  the  man,"  if  he  were  not  striving 
vainly  to  quiet  the  restless  voice  that  told  him 
he  was  uttering  a  cruel  lie.''  But  it  was  not  that 
which  made  him  weep — it  was  not  conscience 
alone, — it  was  the  glance  of  Christ  that  melted 
him  to  tears. — Ibid. 

3  His  sorrow  was  caused  by  the  sense  of 
Christ's  love. 

[18906]  "The  Lord  turned  and  looked  upon 
Peter."  That  look  uttered  what  no  words 
could  speak.  Must  it  not  have  implied, 
"  Knowest  thou  not  the  Man  .^  Hast  thou  for- 
gotten Him  so  utterly,  that  within  thy  heart 
there  lives  no  memory  of  what  He  has  done 
for  thee  .''  He  has  prayed  that  thy  faith 
might  not  finally  fail,  prayed  for  thee  and  thy 
brethren  through  midnights  on  the  mountain, 
and  hast  thou  forgotten  Him  so  soon  .''  Knowest 
thou  not  Him  who  has  given  thee  all  that  is  best 
in  thy  life,  inspired  thee  with  faith  in  God, 
patiently  listened  to  thy  doubts  and  lovingly 
cleared  them  away.-*  He  has  long  travelled 
His  weary  path  for  thee  and  thy  brethren.     He 


is  now  going  to  die,  and  thou  leavest  Him  to 
die  unfriended  and  alone.  This  once  only  thy 
devotion  has  been  tested,  this  once  love  has 
asked  a  small  return,  and  this  once  thou  hast 
cruelly  failed  !  "  "The  Lord  turned  and  looked 
upon  Peter,"  and  thus  without  one  spoken  word 
of  reproach — with  only  one  calm  sad  glance 
from  amid  the  dark  throng  of  the  soldiers,  He 
went  to  His  cross.  Well  might  Peter  weep,  and 
weep  bitterly  !  for  the  word  was  spoken,  the 
deed  was  done  ;  it  was  written  on  the  eternal 
tablets  of  the  past,  and  no  tears  could  wash  it 
away.  "The  Lord  turned  and  looked  upon 
Peter!"  He  had  withstood  the  questions  of 
men  and  the  discovery  of  his  crime  \m moved. 
He  had  withstood  the  thundering  voice  of  con- 
science within,  but  one  glance  of  that  eye,  one 
mighty  rushing  back  into  memory  of  the  bound- 
less love  it  recalled,  and  his  heart  was  broken, 
and  true  life  began  to  spring  through  the 
falling  tears. — Ibid. 

4  His  sorrow  was  characterized  by  such 
depth  and  sincerity  as  to  issue  in  the 
conijuest   of  self-trust. 

[18907]  Leave  the  judgment  hall.  Go  to  the 
Sea  of  Galilee  where  Peter  had  first  been  called 
by  his  Master.  The  same  company  are  together 
again,  but  yet  how  different  are  they  !  There 
is  a  change  in  Christ.  The  weary  suffering  of 
life  has  passed,  the  last  sorrow  is  over,  the 
grave  is  conquered.  And  now  mark  the  attitude 
of  Peter,  and  watch  the  result  of  that  grief  which 
had  arisen  from  the  glance  of  Christ's  love. 
The  quick  impulsiveness  and  fickle  ardour  which 
used  to  characterize  him  have  passed  away.  In 
the  old  time  he  was  ever  ready  to  assert  his 
loyalty,  and  to  challenge  all  opposition  to  weaken 
his  faith.  A  few  days  before,  in  front  of  the 
danger  which  was  threatening  his  Master,  he 
said,  "  Lord,  I  am  ready  to  go  with  Thee  to 
prison  and  to  death,"  and  immediately  after- 
wards he  denied  Him.  But  now,  grieved  that 
Christ  should  ask  him  the  third  time,  "  Lovest 
thou  Me.'"'  he  can  only  say  quietly,  "  Lord, 
Thou  knowest  all  things.  Thou  knowest  that  I 
love  Thee."  It  has  been  beautifully  observed 
that  once  he  had  trusted  boldly  to  the  power  of 
his  own  love  to  Christ,  now  ic  is  the  power  of 
Christ's  love  to  him  which  had  broken  down  all 
self-trust.  The  old  fiery  self-reliance  had  gone 
— he  had  learned  that  his  own  strength  was 
weakness.  This  suggests  a  law  which  is  broadly 
true.  Repentance  is  the  actual  turning  to  God, 
away  from  self.  Self-trust  is  the  strength  of 
temptation,  and  the  man  who  has  once  seen 
himself  in  the  light  of  Christ  dare  rely  on  him- 
self, only,  no  more. — Ibid. 


J 


VII.  His  Growth  in  Grace. 


[18908]  See  him,  after  the  vision  on  the  roof 
of  the  house  at  Joppa,  with  a  heart  expanded  by 
a  new  human  affection,  the  outgrowth  of  his 
attachment  to  the  exalted  Redeemer,  and  spread- 
ing forth  its  branches  under  the  training  hand 


18908— I89I4] 


NEW    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS, 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


419 

[peter. 


of  that  Divine  husbandman  of  the  heart,  to 
whose  culture  he  submits  with  gladness  : — "God 
hath  showed  me  that  I  should  not  call  any  man 
common  or  unclean.''  The  narrow-minded  Jew 
has  now  grown  into  the  sublime  dimensions  of 
a  Christian.  See  him  actually  following  his 
Lord  to  prison,  and  there  sleeping  between  two 
soldiers,  not  offended  by  this  captivity,  but 
knowing  that  "  if  we  suffer  with  Him,  we  shall 
also  reign  with  Him." — Rev.  J.  Stoiii^hton. 

[18909]  The  great  change  in  Peter,  as  indi- 
cated in  his  writings,  most  strikingly  appears  in 
that  lowly  and  gentle  spirit  of  meekness  under 
suffering  which  breathes  throughout,  in  contrast 
with  the  rash  resentment  which  impelled  him 
to  draw  the  sword  and  resist  violence  by  force. 
"  Pass  the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  in  fear." 
"As  new-born  babes,  desire  the  sincere  milk  of 
the  word,  that  ye  may  grow  thereby."  "  Submit 
yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  the 
Lord's  sake."  "  This  is  thankworthy,  if  a  man 
for  conscience  toward  God  endure  grief,  suffer- 
ing wrongfully."  "  If,  when  ye  do  well,  and 
suffer  for  it,  ye  take  it  patiently,  this  is  acceptable 
with  God  :  for  even  hereunto  were  ye  called." 
"  If  ye  suffer  for  righteousness'  sake,  happy  are 
ye."  "  Be  clothed  with  humility  :  for  God  re- 
sisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the 
humble."  Thus  he  writes  to  the  strangers 
scattered  abroad,  and,  while  he  shows  no  abate- 
ment in  earnestness  and  fervour,  it  is  plain  that 
he  has  put  off  the  lion  and  put  on  the  lamb  ;  that 
he  has  changed  the  temper  of  the  old  Hebrew 
warriors — of  Barak,  and  Samson,  and  Gideon — 
for  that  of  Him  who  said,  "  Learn  of  Me  ;  for  I 
am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart  :  and  ye  shall  find 
rest  unto  your  souls.'' — Ibid. 

[18910]  We  know  how  his  fickleness  passed 
away,  and  how  his  vehement  character  was 
calmed  and  consolidated  into  resolved  persis- 
tency, and  how  his  love  of  distinction  and  self- 
confidence  were  turned  in  a  new  direction, 
obeyed  a  Divine  impulse,  and  became  powers. 
We  read  how  he  started  to  the  front ;  how  he 
guided  the  Church  in  the  first  stage  of  its  de- 
velopment ;  how,  whenever  there  was  danger,  he 
was  in  the  van,  and  whenever  there  was  work 
his  hand  was  first  on  the  plough  ;  how  he  bearded 
and  braved  rulers  and  councils  ;  how — more 
difficult  still  for  him — he  lay  quietly  in  prison 
sleeping  like  a  child,  between  his  guards,  on  the 
night  before  his  execution  ;  how — most  difficult 
of  all — he  acquiesced  in  Paul's  superiority  ;  and, 
if  he  still  needed  to  be  withstood  and  blamed, 
could  recognize  the  wisdom  of  the  rebuke,  and 
in  his  calm  old  age  could  speak  well  of  the 
rebuker  as  his  "  beloved  brother  Paul."  Nor 
was  the  cure  a  change  in  the  great  lines  of  his 
character.  These  remain  the  same,  the  cha- 
racteristic excellences  possible  to  them  are 
brought  out,  the  defects  are  curbed  and  cast  out. 
The  new  man  is  the  old  man  with  a  new 
direction,  obeying  a  new  impulse,  but  retaining 
its  individuality.  Weaknesses  become  strengths  ; 
the    sanctified   character  is    the   old   character 


sanctified  ;  and  the  law  of  the  change  is,  "  Every 
man  hath  his  proper  gift  of  God,  one  after  this 
manner,  and  another  after  that." — A.  Maclaren, 
D.D. 

[18911]  What  a  change  in  Simon  the  son  of 
Jonas  !  What  a  difference  from  his  former  self  ! 
How  grace  has  renewed  him  !  How  the  descent 
of  the  Spirit  has  purified  his  heart,  crushed  his 
pride,  destroyed  his  self-confidence,  made  hini 
humble,  checked  his  irregularities,  and  sanctified 
his  eager  impetuous  soul,  so  that  it  fluctuates  no 
longer,  like  a  mighty  wind,  veering  from  one 
point  of  the  compass  to  the  other  ;  but  it  flows 
like  a  deep  and  noble  river  toward  that  ocean  of 
love  and  glory,  where  it  longs  to  lose  itself.  A 
breath,  indeed,  once  blows  on  it,  which  sends 
ripples  backward.  The  Peter  of  an  earlier  date 
seems  revived  again.  The  man  who  had  opened 
the  door  of  faith  unto  the  Gentiles  at  Antioch, 
refused,  because  of  the  Jews,  to  eat  with  the 
Gentiles.  An  old  habit  came  over  him  ;  it  was 
a  relapse.  But  Paul  withstood  him  to  the  face. 
Afterwards,  all  came  right  again.  They  were 
friends,  perfectly  "  at  one  "  together,  when  the 
Galilean  apostle  so  touchingly  alluded  to  his 
beloved  brother. — Rev.  J.  StougJiion. 

[18912]  As  the  influences  of  transforming, 
always  attaching  themselves  to  the  constitutional 
character  of  an  mdividual,  purify  and  ennoble  it; 
so  in  this  instance  what  Peter  became  by  the 
power  of  the  Divine  life  was  in  a  measure 
determined  by  his  natural  peculiarities.  ...  A 
capacity  for  action,  rapid  in  its  movements, 
seizing  with  a  firm  grasp  on  its  object,  and 
carrymg  on  his  designs  with  ardour,  was  his 
leading  characteristic,  by  which  he  effected  so 
much  in  the  service  of  the  gospel. — Neander. 


VI IL  His  Position  in  the  Church. 

[18913]  Without  Peter,  humanly  speaking, 
the  infant  Church  must  have  perished  in  its 
cradle  ;  he  it  was  who  under  God's  blessing 
caught  the  truth  which  was  to  be  the  polar  star 
of  its  future  history — who  guided  it  safely  through 
the  dangers  of  its  first  existence ;  who  then, 
when  the  time  came  for  launching  it  into  a 
wider  ocean,  preserved  it  no  less  by  his  retire- 
ment from  the  helm  which  was  destined  for 
another  hand.  He  was  the  rock,  not  the 
builder  of  the  Christian  society — the  guardian 
of  its  gates,  not  the  master  of  its  innermost 
recesses — the  founder,  not  the  propagator,  nor 
the  finisher — the  Moses  of  its  exodus,  not  the 
David  of  its  triumph,  nor  the  Daniel  of  its  latter 
days. — Deaii  Stanley. 

[18914]  With  him,  by  the  very  force  of  the 
terms,  the  purely  personal  and  historical  part 
of  our  Lord's  promise  of  necessity  came  to  an 
end.  Never  again  can  Jewish  zeal  and  Jewish 
forms  so  come  into  contact  with  tlie  first  begin- 
nings of  Christian  faith — never  again  can  mortal 
man  find  himself  so  standing  on  the  junction 
of  two  dispensations — the  Church  once  founded 


?\ 


V>>'  T' 


420  " 

I89I4 — I89I8] 


JV£H^   TEST  AM  EXT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    KRA. 


[ANDREW. 


can  have  no  second  rock  —  the  gates  once 
opened  can  never  again  be  closed — the  sins 
which  were  then  condemned,  the  virtues  which 
were  then  blessed,  the  liberty  which  was 
then  allowed,  the  license  which  was  then  for- 
bidden, whether"  by  word  or  .deed,  of  the  first 
apoaj^efj  were  once  for  all  bound  or  loosed  in 
the  courts  of  heaven,  never  again  to  be  unbound 
or  bound  by  any  earthly  power  whatever. — 
Idid. 

IX.  Traditions  of  his  Martyrdom. 

[18915]  At  the  instigation  of  some  of  the 
faithful,  Peter  was  urged  to  flee  for  his  life.  At 
first  the  proposal  was  met  by  him  with  a  de- 
cided negative,  justly  fearing  reflections  on  his 
courage  and.  constancy — that  friends  and  foes 
might  aljke  accuse  him  of  shrinking  from  those 
sufferings  for  his  dear  Lord,  to  the  endurance 
of  which  he  had  exhorted  others.  But  the 
appeal  of  their  prayers  and  tears  as  to  the 
value  of  his  life  to  them  and  the  infant  Church, 
fortified,  too,  as  the  recommendation  was  by 
Christ's  own  injunction  (Matt.  x.  23),  for  the 
moment  overcame  his  scruples.  With  reluc- 
tance he  acceded  ;  and  by  night  was  assisted 
over  the  prison  wall.  He  betook  himself  along 
that  same  Appian  Way,  by  which  probably,  as 
in  the  case  of  Paul,  he  had  entered  the  city.  He 
succeeded  in  getting  two  miles  beyond  the 
Porta  Capena,  and  was  nigh  the  spot,  bordering 
on  the  wide  Campagna,  which  was  soon  after 
sacred  as  the  place  of  repose  for  Christian 
dead.  The  same  Lord,  whom  last  he  saw  in 
the  ascension-cloud,  appeared  to  him  hastening 
in  the  direction  of  the  city.  The  fugitive 
apostle  immediately  recognizes  the  Divine 
Master.  The  same  penetrating  look,  doubtless, 
was  cast  upon  him  with  which  he  had  once 
'  been  confronted  in  the  palace-court  of  the  High 
Priest — a  look  of  sadness  and  gentle  reproach. 
Peter  was  the  first  to  break  silence  with  the 
question — "  Lord,  whither  goest  Thou  '^  "  The 
answer  was  immediately  returned,  "  I  go  again 
to  be  crucified."  The  interrogator  continued, 
"  Lord,  wast  Thou  not  crucified,  once  for  all.''" 
"  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "but  I  saw  thy  flight  from  ' 
death,  and  I  go  to  be  crucified  in  thy  stead." 
"  Lord,"  was  the  immediate  answer'  of  Peter,. 
".I  go  to  obey  Thy  command."  "Fear  not," 
was  the  Master's  farewell  word,  as  He  vanished 
from  sight,  "for  I  am  with  thee."  The  apostle 
at  once  retraced  his  steps,  returned  to  his  cell, 
and  surrendered  himself  to  his  keepers.  .  .  .  We 
see  nothing  in  the  narrative  itself  to  relegate  it 
to  the  category  of  the  purely  mythical  and 
legendary.— 7.  Macduff,  D.D. 

X.  HOMILETICAL   HlNTS. 

The  history  of  Peter  suggests  that  we  should 
be  prepared,  not  for  one  particular,  but 
for  any,  form  of  trial  which  God  may  see 
fit  to  send  us. 

[18916]  It  is  common  to  found  on  the  history 
of  Peter  a  warning  against  presumptuous  self- 


confidence.  Such  a  warning  is  pertinent  and 
tBeful."- Peter  trusted  to  himself.  ^Ve  too  are 
apt  to  trult  to  ourselves  ;  -it  is  one  of  our  most 
common  habits.  We  learn  from  Pe*eir's  fall 
that  it  is  also  one  of  our  most  fatal  habits'.  But 
we  must  go  deeper  for  the  whole  of  the  caution 
which  his  history  affords.  Peter  was  preparing 
himself  for  one  kind  of  trial  :  his  Master  was 
preparing  for  him  another.  It  would  seem  that 
when  Peter  declared  he  would  never  forsake 
Jesus,  he  did  not  once  think  that  Jesus  would 
voluntarily  submit  to  an  ignominious  death. 
Whatever  he  anticipated,  he  had  not  the  re- 
motest idea  of  that  ;  so,  when  the  trial  came, 
he  was  utterly  unfitted  for  it.  This  may  serve 
to  account  for  Peter's  fall  ;  whereas  his  fall 
would  be  to  us  unaccountable,  if  we  thought 
that  he  had  exactly  apprehended  beforehand 
what  he  was  about  to  pass  through.  And  it  is 
just  on  this  account  that  we  often  fail  in  the 
hour  of  trial.  The  trial  is  not  what  we  ex- 
pected ;  we  have  been  laying  up  a  store  of  faith, 
and  courage  for  something  else,  and,  when  the 
real  appointment  of  Providence  arrives,  we  are 
taken  unawares.  We  should  learn  from  this 
not  to  pre-judge  what  will  be  the  manner  in 
which  God  will  try  us  ;  not  merely  to  hold  our- 
selves in  readiness  for  one  kind  of  test  only,  but 
rather  to  prepare  ourselves  for  all  kinds  of 
trials,  by  a  simple  trust  in  that  Divine  power 
and  grace  which  will  prove  equal  to  our  protec- 
tion under  all  possible  circuaastances.— AVv.  J. 
Stoushton. 


ANDRE  W. 

I.  His  Conversion  to  Christ. 

1  It    was    effected    througlv  the    instrumen- 
tality of  his  old  master. 

[18917]  It  was  John  the  Baptist  that,  under 
God,  turned  him  to  Christ.  John  was  truly  a 
great  man  and  a  model  to  all  teachers.  When 
a  greater  teacher  than  he  appears,  he  turns  the 
attention  of  his  disciples  to  Him.  Religious 
teachers  who  have  little  souls  are  ever  studiously 
anxious  to  keep  their  disciples  entirely  under 
their  own  influence  :  when  greater  teachers 
appear  in  their  circle  they  rather  warn  their 
hearers  against  them  than  direct  them  to  their 
instruction.  Not  so  with  John  the  Baptist  : 
when  the  greater  appeared  he  retired,  and 
directed,  his  hearers  to  Him  "  whose  shoe's 
latchet  he  was  not  worthy  to  unloose."  God 
employs  men  to  convert  men. — Gerfns  of 
Thought. 

2  It   was   effected   through    the    instrumen- 
tality of  a  great  truth. 

[189 1 8]  The  truth  was,  that  Christ  was  "the 
Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world."  This  declaration  is  tantamount  to  all 
that  is  involved  in  the  cross,  and  the  cross  is 


18918—18925] 


NEiy  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA.  , 


421 

[ANDREW. 


the  converting  power.  The  soul  craves  de- 
liverance from  sin,  and  Christ  is  the  only  de- 
liverer.— Ibui. 


II.  His  Service  for  Christ. 

I       He    displayed    the    zeal    of   a^  true    mis- 
sionary. 

[18919]  >Havingfound  the  inestimable  treasure 
(of  the  Messiah),  lie  longs  that  it  should  be  shared, 
and  especially  by  his  brother,  "his  own  brother," 
as  the  Evangelist  most  impressively  says.  More- 
over, he  loses  no  ti,me.  He  goes  "  the  same 
day."  This  is  particularly  noted.  And  if,  as 
appears  to  haya  been  the  case,  the  day  was  far 
spent,  the  promptitude  is  all  the  more  marked. 
We  could  not  find  a  better  specimen  .of  true, 
working,  sensible  Christianity.  In  the  example 
which  he  sets  there  is-,alacrity  in  doing  what  is 
•  in  hand — there  is  the  encouragement  of  others 
— there  is  practical  usefulness — and  there  is  the 
success  which  comes  when  a  man  is  in  earnest. 
— Dean- Ho7vsdn.*  '  '        >...; 

[18920J  See  playing  outward  the  holy  power 
which  has  been  at  \>ork  in  Andrew's  own  h.eart 
and  character.-  It  begins  to  take  the  form  of 
active  usefulness,  and  to  testify  for  Christ 
abroad  ;  the  operation  of,  the\missionary  spirit. 
No  sooner  is  the  awakened  heart  in  actual 
fellowship  »with  Christ,  and  settled  on  that 
centre,  than  it  begins  to  cast  abgut  and  ask  what 
it  caja  do  for  Christ,  no  matter  in  wliat  sphere. 
Andrew  begins  at  the  ng&rest  point— hi§  own 
household..  There"  is  no  postponement  fbr  a 
complete  plan,  or  for  great  occasions'.'  .  His 
heart  is  full,  and  be  (joesNvhat  he  can.  How 
soon  this  spirit  in  all  his  followers  would  bring- 
the  world  to  His'feet— ^o  fearless,  so  self-forget- 
ful, so  hearty ! — Bp.  Hitntiiigfo/t. 

[1892-1]  True  ?eKgion  is  ever  communicative :, 
he  who  fii^s  Christ  for  himself  is» always  ready 
and  willing  to  proclaim  Him  to  others.  Nor 
was  Andrew  satisfied  with  merely  telling  his 
brother  of  the  gre-at  discovery.  There  was  an 
introduction-to  be  afforded  as  well  as  informa- 
tion given.  ^**-He. brought  him  to  Jesus."  What 
would  an  .ii'itrod fiction  to  the  palace  of  the 
C£esars,hav.e  been,  compared  with  thisi* — Rev. 
yaines  Spei'i^,  D.D.  '  '"• 

> 

[18922]  The  frrst  ""and  most  significant  fact  ' 
concerning  him  is  that  related  directly  upon  his 
visit  to  the  Saviour.  His'finding  his  .brother 
Simon,  and  bringing  him  to  Jesus.  There  is 
nothing  to  show  positively  which  was  the  elder 
of  the  two-brothers.  The  impression  we  get  is 
that  the  quiet  Andrew  was  the  elder,  and  the 
impetuous  Simon  the  younger.  However  that 
may  be,  Andrew  introduces  bv^  brother  to  Jesus, 
and  then  sinks  blTclr  into  obscurity.  To  the 
Gospel  historians  he  is  known  then  and  after- 
wards as  " "  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother."  • 
The  second  separate  notice  of  Andrew  is  at  the 


feeding  of  the  five  thousand.  He  it  was  who 
-  found  out  the  little  lad  with  the  barley  loaves 
and  fishes,  and,  the  boy  being  pei'haps  timid, 
brought  him  with  his  store  to  Jesus.  The  third 
time  he  appears  is  when  certain  Greeks  came  up 
to  worship  at  the  feast,  and  desired  to  see  Jesus. 
They  applied  to  Philip  (attraf'tcd,  perhaps,  by 
his  Greek  name),  Philip  told  Andrew,  and 
Andrew  and  Philip  together  told  Jesus.  On 
all  three  occasions  he  is  engaged  in  introducing 
others  to  Jesus.  Never  obtruding  himself,  or 
making  much  of  his  position,  or  glorying  in  his 
dignity  ;  not  talking,  or  questioning,  or  disputing, 
or  taking  up  the  Lord's  time  with  his  own  affairs, 
but-bringirtg  those  to  Him  \vho  might  get  good 
or  do  good,  and  then  retiring  into  the  congenial 
shade.  He  was  one  of  John  the  Baptist's 
disciples,  and  seems  to  have  drunk  deeply  into 
his  teacher's  beauliiul  spirit. — Anon. 

[18923]  Andrew  brought  Simon  to  Jesus.  It 
was  his  great  work  in  Ijfe.  We  are  told  nothing 
of  his  eloquence,  his* intellect,  his  knowledge  : 
nothing  of  his  e»cploits^his  travels,  or  his  mar- 
tyrdom. Only  on  two  otlier  occasions,  when  his 
ready  helpfulness  shows  itself  chai;pcteSfe'tically 
(John  vi,  8,9,  xii.  20,  22),  do  we -^ ven  refed  his 
nalrie,  save  in  apostolic  lists.  So  f^'fas  we  know, 
Andrew  lived  but  fo-utter that  one  sentence,  ''We 
have  found  the  Christ,"  to  perrorm  that  one  act, 
to  direct  his  brother  to  the' Saviour. — S.  Greeii^ 

D.D.       :    ■  <  ' 


2       He  displayed  a  spirit  of  self-effacemept.*"* 

[18924]  "He  must  increase,'but  I  must  de- 
crease," John  said,  speaking  of  Christ,  and 
Andrew  learnt  the  lesson.  He  brought  Peter  to 
Jesus,"  an^  Peter  immediately  began  to  fill  the 
larg^,  prohiinent  place.  But  there  was  no  envy 
■  in  tBe  heart  of  the  first  comer.  No  jealousy,  no 
wQuhded  pride,  no  temptation  to  self-assertion. 
The  Lord,  he  thought,  could  but  be  well  served. 
It  was  enough  for  him  that  he  was  the  first  to 
tell  his  greater  brother  the  good  news  about 
Christ  ;  he  had  that  honour,  and  it  sufficed  hiin. 
Peter  was  a  mighty  man.  Jesus,  even  at  first 
knowledge  of  him,  called  him  a  rock.  And  he 
did  a  grand  work.  But  Andrew  was  great,  too  ; 
among  other  things,  most  chiefly  in  this  very 
willingness  to  be  least.  And  he  also  did  useful 
and  abiding  work. — Ibid. 

[18925]  The  apostle  who  occupies  the  first 
place  in  the  Church's  yearly  festivals  proves  to 
have  been  one  who  sought  not  the  first  place  for 
himself,  and  yet  found  it.  He  is  always  lost  in 
another's  brightness.  He  never  puts  himself 
prominently  forward.  Only  once  is  he  related 
to  have  spoken  to  our  Lord,  and  then  it  was  in 
dutiful  reply  to  the  question,  "  How  many  loaves 
have  ye?"  Another  person  is  always  found 
standing  by  his  side,  participating  in  his  privi- 
leges, halving  his  honours,  sharing  his  joys.- 
Dcan  Burton. 


422 

18926—18933] 


N£ll^   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[JAMES. 


Ill    His  Relative  Position  amongst  the 
Twelve. 

I       It  was  in  one  sense  eminent. 

[18926]  Andrew  has  good  claims  to  be  ranked 
as  the  first  of  the  apostles.  He  was  not  only 
among  the  first  called  to  be  disciples  of  Jesus, 
but  he  was  certainly  the  first  to  display  the  true 
spirit  of  Christianity.  He  is  not  the  writer  of  an 
epistle,  he  is  not  the  founder  of  a  church,  we 
read  nothing  of  him  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ; 
yet  he  is  the  first  of  the  apostles,  the  first  to 
feel  the  power  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ,  and 
the  first  to  make  that  truth  known,  quietly  and 
wisely,  but  promptly  and  earnestly.  He  is 
known  not  from  his  own  great  doings,  but  from 
his  relation  to  one  whom  God  enabled  to  do 
great  things. — A.  Symington. 

9,       It  was  in  another  sense  subordinate. 

[1S927]  "Simon  Peter's  brother."  His  position 
is  like  that  of  all  who,  as  life  goes  on,  find  them- 
selves compelled  to  surrender  early  dreams  of 
ambition  and  be  content  to  shine  as  satellites 
ancillary  to  a  planet  rather  than  as  principal 
orbs.  He  walks  through  life  under  the  eclipsing 
shadow  of  the  Rockman — a  lot  full  of  temptation 
to  mean  jealousy,  but  full  also  of  opportunity 
for  the  triumph  of  humility  and  generosity. — 
Eev.  C.  Reed. 


IV.  Homiletical  Suggestions. 

I  Th?  history  of  Andrew  suggests  that  the 
effect  of  grace  received  in  the  heart  is 
love  to  our  fellow-man,  and  a  desire  to 
promote  his  highest  welfare. 

[1S92S]  When  Andrew  found  the  "pearl  of 
great  price"  he  immediately  said  within  himself, 
"  Would  that  my  dear  brother  Simon  were  a 
sharer  of  my  joy  !  "  It  is  ever  thus  with  all  who 
know  the  Lord.  The  love  of  Jesus  enlarges  the 
heart  in  love  to  all :  first,  to  members  of  the 
same  family  ;  then,  to  the  circle  of  acquaintances  ; 
next,  to  those  of  the  same  country,  and  then  to 
the  whole  of  mankind. — A.  Fooie. 

[18929]  Grace,  when  really  received,  becomes 
a  difl'usive  principle.  It  is  a  leaven  which 
spreads,  a  seed  which  multiplies.  It  immediately 
kmdles  desires  that  others  may  partake  of  it, 
and  share  in  its  precious  benefits.  And  es- 
pecially will  this  be  felt,  as  in  Andrew's  case, 
toward  those  who  belong  to  us  by  ties  of  kindred 
or  affinity. — Rev.  J.  Craig. 

[18930]  "He  first  findeth  his  own  brother 
Simon."  He  hastens  to  him  who  had  been  his 
companion  from  youth,  the  child  of  his  own 
parents,  the  sharer  of  his  own  toils.  He  cannot 
rest  until  Simon  also  is  partaker  of  his  joy. 
Thus  should  it  be  always.  The  bonds  of  affec- 
tion and  sympathy  are  designed  by  God  to  issue 
in  spiritual  good.  Especially  may  we  hope  to 
be  the  Lord's  instrumcutsfor  blessing  those  who 
are  linked  with  us  in  closest  earthly  bonds. — Bp. 
Lee. 


2  The  history  of  Andrew  suggests  that  the 
power  of  influence  is  independent  of  per- 
sonal  superiority. 

[18931]  The  least  may  influence  the  greatest. 
It  was  St.  Andrew  that  influenced  St.  Peter  to 
"  come  and  see  ''  Jesus.  One  least  spoken  of 
among  the  apostles  influenced  the  one  who  took 
the  foremost  place  among  them  as  if  to  show 
that  such  power  is  independent  of  personal 
superiority.  It  is  not  the  great  and  gifted  alone 
who  exercise  this  mysterious  power  of  influence. 
It  is  a  universal  law  of  life.  These  personal  in- 
fluences, first  of  Jesus  on  Andrew,  then  of  Andrew 
on  Peter,  were  the  beginning  of  the  conversion 
of  the  world. — Cation  Carter. 

3  The  history  of  Andrew  suggests  him  as 
the  pattern  "  unprofitable  servant." 

[18932]  Andrew,  in  the  quiet,  unobtrusive 
service  he  rendered,  was  a  faithful  follower  of 
his  Lord  and  Master.  His  type  of  character  is 
the  one  that  will  always  be  most  needed.  There 
is  only  room  in  the  Church  for  a  few  Peters  : 
there  is  room  foran  unlimited  numberof  Andrews. 
Yet  we  hear  much  of  Peter  and  but  little  of 
Andrew.  Is  the  modest  man  unhonoured,  there- 
fore ?  No.  The  lesson  is  simply  this  :  that  it 
does  not  matter  whether  much  or  little  is  heard 
of  disciples,  so  that  they  do  their  duty  and 
commend  themselves  to  the  notice  of  their 
Master  in  heaven.  An  easy  lesson  do  we  say .'' 
That  must  be  scanned.  Let  us  try  and  realize 
the  thing  in  our  own  case.  No  mention  of  our 
name,  no  acknowledgment  of  our  service,  no 
thanks,  no  praise  ;  none  knowing  of  us  or  of 
our  doings,  none  caring  to  know.  We  all  the 
while  labouring  on,  cheerful  and  happy  and 
contented.  Not  minding  that  other  workers  are 
glorified  while  our  eftbrts  are  passed  by.  Not 
thinking  of  ourselves  at  all.  Is  such  behaviour 
a  matter  of  course  ?  Rather,  I  think,  we  may 
affirm  that  none  can  receive  the  exhortation  to 
it  save  those  to  whom  it  is  given. — Anon. 


JAMES. 


I.  His  Call. 


It  was  obeyed  with  the  unhesitating  readiness 
of  faith. 

[18933]  In  the  midst  of  the  humble  occupations 
of  his  daily  life,  as  a  fisherman  on  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  engaged  with  his  father  and  his  brother 
in  mending  their  broken  nets,  a  voice  from  the 
shore  is  heard  calling  to  him,  and  saying. 
''  Follow  Me."  The  terms  in  which  this  event 
is  described  seem  rather  to  imply  that  it  was 
the  voice  of  a  stranger  ;  of  one  whom  he  knew 
not  ;  of  whose  claim  to  his  obedience  he  had  as 
yet  had  no  proof.  "  Going  on  from  thence,  Jesus 
saw  two  brethren,  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and 
John  his  brother,  in  a  ship  with  Zebedee  their 
fiUher,  mending  their  nets  ;  and  He  called  them." 
But  it  was  the  voice  of  one  who  had  authority. 


18933-18938] 


IVEIV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ICKA. 


[JAMKS. 


There  was  that  in  it  which  betokened  divinity, 
and  commanded  the  obedience  of  man.  "  They 
immediately  left  the  ship,  and  their  father,  and 
followed  Mini."  A  power  was  upon  them  which 
they  dared  not  to  resist,  an  attraction  which 
they  could  not  escape.  They  left  all,  and  fol- 
lowed Him.  True,  that  all  was  but  little  :  a 
fisherman's  net,  a  boat,  a  hut.  But  it  was 
their  all — their  home — their  treasure  :  their 
father  lived  there,  and  their  kindred  :  that  was 
the  life  they  had  led  from  their  youth  up  :  that 
was  to  them  the  centre  of  every  association.  Of 
the  wide  world  around  they  had  no  conception  : 
it  was  to  them  a  waste  wilderness,  into  which 
they  were  to  go  forth,  not  knowing  whither  they 
went  :  and  He  therefore  who  sees  not  as  man 
seeth,  and  estimates  acts,  not  according  to  their 
apparent  magnitude,  but  by  the  spirit  which 
prompts  them,  recognized  here  that  mind  of  faith 
in  which  He  has  pleasure,  and  to  which  in  all 
ages  He  bears  witness. — Dean  Vaughan. 


II.  His  Spiritual  Defects. 

They  sprang  from  his  being  deeply  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  the  Old  Testament 
and  untinged  with  the  spirit  of  the  New. 

[1S934]  We  are  not  left  without  proofs  that  he 
found  a  difficulty  in  rising  to  the  height  of  his 
new  standing  ;  that  he  was  still  sometimes  too 
little  in  harmony  with  the  life  to  which  he  was 
called,  to  be  able  to  enter  into  its  best  and 
highest  happiness.  Worldly  notions  of  advance- 
ment, a  mistaken  and  perhaps  not  quite  unselfish 
zeal  for  his  Master's  honour,  betrayed  sometimes 
the  lingering  infirmities  of  earlier  nature,  and 
drew  upon  him  a  rebuke  from  Him  whom  he 
had  left  all  to  serve.  "  Ye  know  not  what  ye 
ask."  "  He  turned  and  rebuked  them,  and  said 
unto  them.  Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit 
ye  are  of." — Ibid. 

[18935]  Though  the  two  men  from  heaven 
spoke  of  the  decease  that  Jesus  was  to  accom- 
plish at  Jerusalem,  James  understood  them  not. 
No  doubt,  for  some  time,  he  looked  upon  this 
display  of  Christ's  glory  as  a  pledge  of  H  is  future 
conquests  as  an  earthly  king,  and  did  not  think 
of  His  suft'ering.  He  had  in  him,  like  his  brother 
John,  the  spirit  of  the  old  Jews.  He  was  full  of 
resentment  against  the  enemies  of  the  cause  of 
truth,  righteousness,  and  God.  He  breathed  the 
spirit  of  some  of  David's  psalms  ;  he  had  in  him 
some  of  Elijah's  burning  indignation.  This  was 
the  case  when  the  Samaritans  would  not  receive 
his  Master,  and  he  and  his  brother  said,  "  Wilt 
thou  that  we  command  fire  to  come  down  from 
heaven,  and  consume  them,  even  as  Elias  did  ?" 
Whatever  there  might  be  good  in  this  feeling  of 
James,  there  was  much  that  was  wrong.  It  was, 
no  doubt,  honest.  It  was,  in  a  certain  sense, 
devout.  It  was  for  God's  sake,  for  Christ's  sake, 
that  he  would  have  the  delinquents  punished, 
not  from  personal  revenge :  but  the  feeling  was 
not  Christian — not  Christ-like.  It  was  the 
opposite   of    the   patience,   and    humility,   and 


meekness,  and  forebearance  which  became  the 
Lord's  followers.  He  was  evidently  at  present 
unimbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel.  This  is 
plain  from  what  our  Lord  says,  "  Ye  know  not 
what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of.  For  the  Son 
of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men's  lives,  but  to 
save  them."— AVc/.  /.  Stoughto?!. 

[18936]  Immediately  after  our  Lord  had  been 
most  distinctly  speaking  of  His  death,  the  mother 
of  Zebedee's  children,  with  her  sons,  came  wor- 
shipping and  desiring  a  certain  thing  of  Him. 
Mark  says,  James  and  John  made  the  request. 
What  they  asked  was  in  the  very  face  of  what 
their  Master  had  been  tellmg  them— just  as 
people  will  sometimes,  after  hearing  a  discourse, 
make  remarks  or  inquiries  which  show  they  have 
not  at  all  apprehended  what  they  have  heard. 
Christ  said,  "What  would  ye  that  I  should  do 
for  you?  They  said  unto  Him,  grant  unto  us 
that  we  may  sit,  one  on  Thy  right  hand,  and  the 
other  on  Thy  left  hand,  in  Thy  glory."  As  Jesus 
told  them  before  tliey  knew  not  what  spirit  they 
were  of,  so  He  tells  them  now,  they  know  not 
what  they  asked.  They  were  evidently  full  of 
talse  notions  and  ambitious  views.  They  were 
thinking  of  crowns,  and  thrones,  and  courts,  and 
palaces,  and  emoluments,  and  honours. — Ibid. 


III.  His  Spiritual  Training. 

1  He    was    permitted  to  witness  the  raising 
of  Jairus'  daughter. 

[18937]  We  meet  with  him  in  the  house  of 
Jairus,  in  the  company  of  Peter  and  John.  It  is 
a  scene  of  weeping,  but  also  a  scene  of  wonder. 
Our  Lord  saith  unto  them  :  "Why  make  ye  this 
ado,  and  weep.''  the  damsel  is  not  dead,  but 
sleepeth  ;"  and  the  people  laughed  Him  to  scorn. 
But  when  they  were  all  put  out,  "  He  taketh  the 
father  and  mother  of  the  damsel,  and  them  that 
were  with  him,  and  entereth  in  where  the  damsel 
was  lying,"  and  He  saith  :  "  Talitha  cumi,  Dam- 
sel, 1  say  unto  thee.  Arise."  And  she  did  arise. 
Then  were  they  astonished  with  a  great  as- 
tonishment. In  that  astonishment  this  apostle 
must  have  shared  ;  and  how  must  the  miracle 
have  strengthened  the  early  faith  then  growing 
in  his  heart  ! — Ibid. 

2  He    was  permitted    to    witness   the    trans- 
figuration of  Christ. 

[18938]  His  name  occurs  in  connection  with 
those  of  Peter  and  John,  as  present  at  one  of  the 
most  wonderful  periods  of  our  Lord's  earthly 
life.  The  effect  which  it  produced  on  him  is  not 
recorded,  but  we  are  compelled  to  believe  that 
the  impression  it  made  must  have  been  very 
great.  He,  and  the  other  two  apostles,  went  up 
with  Christ  into  a  mountain  to  pray — probably 
the  hill  Tabor — which  rises  in  solitary  grandeur 
in  the  midst  of  a  plain,  commanding  from  the 
summit  a  prospect  of  singular  extent  and  glory. 
There,  in  some  sequestered  spot,  upon  the  side 
of  that  verdant  and  tree-covered  eminence,  in 
some  lonely  grove,  perhaps,  which  clothed  its 


424 
18938—18944] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


QOHN. 


slopes,  was  James  favoured  to  see  his  Master, 
first  at  prayer,  and  then  transfigured.  An  order 
of  events  was  that  which  foreshadowed  what 
perhaps,  if  not  then,  yet  afterwards,  the  apostle 
discerned — that  in  the  attitude  of  prayer  we  are 
best  prepared  for  celestial  honours  and  enjoy- 
ments. Was  it  not  taught  hiin  ?  is  it  not  taught 
us,  by  this  circumstance  that  he  who  sinks  into 
the  dust  in  prayer  is  taking  the  first  step  toward 
soaring  to  heaven  in  praise  .'' — Ibid. 

[18939]  They  who  represented  the  bygone 
economies  of  the  law  and  the  prophets,  now 
came  to  do  honour  to  Him  who  was  to  introduce 
the  reign  of  truth,  and  righteousness,  and  love, 
for  which  those  economies  prepared  by  sacrifice 
and  prophecy,  and  by  the  long  training  of  moral 
commands  and  ceremonial  precepts.  Did  Peter 
say  :  "  It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here  "  }  Did  not 
James  think  so  too,  though,  with  less  impetuosity 
of  speech,  he  did  not  venture  to  utter  all  his 
thoughts  .?  In  after  life,  did  he  not  feel  it  good 
to  be  with  Jesus  amidst  persecution  and  sorrow, 
in  prison  and  at  the  moment  of  death — and, 
sympathizing  with  Peter,  and  James,  and  John, 
true  believers  have  ever  felt  howgood  it  is  to  have 
Jesus  near — to  have  Him  when  they  are  on  the 
sick  and  dying  bed — to  have  Himin  the  chamber 
of  mourning— to  have  Him  by  the  side  of  the 
sepulchre— to  have  Him  in  the  dungeon  — to 
have  Him  at  the  stake. — Idid. 

3      He    was   permitted    to  witness   the  agony 
of  Christ. 

[18940]  In  one  of  these  gardens  is  the  Son  of 
man,  watching  and  at  prayer— sorrowful  watch- 
ing, intense  prayer.  The  season  is  night.  The 
air  is  still.  Silence  is  broken  only  by  the  distant 
murmur  of  the  city.  Lights  twinkle  over  the 
grey  walls.  Brighter  lights  are  twinkling  in  the 
heavens.  The  moon  is  up.  How  touching  and 
softening  are  all  things  round  !  How  agonizing 
the  Saviour's  agony  !  Peter,  and  James,  and 
John,  are  sore  amazed  and  very  heavy.  They 
sleep,  but  it  is  not  the  slumber  of  indifference  : 
it  is  the  slumber  of  those  who,  wearied  by  sorrow, 
can  no  longer  be  kept  awake  by  it.  Yet  after 
all— at  that  lime— James  did  not  comprehend 
his  Master's  character  and  mission;  carnal 
notions  were  still  cleaving  to  him,  and  they 
awakened  doubts  respecting  the  very  Master 
whom  he  had  seen  on  the  mount  in  His  elorv 
—Ibid.  ^      ^' 

4       He  was  able  to  glorify  God  by  a  martyr's 
death. 

[18941]  Herod  "killed  James  the  brother  of 
John  with  the  sword."  So  James  did  now  drink 
of  the  cup  his  Lord  drank  of.  There  was 
truth,  after  all,  in  his  words,  "We  can."  But  he 
could  not  have  done  it  when  he  said  it.  A  change 
had  come  over  him  now.  He  had  given  up  all 
thoughts  of  carnal  empire  and  could  reioice  in  his 
Lord's  spiritual  reign.  He  had  become  a  patient 
disciple  of  the  Lamb  of  God.  The  Boanerges, 
the    ardent,    passionate,    boisterous    man,   had 


softened  down  into  the  calm,  quiet  Christian, 
the  cheerful  worker,  the  hopeful  sufferer. — Ibid. 

IV.   HOMILETICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

The  readiness  of  St.  James  to  obey  the 
call  of  Christ  is  an  example  to  all  to 
whom  that  call  comes  to-day. 

[18942]  May  we  not  say  that,  if  it  would  have 
been  an  awful  thing  to  refuse  Him  that  spake  on 
earth  ;  to  refuse  to  follow  Him  who  stood  before 
us  clothed  in  all  the  infirmities  of  man's  nature  ; 
much  less  can  we  escape  if  we  turn  away  from 
Him  who  speaks  to  us  from  heaven,  and  with  all 
thatweightof  evidenceasto  His  Divine  authority, 
which  His  resurrection  first  adduced,  and  which 
has  been  growing  in  force  and  clearness  with 
every  year  from  that  time  to  this  '?  And  yet  how 
{&\v  are  there  who  do  feel  that  God  is  speaking 
to  them  ;  who  recognize  in  Christ's  gospel  a  call 
to  them,  and  heartily  set  themselves  to  hear  and 
to  answer  it  I — Dea?i   Vaughaii. 

[18943]  We  need  a  spirit  of  readiness  to  follow 
God's  commandments;  and  that  only  God  can 
give  us.  A  readiness  to  follow.  Because  it  is 
quite  possible  to  miss  hearing  the  call.  It  is  ad- 
dressed to  all  men  ;  but  thousands  live  and  die 
without  its  ever  being  really  audible  to  them. 
Worldly  and  carnal  affections,  as  they  are  here 
called,  engross  their  whole  minds,  and  they  have 
no  time  to  attend  to  the  commandments  of 
Christ.  Or  again,  we  may  hear  the  call — we 
may  wish  that  we  could  obey  it — but  there  is  an 
indisposition  in  our  hearts  to  its  demand,  which 
makes  it  still  ineftectual.  Worldly  and  carnal 
affections  have  taken  hold  upon  us,  and  we  can 
scarcely  even  pray  to  have  the  chain  broken. 
Some  evil  lust,  some  overmastering  passion, 
some  inordinate  affection,  or,  it  may  be,  a  mere 
lightness  and  unimpressiveness  of  mind,  thwarts 
and  counteracts  the  first  risings  of  faith  in 
Christ.  We  are  not  ready  to  obey  His  com- 
mandments. Or,  once  more,  even  when  the 
general  call  has  been  heard  and  listened  to  ; 
when  we  have,  as  we  trust,  given  ourselves  up  to 
follow  Christ;  still  the  work  is  not  wholly  done: 
the  daily  call  to  continue  following  Him,  to  be 
faithful  in  His  service,  comes  suddenly,  abruptly, 
without  notice,  in  a  form  we  looked  not  for;  and 
he  who  is  not  ready,  he  who  is  not  constantly 
watching,  constantly  praying  for  light  and 
guidance  from  God,  is  surprised,  taken  off  his 
guard,  and  falls,  before  he  perceives  it,  into  a 
state  of  disobedience  and  estrangement  from 
Christ. — Ibid. 


JOHN. 

I.  Formation  of  Character. 

[18944]  The  circumstances  of  his  young  life 
supplied  most  of  the  conditions  of  a  noble 
character.  He  inherited,  no  doubt,  a  good 
bodily    organization.      His    parents    were    not 


18944—18947] 


NEIV    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHIUSIIAN    ERA. 


[JOHN. 


doomed  to  breathe  the  impure  air  of  a  pent-up 
city.  Their  home  was  out  in  open  nature  ;  the 
fresh  breezes  of  the  hills  and  the  sea  breathed 
around  their  dwelling.  Their  habits  were  not 
those  of  self-indulgence  and  indolence  which 
generate  disease,  nor,  on  the  otiier  hand,  of  hard 
brain-work  which  lends  to  enervate  the  system. 
The  work  of  the  muscles  and  the  limbs  out 
upon  the  shore,  the  sea,  and  the  field  was  their 
invigoraiing  occupation.  The  child  thus  in- 
heriting what  is  almost  essential  to  mental  and 
moral  greatness — a  healthful  frame — grew  up 
amidst  the  same  healthful  and  invigorating  con- 
ditions. He  breathed  the  same  air,  he  sailed 
with  his  father  in  the  skiff,  and  toiled  with  his 
father  at  the  net.  His  early  impressions  from 
nature  would  be  large  and  deep.  Our  greatness 
is  determined  by  our  ideas,  and  our  ideas  by 
our  impressions.  Small  ideas  can  never  make 
a  great  man,  nor  can  great  ideas  grow  out  of 
small  impressions.  Large  plants  must  have  a 
deep  soil.  Superficial  impressions  can  never 
grow  great  thoughts.  Hence  some  philosophers, 
not  as  1  think  without  reason,  maintain  tiiat, 
as  a  rule,  a  man  must  be  brought  up  amidst 
grand  scenery  to  have  a  grand  soul.  Be  this  as 
it  may.  To  John's  young  eye  nature  towered  in 
some  of  her  most  lovely  and  majestic  aspects, 
and  spoke,  in  the  rustle  of  lofty  trees,  the  howl 
of  winds,  and  the  roar  of  billows,  strange  and 
stirring  poetry  to  his  heart.  His  religious  train- 
ing, too,  was  undoubtedly  favourable  to  future 
greatness.  Whether  his  father  was  religious  or 
not,  it  is  clear  that  his  mother  was,  notwith- 
standing the  gust  of  ambition  that  once  swept 
through  her  soul.  Her  services  to  Jesus, 
especially  her  following  Him  to  the  cross,  show 
that  she  was  a  woman  of  noble  type,  generous, 
loving,  self-sacrificing,  heroic.  The  mother, 
more  than  any  other  finite  force,  shapes  the 
mind,  moulds  the  character,  and  rules  the 
destiny  of  the  boy.  Her  sons  are  as  clay  in  the 
plastic  hands  of  her  influence.  John  was 
trained  religiously,  and  no  doubt  before  he 
knew  Jesus  he  had  attended  the  ministry  of  the 
Great  Forerunner.  The  fulminations  of  that 
Reformer  would  prepare  his  young  heart  for  the 
serene  and  sanctifying  ministry  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth. — Ation, 


II.  General  View  of  Character. 

[18945]  We  apprehend,  that  in  those  incidents 
which  are  narrated  by  Matthew,  Mark,  and 
Luke,  we  find  the  key  to  John's  natural  charac- 
ter ;  that  he  was  a  man  of  vigorous  feeling, 
strong  prejudice,  and  impassioned  mien.  That 
was  the  ground  which  the  religion  of  Christ 
had  to  work  upon  in  the  case  of  John.  In  the 
Gospel  which  bears  his  name,  and  in  the 
Epistles  and  Revelation,  we  see  what,  through 
his  Master's  teaching  and  grace,  he  became. 
The  rough  projections,  the  sharp  angles  of  his 
character,  were  worn  down.  The  stormy  sky 
of  his  earlier  history,  whence  the  sun  looks  out 
angrily  from  amidst   tempestuous   clouds,  was 


changed,  towards  the  close  of  the  day  of  life, 
for  a  serene  and  transparent  atmosphere,  re- 
vealing a  sunset  intensely  bright  and  burning, 
but  calm  and  still.  The  man  of  revengeful  and 
ambitious  excitement  was  transformetl  into  the 
apostle  of  love.  The  mild  and  gentle  traits  of 
John,  we  apprehend,  were  not  the  cause,  but  the 
effect  of  the  Saviour's  friendship,  lie  brought 
not  to  his  Master's  bosom  a  lamb-like  meek- 
ness, but  he  found  it  there.  Communion  with 
his  Lord  transformed  him.  Three  years  of 
discipleship,  many  years  afterwards  of  contlict, 
toil,  and  suffering,  through  Divine  grace,  made 
hnn  another  man.  After  his  conversion  to 
Christ  we  mark  the  progress  of  the  change  in 
this  respect. — Rev.  J.  Stoiighton. 

[18946]  The  character  of  St.  John  has  been 
often  mistaken.  Filled  as  he  was  with  a  most 
Divine  tenderness — realizing  as  he  did  to  a 
greater  extent  than  any  of  the  apostles  the 
full  depth  and  significance  of  our  Lord's  new 
commandment — rich  as  his  Epistles  and  his 
Gospel  are  with  a  meditative  and  absorbing 
reverence — dear  as  he  has  ever  been  in  con- 
sequence to  the  heart  of  the  mystic  and  the 
saint — yet  he  was  something  indefinitely  far 
removed  from  that  effeminate  pietist  that  has 
furnished  the  usual  type  under  which  he  has 
been  represented.  The  name  Boanerges,  or 
"  Sons  of  Thunder,"  which  he  shared  with  his 
brother  James,  their  joint  petition  for  precedence 
in  the  kingdom  of  God,  their  passionate  request 
to  call  down  fire  from  heaven  on  the  unoffend- 
ing village  of  the  Samaritans,  the  burning 
energy  of  the /(Z/^/V,  in  which  the  Apocalypse  is 
written,  the  impetuous  honour  with  which, 
according  to  tradition,  St.  John  recoiled  from 
the  presence  of  the  heretic  Cerinthus,  all  show 
that  in  him  was  the  spirit  of  the  eagle,  which, 
rather  than  the  dove,  has  been  his  immemorial 
symbol.  And  since  zeal  and  enthusiasm,  dead 
as  they  are,  and  scorned  in  these  days  by  an 
effete  and  comfortable  religionism,  yet  have 
even  been  indispensable  instruments  in  spread- 
ing the  kingdom  of  heaven,  doubtless  it  was  the 
existence  of  these  elements  in  his  character, 
side  by  side  with  tenderness  and  devotion, 
which  endeared  him  so  greatly  to  his  Master, 
and  made  him  "the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved." 
—Archdcacoti  Farrar. 

[18947]  Whatever  we  can  conceive  of  devoted 
tenderness,  of  deep  affection,  of  intense  admira- 
tion for  goodness,  we  must  conceive  of  him  who, 
even  in  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  cross,  was  the  inseparable  companion 
of  his  Lord  ;  whatever  we  can  conceive  of  a 
gentleness  and  holiness  ever  increasing  in  depth 
and  purity,  that  we  must  conceive  of  the  heart 
and  mind  which  produced  the  Gospel  and 
Epistles  of  St.  John.  ...  It  is  in  accordance 
with  what  has  been  said,  that  in  such  a  character 
the  more  outward  and  superficial  traits  should 
have  attracted  attention  before  the  complete 
perfection  of  that  more  inward  and  silent  growth 
which  was  alone  essential  to   it;  and,  alien  in 


426 

18947— 18952] 


NEW     TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[JOHN. 


some  respects  as  the  bursts  of  hcry  passion  may 
be  from  the  usual  tenor  of  St.  John's  later 
character,  they  fully  agree  with  the  severity, 
almost  unparalleled  in  the  New  Testament, 
which  marks  the  well-known  anathema  in  his 
Second  Epistle,  and  the  story,  which  there 
seems  no  reason  to  doubt,  of  Cerinthus  and  the 
bath.  It  is  not  surprising  that  the  deep  stillness 
of  such  a  character  as  this  should,  like  the 
oriental  sky,  break  out  from  time  to  time  into 
tempests  of  impassioned  vehemence  ;  still  less 
that  the  character  which  was  to  excel  all  others 
in  its  devoted  love  of  good  should  give  indica- 
tions— in  its  earlier  stages  even  in  excess— of 
that  intense  hatred  of  evil,  without  which  love 
of  good  can  hardly  be  said  to  exist. — Deafi 
Stanley. 


Ill,  Particulars  of  Character. 

I       Intensity. 

[18948]  The  central  characteristic  of  his 
nature  is  intensity — intensity  of  thought,  word, 
insight,  life.  He  regards  everything  on  its 
Divine  side.  For  him  the  eternal  is  already  ; 
all  is  complete  from  the  beginning,  though 
wrought  out,  step  by  step,  upon  the  stage  of 
human  action.  AH  is  absolute  in  itself,  though 
marred  by  the  weakness  of  believers.  He  sees 
the  past  and  the  future  gathered  up  in  the  mani- 
festation of  the  Son  of  God.  This  was  the  one 
fact  in  which  the  hope  of  the  world  lay.  Of 
this  he  had  himself  been  assured  by  evidence 
of  sense  and  thought.  This  he  was  constrained 
to  proclaim  :  "  We  have  seen  and  do  testify." 
He  had  no  laboured  process  to  go  throu^^h  ;  he 
saw.  He  had  no  constructive  proof  to  develop  ; 
he  bore  witness.  His  sources  of  knowledge 
were  direct,  and  his  mode  of  bringing  convic- 
tion was  to  affirm. — Canon  VVesicoti. 

[18949]  Let  us  guard  against  the  mistake  of 
supposing  that  St.  John  was  wanting  in  manly 
vigour,  courage,  and  zeal  :  that  he  was  the 
apostolic  type  of  that  meditative  quietude,  that 
effeminate  softness  and  pietism,  which  has 
always  found  favour  in  some  sections  of  the 
Christian  Church.  It  is  perhaps  more  correct 
to  say  that  the  notices  of  the  apostle  recorded 
in  the  Gospels  reveal  to  us  a  fiery  zeal,  a  vehe- 
ment enthusiasm,  which,  like  the  thunder  to 
which  his  character  was  compared,  burst  forth 
from  time  to  time  with  unexpected  force  and 
violence.  The  name  Boanerges,  or  "  Sons  of 
Thunder,"  which  he  shared  with  his  brother 
James,  his  request  for  precedence  in  tlie  king- 
dom of  God,  his  desire  to  call  down  hre  from 
heaven  upon  the  offending  village  of  the  Samari- 
tans, proved  that  the  Elijah  spirit  burned  within 
him  ;  whilst  the  story,  probably  a  true  one,  of 
the  horror  with  wiiich  he  recoiled  from  the 
heretic  Cerinthus  in  the  bath,  and  the  unques- 
tioned vigour  with  which  he  forbade  all  inter- 
course with  "him  that  abode  not  in  the  doctrine 
of  Christ"  (2  John  g,  10),  gave  proof  that  be- 
neath the   deep   stillness  of  his  heavenly  cha- 


racter therelay  the  elements  of  vehement  passion, 
and  that  in  him  the  intense  love  of  good  was 
combined  with  an  equally  intense  and  most 
uncompromising  hatred  of  evil. — Rev.  Sir  E. 
Bayley. 

2  Spirituality, 

[18950]  John  is  the  apostle  of  spirituality. 
He  goes,  for  evidence,  proof,  satisfaction,  within, 
into  the  breast ;  not  like  Paul,  with  dialectics 
and  metaphysics,  but  with  simple  love.  His 
wisdom  is  of  the  heart ;  his  faith  is  less  of  belief 
than  trust ;  less  by  argument  than  by  intuition. 
His  view  of  Christianity  was  introspective  and 
subjective,  in  the  terms  of  philosophy  ;  but  he 
was  no  rationalist,  for  with  all  his  soul  he  loved 
a  supernatural  Christ,  and  his  doctrine  was  as 
simple  as  a  child's  thanksgiving.  No  apostle 
seems  to  have  clung  with  such  reverential 
affection  to  the  person  of  Jesus.  His  faith  is 
all  bound  up  in  that  personal  attachment.  For 
him  there  was  not,  as  for  any  of  us  there  can- 
not be,  any  Christianity  without  the  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  any  institutional,  or  philosophical,  or 
intellectual  gospel,  without  the  Son  of  Mary, 
crucified  and  ascended,  gone  from  the  Bethle- 
hem stable  to  the  right  hand  of  His  Father. — 
Bp.  Huntington. 

3  Love. 

[1895 1]  Jo^Ji  't  was  who  leaned  his  head  on 
Jesus'  bosom  at  the  Supper  ;  he  who  received 
from  the  lips  quivering  on  the  cross  that 
dying  charge,  "Behold  thy  mother,"  and  thence- 
forth took  Mary  to  his  own  home  ;  he  that  first 
believed,  out  of  the  fulness  of  his  trusting  heart, 
after  the  stone  was  rolled  from  the  sepulchre  ; 
he  that,  with  Peter,  wrought  the  merciful 
miracle  and  healed  the  lame  man  at  the  gate 
of  the  temple  named  Beautiful,  and  made  it 
more  worthy  the  name  by  that  beautiful  com- 
passion ;  he  that  in  the  infirmity  of  extreme 
age,  when  his  voice  could  utter  no  more, 
stretched  out  his  hands  every  sabbath  morn- 
ing over  the  assembly,  and  said  that  simple 
precept  —  the  rich  substance  of  many  long 
sermons — "  Little  children,  love  one  another." 
—Ibid. 

[18952]  All  seem  to  agree  that  John's  mind 
had  in  it  much  of  the  woman's  nature — retiring 
rather  than  demonstrative,  receptive  ratlier  than 
originative,  intuitive  rather  than  logical,  gentle 
and  loving.  One  thing  is  certain,  that  love  was 
the  atmosphere  of  his  soul  after  he  became  the 
disciple  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  fact  that  his  head 
rested  on  the  Saviour's  bosom,  that  Jesus  is 
said  to  have  loved  him  and  committed  His 
mother  to  his  charge,  shows  that  he  was  pre- 
eminently the  disciple  of  love.  Besides,  his 
writings  are  full  of  love.  All  his  thoughts  were 
generated  in  the  region  of  love  ;  every  sentence 
he  wrote  was  with  a  pen  dipped  in  love.  Tradi- 
tion says  that,  when  he  had  reached  his  extremest 
old  age,  he  became  too  feeble  to  walk  to  the 
meetings,  and  was   carried  to  them  by  young 


18952-18958] 


NEiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

CHKISTIAN    ERA. 


427 

[JDUN. 


men.  He  could  no  longer  say  much,  but  he 
constantly  repeated  the  words,  "  Little  children, 
love  one  another."  When  he  was  asked  why  he 
constantly  repeated  these  words,  his  answer 
was,  "  Because  this  is  the  command  of  the 
Lord,  and  because  enough  is  done  if  but  this 
one  thing  is  done." — Afion. 

[18953]  It  is  as  the  apostle  who  proclaimed 
that  the  essential  attribute  of  God  is  love  that 
we  chiefly  honour  him  ;  it  is  as  the  apostle,  the 
characteristic  feature  of  whose  life  was  love,  that 
his  example  is  so  precious  to  us.  .  .  .  The  same 
strong  personal  affection  shows  itself  in  what 
is  the  chief  characteristic  of  his  Gospel,  the 
prominence  given  to  the  dialogues  and  con- 
versations of  the  Lord.  He  alone  records  the 
interviews  with  Nicodemus  and  the  woman  of 
Samaria  ;  to  him  we  owe  the  preservation  of 
our  Lord's  teaching  concerning  Himself  as  the 
Bread  of  life,  the  Light  of  the  world,  the  source 
of  resurrection  life  present  and  to  come  :  his 
alone  are  the  narratives  of  the  raising  of 
Lazarus,  and  the  feet-washing  ;  his  the  great 
consolatory  discourses  in  the  fourteenth,  fif- 
teenth, and  sixteenth  chapters;  the  high-priestly 
prayer  ;  and  the  final  words  by  the  Sea  of 
Galilee.  It  were  as  though  his  whole  nature 
were  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  the 
Light  and  the  Life  and  the  Truth  ;  as  though 
his  special  work  had  been  to  meditate  on  "  what 
he  had  heard  and  looked  upon  and  handled  of 
the  Word  of  Life"  (i  John  i.  i).  In  full  harmony 
with  this  view  of  his  character  is  the  teaching  of 
his  Epistles.  Whilst  in  the  apocalyptic  vision  we 
are  conducted  into  the  Divine  presence  ;  and 
he,  who  was  the  first  to  recognize  Jesus  as  the 
Lamb  of  God,  there  reveals  Him  to  us,  as  the 
"  Lamb  that  had  been  slain,"  the  object  of 
adoring  worship  to  the  hosts  of  heaven.  In 
the  Apocalypse  the  central  figure  is  everywhere 
the  Lamb  of  God  :  His  the  blood  that  cleanseth  : 
His  the  hand  which  leads  His  ransomed  people 
to  the  living  fountains  of  waters  :  His  the  song 
of  the  redeemed.  In  St.  John  perfect  love  had 
cast  out  fear.  Love  dwelt  certainly  in  that 
apostle  who  could  say,  "  Lord,  Thou  knowest 
all  things.  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee  :  " 
love  dwelt  most  assuredly  in  that  other  apostle 
who  wrote  the  psalm  of  love  contained  in  the 
thirteenth  chapter  of  the  First  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians  :  but  with  St.  John  it  was  an  ab- 
sorbing passion ;  and  who  can  guess  the  rapture 
which  awaited  him,  when  he  exchanged  the 
barren  isolation  of  Patmos  for  the  near  presence 
of  the  Lord  he  loved  ? — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bay  ley. 


4      Practicalness. 

[18954]  We  see,  in  the  mind  of  the  beloved 
disciple,  one  which  penetrates  through  the  out- 
ward historical  form  of  Christianity  into  its 
spiritual  and  most  glorious  truths.  He  was 
indeed  no  mythical  enthusiast  ;  no  mere  senti- 
mental visionary.  He  states,  because  he  be- 
lieved, the  plain  history  of  his  adorable  Master. 


No  one  can  rise  from  the  perusal  of  his  Gospel 

without  feeling  that  the  author  regardetl  his 
religion  as  a  strictly  historical  one.  But  then 
he  is  not  content  with  bare  facts.  His  inspired 
narrative,  doubtless,  is  indicative  of  his  own 
cast  of  mind.  '1  he  natural  and  sancliiied 
peculiarities  of  the  writer  were  not  borne  away 
by  the  afflatus  of  the  Spirit.  He  shows  a  love 
for  doctrine  as  well  as  history — for  principles  as 
well  as  facts. — Rev.  J.  Stoughton. 

['S955]  John,  the  Christian  master  of  spiritual 
philosophy,  evidently  regarded  the  atonement  as 
something  more  than  a  poem  or  parable  -  even 
a  real  transaction,  having  an  actual  bearing  on 
the  government  of  God. — Ibid. 

[18956]  We  see  in  the  beloved  disciple  the 
example  of  one  who  combined  with  the  most 
spiritual  perceptions  of  Christianity  a  due  regard 
to  its  practical  bearings.  Some  people  are  only 
dreamers  about  the  sublimities  of  religion  :  the 
poetry  or  philosophy  of  the  Gospel  alone  they 
care  for.  Now  John,  though  so  dift'ercnt  in  his 
cast  of  mind,  was  not  less  practical  than  the 
Apostle  James.  He  enjoins  the  duties  of  the 
Gospel — only  in  another  method — as  forcibly  as 
his  apostolic  brother.  In  the  Epistles  of  John 
you  see  the  abstract  thinker  intent  on  incul- 
cating a  living  active  piety.— /Z'/^!'. 


IV.  Char.-vcter  of  his  Writings. 

[1S957]  St.  John  ...  is  always  a  contempla- 
tive, mystical  theologian.  The  eye  of  his  soul  is 
fixed  on  God  and  on  the  Word  Incarnate.  St. 
John  simply  describes  his  intuitions.  He  does 
not  argue  ;  he  asserts.  He  looks  up  to  heaven, 
and  as  he  gazes  he  tells  us  what  he  sees.  He 
continually  takes  an  intuition,  as  it  were,  to 
pieces,  and  recombmes  it  ;  he  resists  forms  of 
thought  which  contradict  it,  but  he  does  not  en- 
gage in  long  arguments,  as  if  he  were  a  dialec- 
tician, defending  or  attackinga  theological  thesis. 
Nor  is  St.  John's  temper  any  mere  love  of  specu- 
lation divorced  from  practice.  Each  truth  which 
the  apostle  beholds,  however  unearthly  and 
sublime,  has  a  duectly  practical  and  transform- 
ing power.  St.  John  knows  nothing  of  realms 
of  thought  which  leave  the  heart  and  conscience 
altoi^ethcr  untouched.— Ca//tf«  Liddon. 


V.  Comparison  with  St.  Paul. 

[18958]  It  is  delightful  to  think  that  the  be- 
loved apostle  was  born  a  Plato.  To  him  was  left 
the  almost  oracular  utterance  of  the  mysteries 
of  the  Christian  religion,  whilst  to  St.  Paul  was 
committed  the  task  of  explanation,  defence,  and 
assertion  of  all  the  doctrines,  and  especially  of 
those  metaphysical  ones  touching  the  will  and 
the  grace  ;  for  which  purpose  his  active  mind, 
his  learned  education,  and  his  Greek  loi^ic 
made  him  pre-eminently  fit. — i>.  T.  Coleridge. 


428 

18959- 


-18962] 


NEW    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    EKA. 


[PHILIP. 


PHILIP, 


I.  His  Call. 


It  was  responded  to  by  an  instant  obedience. 

[18959]  He  lived  at  Bethsaida,  and  was  a 
fellow-citizen  of  Andrew  and  Peter.  Our  Lord 
met  him,  and  said,  "  Follow  Me."  Obedience 
instantly  followed.  Nor  was  it  blind  obedience, 
but  intelligent.  Philip  was  convinced  of  the 
Messiahship  of  Jesus  :  "  We  have  found  Him  of 
whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  did 
write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph." 
No  miracle  had  yet  been  done  by  Jesus,  but  a 
miracle  had  been  done  upon  Him  stamping  His 
mission  with  a  Divine  signature  :  "  I  saw  the 
Spirit  descending  from  heaven  like  a  dove  " 
(tiiat  is,  after  the  fluttering  manner  of  a  dove's 
descent),  and  it  abode  upon  Him."  A  voice 
was  heard  from  heaven,  saying,  "This  is  My 
beloved  Son,  in  whom  1  am  well  pleased."  All 
this  probably  would  be  known  to  Philip.  He 
would  be  convinced  that  Jesus  was  a  messenger 
of  the  Most  High.  Something  also  was  said 
and  done  by  Him  in  His  new  relationship  to 
Philip  not  recorded.  Only  the  result  is  given  ; 
only  the  conviction  of  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus 
wrought  in  the  mind  of  the  new  disciple  is  re- 
lated. .  .  .  Philip  saw  manifest  evidence  that 
Jesus  was  the  Christ. — Rev.  J .  Stoughton. 


II.  His  Character. 

He    seems    to    have    been    practically-minded 
rather  than  deeply  spiritual. 

(i)  This  was  exemplijied  in  our  Lord's  ques- 
tion to  hiiJi.,  ''  li'/iente  shall  •we  buy  bread  that 
these  may  eat .?" 

[1S960]  Minds  of  the  plain  and  practical  order, 
to  which  that  of  Philip  belonged,  are  often  de- 
ficient in  spiritual  apprehension.  Conversant 
with  outward  things,  they  are  apt  to  take  up 
with  superficial  views.  They  are  not  wont  to 
penetrate  into  the  depths  of  a  subject,  and  to 
arrive  at  the  more  wonderful  facts  which  are 
underlying  the  upper  and  visible  ones.  Prob- 
ably our  Lord  had  noticed  this  defect  in  Philip. 
He  had  seen  that  while  Philip  took  Him  for  the 
Messiah,  Philip  had  very  low  conceptions  of 
who  the  Messiah  was — of  what  the  Messiah 
could  do.  He  had  not  such  views  of  his  Master 
as  Peter  had— as  some  others  had.  He  was 
like  persons  in  the  present  day,  who  are  very 
plain,  practical  Christians,  who  believe  the 
gospel  is  Divine,  and  who  perform  its  duties, 
but  their  souls  have  penetrated  only  a  little  way 
into  the  regions  of  spiritual  truth.  Our  Lord 
was  about  to  display  somewhat  of  His  Divine 
creative  power  by  multiplying  the  loaves  and 
fishes.  What  might  be  obtained  in  the  towns 
and  villages  around  mattered  not.  Christ  had 
resources  far  exceeding  any  actually  existing 
stores  of  food.  Without  growing  corn,  and 
crushing   it,    without    making   loaves   after  the 


common  fashion,  He  could,  by  His  word,  call 

into  existence  a  banquet  that  would  more  than 
suffice  for  the  supply  of  the  hungry  thousands 
present.  Jesus  had  already  wrought  wonderful 
miracles— had  already  given  glimpses  of  His 
Divine  power.  Did  Philip  yet  apprehend  that 
He  would  perform  a  miracle  like  this  ?  Did  he 
apprehend  that  there  was  in  Him  a  Divine 
power  like  this  .?  We  can  conceive  of  a  well- 
instructed  spiritual  mind,  full  of  faith  in  the 
wonderful  resources  of  the  Lord,  saying  to  him 
in  reply  to  his  question,  "  There  is  no  need  at 
all  to  buy  bread  ;  put  forth  Thy  power,  and  all 
that  we  want  shall  be  supplied."  He  who  said, 
"  Speak  the  word  only,  and  my  servant  shall  be 
healed,"  approximated  to  the  state  we  are  now 
supposing.  But  Philip  was  not  in  that  state  of 
mind.  He  did  not  see  into  the  depths  of  his 
Master's  power.  He  did  not  apprehend  the 
sweep  of  His  miraculous  agency.  He  did  not 
connect  the  testing  question  with  our  Lord  at 
all,  but  looked  at  it  simply  in  itself,  as  if  it  had 
been  asked  by  any  common  person.  Hence  he 
said,  "  Two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread  is 
not  sufficient  for  them,  that  every  one  of  them 
may  take  a  little."  It  is  a  hard,  dark,  calculating, 
statistic  reply.  It  shows  the  faultiness  of  Philip's 
views. — Ibid. 

(2)  This  was  exemtilified  in  his  request  to 
our  Lord.,  "  Lord.,  show  z(s  the  Father,  and  it 
suffice th  tis." 

[18961]  Moses  had  once  said,  "  I  beseech 
Thee,  show  me  Thy  glory."  In  him  the  request 
was  pardonable.  God  had  not  then  revealed 
Himself  as  He  afterwards  did.  Yet  Moses 
was  reproved  :  "  There  shall  no  man  see  Me, 
and  live."  Philip  now  wished  for  a  visible  dis- 
play of  the  Divine  Being.  If  he  meant  by  it 
what  Moses  did,  he  ought  to  have  known  better, 
because  he  had  been  taught  more  than  Moses 
had.  Whatever  he  meant  by  it,  the  state  of 
mind  from  which  it  sprang  was  wrong.  It  pro- 
ceeded from  Ignorance  of  the  most  important 
of  all  Christ's  lessons — the  lessons  which  re- 
lated to  His  own  wonderful  nature,  and  the 
chief  design  of  His  mission.  Our  Lord's  reply 
to  Philip  was  ditilerent  from  Jehovah's  reply  to 
Moses.  "  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Have  I  been 
so  long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not 
known  Me,  Philip.?  He  that  hath  seen  Me 
hath  seen  the  Father,  and  how  sayest  thou  then, 
Show  us  the  P'ather.?  Believest  thou  not  that 
lam  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  Me.?" 
Our  Lord  had  very  expressly  taught  this  truth, 
as  we  find  in  the  earlier  chapters  of  this  Gospel. 
He  had  dwelt  at  large  upon  His  own  person,  and 
His  mysterious  union  with  the  Father.  Prob- 
ably He  had  talked  on  the  subject  oftener  than 
is  recorded.  Philip  had  heard  it  all,  and  was  a 
very  sincere  and  practical  disciple,  yet  he  had 
not  entered  into  the  higher  parts  of  Christ's 
teaching.  He  knew  ve/y  little  of  the  doctrines 
of  Jesus,  after  more  than  three  years'  tuition. — 
Ibid. 

[18962]    Philip  wanted  to  gaze,   so   far  as  a 


18962 — 18965] 


Xt'ElV    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    KKA. 


429 
[PHII.IH. 


creature  might  gaze,  on  the  uncreated  splendours 
of  the  great  First  Cause.  He  thought  tliat  if  he 
had  but  once  beheld  the  Being  who  "  dwelleth 
in  the  light  which  no  man  can  approach  unto," 
he  should  no  longer  have  doubts,  but  be  ready 
to  face  any  trial,  yea,  even  that  of  separation 
from  Christ.  "  Show  us  the  Father,  and  it 
sufficeth  us."  Indeed  there  was  great  ignorance 
in  this  sayingof  Philip.  Hethoughtthathe  should 
be  satisfied  if  he  could  but  see  the  Father,  if  he 
might  but  look  upon  God  as  He  discovers  Him- 
self, it  may  be,  to  higher  orders  of  beings,  to 
angels  "  who  have  kept  their  first  estate,"  and 
are  still  privileged  to  stand  in  His  presence. 
Whereas,  in  place  of  "sufficing"  the  sinner, 
there  is  nothing  which  would  be  more  sure  to 
confound  and  perplex  him  than  the  being  thus 
shown  the  Father.  The  thing  wanted,  in  order 
to  our  being  practically  persuaded  of  our  need 
of  a  Mediator,  is  our  being  made  thoroughly 
aware  of  the  greatness  and  the  gloriousness  of 
the  Father  ;  and  it  is  only  because  we  have  low 
and  clouded  apprehensions  of  God  as  He  is  in 
Himself,  of  His  essential  attributes,  of  His  im- 
mutable perfections,  that  we  ever  think  of  being 
able,  whether  in  wholeor  inpart,  toplead  our  own 
cause,  or  to  save  our  own  souls.  "  Show  us  the 
Father  ;  "  show  us  the  Almighty  enthroned  in 
His  glories — "of  purer  eyes  than  to  look  upon 
iniquity,"  of  purer  justice  than  to  let  pass  the 
least  transgression  of  His  law  ;  and  "it  sufficeth  " 
— for  what.f"  To  drive  us  to  despair,  to  fill  us 
with  conviction  of  the  utter  and  irremediable 
ruin  in  which  our  many  sins  have  involved  us. 
It  will  not  suffice,  as  Philip  seemed  to  think,  for 
our  encouragement  and  our  comfort  ;  for  the 
most  awful  of  all  sights  to  a  guilty  creature  must 
be  that  of  a  righteous  and  immutable  Creator. 
For  though,  my  brethren,  it  may  seem  as  if  a 
truer  estimate  of  sin  were  what  is  especially 
needed  in  order  that  the  careless  may  be 
alarmed,  and  led  to  the  inquiring  from  the  heart 
what  they  must  do  to  be  saved,  very  little 
thought  will  be  needed  to  make  you  see  that 
sin  can  be  felt  to  be  heinous  only  in  proportion 
as  God  is  felt  to  be  holy. — Canon  Alelvill. 


III. 


Comparison    between    Nathanael 
AND  Philip. 


[18963]  Nathanael  had  preconceived  opinions, 
which  interfered  with  his  apprehension  of  facts. 
He  had  pre-judgments,  which  prevented  him 
from  looking  impartially  at  accounts  of  things 
actually  done.  There  was  a  prejudice  against 
Nazareth.  .  .  .  Nathanael  took  up  the  common 
saying  with  all  honesty.  He  really  believed 
that  the  proscribed  town  in  Galilee  could  pro- 
duce no  characters  of  excellence.  Is  he  not  one 
of  an  order  of  minds  full  of  foregone  conclusions 
honestly  but  mistakenly  entertained  ?  Philip 
is  evidently  a  very  different  man.  He  looks  at 
facts.  He  is  open  to  the  force  of  evidence 
appealing  to  common  sense.  He  has  no  general 
notions,  no  h  priori  maxims  reigning  in  his 
mind,  to  the  prejudice  of  valuable  knowledge 


flowing  from  a  genuine  and  authoritative  source. 
"  Come  and  see."  Such  is  his  appeal.  If  a 
thmg  can  be  proved  to  be  actually  as  repre- 
sented, there  is  nothing  in  his  mind  to  prevent 
his  believing  it.  His  faith  comes  forth,  with 
perfect  simplicity,  in  dutiful  response  to  the 
demands  of  sufficient  proof  He  is  a  plain  man, 
of  good  sense,  without  prejudice,  a  type  of  a 
class  unshackled  by  cherished  theories  and 
maxims.  We  see  something  here  of  tlie  order 
of  his  mind,  and  of  the  kind  of  use  he  made  of 
the  faculties  God  had  given  him.  He  was  the 
sort  of  person  we  now  often  meet  with  among 
Christians  ;  one  who  takes  the  (iospcls  as  a 
history,  and  the  whole  of  the  Bible  as  a  revela- 
tion—who is  satisfied  with  plain  and  familiar 
evidences— who  tries  Christianity  for  himself  — 
who  finds  it  to  be  all  it  professes,  and  then 
makes  his  appeal  to  facts  :  "  Come  and  see." 
He  is  a  specimen  of  the  common-sense  believer. 
■ — Rev.  J.  iitouiilito7i. 


IV.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

t  Philip,  in  his  method  of  dealing  with  an 
objector,  is  an  instructive  example  to  the 
Christian  believer. 

[18964]  Let  us  deal,  as  he  did,  with  people  who 
are  full  of  abstract  objections  to  Christianity. 
Here  is  one  who  says  :  "  Is  it  possible  that  the 
laws  of  nature  can  ever  be  suspended,  and  a 
miracle,  in  the  Christian  sense,  performed  ? " 
We  say,  after  the  manner  of  Philip,  "  Come  and 
see."  Look  at  the  proofs.  Here  is  another 
who  asks,  "Is  it  possible  that  God  should  be- 
come flesh,  that  a  Divine  person  should  be  a 
substitute  for  sinners,  and  die  in  their  place,  and 
secure  their  salvation  ?  Is  all  this  accordant 
with  philosophical  principles  of  religion  ?  "  We 
simply  say,  "  Come  and  see."  We  appeal 
from  the  abstract  to  the  practical,  from  your 
theories  to  our  facts.  Miracles  have  been 
wrought.  The  weight  of  historical  evidence  in 
their  favour  is  overwhelming.  Believe  them,  or 
reject  all  that  historians  have  ever  written.  God 
has  become  manifest  in  the  flesh.  Christ  did 
die  for  our  sins,  and  rise  again  for  our  justifica- 
tion. Whatever  mysteries  may  be  involved  in 
the  arrangement,  the  fact  is  proclaimed  on 
authority  which  common  sense,  looking  at  the 
proofs  of  Christianity,  must  admit  to  be  Divine. 
The  doctrines  are  every  day  brought  to  the  test 
of  experience  and  practice.  People  live  and  die 
by  them,  and  thence  derive  peace  and  purity, 
holiness  and  hope.  Theories  about  the  impos- 
sibility of  this  and  the  other  weigh  not  a 
feather  against  facts  well  ascertained.  "  Come 
and  see  "  what  Christianity  is,  what  it  has  done, 
what  it  is  doing. — Ibid. 

2  Philip,  in  his  defective  spirituality  after 
lengthened  companionship  with  Christ,  is 
a  warning  to  the  Christian  believer. 

[18965]  Do  not  many  of  us  sit  on  the  same 
form  in  Christ's  school  with  Philip  .''  Are  we 
not,  like  him,  unapt  pupils — needing  line  upon 


43° 

18965—18969] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[nathanael. 


line,  and  precept  upon  precept,  and  after  all  not 
getting  on  much  ?  Is  not  the  Master  saying  to 
us,  "  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and  yet 
hast  thou  not  known  Me  ?  "  Is  not  Paul's  rebuke 
applicable,  "  When  for  the  time  ye  ought  to  be 
teachers,  ye  have  need  that  one  teach  you  again 
which  be  the  first  principles  of  the  oracles  of 
God  ;  and  are  become  such  as  have  need  of 
milk,  and  not  of  strong  meat"?  We  feel  the 
force  of  the  evidences  of  Christianity.  We  say 
to  disputers,  "  Come  and  see,"  which  is  wise 
and  well  so  far  ;  but  we  do  not  steadily  and 
devoutly  apply  the  higher  faculties  of  the  mind 
to  the  study  of  the  more  spiritual  and  glorious 
aspects  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Some  are 
defective  in  one  respect,  some  in  another.  Is 
not  the  number  large  of  those  who,  like  Philip, 
fail  to  see  in  Christ  the  image  of  the  Father .? — 
Ibid. 


JNATIIANAEL. 

I.  His  Personal  Identification. 

He    appears  to  have  been  identical  with  Bar- 
tholomew. 

[18966]  Bartholomew,  we  may  safely  con- 
clude, is  the  Nathanael  spoken  of  in  the  first 
chapter  of  the  Gospel  of  John.  Philip  and 
Nathanael  are  mentioned  together  in  John  as 
friends,  and  as  being  called  at  the  same  time  to 
follow  Jesus.  John  also  speaks  of  Nathanael  as 
being  with  Peter  and  Thomas  and  the  sons  of 
Zebedee  (all  apostles)  after  the  resurrection. 
John  never  names  Bartholomew— the  other 
three  evangelists  never  name  Nathanael.  John 
puts  Philip  and  Natlianael  together — Alatthew 
and  the  others  put  Philip  and  Bartholomew  to- 
gether, placing  them  always  fifth  ;ind  sixth  on 
the  list  of  apostles.  There  is  no  difticulty  about 
the  names.  Nathanael  is  a  proper  name, 
Bartholomew  is  simply  son  of  Tholmai,  as  Bar- 
Jona  is  son  of  Jona,  and  Bartimeus  son  of 
Timeus.  Peter  was  Simon  Bar-Jona— this 
disciple,  we  may  take  it,  was  Nathanael  Bar- 
tholomew. His  father  being  probably  a  man 
of  note,  his  own  proper  name  dropped  out  of 
use,  and  he  came  to  be  spoken  of  as  Bartholo- 
mew.— Rev,  J.  Foster. 


II.  His  Ruling  Characteristic. 

It  was,  upon  the  word  of  the  Saviour,  guile- 
lessness. 

[18967]  "  Behold  an  Israelite  indeed, in  whom 
is  no  guile."  It  is  as  if  He  had  said,  Be- 
hold a  man  of  faith  and  of  frank  sincerity. 
Christ  does  not  pronounce  Nathanael  to  be  abso- 
lutely sinless.  And  if  Nathanael  had  so  pre- 
tended, he  would  not  have  been  guileless  ;  for 
if  we  say  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  oursejves, 
and  the  truth  is  not  in  us.  Nathanael  was  an 
honest  Israelite,  a  man  of  faith,  a  man  of  prayer 


and  above  all  a  man  above  shams  and  false  pre- 
tences. Even  when  Jesus  pronounced  him 
"  without  guile,"  he  did  not  begin  to  stammer 
out  any  self-depreciating  cant  :  "  Lord,  you  give 
me  too  much  credit  ;  I  don't  deserve  to  be  called 
an  honest  man.  I  am  only  a  miserable  sinner." 
Nathanael  left  all  such  lying  cant  to  those 
Pharisees  of  modern  prayer-meetings  who  pre- 
tend to  be  worse  than  they  are,  in  order  to  get 
credit  for  humility.  I  believe  that  there  are  as 
many  lies  told  in  self-depreciation  as  there  are 
in  self-exaggeration.  When  a  Christian  knows 
whom  he  has  believed,  and  knows  that  he  is 
sincerely  striving  to  follow  Jesus,  even  in  an  im- 
perfect fashion,  he  has  no  moral  right  to  apply 
to  himself,  in  penitential  prayer,  the  same  words 
which  describe  a  sceptic,  a  felon,  or  hypocrite. 
Some  people  have  a  very  sneaking  way  of 
feeding  their  self-conceit  on  phrases  of  profound 
humility.  Other  people — and  really  sincere 
Christians — introduce  many  phrases  of  self- 
abasement  out  of  mere  form  ;  just  as  I  have 
overheard  giddy,  frivolous  girls  and  careless  men 
of  pleasure  mumble  that  solemn  litany,  "  Lord, 
have  mercy  upon  us,  miserable  sinners!''''  Had 
I  told  them  the  same  thing  to  their  faces,  they 
would  have  grown  red  with  wrath  and  resented 
it  as  an  insult. —  T.  Cuyler. 


[18968]  The  absence  of  guile  here  imputed  to 
Nathanael  must  not  be  pressed  too  far.  This 
guileless  nature  is  as  the  kindly  soil  in  which  all 
excellent  graces  will  flourish  (Luke  viii.  15, 
X.  6),  but  does  not  do  away  with  the  necessity 
of  the  Divine  seed,  out  of  which  alone  they  can 
spring.  He  who  is  "  without  guile  "  is  not  there- 
fore without  sin  ;  this,  at  least,  could  only  be 
asserted  of  One  (i  Peter  ii.  22),  but  rather  he  is 
one  who  seeks  no  cloak  for  his  sin  ;  does  not 
excuse,  palliate,  hide,  diminish,  or  deny  it 
(Gen.  iii.  12).  Being  a  sinner,  he  confesses  it, 
and  thus  finds  pardon  for  the  sin  which  he 
confesses.  So  David  had  declared  long  ago 
(Psa.  xxxii.  i,  2),  to  whose  words  Christ  is  pro- 
bably here  distinctly  referring. — Abp.  Trench. 

III.  His  Testimony. 

[18969]  "  Rabbi,  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God, 
Thou  art  the  King  of  Israel,"  breaks  forth  from 
his  lips.  A  word  or  two  upon  each  of  these 
ascriptions,  being  as  they  are,  the  first  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  dignity  of  Christ's  person, 
the  second  of  the  greatness  of  His  office.  And 
first,  "Thou  art  the  Son  of  God."  We  do  not 
here  suppose  for  an  instant  that  Nathanael, 
giving  this  title  to  the  Lord,  intended  by  it  all 
which  the  Nicene  Fathers  intended,  and  which 
we  intend,  by  the  same  ;  and  yet  nothing  less 
was  wrapped  up  in  that  title,  to  be  unfolded 
from  it  in  due  time.  And  it  meant  much,  even 
on  Nathanael's  lips,  and  was  no  mere  language 
of  honour  uttered  at  random.  How  much  it 
implied  we  may  clearly  perceive  from  the  active 
opposition,  the  earnest  hostility,  which  this  title 
awoke  on  the  part  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees, 
as   often   as   the    Lord  implicitly  or   explicitly 


18969- 18973] 


NEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


431 


[THOMAS. 


claimed  it  as  His  own  (John  v.  18,  x.  30-39, 
xix.  7).  But  however  these  may  have  denied 
the  superhuman  character  of  Messiah,  there 
were  enough  glimpses  of  this  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment to  explain  how  as  many  as  had  searched 
more  deeply  into  it,  or  whose  vision  was  less 
obscured  and  distorted  by  preconceived  pre- 
judices, should  have  recognized  in  Him  a 
partaker  of  the  Divine  nature,  and  therefore 
"the  Son  of  God."  It  is  sufficient  to  refer  to 
Psa.  ii.  7,12;  Isa.  ix.  6.  We  are  then  justified  in 
ascribing  nothing  short  of  such  a  recognition  to 
Nathanael.  And  the  words  which  follow,  "  Thou 
art  the  King  of  Israel,"  words  in  which  the 
"Israelite"  accepts,  owns,  and  does  homage  to 
Israel's  King,  avouching  himself  a  subject  of 
his,  amounts  very  nearly  to  the  same  thing.  He 
who  said  in  that  second  Psalm,  ''  Kiss  the  son 
lest  He  be  angry"  (ver.  12),  said  also  of  the 
same  :  "  Yet  have  I  set  My  King  upon  My  holy 
hill  of  Zion  "  (ver.  6).—Jdid. 


IV.  His  Reward. 

[18970]  To  him  that  hath  shall  be  given. 
He  who  hears  and  believes  may  walk  now  by 
faith,  but  shall  hereafter  walk  by  sight.  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him  :  "  Because  I  said 
unto  thee,  I  saw  thee  under  the  fig-tree,  be- 
lievest  thou }  Thou  shalt  see  greater  things 
than  these."  Faith  like  his  shall  have  its 
reward.  "And  He  saith  unto  him,  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Hereafter  shall  ye  see 
heaven  open,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascend- 
ing and  descending  upon  the  Son  of  man." 
Assuredly  the  Lord  would  indicate  by  these 
wondrous  words  that  He  should  henceforward 
be  the  middle  point  of  a  free  intercourse,  yea, 
of  an  uninterrupted  communion,  between  God 
and  men  ;  that  in  Him  should  be  the  meeting 
place  of  heaven  and  of  earth  (Eph.  i.  10  ; 
Col.  i.  20)  ;  which  should  be  no  longer  two,  as 
sin  had  made  them,  separated  and  estranged 
from  one  another,  but  henceforward  one,  now 
that  righteousness  had  looked  down  from 
heaven,  and  truth  had  flourished  out  of  the 
earth.  And  this  the  glory  of  Christ  they,  His 
disciples,  should  behold  ;  and  should  under- 
stand that  they  too,  children  of  men,  were  by 
Him,  the  Son  of  man,  made  citizens  of  a  king- 
dom which,  not  excluding  earth,  embraced  also 
heaven.  From  earth  there  should  go  up  ever- 
more supplications,  aspirations,  prayers — and 
these  by  the  ministration  of  angels  (Rev.  viii. 
3,  4),  if  some  still  want  a  certain  literal  fulfil- 
ment of  the  promise  ;  from  heaven  there  should 
evermore  come  down  graces,  blessings,  gifts,  aid 
to  the  faithful,  and  plagues  for  them  that  would 
hurt  them  (Rev.  viii.  5  ;  Actsxii.  7,  23).  Heaven 
and  earth  should  henceforward  be  in  continual 
interchange  of  these  blessed  angels — 

"  And  earth  be  changed  to  heaven,  and  heaven 
to  earth  ; 
One  kingdom,  joy  and  union  without  end  :" 

the  Son  of  man,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  being  the  ' 


central  point  in  which  these  two  kingdoms  met, 
the  golden  clasp  which  bound  them  indissolubly 
together. — Idid. 


THOMAS. 

I.    INTRODUCTORY. 
Significance  of  his  surname  Didymus. 

[ 1 8971]  The  name  Thomas  is  connected, 
especially  by  St.  John,  with  the  other  name  he 
bore,  either  synonym  or  surname  of  it,  "  Didy- 
mus"— Didymus,  the  twin.  He  had  a  brother 
or  sister  (sister  says  one  account,  called  Lysia), 
the  same  age  as  himself.  Therefore  he  was 
called  Didymus,  the  twin,  or  Thomas,  which 
has  the  same  meaning.  This  is  the  origin  of  the 
name.  But,  strangely  enough,  it  became  spirit- 
ually significant  in  the  history  and  character  of 
the  man.  No  less  than  three  times  does  the 
Evangelist  name  him  in  this  way,  "Thomas,  who 
is  called  Didymus."  St.  John  has  been  described 
as  a  writer  who  measures  every  word.  Evidently, 
therefore,  he  means  to  convey  more  than  the 
mere  school-class  information  that  the  one  name 
is  in  meaning  as  the  other.  He  means  to  hint, 
at  least — Look  at  him,  and  consider  the  man 
and  the  name.  He  is  indeed  a  twin.  In  his 
spiritual  nature  he  is  two  men  in  one,  and  they 
are  not  agreed.  There  is  a  strife  between  the 
one  and  the  other.  Now  this  Thomas,  and  now 
that,  stands  foremost.  They  cannot  be  so 
eternally,  or  even  for  long.  One  must  die  that 
the  other  may  live.  Which  shall  have  the  upper 
hand  at  length.''  We  know  how  the  matter  turned 
out.  We  know  how  it  always  ends  in  such 
cases,  when  the  struggle  is  sincere.  Nature 
holds  the  right  of  primogeniture,  but  grace 
always  comes  into  the  inheritance.  —  Alex. 
Raleigh,  D.D. 

[18972]  It  is  very  possible  that  Thomas  may 
have  received  this  as  a  new  name  from  his 
Lord.  ...  It  was  a  name  which  told  him  all 
he  had  to  fear,  and  all  he  had  to  hope.  In  him 
the  twins,  unbelief  and  faith,  were  contending 
with  one  another  for  mastery,  as  Esau  and 
Jacob,  the  old  man  and  the  new,  wrestled  once 
in  Rebecca's  womb  (Gen.  xxv.  23,  24).  He 
was,  as  indeed  all  are  by  nature,  the  double  or 
twin-minded  man. — Abp.  Trench. 


II.  Features  of  Character. 
I       Earnestness. 

[18973]  First  of  all,  he  is  an  earnest  man. 
We  see  this  general  characteristic  in  him  from 
the  very  first.  Indeed,  we  might  almost  con- 
clude that  he  would  be  so,  from  the  fact  that  he 
is  among  the  elect  twelve.  The  Saviour  does 
not  lay  His  hand  at  random  on  one  here  and 
there,  in  the  frivolous  and  thoughtless  crowd. 
He   does   not  call   those  on  whom  by  chance 


432 

18973— I 


NEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[THOMAS. 


His  eye  may  first  light.  If  some  of  them  are 
ignorant  they  are  all  earnest  men.  Some  of 
them  quiet  and  simple,  some  of  them  contem- 
plative and  susceptible,  some  of  them  strong  and 
passionate,  but  all  earnest  ;  all  living  in  the  per- 
petual consciousness  that  man  has  a  soul,  and 
that  life  has  a  meaning,  and  great  and  awful 
issues,  and  that  (}od  has  a  kingdom  among  men. 
Take  all  the  verses  that  relate  to  Thomas  in  the 
Gospels.  They  are  diverse  in  outward  form, 
they  bring  before  us  very  different  mental 
states — states  quite  opposite  to  each  other,  deep 
depression,  rejoicing  confidence  ;  but  they  all 
presuppose  a  full  measure  of  manly  earnestness, 
a  spiritual  concernedness,  about  himself,  and 
his  duty,  and  his  Lord.— ^/^x  Raleigh^  D.D. 

2  Despondency. 

[18974]  He  seems  to  have  this  melancholy 
naturally.  It  is  one  of  what  we  call  his  charac- 
teristics. As  a  certain  vein  runs  through  a 
geological  formation,  so  a  certain  disposition 
runs  through  a  human  mind.  It  is  there,  and 
you  cannot  expel  it.  It  must  be  recognized  and 
dealt  with.  It  may  be  assuaged.  It  may  be 
exalted.  It  may  be  turned  to  high  and  useful 
ends,  but  it  cannot  be  extinguished.  This 
despondent  melancholy  comes  out  most  remark- 
ably in  the  case  of  Thomas  when  (John  xi.  16), 
hearing  from  the  Master's  own  lips  that  He  was 
going  up  to  Jerusalem— as  Thomas  and  all  of 
them  knew  full  well— in  the  face  of  great  peril, 
he  threw  himself  on  to  the  dark  conclusion  that 
all  was  over,  and  that  nothing  now  was  left  to 
them  but  to  die. — Ibid. 

[18975]  The  melancholy  of  Thomas,  his  dis- 
position to  despondency,  his  unreadiness  to 
accept  consolation  or  to  cherish  hope,  come 
out  very  strongly  in  his  answer  to  the  Lord  at 
the  Last  Supper.  "In  My  Father's  house  are 
many  mansions,"  Jesus  had  said— mansions  for 
them  as  well  as  ioxHiin.  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place 
for  you ;  .  .  .  and  whither  I  go  ye  know,  and  the 
way  ye  know."  The  reply  of  Thomas  is  not 
that  of  ignorance,  but  of  doubt,  bordering  on 
despair.  Jesus  is  going  to  die,  to  pass  into  the 
dark  unknown,  the  silent  land  from  whence  no 
message  comes,  whose  inhabitants  make  no 
sign,  give  no  token  of  existence— yet  He  speaks 
of  their  knowing  "  the  way  "  to  that  mysterious 
abode.  It  seems  to  Thomas  like  hollow  mockery 
— to  him  place  and  way  are  alike  unknown. 
There  is  no  light  shining  from  beyond  the  tomb  ; 
all  about  it  is  dreadful  ;  he  cannot  be  comforted 
in  the  thought  of  his  beloved  Master's  departure 
there. — Rev.  J.  Foster. 

3  Unbelief. 

[18976]  Jesus  had  appeared  to  the  disciples 
as  they  were  assembled  together  on  the  evenmg 
of  the  day  of  His  resurrection.  Thomas  was 
not  with  them.  Was  his  absence  accidental  or 
of  purpose.?  I  should  think  7iot  accidental. 
As  to  his  incredulity,  it  did  not  in  itself  separate 
him  from  his  fellow-disciples,  for  in  that  he  was 
not  very  different  from  them.     Jesus  upbraided 


them  all  with  their  "  unbelief  and  hardness  of 
heart,  because  they  believed  not  them  which 
had  seen  Him  after  He  was  risen."  But  his 
unbelief  was  probably  of  a  more  defined  cha- 
racter than  theirs,  more  built  upon  reasons, 
more  clearly  explained  to  his  own  mind.  And 
so  it  was  a  more  miserable  thing,  disposing  him 
to  brood  in  solitude  rather  than,  like  the  others, 
to  talk  with  brethren  "  of  all  those  things  which 
had  happened."  There  was  on  their  part  the 
absence  of  any  lively  hope  ;  there  was  on  his 
part  the  presence  of  a  settled  and  systematic 
despair.  So  he  was  not  with  the  rest  ''  when 
Jesus  came." — Ibid. 

[18977]  Think  not  that  this  happened  by 
chance,  that  a  chosen  disciple  should  have  been 
absent,  being  absent  should  have  doubted, 
should  doubting  have  handled,  should  handling 
have  believed.  All  this  occurred  by  a  Divine 
ordering,  whereby  the  mercy  of  God  brought 
it  about  by  wonderful  means  that  that  doubtful 
disciple  should  feel  the  wounds  in  his  Lord's 
flesh,  and  so  heal  the  wounds  of  our  unbelief. 
For  the  incredulity  of  Thomas  hath  done  more 
for  our  faith  than  the  belief  of  the  disciples. — 
Gregory. 

[18978]  Thomas  was  indeed  guilty  of  unbelief, 
and  for  such  unbelief  he  had  no  reasonable  or 
lawful  ground.  He  had  heard  the  prediction  of 
his  Lord,  he  had  the  testimony  of  his  fellow- 
disciples,  whose  words  he  had  no  reason  to 
doubt,  and  of  whose  earlier  misgivings  he  must 
have  seen  quite  enough.  They  had  not  only 
said  to  him,  "  We  have  seen  the  Lord,"  but  had 
actually  related  to  him  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances of  that  vision — how  that  the  Lord  had 
appeared  to  them,  had  opened  unto  them  the 
Scriptures,  and  had  shown  them  how  He  had 
suffered  and  risen  again,  and  how  He  must  still 
ascend  to  His  glory.  In  all  this  the  penetrating 
mind  of  Thomas  ought  at  once  to  have  perceived 
the  decided  connection  of  events,  and  that  in 
the  most  convincing  manner. — Rev.  R.  Rolhe. 
D.D. 

[18979]  Thomas  asked  of  Christ  a  sign  ;  he 
must  put  his  own  hands  into  the  prints.  His 
Master  gave  him  that  sign  or  proof  He  said, 
"  Reach  hither  thy  hand."  He  gave  it,  it  is 
true,  with  a  gentle  and  delicate  reproof— but 
He  did  give  it.  Now,  from  that  condescension 
we  are  reminded  of  the  darkness  that  hangs 
round  the  question  of  a  resurrection,  and  how 
excusable  it  is  for  a  man  to  question  earnestly 
until  he  has  got  proof  to  stand  on.  For  if  it 
were  not  excusable  to  crave  a  proof,  our  Master 
never  would  have  granted  oxi^.—Rev.  F.  Robert- 

S071. 

[1S980]  Let  a  man  be  as  frivolous  as  he  will 
at  heart,  it  is  a  question  too  solemn  to  be  put 
aside— Whether  he  is  going  down  into  extinc- 
tion and  the  blank  of  everlasting  silence  or  not. 
Whether  in  those  far  ages,  when  the  very  oak 
which  is  to  form  his  coffin  shall  have  become 


18980— I89S5] 


NEIF   TKSTAMEXT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


433 


[tiiomas. 


fibres  of  black  mould,  and  the  cluirchyard  in 
u'hich  he  is  to  lie  shall  have  become  perhaps 
iinconsecrated  ground,  and  the  spades  of  a 
generation  yet  unborn  shall  have  exposed  his 
bones,  those  bones  will  be  the  last  relic  in  the 
world  to  bear  record  that  he  once  trod  this 
green  earth,  and  that  life  was  once  dear  to  him, 
Thomas,  or  James,  or  Paul.  Or  whether  that 
thrilling,  loving,  thinking  something,  that  he 
calls  himself,  has  indeed  within  it  an  indestruc- 
tible existence  which  shall  still  be  conscious, 
when  everything  else  shall  have  rushed  into 
endless  wreck.  Oh,  in  the  awful  earnestness  of 
a  question  such  as  that,  a  speculation  and  a 
perad venture  will  not  do  :  we  must  have  proof. 
The  honest  doubt  of  Thomas  craves  a  sign  as 
much  as  the  cold  doubt  of  the  Sadducee.  And 
a  sign  shall  be  mercifally  given  to  the  doubt  of 
iove  which  is  refused  to  the  doubt  of  indifter- 
ence. — Jbid. 

4      Devotion  to  Christ. 

[1S9S1]  One  point  is  certain,  and  we  must  take 
care  to  bear  it  in  mind  while  considering  the 
grave  defects  of  his  character,  St.  Thomas  was 
aftectionately  and  devotedly  attached  to  the 
person  of  our  Lord.  When  Jesus  declared  His 
intention  to  go  to  Bethany,  that  is,  into  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem,  where  He 
had  previously  told  them  He  was  to  suffer,  it 
was  Thomas  who  said  at  once  to  his  fellow- 
disciples,  "  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with 
Him."  There  was  no  lack  of  love  there,  no 
selfishness,  no  cowardly  shrinking  from  danger. 
There  may,  indeed,  have  been  somewhat  of  a 
desponding  spirit,  a  disposition  to  dwell  on  the 
gloomy  aspect  of  things  ;  less  of  confidence  in 
his  Lord's  power,  and  of  faith  in  the  triumph 
which  He  had  promised,  than  of  aft'ectionate 
sympathy  with  the  sufferings  which  He  was  to 
undergo  ;  but  we  cannot  help  loving  Thomas 
for  those  words,  we  must  look  on  him  with 
reverence,  as  a  brave,  faithful  adherent  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  ready  and  willing  to  shed  his  heart's 
blood  in  His  ca.\xse.—Rev.  F.  Cook. 

[18982]  The  first  notice  of  him  shows  him  to 
have  been  a  true  disciple,  a  man  with  a  large, 
loving,  devoted  heart.  Jesus  had  gone  beyond 
the  Jordan  to  be  out  of  reach  of  the  Jews,  whose 
enmity  had  now  risen  to  the  murderous  point, 
and  who  had  twice  attempted  His  life.  His 
proposal  to  go  again  into  the  neiglibourhood  of 
Jerusalem  naturally  confounded  the  disciples  ; 
they  did  not  know  how  to  take  it,  what  to  say 
about  it.  There  seems  to  have  been  something 
like  a  pause  when  He  gave  the  command  to 
start  upon  the  journey.  Thomas  comes  to  the 
front  ;  he  assumes  the  place  generally  filled  by 
Peter,  and  practically  solves  the  ditificulty. 
Whatever  happens  they  must  not  desert  their 
Master.  If  He  will  go  into  Judaea  again  they 
must  go  too  ;  they  must  be  with  Him  in  the  hour 
of  peril,  they  must  be  ready,  when  necessary,  to 
share  His  doom.  A  brave  determination,  one 
revealing  the  deep  affection  this  disciple  bore 
his  Master.     Realizing  the  facts  of  the  case,  the 

VOL.  VI.  29 


imrninence  of  the  danger,  the  apparent  impos- 
sibility of  escape,  tlie  almost  absolute  certainty 
of  his  being  taken  at  his  word,  we  cannot  fail  to 
see  that  Thomas  is  of  the  lieroic  mould.  "  Let 
us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  Him,"  which- 
ever way  we  consider  it,  is  a  grand  sentence.— 
Rev.  J.  Foster. 

III.  HoMiLETic.\L  Suggestions. 

1  The  absence  of  Thomas  when  our  Lord 
first  appeared  to  the  other  apostles  suggests 
that  many  blessings  are  missed  by  those 
who  "  forsake  the  assembling  of  themselves 
together." 

[189S3]  The  lesson  that  has  been  so  often 
drawn  from  this  incident  as  to  the  loss  tiiose 
may  suffer  who  forsake  the  assemblies  of  the 
saints  is  in  the  main  a  sound  one.  Whatever 
happens  disciples  should  keep  together— isola- 
tion will  Innder  good  and  make  bad  worse. 
Thomas  was  punished  for  withdrawing  from  the 
society  of  his  brethren  by  having  to  drag  on  a 
weary  week  of  uncertainty  after  the  others  had 
had  their  suspense  ended  by  a  happy  meeting 
with  their  Lord.  The  truant  disciple  had  not 
been  far  off,  his  companions  soon  found  him, 
and  told  him  the  joyful  news,  "  We  have  seen 
the  Lord."  But  they  cannot  impart  their  joy 
to  him,  because  they  cannot  communicate  the 
sensible  experience  upon  which  it  is  built. 
They  may  t/ii/ik  they  have  seen  the  Lord  (I  do 
not  suppose  he  intends  to  accuse  them  of  wilful 
falsehood),  he  feels  sure  they  are  mistaken. — 
Ibid. 

2  The  manner  in  which  Thomas's  doubts 
were  removed  suggests  the  amazing  con- 
descension of  God  to  those  who  desire  to 
believe  if  they  can. 

[18984]  The  first  thought  which  struck  all  the 
early  commentators  on  holy  writ,  on  which  Chry- 
sostom,  for  instance,  dwells  almost  exclusively, 
refers  to  the  gracious  condescension  of  the  Lord 
in  thus  adapting  the  evidence  to  the  wants  and 
capacities  of  His  disciples.  Provided  that  there 
be  in  any  man  the  previous  conditions,  a  desire 
to  know  the  truth,  to  do  tlie  will  of  God,  to  be 
saved  from  sin,  if  there  be  in  him  a  love  and  a 
craving  for  the  holiness  which  Thomas  had  ever 
adored  in  the  person  of  Jesus,  evidence  will  be 
given,  is  daily  given,  sufficient  to  satisfy  the 
longing,  the  contrite,  the  unreluctant  heart. 
Every  believer  knows  that  it  is  so.  He  knows 
that  his  Saviour  has  not  left  him  to  be  tossed 
about  to  and  fro  by  the  surging  waves  of  the 
restless  intellect,  that  He  has  not  abandoned 
him  to  the  suggestions  of  a  corrupt  and  darkenetl 
nature,  that  Christ  has  addressed  Himself  just 
to  that  feeling  in  his  heart,  to  that  faculty  in  his 
mind,  to  that  craving  in  his  spiritual  nature,  by 
which  he  could  be  most  surely  and  directly 
guided  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Father's  revelation  in  and  by  the  Son.  In 
fact,  Christ  manifests  Himself. — Rev.  F.  Cook. 

[18985]  We  may  well  pause  and  adore  the 


434 

18985— 189S8] 


NEIV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[MATTHEW. 


condescending  love  of  our  blessed  Saviour  which 
stoops  even  10  meet  our  self-will  half  way.  This 
often  occurs  in  the  life  of  the  faithful,  and  when 
it  does  so  occur,  we  are  amazed  that  the  Lord 
had  divined  our  self-will,  and  still  more  that  He 
allowed  it.  One  thing  we  must  not  overlook, 
and  it  is  this,  that  our  blessed  Lord  will  only  so 
condescend  to  those  who  have  really  begun  to 
try  to  break  down  their  pride,  and  cast  their 
self-will  away  ;  for  by  no  other  means  can  they 
be  brought  to  a  full  and  decisive  surrender  of 
themselves  to  Him.  It  is  especially  so  in  all 
things  pertaining  to  our  faith  in  Christ.  That  is 
essentially  a  belief  in  the  power  of  God,  not  in 
our  own  ;  but  such  a  belief  is  not  attainable 
without  our  own  free  grasp  of  the  hand  which 
(jod  holds  out  to  us,  without  our  striving  to 
possess  ourselves  of  the  power  of  believing 
offered  to  us  by  a  merciful  Father.  Let  us  set 
ourselves  diligently,  and  with  all  sincerity,  to 
clear  away  from  oui  path  every  hindrance  to 
our  faith  ;  and  if  we  do  earnestly  so  strive,  our 
God  will  immediately  help  on  our  work  with 
His  almighty  hand,  and  we  shall  find  that  our 
stumbling-blocks  are  suddenly  rolled  away, 
beyond  our  most  sanguine  expectation.  But 
this  cannot  be  attained  by  any  other  means. 
If  Thomas  had  persisted  in  absenting  himself 
from  the  other  disciples,  his  Lord  would  never 
have  appeared  to  him,  and  he  would  never  have 
been  convinced. — Re7'.  R.  Rot/ie,  D.D. 

3  The  doubts  of  Thomas,  subsequently  re- 
moved, are  a  witness  to  the  truth  of  the 
resurrection  of  Christ. 

[18986]  There  was  one  man  who  dreaded  the 
possibility  of  delusion,  however  credulous  the 
others  might  be.  He  resolved  beforehand  that 
only  one  proof  should  be  decisive.  He  would 
not  be  contented  with  seeing  Christ  :  that  might 
he  a  dream  :  it  might  be  the  vision  of  a  dis- 
ordered fancy.  He  would  not  be  satisfied  with 
the  assurance  of  others.  The  evidence  of  testi- 
mony which  he  did  reject  was  very  strong. 
Ten  of  his  most  familiar  friends,  and  certain 
women,  gave  in  their  separate  and  their  united 
testimony  ;  but  against  all  that  St.  Thomas  held 
out  sceptically  firm.  They  might  have  been 
■deceived  themselves  :  they  might  have  been 
trifling  with  him.  The  possibilities  of  mistake 
were  innumerable  :  the  delusions  of  the  best 
men  about  what  they  see  are  incredible.  He 
would  trust  a  thing  so  infinitely  important  to 
nothing  but  his  own  scrutinizing  hand.  It  might 
be  some  one  personating  his  Master.  He  would 
put  his  hands  into  real  wounds,  or  else  hold  it 
unproved.  The  allegiance  which  was  given  in 
so  enthusiastically,  "  My  Lord,  and  my  God," 
was  given  in  after,  and  not  before  scrutiny.  It 
was  the  cautious  verdict  of  an  enlightened, 
suspicious,  most  earnest,  and  most  honest 
sceptic- — Re7i.  F.  Robertson. 

4  The  doubts  of  Thomas,  and  their  removal, 
suggest  that  saving  faith  rests  rather  upon 
internal  than  upon  external  grounds. 

[18987]  We  are  led  to  deduce  from  Christ's 


words  to  Thomas  a  deep  principle,  even  this— 
that  faith,  in  its  highest  action,  in  its  spiritual 
and  saving  operations,  rests  rather  upon  internal 
than  upon  external  grounds.  The  demand  for 
"signs  and  wonders"  may  be  met,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Jews,  without  the  production  of  the 
faith  which  brings  salvation.  That  faith  does 
not  rest  so  much  on  "  signs  and  wonders,"  as  on 
the  apprehension  of  spiritual  blessings,  adapted 
to  the  conscious  necessities  of  the  soul.  Even 
the  faith  of  Thomas  himself,  now,  at  last,  in  the 
Godhead  of  Christ,  did  not,  as  we  apprehend, 
spring  so  much  out  of  the  visible  miracle,  then 
before  him,  of  the  raised  body  of  his  Master,  as 
out  of  the  workings  of  his  ow.n  soul,  under  the 
light  and  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  A  spiritual 
revelation  of  Christ  as  a  Divine  Saviour  was 
made  to  his  soul.  The  eye  of  that  soul,  purged 
from  every  blinding  film,  like  the  eyes  of  men's 
bodies  which  our  Lord  had  touched,  saw  the 
revelation.  It  met  the  needs  of  his  spiritual 
nature — needs  which  his  recent  conflicts  had 
made  him  deeply  feel  ;  and  now  he  adoringly 
expresses  his  faith  in  Christ,  as  "  God  manifest 
in  the  flesh  "  for  man's  deliverance. — Rev.  J. 
Stoiarhion. 


MATTHEW. 

I.  His  Conversion. 

I       It  was  apparently  sudden,  yet  it  may  well 
have  been  prepared  for  beforehand. 

[18988]  You  generally  find  "  publicans  "  and 
"sinners"  spoken  of  together,  as  though  the 
publicans  were  amongst  the  most  depraved  and 
abandoned  of  the  Jewish  population,  as  justly 
infamous  by  their  vices  as  unjustly  by  their 
office.  One  of  this  class  it  was,  whom  our  Lord 
found  sitting  at  his  post  as  a  receiver  of  the 
taxes.  He  was  plying  that  hateful  occupation  ; 
perhaps  counting  over  the  money  he  received, 
or  wrangling  with  some  Jew  who  had  come  with 
his  tribute,  and  endeavouring  to  deceive  or  over- 
reach him.  You  can  hardly  imagine  a  less 
promising  subject  or  time  for  one  of  the  sermons 
or  summonses  of  the  Redeemer ;  yet  Christ 
does  nothing  but  simply  bid  Matthew  follow 
Him.  He  uses  no  persuasion  ;  He  makes  no 
promise  ;  He  ofiers  no  inducement  ;  but,  never- 
theless, there  is  no  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the 
publican.  He  instantly  rises,  forsakes  his  busi- 
ness, and  goes  after  Christ.  We  do  not  suppose 
that  Matthew  was  unacquainted  with  the  cha- 
racter and  pretensions  of  the  Being  who  thus 
suddenly  summoned  him  from  his  trade.  The 
probability  is  that  he  had  heard  much  of  Christ ; 
that  he  had  seen  Him  work  miracles,  and  had 
hearkened  to  His  discourses,  though  he  may  not 
have  had  any  formal  intercourse  with  Him  prior 
to  this  memorable  occasion.  If  you  examine  the 
account,  you  will  find  that  our  Lord  was  at  this 
time  in   His  own  city,  where,  if  anywhere,  He 


18988—18990] 


I^EIV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[MATTHEW. 


435 


must  have  been  well  known  by  common  report. 
He  had,  moreover,  just  performed  a  very  signal 
miracle  on  a  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  and  it  would 
appear  to  have  been  as  He  passed  from  the 
house  in  which  the  cure  had  been  wrouj^ht,  that 
He  spake  the  word  which  had  so  much  power 
over  Matthew.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  news 
of  this  miracle  had  reached  the  publican  before 
the  Saviour  appeared  at  the  receipt  of  custom, 
and  that  he  was  therefore  prepared  to  admit  the 
authority  and  obey  the  injunctions  of  Christ. 
He  passed  as  in  a  moment  from  a  tax-gatherer 
to  a  disciple  :  but  we  may  well  believe  that  God 
had  been  working  in  him  a  preparedness  of 
heart  ;  so  that  he  may  be  said  to  have  stood 
ready  for  the  call,  though,  so  far  as  bystanders 
could  judge,  the  call  took  him  by  surprise,  and 
transformed  him  at  the  instant. — Canoti  Mel- 
vill. 


[18989]  We  know  not  what  may  have  been 
the  precise  process  of  conversion  in  the  instance  . 
of  Matthew,  nor  how  far  there  may  have  been 
an  extraordinary  interposition,  making  his  case 
different  from  those  of  common  occurrence  ; 
but  we  can  tell  you  what  the  process  may  be 
supposed  to  have  been— what  it  probably  may 
be  with  any  one  of  you,  whose  circumstances 
are  at  all  analogous  to  those  of  the  publican 
Matthew.  Matthew  may  have  heard  of  a 
preacher  of  righteousness  who  was  passing 
through  the  land,  working  miracles,  to  which  he 
appealed  as  credentials,  and  delivering  doctrines 
which  condemned  every  form  and  degree  of 
iniquity  ;  and  Matthew,  we  may  believe,  did  not, 
peremptorily  and  without  inquiry,  reject  the 
pretensions  of  this  preacher,  but  rather  endea- 
voured to  put  away  prejudice,  that  he  might 
weigh  well  the  evidence  to  which  the  preacher 
appealed.  Neither  did  he  despise  the  doctrines  ; 
they  chimed  in  with  the  dictates  of  conscience  ; 
and  feeling  with  how  much  justice,  fraud,  and 
violence  were  broadly  denounced,  he  may  be 
believed  to  have  set  himself  to  the  correcting 
what  was  openly  wrong  in  his  conduct.  He 
would  not  feel  himself  called  upon  to  forsake 
his  occupation  as  a  publican,  for  the  occupation 
though  odious  was  in  no  sense  unlawful  ;  but  he 
would  feel  himself  required  to  follow  the  oc- 
cupation in  the  most  honourable  manner,  with 
none  of  the  trick  and  extortion  of  which  others 
were  guilty,  and  with  which,  perhaps,  he  had 
been  too  chargeable  himself.  We  do  not  know, 
as  we  have  already  said,  that  there  was  this 
preparatory  process  in  the  case  of  the  publican 
Matthew  ;  the  miracle  may  have  been  without 
any  preliminary  ;  and  the  tax-gatherer,  up  to  the 
very  moment  at  which  Jesus  approached  the 
receipt  of  custom,  may  have  been  utterly  igno- 
rant and  utterly  dissolute.  But  if  we  are  to  take 
the  case  as  one  of  which  we  may  hope  to  find 
the  repetition  amongst  ourselves,  now  that  God 
works  through  instituted  means,  we  must  be 
quite  justified  in  laying  down  the  above  series 
of  steps,  as  having  conducted  Matthew  to  con- 
version.— Ibid, 


2  Its  sincerity  was  evinced  by  the  farewell 
feast  which  he  gave  to  his  friends  before 
attaching  himself  to  Christ. 
[18990]  You  find  it  recorded  by  the  other 
evangelists,  as  well  as  by  himself,  that  imme- 
diately after  his  conversion,  he  entertained  Jesus 
at  a  great  feast,  to  which  he  invited  not  only  his 
new  companions,  the  disciples  of  Christ,  but 
"many  publicans  and  sinners,"  his  former  asso- 
ciates. And  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  this 
circumstance  proves  that  Matthew's  calling  of  a 
tax-gatherer  had  been  lucrative  ;  he  had  the 
means  of  entertaining  a  large  company ;  so  that 
in  abandoning  the  receipt  of  custom  we  may 
suppose  him  to  have  abandoned  no  inconsider- 
able emolument,  proving  his  own  sincerity,  and 
the  ])ower  of  the  word  by  which  he  had  been 
summoned.  This  is,  however,  not  the  only  nor 
the  chief  inference  to  be  drawn  from  the 
incident  of  which  we  are  now  speaking.  We 
may  justly  suppose  that  the  motive  of  Matthew 
in  bringing  his  old  companions  into  associa- 
tion witli  Christ,  was  the  hope  that  they  might 
be  benefited  by  the  conversation  of  the  Saviour, 
and  induced,  as  himself  had  been,  to  become 
His  disciples.  And  on  this  supposition  there 
are  one  or  two  things  which  we  think  very 
observable  in  the  proceedings  of  Matthew.  As 
with  Andrew  and  Philip,  who  had  no  sooner 
found  Jesus  for  themselves  than  they  sought  to 
bring  others  to  Him,  so  also  with  Matthew.  His 
immediate  endeavour,  on  being  converted,  is  to 
convert  others.  So  will  it  also  be  with  you. 
Knowing  Christ  yourselves  as  "  the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life,"  you  will  long,  you  will 
labour  to  bring  those  around  you  to  a  similar 
acquaintance.  Yes,  your  first  solicitude  will  be 
for  those  with  whom  you  are  more  immediately 
connected — your  kinsmen,  your  neighbours, 
your  countrymen.  Matthew  was  called  to  take 
part  in  a  splendid  enterprise.  He  was  to  be 
one  of  those  through  whose  instrumentality 
should  be  eft'ected  the  greatest  revolution  yet 
known  on  the  earth — the  substitution  of  the 
religion  of  Christ  for  idolatry  throughout  the 
broad  sweep  of  the  Roman  domain.  But  ere 
he  went  forth  on  this  crusade  against  the 
superstitions  of  a  world,  his  thoughts  were 
occupied  by  those  amongst  whom  he  lived  ;  he 
began  with  providing  for  his  own,  though  he 
ended  (if  tradition  be  true)  by  publishing  the 
gospel,  and  dying  in  its  defence,  in  afar  distant 
land.  And  it  will  be  the  same  with  ourselves. 
We  shall  long  that  the  whole  world  may  be  con- 
verted ;  we  shall  begin  with  attempting  conver- 
sion in  our  own  households,  or  our  own  parishes  ; 
yea  more — it  will  be  upon  our  own  companions 
in  sin  that  we  shall  be  most  anxious  in  bringing 
to  bear  the  engines  of  the  gospel.  Those  who 
have  sat  with  us  "at  the  receipt  of  custom,"  we 
shall  first  endeavour  to  lead  to  sit  with  us  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus.  We  know  more  of  their  peril,  of 
the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  their  conversion  ; 
and  we  feel  that  having  practically  encouraged 
them  in  evil,  by  joining  them  in  its  commission, 
we  are  bound  to  do  our  utmost  to  repair  the 
injury  by  urging  them  unto  repentance.     Hence, 


436 
18990 — 18994] 


NEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[MATTHEW. 


if  converted  ourselves,  our  first  care,  like  that 
of  Matthew,  will  be  for  the  conversion  of  the 
parties  with  whom  we  were  associated  whilst  yet 
unconverted. — Ibid. 

3  Its  sincerity  was  evinced  by  the  term  of  de- 
preciation with  regard  to  himself  which  he 
uses  when  speaking  of  it. 

[18991]  In  relating  his  conversion  he  calls 
himself  by  the  name  by  which  he  was  known 
in  the  church,  that  there  might  be  no  room 
for  disputing  the  identity  ;  and  when  he  has  to 
give  the  list  of  the  twelve  apostles,  he  expressly 
calls  himself,  "  Matthew  the  publican."  He 
makes  no  reference  to  the  profession  or  the 
calling  of  any  other  of  the  twelve  ;  he  does  not, 
for  example,  speak  of  Peter,  the  fisherman  ;  but, 
in  his  own  case,  as  though  anxious  to  com- 
memorate the  might  of  God's  grace,  he  subjoins 
a  definition,  and  registers  himself  as"  Ma.tthew 
the  pubHcan."  Ah  !  these  words,  "  Matthew 
the  publican,"  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  Gospel 
written  by  St.  Matthew,  are  the  picture  of  the 
cottage  hung  up  in  the  splendid  palace  of 
the  man  who  has  sprung  from  meanness  to 
nobility.  Think  of  the  honour  to  which 
Matthew  attained — the  honour  of  being  the 
historian  of  Christ  ;  of  composing,  under  the 
immediate  guidance  of  God's  Spirit,  a  narrative 
which  was  to  find  its  way  into  every  land,  and 
be  perused  by  multitudes  of  every  generation. 
What  poet,  what  philosopher,  what  biographer, 
ever  built  himself  such  a  monument?  What 
author  was  to  be  more  useful,  or  to  write  what 
would  gain  a  more  extended  circulation  ?  And 
yet  the  vast  honour  to  which  the  evangelist  had 
soared,  produced  no  unwillingness  to  the  avow- 
ing his  former  degradation  ;  on  the  contrary, 
he  was  far  less  tender,  so  to  speak,  of  his  repu- 
tation, than  those  associated  with  him  as  tiie 
historians  of  Christ,  and  seemed  to  take  delight 
in  recording  his  own  infamv. — Ibid. 


II.    HOMILETICAL    REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  call  of  Matthew  reminds  us  of  the 
necessity  of  the  new  birth  for  even  the 
most  moral  of  men. 

[18992]  Matthew  may  have  been  very  exem- 
plary in  his  profession — a  perfect  model  of  fair 
dealing  and  unimpeachable  integrity,  just  as 
any  one  of  you,  by  setting  himself  to  the  cor- 
recting his  conduct,  might  become  everytlung 
that  is  praisewortliy  in  the  eye  of  the  world,  in 
place,  perhaps,  of  presenting  much  that  is  repre- 
hensible ;  nevertheless,  had  not  Matthew  gone 
further  than  this,  or  (to  speak  more  truly)  had 
not  God  gone  furtiier  with  Matthew,  the  pub- 
lican would  not  have  entered  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  though  he  might  have  been  nearer  to  it 
than  whilst  hi  lived  in  extortion.  It  is  the  same 
with  yoursdvjs.  There  is  a  high  point  of 
morality  or  of  outward  improvement,  to  which 
you  may  go  without  trenching  upon  vital 
Christianity  ;  ay,  and  it  is  the  business  of  every 
man  who  would  not  throw  away  his  soul,  to  press 


on  to  that  point  ;  but  to  remain  at  this  point  is 
as  fatal  as  never  to  have  reached  it. — Ibid. 

2  The  call  of  Matthew  reminds  us  of  the 
duty  of  putting  ourselves  in  the  way  of 
good  influences,  even  though  we  cannot 
convert  ourselves. 

[18993]  We  have  spoken  of  his  call  as  an 
instance  of  what  may  be  termed  sudden  con- 
version ;  and  it  will  be  well  that  we  examine  it 
in  order  that  we  may  see  what  it  teaches  as  to 
conversion  in  general.  We  cannot  convert  our- 
selves, the  changing  the  heart  is  beyond  all 
power  but  the  Divine — these  are  among  the  first 
truths  which  the  Bible  inculcates,  and  on  which 
it  may  be  said  to  base  the  scheme  which  it 
reveals  for  our  restoration  to  God's  favour.  But, 
nevertheless,  there  is  no  encouragement  in 
Scripture,  to  the  continuing  morally  idle,  because 
we  are  thus  confessedly  incapable  of  converting 
ourselves.  Our  path  of  duty,  if  we  wish  to  be 
converted,  is  as  clearly  set  before  us  as  our 
natural  inability  of  changing  the  heart.  There 
is  to  be  prayer  for  the  renewing  iniluence  of  the 
Spirit  ;  there  is  to  be  the  diligent  avoiding  and 
forsaking  of  practices  and  associates  against 
whom  we  are  warned  by  conscience  and  the 
Bible  ;  there  is  to  be  the  careful  endeavour  to 
cultivate  every  right  disposition,  to  remove  hin- 
drances to  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to 
submit  ourselves  to  the  suggestions  and  impulses 
which  proclaim  their  origin  by  their  tendency. 
And,  though  all  this  will  not  renew  the  heart, 
in  doing  this  we  are  taught  to  expect  that  the 
heart  will  be  renewed  ;  in  neglecting  this,  that 
the  heart  will  be  left  in  its  natural  estate. —  Ibid. 

3  The  humility  of  Matthew  reminds  us  that 
sincere  depreciation  of  a  previous  uncon- 
verted condition  is  an  evidence  of  true 
conversion. 

[18994]  If  you  have  indeed  been  translated 
"  out  of  darkness  into  marvellous  light " — if 
from  having  been  children  of  wrath  you  have 
become  children  of  God — if  there  have  passed 
on  you  that  great  moral  change  through  which 
a  man  is  raised  from  ruin  and  corruption, 
restored  to  dignity,  consigned  to  everlasting 
blessedness — be  ye  well  assured  that  ye  will  be 
the  first  to  declare  your  utter  unworthmess  and 
vileness  ;  you  will  not  make  light  of  your  former 
evil  practices  ;  neither  will  you  strive  to  spread 
over  them  a  veil,  that  they  may  be  hidden  from 
others  ;  you  will  be  so  overwhelmed  by  the 
greatness  of  God's  mercy,  so  desirous  to  praise 
that  mercy,  and  to  encourage  the  yet  impenitent 
to  appeal  to  it  for  themselves,  that,  like  Matthew, 
you  will  be  virtually  the  historians  of  your  own 
shame,  and  you  will  record  that  shame  in  order 
that  you  may  be  kept  humble,  that  the  sinful 
may  be  assured  of  tlie  power  of  Divine  grace  ; 
yea,  others  may  speak  gently,  like  St.  Mark  and 
St.  Luke,  of  early  degradation  and  dissolute 
habits,  but  yourself,  like  St.  Matthew,  will  never 
think  of  being  the  disciple  without  thinking  of 
having  been  the  publican,  and  never  mention 
your  conversion  without  mentioning  the  receipt 


1 8994— 1 


NEiV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


437 

[jUDAS   ISCARIOT. 


of  custom  from  which  you  were  called.  You 
will  not  mention  the  faults  of  others  ;  you  will 
give  their  names  without  adding  any  depreciating 
description  ;  but  your  own — oh,  the  catalogue 
will  run  as  it  does  in  our  text — ''  Philip  and 
Bartholomew  ;  Thomas,  and  Matthew  the  pub- 
lican."—7^/./, 


JUDE,  LEBBEUS  OR    THADDEUS. 

I.  His  Personal  Identification. 

[18995]  Jiide  intimates  his  relationship  to 
James.  Our  translators  have  identified  the 
relationship  as  that  of  brother.  A  Judas  is 
mentioned  by  Matthew  (xiii.  55)  as  brother  of 
James.  That  James  we  conclude  to  have  been 
the  person  mentioned  as  one  of  our  Lord's 
apostles ;  the  son,  not  of  Zebcdee,  but  of 
Alpheus.  We  apprehend  that  the  Jude  who 
wrote  this  Epistle  is  identical  with  him  named 
Lebbeus  or  I'haddeus,  in  the  list  of  the  apostles, 
by  Matthew  and  Mark. — Rev.  J.  Stoughtoti. 

[18996]  The  apostle  who  stands  the  tenth  on 
Matthew's  list,  and  is  there  called  "  Lebbeus, 
whose  surname  was  Thaddeus,"  is  called  in 
Mark's  catalogue  "  Thaddeus,"  and  in  Luke's, 
"Judas  the  brother  of  James."  We  cannot  fail 
to  remark  how  carefully  he  is  always  distin- 
guished from  the  other  Judas.  Matthew  and 
Mark  avoid  naming  him  by  the  name  which  he 
held  in  common  with  the  traitor,  and  Luke  takes 
care  to  distinguish  him  by  adding  to  that  ill- 
omened  appellation  that  he  was  the  brother  of 
James.  Jude,  Judas,  and  Judah  are  one  and 
the  same  name.  Jude  is  merely  an  English 
abbreviation  of  Judas,  and  Judas  is  only  a  Greek 
pronunciation  of  the  old  Hebrew  name  of  Judah. 
it  means  the  praise  of  the  Lo)d.  Thaddeus  is 
derived  from  the  same  root,  and  has  a  similar 
signification.  Lebbeus  appears  to  mean  a  fnan 
0/ heart,  or  courage,  being  derived  from  a  word 
siLinilying  the  heart.  These  two  last  names 
were  probably  adopted  to  distinguish  him  from 
Judas  Iscariot. — F.  Greeiiwood. 

IL  His  Solitary  Question. 

[18997]  All  that  is  said  of  Jude  in  the  sacred 
histories  is,  that  at  the  Last  Supper  he  asked 
Jesus  why  He  was  to  manifest  Himself  to  His 
disciples,  and  not  to  the  world  (John  xiv.  22). 
He  was  moved  to  put  this  question  by  the  views 
which,  in  common  with  the  other  disciples,  he 
entertained  of  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  ;  who, 
as  he  thought,  was  to  declare  Himself  at  last, 
with  great  pomp  and  eternal  power.  It  was  a 
mystery  to  him, therefore,  how  this  victorious  dis- 
play was  to  be  made  to  the  small  number  of  His 
disciples  alone,  and  not  to  the  whole  admiring 
world.  The  answer  of  Jesus  was  not  then,  in 
all  probability,  unc^erstood.  The  meaning  and 
substance  of  it  was,  that   He  and  His   Father 


would  manifest  themselves  to  those  alone,  and 
dwell  in  tiiose  alone,  who  loved  Him  with  that 
holy  love,  the  fruits  of  which  were  righteousness 
and  peace.  This  is  a  strong  and  beautiful 
declaration  of  the  spirituality  of  the  Messiah's 
kingdom. — Ibid. 


[18998]  Thequestion  ofSt.Judeastothe  reason 
of  our  Lord's  manifestation  of  Himself  to  His 
own  people  only,  was  the  outcome  of  that  lack 
of  spirituality  which  was  common  to  all  the 
apostles  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  before  their 
illumination  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  question 
proved  oq  what  different  lines  moved  the 
thoughts  of  the  twelve  from  those  traversed  by 
the  thoughts  of  their  Lord.  Indeed,  the  answer 
shows  this  as  plainly — so  evidently,  that  at  first 
sight  it  scarcely  seems  an  answer  to  thequestion 
at  all.  An  answer,  no  doubt,  it  was,  and  perhaps 
of  the  following  kind  :  "  The  manifestation  of 
Myself  is  a  manifestation  not  to  the  bodily  eye, 
but  to  tiie  soul.  Hence  it  is  that  I  cannot 
manifest  Myself  to  the  world,  but  to  Him  alone 
who  loves  Me,  and  hides  My  words  within  His 
heart."— ulf./. 


JUDAS  ISCARIOT. 

I.  His  Ruling  Passion. 

[18999]  He  talks  of  the  poor.  The  three 
hundred  pence,  which  the  ointment  would  have 
brought,  he  says,  had  better  have  been  given  to 
them.  "  For  how  many  of  the  peasants  of 
Bethany  might  it  have  obtained  food  and 
clothing  !  How  many  cottages  might  it  have 
brightened  with  comforts  !  How  many  fathers, 
and  mothers,  and  children,  it  might  have  tillecl 
with  joy  ! "  This  looks  specious.  But  the 
truth  comes  out.  Perhaps  it  did  not  come  out 
then  ;  but  afterwards  it  did,  and  John,  with  holy 
abhorrence,  notes  it  down  as  he  tells  the  story 
— which  is,  by  the  vvay,  a  remarkable  departure 
from  the  usual  style  of  the  sacred  narrative,  for 
hardly  ever  does  a  remark  on  conduct,  or  a 
revelation  of  motives,  by  the  historian,  occur. 
''This  he  said," — one  can  fancy  how  John  felt 
as  he  recorded  it,  how  a  peal  of  indignation 
thundered  through  his  soul, — "this  he  said,  not 
that  he  cared  for  the  poor  ;  but  because  he  was 
a  thief,  and  had  the  bag,  and  bare  what  was  put 
therein."  The  veil  is  off,  and  we  see  the  man — 
his  covetousness  —  his  hypocrisy  —  his  thefts. 
He  would  have  liked  the  handling  of  the  three 
hundred  pence.  Professedly,  it  might  have  been 
devoted  to  the  poor,  but  he  would  have  taken 
care  to  appropriate  as  much  as  possible  to  his 
own  use.  He  was  too  avaricious  to  be  honest. 
He  could  not  be  faithful  to  his  trust,  because 
selfishness  mastered  and  crushed  his  honour. 
A  light  is  thrown  back  upon  his  former  life. 
Above  three  years  he  had  been  a  disciple;  and, 
supposing  he  was  sincere  and  honest  in  his 
profession   at   first,   we   see   how,   during   that 


438 

18999— 19004] 


NEW   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[jUDAS   ISCARIOT. 


space,  his  sincerity  and  honesty  had  been 
declining,  for  he  had  come  to  make  a  gain  of 
godliness  :  his  ecclesiastical  office  had  been 
turned  into  a  stimulant  of  hungry  avarice  ;  and, 
by  constant  petty  peculations,  he  was  filling  a 
purse  for  himself  out  of  the  common  bag. — 
Kev.J.  Stonghton. 

[19000]  What  was  the  cause  of  this  man's 
fall?  Love  of  money — a  love  so  fervent  and 
so  intense  that  it  could  overcome  all  the  counsels 
and  all  the  warnings  of  the  Incarnate  God.  In 
vain  did  the  Lord  cry  in  the  ears  of  His  disciple, 
"  Take  heed  and  beware  of  covetousness,  for  a 
man's  life  consisleth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the 
things  which  he  possesseth."  He  began,  no 
doubt,  by  boasting  of  his  worldly  wisdom — by 
pluming  himself  on  the  gift  he  had  of  providing 
for  the  worldly  necessities  of  his  Master  more 
skilfully  than  his  more  simple-minded  associates 
could  do.  He  prided  himself  on  his  tact  and 
management;  on  the  way  in  which  he  contrived 
to  lay  out  the  money  to  better  advantage — make 
it  go  further — -than  others  could.  And  so  he 
manoeuvred  to  get  the  funds  of  the  little  com- 
munity into  his  hands,  with  a  view  of  appro- 
priating to  himself  the  miserable  trifle  which 
his  "management"  enabled  him  to  save — for 
nothing  less  than  this  is  implied  by  the  words  of 
St.  John,  that  he  was  a  thief  and  had  the  bag, 
and  bare — some  people  think  St.  John  means 
stole — what  was  put  therein. — Rev.  J.  Lias. 

[19001]  The  chief  ingredient  in  his  character 
was  a  sordid  and  besotted  love  of  money,  com- 
bined with  that  dogged  duplicity  which  is  far 
removed  from  intelligence  and  shrewdness.  He 
was  entrusted  with  the  office  in  the  apostleship 
which  required  a  man  of  inviolable  integrity  ; 
but  which,  at  the  same  time,  was  adapted  to  his 
sordid  and  worldly  character.  He  was  the 
treasurer  and  steward  of  that  little  community, 
and  all  the  receipts  and  disbursements  of  the 
household  passed  through  his  hands.  The  first 
distinct  notice  of  him,  as  well  as  the  first  out- 
break of  his  avaricious  spirit,  was  when  Jesus 
was  sitting  at  meat  with  His  disciples,  and 
Mary,  the  sister  of  Martha  and  Lazarus,  brings 
a  pound  of  very  precious  and  expensive  oint- 
ment, and  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and 
wiped  them  with  the  hair  of  her  head.  Judas 
looks  on  impatiently  ;  he  can  scarcely  refrain 
from  interrupting  this  affecting  office,  this  tribute 
of  pious  love.  When  it  is  completed,  and  the 
house  is  filled  with  the  odour  of  the  ointment, 
he  can  no  longer  contain  himself.  "  Why,"  he 
exclaims,  "was  not  this  ointment  sold  and  given 
to  the  poor  ? "  And  then,  for  the  first  time,  and 
in  a  single  sentence,  the  Scriptures  give  us  a 
complete  and  striking  description  of  his  cha- 
racter. "This  he  said,  not  because  he  cared  for 
the  poor,  but  because  he  was  a  thief  and  had 
the  bag,  and  bare  that  which  was  therein." — 
Rev.  G.  Spring,  D.D. 

[19002]  His  decision  is  formed  to  do  a  deed 
which  should  for  ever  make  his  peace  with  the 


world  and  the  prince  of  this  world.  After  this 
rebuke  of  the  Saviour  he  immediately  goes  out 
—from  whom  ?  from  the  family  of  Christ.  And 
where?  to  his  chamber?  to  his  former  associates 
in  the  world  ?  To  wander  in  solitude  ?  No  ; 
he  goes  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders  of  the 
Jews,  whose  minds  were  infuriate  with  rage 
against  his  Master,  and  who  were  watching  the 
first  safe  opportunity  to  put  Him  to  death.  They 
express  no  surprise  at  his  sudden  appearance 
among  them.  Perhaps  they  had  known  him 
before,  and  were  prepared  to  welcome  him. 
And  what  his  errand  before  the  assembled 
bench  of  chief  priests  and  elders?  Listen,  and 
you  will  hear  it.  "  Then  one  of  the  twelve, 
called  Judas  Iscariot,  went  unto  the  chief  priests 
and  said  unto  them.  What  will  ye  give  me.,  and 
I  will  deliver  Him  unto  you  ?  "  Here  was  the 
traitor's  heart.  What  will  ye  _^/w.^  What  will 
ye  give  ?  not  for  Barabbas  the  murderer — not 
for  some  fugitive  from  justice,  who  has  carried 
fire  and  sword  to  their  peaceful  dwellings,' but 
for  the  spotless,  harmless  One  ;  for  Him  who 
"  went  about  doing  good  ;  "  for  the  "  Son  of 
Man  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
is  lost."  "And  they  covenanted  with  him  for 
thirty  pieces  of  silver.  And  from  that  time  he 
sought  opportunity  to  betray  Him." — Ibid. 

[19003]  "Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  same 
is  He  ;  hold  Him  fast  !  "  He  was  eager  lest  his 
victim  should  escape  him.  It  was  not  enough 
that  he  betrays  his  Master  ;  he  stimulates  the 
mob  to  seize  and  hold  Him.  Well  might  he 
utter  these  words.  He  had  often  seen  Him 
pass  unharmed  from  amid  His  enemies.  His 
thirty  pieces  of  silver  were  in  danger.  He  had 
seen  Him  walk  upon  the  waves;  and  well  might 
say,  "Hold  Him  fast!"  He  had  seen  evil 
spirits  flee  at  His  rebuke.  He  had  heard  Him 
speak  of  legions  of  angels — therefore  "hold  Him 
fast;"  make  sure  of  Him  !  And  that  cry  is 
re-echoed  in  the  world  of  darkness.  The  Old 
Serpent,  swelling  with  venom,  remembers  his 
bruised  head,  and  cries.  Hold  Him  fasti  The 
King  of  Terrors  brandishes  his  deadly  spear, 
and  cries,  Hold  Him  fast  1  The  monster,  sin, 
gorged  with  the  blood  of  millions,  cries.  Hold 
Him  fast  ! — Ibid. 

[19004]  The  motive  consummated  the  guilt. 
What  was  it  ?  It  was  avarice.  It  was  the  love 
of  gold.  It  was  all  comprised  in  that  one 
question,  "What  will  ye  give  me?"  For  the 
paltry  sum  of  thirty  pieces  of  silver  he  delivers 
the  Lord  of  life,  the  sinner's  Friend,  into  the 
hands  of  inen  to  be  stretched  on  the  accursed 
tree  !  There  was  disappointment ;  there  was 
previous  detection  of  his  character  ;  there  was 
deep  mortification  and  hatred  ;  but,  more  than 
all,  there  was  the  love  of  gold.  We  do  not 
learn  that  there  was  any  other  tempter,  except 
that  "the  devil  entered  into  him."  No  human 
being  solicited  him  to  this  work  of  blood  ;  he 
went  unsolicited.  The  Jewish  rulers  did  not 
seek  him  ;  he  sought  tJiern.  The  proposal  was 
his  own:  "What  will  ye  give  me?"     It  was 


19004 — igooSl 


iV£;K   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


439 


[j  IT  DAS    ISCARIOT. 


gold  for  blood  that  was  priceless,  and  that 
bought  a  world.  Oh,  this  was  the  frenzy  of 
wickedness,  and  the  paroxysm  of  its  frenzy. 
His  wild  heart  caught  at  the  golden  cup,  and 
his  parched  lips  drank  its  wickedness  to  the 
dregs.  It  was  a  deed  born  in  the  world  of 
darkness.  Exulting  fiends  looked  on  in  triumph. 
It  was  hell's  jubilee  when  the  treacherous 
salutation  was  heard,  "  Hail,  Master  !  " — Idid. 

[19005]  The  narratives  of  the  synoptists  point 
distinctly  to  avarice  as  the  cause  of  his  ruin. 
They  place  his  first  overtures  to  the  Sanhedrin 
in  close  and  pointed  connection  with  the  qualm 
of  disgust  he  felt  at  being  unable  to  secure  any 
pilferings  from  the  "  three  hundred  pence,"  of 
which,  since  they  might  have  come  into  his 
possession,  he  regarded  himself  as  having  been 
robbed  ;  and  St.  John,  who  can  never  speak  of 
him  without  a  shudder  of  disgust,  says  in  so 
many  words  that  he  was  an  habitual  thief.  How 
little  insight  can  t/iey  have  into  the  fatal  bondage 
and  difiusiveness  of  a  besetting  sin,  into  the 
dense  spiritual  blindness  and  awful  infatuation 
with  which  it  confounds  the  guilty,  who  cannot 
believe  in  so  apparently  inadequate  a  motive  ! 
Yet  the  commonest  observance  of  daily  facts, 
which  come  before  our  notice  in  the  moral 
world,  might  serve  to  show  that  the  commission 
of  crime  results  as  frequently  from  a  motive 
that  seems  miserably  inadequate,  as  from  some 
vast  temptation.  .  .  .  The  sudden  crisis  of 
temptation  might  seem  frightful,  but  the  issue 
was  decided  by  the  entire  tenour  of  his  previous 
life  ;  the  sudden  blaze  of  lurid  light  was  but  the 
outcome  of  that  which  had  long  burnt  and 
smouldered  deep  within  his  heart. — Archdeaco7i 
Farrar. 

II.  His  Heinous  Sin. 
I       Its  general  character. 

[19006J  This  sin  admitted  of  no  reparation, 
no  restitution.  It  was  against  mercies,  against 
convictions  of  conscience,  against  frequent  and 
recent  ;>dmonitions,  against  his  ordination  vows, 
against  his  own  preaching,  against  all  the  rules 
of  friendship,  against  all  the  bonds  of  disciple- 
ship.  It  was  committed  deliberately,  wilfully, 
knowingly,  presumptuously,  impudently,  ma- 
liciously. It  was  perpetrated  just  after  the  most 
solemn  and  tender  interview  on  record,  just 
after  being  engaged  in  the  most  solemn  rites  of 
religion.  It  was  of  a  scarlet  dye  and  of  a 
crimson  hue. — Rev.  IV.  Plwner,  D.D. 

[19007]  The  best  construction  which  we  can 
put  upon  his  conduct  is,  that  from  the  mi  raculous 
power  of  Christ  he  was  disposed  to  believe  he 
would  eventually  attain  great  worldly  power, 
and  that  he  himself  would  partake  largely  in 
the  honours  and  profits  of  the  kingdom  he  was 
about  to  establish.  The  worst  is  that  he 
originally  entered  into  Christ's  family  for  the 
secret  purpose  of  watching  the  conduct  of  this 
remarkable  Personage,  and  plotting  His  over- 
throw, and  that  to  this  effect  there  was  a  secret 


understanding  between  him  and  the  Jewish 
rulers.  The  most  charitable  is,  that  he  was 
fascinated  by  the  power  of  working  miracles, 
and  that,  as  a  lover  of  money  and  eager  for 
distinction,  he  threw  himself  upon  this  novel 
enterprise,  believing  that  the  chances  were  in 
his  favour,  and  with  heart  vile  enough  for  any- 
thing that  should  secure  his  advancement,  and 
at  the  same  time  gratify  his  hatred  of  the  truth. 
— Rev.  G.  Spring,  D.D. 

2      Question  as  to  its  peculiarity. 

[19008]  The  transaction  recorded  of  the  traitor 
is  generally  regarded  as  one  of  unprecedented 
enormity.  Judas,  by  common  consent,  is  put  in 
the  front  of  the  greatest  sinners  of  the  race.  A 
worldly  Church  is  horror-stricken  at  the  memory 
of  his  deeds,  and  a  sleepy  pulpit  wakes  into 
eloquent  strains  of  indignation  whenever  it 
approaches  his  character.  For  the  crime  of 
Judas  we  have  no  word  of  apology — no  palliating 
sentence  to  offer,  but  the  question  which  forces 
itself  on  our  mind  is.  Are  we  really  justified  in 
regarding  this  man  as  standing  alone  in  the 
history  of  crimes — as  being  a  sinner  more  than 
all  the  rest .''  May  it  not  be  that,  instead  of 
being  an  isolated  exception,  he  is  the  type  of  a 
large,  if  not  the  largest,  class  of  men  .''  Such  a 
question  as  this  is  easily  determined  by  ascer- 
taining in  what  does  the  peculiarity  of  this  man's 
crime  consist.  Is  it  in  the  originating  principle 
or  the  accidental  manifestation? — in  the  form, 
or  in  the  spirit?  If  it  be  in  the  latter — if  the 
principles  that  prompted  him  were  perfedly 
unique  in  their  turpitude  —  then  let  him  be 
taken  from  all  classes,  and  exposed  as  a  singular 
phenomenon,  to  draw  forth  the  supreme  execra- 
tion of  the  race  ;  but  if  the  peculiarity  be 
merely  in  form,  such  conduct  in  relation  to  him 
is  unwarrantable  ;  for  reason  and  the  Bible 
show  that  "  as  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so 
is  he."  In  the  light  of  Divine  ethics  there  is 
many  a  robber  who  has  never  deprived  anotiier 
of  a  fraction  of  property  ;  many  a  murderer 
who  has  never  inflicted  the  slightest  injury  upon 
the  person  of  any  one  ;  many  a  heinous  sinner 
who  is  clothed  in  all  the  sanctity  of  conventional 
morality  and  religion.  It  is  not  the  working  of 
my  hand,  not  the  utterance  of  my  tongue,  not 
the  movements  of  my  body,  that  constitute  my 
character,  but  the  controlling  volitions  ^nd 
habits  of  my  soul.  The  question,  therefore, 
returns  :  Is  the  peculiarity  of  the  crime  of 
Judas  in  form  or  spirit,  or  both  ?  It  is  a  fact 
that  the  form  was  unique.  There  was  but  one 
Christ  to  betray,  and  that  one  Christ  was 
betrayed  but  once,  and  Judas  did  that  one  act. 
The  outward  act,  therefore,  was  peculiar.  He 
did  that  which  no  other  man  ever  did  before, 
which  very  few  in  his  own  day  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  doing,  and  which  none,  from  that  day 
to  this,  has  had  the  chance  of  repeating.  The 
singularity  of  the  act  may  be  traced  to  the 
singularity  of  the  opportunity,  and  not  to  the 
singularity  of  the  disposition  that  prompted. — 
Hoinilist. 


440 

19009—19015] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[jUDAS    ISCARIOT. 


[19009]  It  has  often  been  a  subject  of  inquiry 
whether  this  sin  of  Judas  in  betraying  the  Lord 
of  life  is  a  sin  peculiar  to  itself,  both  in  kind 
and  in  heinousness  and  greatness,  and  therefore 
no  guide  or  beacon  to  warn  us  ;  or  whether  it  is 
the  same  in  kind  as  what  we  see  constantly 
going  on  in,  and  around,  and  about  us,  only  in 
a  greater  degree.  I  think  the  latter  is  the  more 
probable  of  the  two,  only  the  degree  of  Judas' 
sin  was  greater  than  that  of  many  amongst  us. 
I  think  so  for  this  reason  :  an  apostle  has  plainly 
said  with  regard  to  the  sin  of  the  Jews  in  cruci- 
fying Jesus  Christ,  that  we  ourselves  do  just  the 
same  now  ;  when  we  wilfully  commit  sin  "  we 
crucify  the  Son  of  God  afresh."  These  are  his 
words.  Therefore  it  seems  to  follow  that  such 
may  be  the  case  also  with  respect  to  His 
betrayal  ;  if  we  may  '■''  crucify  Him  afresh,''  we 
may  surely  '■'■  betray  Him  afresh  :  "  if  we  repeat 
the  greater,  we  may  also  the  lesser  crime  ;  for 
to  crucify  Him  were  a  still  worse  crime  than  to 
betray  Him  ! — Rev.  C.  Fowler. 

HI.  His  Repentance. 

It  consisted  of  that  "  sorrow  of  the  world  which 
worketh  death,"  and  was  remorse  rather 
than  repentance  strictly  so  called. 

[19010]  Observe  that  this  remorse  was  caused 
by  looking  at  the  consequences  of  his  sin  rather 
than  at  the  sin  itself.  It  was  "when  he  saw 
that  Jesus  %vas  co/tdejnned^'  that  he  flung  down 
the  money  before  the  elders,  and  gave  vent  to 
his  despair.  The  consequences  of  his  treachery 
were  more  formidable  than  he  had  anticipated. 
He  saw  his  former  Master  and  Leader  and 
Friend  sentenced  to  ignominy,  torture,  and 
death  ;  and  when  he  counted  the  thirty  paltry 
coins  for  which  he  had  done  this  crime,  the 
sluices  of  his  soul  gave  way,  and  the  vvavcs  of 
self-accusation  rushed  unbridled  in,  while  wrath- 
ful conscience  brandished  a  trident  over  the 
storm  to  work  it  to  a  wilder  rage.  Had  he 
looked  even  then  to  the  unreproachful  Friend 
he  had  betrayed,  He  would  have  spoken  to  those 
surges  and  said,  "  Peace,  be  still  ! "  and,  in  the 
"great  calm"  of  felt  forgiveness,  Judas  would 
have  turned  from  harsh  remorse  to  softened 
penitence  ;  but  crimson  shame  and  pallid  fear 
combined  to  bar  out  hope,  and  the  betrayer's 
cry  was  not  the  outburst  of  contrition,  but  the 
hapless  wail  of  maniac  despair. — Kev.  A. 
M  iirsell. 

[19011]  This  remorse  was  felt  from  looking  at 
the  consequences  of  the  guilt.  Sin  always  has 
two  aspects — distinct  and  contrasting  aspects  : 
the  one  is  that  which  she  assumes  before  her 
end  is  gained  and  the  deed  done  ;  and  the 
other,  that  which  she  puts  on  after  she  has 
ensnared  her  dupe,  and  hung  her  fetters  on  his 
soul.  How  musical  in  the  ear  of  Judas  was 
the  jingle  of  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  while  the 
bribe  was  dangling  in  the  purse  of  the  treasurer 
of  the  chief  priests  and  elders  !  Yet  how  dull 
and  tinsel  was  its  ring  as  he  dashed  them  down 
upon  the  table  in  his  agony,  after  their  lustre 


had   been   tarnished  by  the  tinge  of  harmless 
blood  \—Ibid. 

[19012]  If  fraud  was  the  sin  of  Judas,  what 
shall  we  say  was  the  full  value  of  his  repentance  ? 
Plainly  this,  that  he  hesitated  to  follow  up  his 
sin  to  those  extreme  lengths  to  which  it  was 
hurrying  him  :  but  for  the  sin  itself  he  felt 
neither  remorse  nor  conviction.  He  shrunk  from 
the  murder  into  which  his  other  sins  had  forced 
him,  as  an  unintentional  and  unwilling  accom- 
plice ;  but  for  those  other  sins  which  he  had 
calculated  upon — for  that  covetousness,  which 
was  the  root  of  all  his  sins  ;  for  the  meditated 
fraud  upon  the  chief  priests,  which  was  his  actual 
sin — he  felt  no  remorse,  no  conviction.  And 
therefore  his  repentance,  like  every  imperfect 
repentance,  serves  but  as  an  index  to  mark  the 
precise  degree  on  the  graduated  scale  of  crime 
to  which  he  had  sunk.  He  was  willing  to  be 
covetous,  to  be  a  hypocrite,  a  traitor,  a  thief — 
but,  not  yet,  a  murderer. — Rev.  J.  Hiffernun. 

[190 1 3]  He  repented  Jiimself,  just  as  the 
murderer  repents  when  he  comes  in  siglit  of  the 
gallows  ;  not  with  ingenuous  grief  for  the  crime, 
but  with  horror  at  its  hideousness  and  its  con- 
sequences. It  was  the  bitterness  of  regret, 
"the  sorrow  of  the  world  which  worketh  death." 
It  was  such  repentance  as  the  devils  have,  and 
the  violated  law  executes,  when  the  never-dying 
worm  begins  its  gnawings.  It  wasall-alisorbing, 
and  relaxed  even  his  grasp  of  gold.  "  He  threw 
down  the  silver  in  the  temple,"  and  rushed  upon 
his  doom.  The  universe  frowned  upon  him, 
the  frenzy  of  remorse  seized  him,  and  a 
scorpion  conscience  drove  him  to  despair.  He 
could  not  endure  the  conflict.  With  all  his 
obduracy,  it  embittered  his  existence,  and 
rendered  it  a  burden.  Maddened,  overwhelmed 
with  a  sense  of  unutterable  woe,  and  goaded  by 
despair,  he  became  the  avenger  of  his  own 
crime,  cast  his  burden  from  him,  and  "  departed, 
and  went  and  hanged  himself." — RlZK  G.  Upting, 
D.D. 

[19014]  It  is  written,  indeed,  that  Judas  re- 
pented hiniself  (Matt,  xxvii.  3).  But  unlike  the 
repentance  of  Peter,  this  was  a  repentance  with- 
out tears.  It  was  the  repentance  of  fear,  not  of 
contrition  ;  the  repentance  which  dreads  punish- 
ment, not  the  repentance  which  would  willingly 
suffer  every  punishment,  if  it  could  but  retrieve 
the  deed.— i)/.  T/wluck. 


IV.  His  Doom. 

The  terms  in  which  our  Lord  refers  to  it  are 
opposed  to  the  tenets  of  universalism  and 
the  annihilation  of  the  wicked. 

[19015]  How  few  are  they  of  whom  and  for 
whom  surviving  friends  may  not  have  some  faint 
and  lingering  hope  that  they  have  found  mercy 
at  the  eleventh  hour  !  It  is  not  so  with  Judas. 
We  have  no  faint  and  lingering  hope  for  the 
betrayer  of  his  Lord.  He  is  an  inhabitant  of 
that  world  where  "  the  worm  does  not  die,  and 


19015 — 19020] 


NEW    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHKISTIAN   ERA. 


441 

[jUDAS  ISCARIOT. 


the  fire  is  not  quenched."  God  has  told  us  that 
"  he  went  to  his  oivn  place.'"  It  is  his  own  place, 
because  he  was  fitted  for  it  ;  because  he  pro- 
cured it  by  his  wickedness  ;  because  he  deserved 
it  ;  because  it  wa^  prepared  for  him  by  eternal 
justice  ;  and  because  he  had  no  other,  and  no 
otherworld  could  receive  him.  Earth  disowned 
him,  and  he  could  not  remain  upon  it  ;  he  was 
an  outcast,  and  his  only  place  was  hell.  Cod 
has  told  us  also,  that  "  it  had  been  good  for 
him  if  he  had  never  been  born."  There  would 
be  no  truth  in  this  declaration  if  Judas  was  a 
pardoned  sinner,  and  an  inheritor  of  the  king- 
dom of  God  ;  nor  if,  in  the  revolution  of  ages, 
he  were  ever  hereafter  to  become  a  reformed 
and  pardoned  man,  and  an  heir  of  God  and 
heaven. — Rev.  G.  Spring,  D.D. 

[190 1 6]  The  doctrine  of  universal  salvation 
has  no  countenance  in  Scripture.  It  is  dis- 
proven  by  m.any  express  declarations,  and  by 
many  fair  and  necessary  inferences.  It  is  dis- 
proven  by  the  case  of  Judas.  If,  after  many 
thousand  years  of  suffering,  he  shall  rise  to  ever- 
lasting happiness  in  the  skies,  it  will  be  good 
for  him  that  he  was  born.  Eternal  happiness 
far  outweighs  all  temporal  sufifering,  however 
protracted.  Any  existence  which  terminates  in 
eternal  glory  will  prove  a  blessing  beyond  all  com- 
putation. All  temporal  suffering  can  be  gauged. 
But  who  can  fathom  the  sea  of  love,  the  ocean 
of  bliss,  made  sure  to  all  believers  ?  And  eternal 
misery  is  as  dreadful  as  eternal  glory  is  desirable. 
Oh  !  how  fearful  must  be  the  doom  of  the  in- 
corrigibly wicked,  when  in  their  case  existence 
itself  ceases  to  be  desirable,  or  even  tolerable  ! 
It  is  true  of  every  one  who  dies  without  re- 
pentance toward  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  it  had  been  good  for  that  man 
if  he  had  not  been  born. — Rev.  IV.  F/umer,  D.D. 

[19017]  In  that  solemn  and  awful  declaration 
(Matt.  xxvi.  24),  two  alternative  conditions  were 
present  to  the  mind  of  our  blessed  Redeemer — 
a  condition  of  continual  existence  after  death  in 
torment,  and  a  condition  of  non-existence  before 
the  life  of  the  traitor  Judas  began.  Here  our 
Lord  pointedly  and  positively  contrasts  the 
terrors  and  the  torments  that  await  Judas  in  a 
future  state  of  suffering,  with  the  "  better"  lot 
that  would  have  been  his  had  he  never  been 
born — that  is,  to  put  it  briefly,  our  Lord  con- 
trasts the  existence  of  the  wicked  in  a  future 
state  with  their  non-existence  before  their  birth, 
and  thus,  totidetn  verbis,  not  only  asserts  what 
Mr.  Minton  denies,  the  continual  existence  of 
the  wicked  in  a  future  state,  but  shows  it  forth 
in  the  strongest  of  all  terms,  by  contrasting  it 
expressly  with  its  opposite — non-existence.  If 
a  painter  (who  is  presumed  to  be  the  best  judge 
of  colours)  tells  us  to  use  white  as  a  colour,  and 
points  to  it  expressly  as  the  very  opposite  of 
black,  by  way  of  contrast,  what  are  we  to  think 
of  the  amateur  who  persists  in  advising  us  to 
use  black  because  white  is  a  colour  he  cannot 
reconcile  to  his  reason  and  notion  of  art  ? 
Equally  absurd,  we  contend,  is  Mr.    Minton's 


theory  in  the  case  of  Judas,  if  he  will  persist  in 
interpreting  future  punishment  as  non-existence, 
which  punishment  our  Lord  Himself  not  only 
asserts  to  be  existence,  but  actually  contrasts 
with  non-existence. —  The  Rock. 

v.   que.si'ion  as  to  the  reason  of  his 
Selection  as  an  Apostle  by  Christ. 

[ 1 901 8]  Why  Christ  selected  him,  with  the 
foresight  of  his  apostasy,  is  a  question  we  are 
unable  to  answer.  "  Have  I  not  chosen  you 
twelve,  and  one  of  you  is  a  devil.-"'  are  words 
which  state  a  fact  teeming  with  mystery,  one 
which  makes  our  poor  re.ison  stagger,  just  as  we 
are  staggered  at  seeing  the  serpent  let  into 
Paradise— or  at  beholding  Satan  among  the 
sons  of  God — or  at  the  thought  of  an  intelligent 
spirit  being  created  when  it  was  known  he 
would  turn  out,  not  only  a  devil,  but  the  father 
of  all  other  devils — or,  in  a  word,  at  the  admis- 
sion of  evil  at  all  into  the  universe  of  a  perfect 
Creator.  Adopting,  however,  our  humble 
method  of  analogical  reasoning  in  the  matter 
before  us,  we  may  s.ny  that  perhaps  Christ 
called  Judas  in  order  that,  by  an  example  of 
such  fearful  apostasy,  he  might  guard  his 
people,  in  all  ages,  against  the  like  evil.  It 
might  be  that  He  chose  him  an  apostle,  antl 
left  him  to  his  own  carnal  heart,  to  show  that 
no  office,  not  even  the  apostolic — that  no  gifts, 
not  even  the  miraculous — will  suffice  to  correct 
and  purify  any  carnal  heart.  —Rev.  J.  Stoughton. 

[19019]  It  may  seem  strange  to  us  that  Christ 
should  ever  have  admitted  Judas  to  that  number. 
The  only  reasonable  account  of  it  which  we  can 
form  is  this,  that  our  Lord  acted  by  Judas  as 
He  did  by  all  the  rest.  He  accepted  him  on  the 
ground  of  a  profession  which  was  consistent  as 
far  as  human  eye  could  see.  Christ  Himself 
received  members  into  His  Church  as  He  in- 
tended that  we  should  receive  them  ;  for,  had 
He  used  His  Divine  onmiscience  in  His  judg- 
ments, the  whole  structure  of  His  life  would 
have  been  out  of  our  reach  as  an  example. 
Judas  accordingly  entered  among  the  apostles, 
because,  in  all  outward  things,  and  even  in  some 
inward  convictions,  he  was  like  them.  He  came 
under  the  same  influences,  listened  to  the  same 
invitations  and  warnings,— and  they  were  meant 
as  truly  for  Judas  as  for  the  rest.  It  would  have 
gladdened  the  heart  of  Christ  had  Judas  yielded 
to  the  voice  of  mercy. — Ibid. 

VI.  Contrast  between  Judas  Iscariot 
AND  Peter. 

I       In  regard  to  their  sin. 

[19020]  It  does  not  seem  to  me  that  the  deed 

of  Judas  Iscariot,  in  betraying  Jesus,  was  much 
deeper  in  its  turpitude  and  treachery  than  that 
of  Peter  in  denying  Him.  But  the  chief  differ- 
ence lay  in  the  fact  that  Peter's  transgression 
was  a  kind  of  fatal  impulse,  whilst  that  of  Judas 
was  a  deliberate  design.  It  is  sad  enough  10 
think  that  Peter  should  for  a  moment  have  for- 


442 

I9020 — 19024] 


JVEli^  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[jUDAS   ISCARIOT. 


gotten  the  endearments  of  his  precious  intimacy 
with  the  Saviour  ;  but  it  is  a  darker  thought  to 
dwell  on  Judas  wearing  the  simuhxtive  mask 
year  after  year,  and  muffling  the  black  heart  of 
a  conspirator  amongst  the  holy  folds  of  an 
apostle's  garb.  That  must  indeed  have  been  a 
miserable  nature  which  could  sit,  as  it  were,  for 
years  beneath  that  holy  ministry,  and  spend 
month  after  month  in  daily  contact  with  that 
hallowed  presence,  not  only  unsoftened  by  the 
converse  and  the  conduct  of  the  sinner's  Friend, 
but  actually  nursing  enmity  and  hate  against 
the  Leader  whose  loyal  follower  he  professed 
to  be.  A  hypocrite  amongst  hierarchs,  a 
seceder  amongst  standard-bearers,  a  plotter 
amongst  priests,  a  devil  amongst  disciples,  is 
verily  an  illustrious  culprit  ;  yet  such  was  Judas 
Iscariot  ;  and  his  name  must  ever  be  the  syno- 
nym of  treachery,  while  he  holds  the  head 
appointment  under  the  exiled  archangel  who 
hatched  revolt  in  heaven,  as  a  leader  and  com- 
mander among  the  black-mailed  legion  of  the 
recreant  army  of  traitors. — Rev.  A.  Miirsell. 

[1902 1]  Were  we  to  distinguish  between  the 
sin  of  Judas  and  of  Peter,  we  might  say  that  the 
latter  was  betrayed  into  his  sinful  act  by  a 
natural  infirmity,  in  its  own  nature  innocent, 
although  it  may,  unless  subordinated  to  re- 
ligious principle,  and  actually  did  in  the  case 
of  Peter,  plunge  its  subject  into  the  most 
heinous  and  aggravated  sin.  Peter's  sin  was  the 
result  of  the  fear  of  man — of  that  instinctive 
dread  of  suffering  and  death  which  belongs  to 
man's  nature,  and  can  be  expelled,  or  rather 
controlled,  but  by  that  antagonist  fear  which 
our  Lord  prescribed  as  its  proper  remedy  : 
"  Fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body,  and  after 
that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do  ;  but  fear 
Him  which  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and 
body  in  hell  :  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  fear  Him." 
But  the  sin  of  Judas  was  not  a  natural  infirmity  : 
it  was  an  unnatural  and  sinful  passion  super- 
induced upon  man's  original  nature,  and 
cherished  in  the  soul.  Judas's  sin  was  the  fruit 
of  covetousness  in  its  most  debasing  form,  the 
love  of  filthy  lucre — a  passion  not  less  foolish 
than  sinful  ;  which  sets  up  a  senseless  idol  upon 
that  throne  which  God  alone  should  occupy  in 
the  temple  of  the  human  heart. — Rev.  H. 
Hiffcrnan. 

2       In  regard  to  their  repentance. 

[19022]  When  Judas  saw  the  snare  in  which 
sin  had  entangled  him,  and  looked  round  for 
some  means  of  extrication,  he  could  find  none. 
The  love  of  sin,  unmortified  in  his  heart,  causes 
him  to  feel  his  distant  alienation  from  a  holy 
God,  and  thus  poisons  every  means  of  grace. 
The  very  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ, 
upon  which  sincere  penitence  casts  itself  with 
humble  confidence,  as  upon  the  bosom  of  a 
friend,  justly  seem  to  his  guilty  conscience  and 
alien  heart  but  to  enhance  his  guilt.  The  many 
warnings  he  had  neglected,  the  vengeance  de- 
nounced against  him,  now  rankled  like  barbed 
and  poisoned  arrows  in  his  bosom.     His  own 


base  and  ungenerous  nature  tells  him  that 
Christ  can  never  pardon  so  vile  ingratitude,  so 
deep  treachery,  so  fatal  an  injury.  Practically 
unacquainted,  as  he  thus  is,  with  the  character 
of  Christ,  he  can  fly  but  to  the  creature  for 
relief  and  consolation  ;  and  when  this  resource 
fails,  he  gives  up  all  as  hopeless.  While  Peter, 
who  often  hung  upon  the  Saviour's  gracious 
words — who  saw  His  glory,  full  of  grace  as  of 
truth — who  remembered  the  merciful  declara- 
tion, that  He  had  "  come,  not  to  destroy  men's 
lives,  but  to  save  them  ;  "  "  to  seek  and  to  save 
the  lost  ;  "  "  to  call  sinners  to  repentance  " — 
and  His  pledge  of  love  to  himself,  ''  I  have 
prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not  " — Peter 
was  melted  by  His  look  of  mingled  reproach 
and  commiseration  into  tears  of  penitential 
sorrow,  of  rekindled,  humble,  ardent  love.  Both 
started,  as  it  were,  together  from  the  post  of  sin ; 
but  they  started  on  different  courses,  in  direc- 
tions widely  separate  as  east  is  from  the  west. 
The  one  repented,  believed,  and  was  saved  :  the 
other  repented,  despaired,  and  perished  ! — Ibid. 

VII.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  history  of  Judas  is  the  great  Biblical 
beacon  warning  against  the  sin  of  covetous- 
ness. 
[19023]  Judas  is  a  warning  to  all  who  have  to 
do  with  the  handling  of  money — to  men  of  trust 
and  men  of  trade — to  men  of  every  class  and 
every  occupation.  Nor  forget,  that,  as  a  very 
little  stimulated  his  rapacity,  as  petty  thefts  were 
all  he  could  practise,  so  small  resources  and 
tiny  gains  may  nurse  and  nourish  the  spirit  of 
a  fatal  worldliness.  Avarice  is  the  disease  ot 
the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich  ;  and  heaven  may 
be  lost,  not  only  by  grasping  at  thousands  of 
gold,  but  by  striving  to  clutch  a  few  pieces  of 
silver.  If  there  ever  was  a  time  when  the  ex- 
ample of  Judas  ought  to  be  set  up  as  a  warning, 
when  the  lessons  of  his  history  appeared 
specially  suitable,  and  most  called  for,  it  is  the 
present  time.  A  mad  and  unprmcipled  pursuit 
of  gain  is  the  evil  genius — the  demon  of  the  age. 
You  find  it  in  all  our  towns  and  cities  and 
villages,  haunting  every  market  and  manu- 
factory, every  counting-house  and  shop.  You 
find  it  flying  about  everywhere — penetrating 
into  secret  places,  entering  the  parlour  and 
the  closet,  whispering  into  the  ears  of  men  and 
women,  tempting  them  to  sacrifice  honour  and 
principle,  and  their  own  souls,  for  the  sake  ot 
gratifying  the  love  of  accjuisition.  Could  we 
command  the  statistics  of  spiritual  crime,  and 
classify  the  numbers  that  perish,  and  put  them 
down  under  the  head  of  the  besetting  sin  to 
which  their  everlasting  ruin  was  primarily  attVi- 
butable,  we  apprehend  that  a  longer  catalogue 
would  be  found  in  the  column  appropriated  to 
the  unbridled  lust  of  gain,  than  in  those  dis- 
tinguished by  the  names  either  of  intemperance 
or  of  lust. — Rev.  J.  Slou^hton. 

[19024]  The  character  of  Judas  sets  in  affect- 
ing light  the  sin  of  avarice.     This,  combined 


19024 — 19029] 


NEU^   TESTAMENT  SCR/PTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


443 


[jUDAS   ISCARIOT. 


with  the  love  of  distinction,  was  the  ruin  of  this 
wretched  man.  He  did  not  attempt  to  reconcile 
the  claims  of  God  and  Mammon.  Mammon  was 
his  ood.  He  sold  his  Master  and  lost  his  soul. 
His  name  stands  out  before  the  world  as  the 
mark  of  God's  reprobation  upon  the  idolatrous 
love  of  money..  The  great  question  which 
determines  the  habitual,  if  not  the  uniform, 
conduct  of  the  great  mass  of  men,  is  not  what  is 
right,  what  will  God  and  conscience  approve  ; 
but  will  it  be  for  my  interest.''  It  is  Judas' 
question,  What  shall  I  gain  by  it  ?  what  will  ye 
give .''  This  question  goes  round  the  world. 
Rectitude,  truth,  and  honour,  are  put  up  for  sale 
to  the  highest  bidder.  From  the  slave-market 
on  the  land,  and  the  freebooter  on  the  ocean — 
from  the  theatre  and  the  gaming-table — from  the 
licentious  press  and  the  grog-shop — from  the 
office  of  the  swindler,  and  from  corrupt  tribunals 
ofjustice — from  the  Corporation  Hail,  the  altar 
of  the  hypocrite,  and  the  pulpit  of  the  sycophant 
preacher — the  sign  is  hung  out,  Consciences  sold 
here  ;  what  will  ye  give  ?  And  how  often  is  the 
question  answered  by  the  loss  of  the  soul .? — 
Kcv.  G.  Spring,  D.D. 

[19025]  The  only  instance  of  a  despairing 
sinner  left  upon  record  in  the  New  Testament 
is  that  of  a  treacherous  and  greedy  Judas.  Nor 
let  us  vainly  suppose  ourselves  above  the  reach 
of  this  lust  :  for  who  shall  presume  to  be  secure, 
when  a  friend,  a  disciple,  an  apostle,  a  preacher 
of  righteousness,  a  worker  of  miracles,  was  yet 
seduced  to  sell  his  Master  and  his  soul  upon  so 
sordid  a  consideration  as  thirty  shekels  of  silver  1 
This  ought  to  put  us  all  upon  our  guard  ;  and 
the  fate  of  Judas  stands  as  a  monument  and 
eternal  admonition  to  all  that  "  make  gold  their 
god,"  and  the  "fine  gold  their  confidence  :"  a 
warning  not  only  of  their  proneness  to  do 
wickedly,  but  of  the  bitter  fruits  of  doing  so. — 
//.  Southgate. 

2       The  history  of  Judas  illustrates  the  secret 
malignity  and  ruinous  tendencies  of  sin. 

[19026]  "As  righteousness tendeth  to  life,  so  he 
thatpursueth  evil  pursueth  it  to  his  own  death." 
The  natural  tendency  of  sin  is  to  move  only  in 
one  direction,  and  that  is  downward.  Judas  little 
thought  of  being  driven  to  hang  himself,  when 
he  first  united  with  the  family  of  Christ.  The 
more  and  longer  a  man  sins,  the  faster  and  the 
stronger  does  he  sin.  When  his  history  is 
published  at  the  last  day,  it  will  be  seen  that  he 
has  never  taken  a  step  backward.  He  does  not 
stop  in  his  progress,  until  he  leaps  the  precipice, 
and  is  plunged  in  despair.  Let  him  alone,  and 
he  is  lost.  His  habits  of  sinning  become  fixed, 
his  moral  sensibilities  hardened,  and  he  is  fitted 
only  for  perdition.  He  cuts  himself  off  from  all 
the  sources  of  happiness,  because  he  is  the 
enemy  of  God.  The  state  of  his  own  mind 
indicates  that  he  is  going  to  a  miseral^le  exis- 
tence as  fast  as  time  can  carry  him.  Let  him 
dwell  in  whatever  part  of  the  universe  he  may, 
he  has  the  elements  of  misery  in  his  own  bosom . 


"  He  eats  the  fruit  of  his  own  way,  and  is  filled 
with  his  own  devices."— AVt/.  G.  Spring,  D.D, 

['9027J  Excepting  the  murmuring  against  the 
woman  who  anointed  the  Saviour — a  murmur 
which,  but  for  the  light  thrown  upon  it  by  the 
observation  of  the  Evangelist,  we  should  in  all 
probability  have  attributed  to  a  well-intended 
but  ignorant  zeal  for  the  poor— there  is  nought 
to  distinguish  him  from  the  rest  of  the  apostles. 
He  hung  as  attentively  upon  the  lips  of  the 
Redeemer  ;  he  wrought  miracles  in  His  name  ; 
he  bore  with  Him  hunger  and  thirst  and  cold  and 
nakedness  ;  his  first  recorded  act  of  transgres- 
sion was  the  greatest  the  sun  ever  looked  upon. 
Yet  all  the  while,  in  the  dark  places  of  his 
spirit,  there  was  going  on  a  fearful  work.  It 
declared  not  itself  in  the  outward  action,  it 
evidenced  not  itself  to  the  world.  Still  carrying 
with  him  a  good  appearance,  still  endowed  with 
superhuman  power,  the  son  of  perdition  was 
ripening  for  his  everlasting  doom.  Oh,  incom- 
prehensible power  of  hell  !  walking  with  (]od,  yet 
communing  with  Satan  :  drinking  in  with  the 
outward  ear  the  accents  of  the  Almighty,  yet 
"  giving  heed  to  doctrines  of  devils."  Strange 
that  the  fallen  angel  sh(juld  have  dared  to  single 
out  one  whom  Christ  had  chosen  as  his  object 
of  attack  !  stranger  that  one  chosen,  and  tauglit 
and  strengthened,  should  have  been  fitted  only 
for  destruction  1  The  same  process,  beyond 
question,  went  on  in  the  heart  of  Judas  as  takes 
place  in  all  who  are  exposed  to  temptation. 
Though  to  those  who  regarded  the  outward  ap- 
pearance, he  stood  still,  apparently  no  more 
culpable  one  month  than  the  former,  he  was 
nevertheless  training  all  the  while  lor  the 
garden  of  Gethsemane. — Bp.  Woodford. 

3       The  history  of  Judas  illustrates  the  harden- 
ing power  of  grace  resisted. 

[19028]  He  had  had  the  very  closest  intimacy 
with  Christ  in  the  days  of  his  public  ministry  ; 
he  was  so  trusted  by  the  Saviour  that  he  kept 
the  little  treasury  in  which  Christ  put,  when 
there  were  any,  the  excesses,  the  excessive  gifts 
of  charity  ;  he  was  the  treasurer  of  the  little 
company,  you  know  him — Judas.  He  had  been 
with  Jesus  almost  everywhere  ;  he  had  been 
His  familiar  friend  and  acquaintance,  and  when 
he  dipped  the  bread  with  Him  in  the  sop,  it 
was  but  an  indication  of  the  close  association 
which  had  been  preserved  between  the  Divine 
Master  and  a  creature  unworthy  of  such  privi- 
lege. Yet  there  was  never  such  a  child  of 
perdition  as  Judas,  the  friend  and  acquaintance 
of  Christ  ;  never  one  sinks  lower  in  the  depths 
of  Divine  wrath,  with  so  huge  a  millstone  about 
his  neck,  as  this  man  with  whom  Christ  took 
such  sweet  counsel,  and  went  to  the  house  of 
God  in  company.  The  same  sun  ripens  the 
corn  and  the  poppies.  This  man  was  ripened 
in  guilt  by  the  same  external  process  that  ripens 
others  in  holiness. — C.  H.  Spiirgcon. 

[19029]  Nothing  prepares  a  man  for  destruc- 


444 
19029 — 19032] 


I^Eli^  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

CHRISTIAN  ERA.  [jAMES   THE  LORD'S   BROTHER. 


tion  faster  than  hypocrisy  or  formality  in  actions 
of  a  religious  nature.  The  three  years  which 
Judas  spent  in  the  family  of  our  Lord  probably 
exceeded  all  the  rest  of  his  life  in  ripe^iing  him 
for  destruction.  So  .many,  so  solemn,  so  im- 
pressive truths  were  presented  to  his  mind,  that 
he  must  have  become  very  rapidly  hardened. 
"  I  have  peace-offerings  with  me  ;  this  day  have 
1  paid  my  vows"  (Prov.  vii.  14),  said  one  who 
was  now  ready  for  the  worst  deeds.  The  reason 
why,  other  things  being  equal,  apostates  are 
so  much  more  wicked  than  others,  is  that  they 
have  learned  how  to  resist  all  good  influences. 
They  have  tried  the  remedy,  but  first  learned  to 
render  it  ineffectual. — Rev.  W.  Pluiiur,  D.D. 


4       The  history  of  Judas  illustrates  the  undy- 
ing power  of  conscience. 

[19030]  So  insupportable  was  the  load  of  in- 
nocent blood  which  he  had  brought  upon  his 
head,  that  life  itself  became  unbearable,  and  he 
went  out  and  hanged  himself.  Whatever  we 
may  say  about  the  natural  depravity  of  man, 
there  is  a  capacity  in  the  soul  for  suffering 
through  sin,  which  sometimes  makes  the  thought 
of  a  past  evil  absolutely  maddening.  Conscience 
sometimes  insists  on  being  heard  ;  and,  though 
the  sinner  presses  his  hands  upon  his  ears  to 
siiut  out  its  voice,  it  will  one  day  smite  them 
down,  and  shout  its  accusations  forth  with  such 
a  thunder  tone,  that  the  startled  soul  shall  reel 
in  its  alarm,  and  writhe  under  the  bite  of  its  re- 
morse. How  can  we  wonder  that  Iscariot 
hanged  himself.?  He  was  confronted  face  to 
face  with  all  his  treachery.  He  saw  the  visage 
of  his  mighty  Victim,  unreproachful,  rise  before 
him  ;  he  heard  the  utterance  of  the  gentle  voice 
again,  as  it  preached  before  the  people  on  the 
temple  pavement,  on  the  sea-shore,  in  the  wilder- 
ness, or  by  the  mountain-side  ;  he  listened  to 
Him  while  He  chatted  in  the  cottages,  and 
spokefamiliar  wisdom  as  they  sauntered  through 
the  fields  and  plucked  the  corn  ;  it  all  came 
back  upon  him  in  one  vivid  glimpse,  as  the 
whole  life  will  flit  at  once,  in  all  its  realness, 
before  the  vision  of  a  drowning  man.  But,  in 
every  sight  which  printed  itself  upon  his  fancy, 
he  read  the  shameful  letters  from  which  he  spelt 
out — "  traitor  ;  "  in  every  sound  he  heard  the  hiss 
of  stern  contempt  proclaim  him — "  traitor  ;  "  and 
as  they  set  the  trial-court  in  order,  as  Golgotha 
prepared  its  scourge,  and  Calvary  its  cross  ;  as 
the  infuriate  Pharisee  clenched  his  relentless 
hand  to  buffet  the  "  Man  of  sorrows,"  and  the 
envious  Jew  took  up  the  stone,  and  the  hater 
twined  the  crown  of  thorns,  and  soaked  the 
sponge  with  vinegar,  and  the  Roman  soldier 
barbed  his  gleaming  spear  ;— in  the  prophetic 
echo  of  the  knocking  of  the  nails,  and  the  yelling 
of  the  crowd,  and  in  each  hollow  blow,  and  in 
each  rabid  scream,  he  heard  the  damning  sound 
denounce  him— "traitor."  What  could  he  do 
but  strangle  out  a  life  so  haunted  and  so  cursed  .-' 
what  Lethe  or  oblivion  so  welcome  as  a  speedy 
death  .?—i?t'z/.  A.  Mursell. 


JAMES  THE  LORD'S  BROTHER. 

\.  His  Position  in  the  Church. 

He     was     emphatically    an     apostle     to     the 
circumcision. 

[19031]  We  identify  him  with  James,  the  son 
ofAlpheus.  There  are  no  incidents  related  of 
him  in  the  Gospel.  Nothing  that  throws  light 
on  his  character.  To  gain  such  light  we  must 
turn  to  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Here,  of 
course,  we  see  him  in  his  best  days — not  as  we 
have  seen  Thomas,  and  Philip,  and  Peter,  and 
the  other  James,  struggling  with  fatal  doubts, 
confused  and  darkened  by  the  most  false  ideas. 
We  see  him  in  the  midst  of  apostolic  light.  He 
was  eminently  an  apostle  to  the  Jews.  He  was 
dwelling  at  Jerusalem.  He  welcomed  Paul 
there.  When  he  saw  the  grace  given  to  the 
new  convert  he  extended  to  him  and  Barnabas 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  that  they  should 
go  to  the  heathen,  that  is.  Gentiles  ;  and  he  to 
the  circumcision.  He  took  a  part  in  the  con- 
ference reported  in  the  fifteenth  of  Acts.  James 
answered  saying,  "  Simeon  hath  declared  how 
God  at  the  first  did  visit  the  Gentiles,  to  take 
out  of  them  a  people  for  His  name.  And  to 
this  degree  the  words  of  the  prophets — Where- 
fore my  sentence  is,  that  we  trouble  not  them, 
which  from  among  the  Gentiles  are  turned  to 
God."  So  he  would  not  impose  circumcision 
upon  Gentiles.  He  had  got  beyond  that  Jewish 
prejudice,  but  it  would  appear  that  he  had  not 
shaken  off  all  his  Jewish  prejudices.  Paul, 
referring  to  his  own  interview  with  Peter,  at 
Antioch,  observes,  "  Before  that  certain  came 
from  James,  he  (Peter)  did  eat  with  the  Gentiles  : 
but  when  they  were  come,  he  withdrew  and 
separated  himself,  fearing  them  which  were  of 
the  circumcision."  From  this  it  maybe  inferred 
that  James,  though  he  would  admit  Gentiles  to 
the  church,  and  would  not  impose  circumcision 
upon  them,  yet  was  for  keeping  up  a  line  of 
distinction  between  the  ancient  house  of  Israel 
and  the  other  families  of  the  earth. 


IL  Traditional  Views. 

[19032]  If  we  turn  to  the  later  traditions  of 
the  Jewish  Christians  themselves,  as  preserved 
in  the  fragments  of  Hegesippus,  o'r  in  the 
Clementine  Recognitions  and  Homilies— James 
appears  before  us  as  the  one  mysterious  bul- 
wark of  the  chosen  people  —  invested  with  a 
priestly  sanctity,  before  which  the  pontificate  of 
Aaron  fades  into  insignificance  —  as  the  one 
universal  bishop  of  the  Christian  Church,  in 
whose  dignity  the  loftiest  claims  of  the  ecclesias- 
tical domination  of  latest  times  find  their  earliest 
prototype.  If  we  look  to  the  impression  pro- 
duced on  the  mind  of  the  Jewish  people  itself, 
we  find  that  he  alone,  of  all  the  apostles,  has 
obtained  a  place  in  their  national  records, 
whether  in  the  simple  narrative  of  his  death  by 
Josephus,    or    in    the    wilder    version    of   the 


19032—19037] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  445 

CHRISTIAN   ERA.  [jOSEril   OF    ARIMATIIKA. 


miracles  of  Jacob  of  Secamah,  preserved  to  us 
in  the  legends  of  tlie  Talmud. — Vea?!  Stanley. 

[19033]  He  was  emphatically  "the  just  ;"  his 
own  personal  name  was  superseded  by  it.  The 
predictions  of  the  Just  One  were  regarded  as 
fulfilled  in  his  person  ;  the  people,  we  are  told, 
vied  with  each  other  to  touch  even  the  hem  of 
his  garment  :  after  the  manner  of  Elijah,  he 
was  reported  in  the  droughts  of  Palestine  to 
have  stretched  forth  his  hands  to  heaven  and 
called  down  rain,  and  liice  the  ancient  prophets, 
even  in  outward  aspect,  with  the  austere  features, 
the  linen  ephod,  the  bare  feet,  the  long  locks, 
and  the  unshorn  beard  of  the  Nazarite,  he 
gathered  round  the  admiring  populace  to  ask, 
as  once  before,  of  one  who  had  appeared  in 
like  manner  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  "Wliat 
is  the  gate  of  salvation  .-* "  And  in  that  striking 
scene,  when,  at  the  close  of  his  long  life,  he  is 
described  as  standing  on  the  front  of  the  temple, 
and  bearing  witness  to  the  coming  judgment  of 
the  Son  of  Man,  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled 
multitudes,  who  had  come  up  to  worship  at  the 
passover,  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  bitter  dis- 
appointment that  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  are 
represented  as  rushing  upon  him  with  the  cry, 
"  Woe  !  woe  !  the  Just  One  also  is  deceived  !  " 
and  in  his  cruel  death,  the  Jewish  historian,  no 
less  than  the  Christian  martyrologist,  saw  the 
filling  up  of  the  cup  of  guilt  which  was  to  hasten 
on  the  iinal  catastrophe  of  the  apostate  nation. 
—Ibid. 


III.  Character  of  his  Epistle. 

1  It  is  more  practical   than  contemplative, 
and  is  eminently  Jewish. 

[19034]  While  it  is  evident  that  its  author 
was  more  practical  than  contemplative,  that  he 
had  not  the  reflection  of  John,  or  the  logical 
habit  of  Paul,  but  was  in  mental  constitution 
more  like  Peter  —  that  he  was  ardent  and 
imaginative,  employing  all  his  power  in  the 
service  of  holiness  —  one  cannot  help  seeing 
much  of  the  Jew  in  every  chapter.  Some  con- 
sider it  the  earliest  of  the  Epistles.  In  that 
position  it  stands  in  the  oldest  arrangements. 
If  that  be  its  proper  place,  its  character  certainly 
agrees  with  it.  "  It  is  to  them  what,  in  the 
Gospel  narrative,  the  teaching  of  the  Baptist  is 
to  the  teaching  of  Christ.  Its  voice,  indeed,  is 
the  voice  of  the  new  dispensation,  but  its  out- 
ward form  and  figure  belong  rather  to  the  old." 
—Ibid. 

2  It  is  only  a  warped  or  superficial  view  of 
the  Epistle  which  sees  in  it  any  contra- 
dictions to  the  writings  of  St.   Paul. 

[19035]  It  is  strange  that  so  good  and  great 
a  man  as  Martin  Luther  should  have  spoken 
disparagingly  of  James's  Epistle,  and  questioned 
its  inspiration  from  its  supposed  discordance 
with  the  writings  of  Paul.  .  .  .  The  single 
doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  seemed  to 
Luther,  at  the  time  referred  to,  to  be  the  whole 


of  Christianity.  Happily  he  lived  to  take  arger 
views  of  the  gospel,  and  then  he  learned  to 
value  this  practical  Epistle  which  once  he  had 
lightly  esteemed.  The  writings  of  James  are 
by  no  means  inconsistent  with  those  of  his 
brother  apostle.  Thry  have  been  satisfactorily 
harmonized  by  a  number  of  expositors,  and 
perhaps  few  in  the  present  day  are  perplexed 
by  difficulties  arising  out  of  a  comparison  be- 
tween them.  Divine  truth  has  more  sides  than 
one.  It  is  a  beautiful  prism  shining  with  varied 
hues  according  to  the  light  in  which  it  is  looked 
at.  Paul  was  directed  to  look  principally  at  one 
side — James  at  another.  Paul  investigated  the 
principles  of  Christianity — James  developed  its 
practical  relations.  Paul  treats  of  the  justifica- 
tion of  our  persons  by  faith,  James  of  the 
justification  of  our  faith  by  consistency.  Paul 
traced  Christian  life  to  its  fountain  head  in 
Christ,  while  James  mapped  out  the  stream, 
which  he  was  also  prepared  to  attribute  to  that 
one  Divine  mainspring. — Ibid, 


JOSEPH  OF  A  R  IMA  THE  A. 

I.  His    Character     Previous    to    the 
Crucifixion. 

His    faith    in    Christ   was    of    the    Nicodemus 
type. 

[19036]  Joseph  of  Arimathea  was  a  disciple, 
a  believer  in  and  learner  of  Christ,  but  he  kept 
it  a  secret  until  Christ  was  dead.  He  seems 
not  to  have  attempted  to  defend  Christ  before 
the  Sanhedrim.  Had  he,  in  conjunction  with 
(Jamaliel  and  Nicodemus,  lifted  up  a  protest 
against  the  proceedings  of  the  chief  priests, 
they  would  not  have  been  so  bold.  We  are 
told  that  he  "did  not  consent  to  the  counsel 
and  deed  of  them"  (Luke  xxiii.  51).  He  may 
have  been  absent  from  the  council  which  con- 
demned Christ.  The  rest  of  the  council,  sus- 
pecting the  leanings  of  Joseph  towards  the 
Nazarene,  may  not  have  apprised  him  of  their 
sudden  gathering  and  subtle  intentions.  Any- 
how, we  hear  nothing  of  his  devotion  to  Christ 
until  it  is  too  late  to  be  of  any  service,  and  that 
which  we  are  told  in  John  xix.  J8  is  not  to 
be  understood  as  spoken  in  his  praise. —  /". 
Nasii^jfs. 

II.  His  Character  Subsequent  to  the 
Crucifixion. 

I       His  faith  was    not  lessened  but  increased 

by    the    shame    and    suffering    connected 

with  Christ's  death. 

[19037]  The  sight  of  his  Saviour  blindfolded, 

spit  upon,  arrayed  in  mock  royalty,  holding  a 

reed   for   a   sceptre,    and    finally    bearing    the 

accursed   cross,  then    nailed  to    the   tree,   and 

more  than  all  crying,  "  My  God,  My  God,  why 

hast  Thou  forsaken  Me?"  did  not   shake  the 


446 


19037—19041] 


IiTElV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[JOSEPH   OF   ARIMATHEA. 


faith  of  this  man.  We  wonder  not  that  any 
disbelieved,  but  the  wonder  is  that  any  main- 
tained their  confidence.  Such  was  the  confi- 
dence of  Joseph  in  the  Saviour  that  he  went  to 
Pilate  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus  for  inter- 
ment, which  of  course  he  would  not  have  done 
had  he  supposed  that  Christ  was  not  all  which 
He  professed  to  be.  It  seems  as  though  his 
faith  had  rather  increased  than  lessened,  amid 
the  terrible  events  of  that  day  ;  for  it  inspired 
him  with  a  desire  to  manifest  his  attachment  to 
his  Lord  and  Master  by  honouring  His  body. — 
IV.  Adams. 

2  His    growth    in    moral    courage    was    re- 
markable. 

[1903S]  We  read  of  Joseph,  "  This  man  went 
in  boldly  unto  Pilate,  and  begged  the  body  of 
Jesus."  It  was  the  body  of  one  whom  that 
governor  had  delivered  to  the  accursed  death 
of  the  cross,  and  the  request  of  Joseph  was  an 
implied  refiection  on  the  governor.  At  the  ne.Kt 
meeting  of  the  Sanhedrim,  what  might  Joseph 
expect  would  be  his  reception  by  them  .''  'I'here 
is  the  man,  they  might  say,  who  took  the  body 
of  the  impostor  from  the  cross,  and  buried  it  in 
his  own  tomb.  Every  epithet  which  scorn  and 
hatred  could  heap  upon  him,  he  might  expect 
would  be  in  requisition  against  him.  What  a 
sight  must  that  have  been  when  this  honourable 
man  went  boldly  to  the  cross  with  his  servants, 
and  took  from  it  the  body  of  Jesus!  Overhead 
remained  the  inscription  designed  for  insult  and 
triumph  :  "This  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King 
of  the  Jews."  Beneath  the  cross,  the  rapacious 
soldiers  were  parting  the  garments  of  the 
Saviour,  and  for  His  vesture  casting  lots.  Pass- 
ing by,  the  infidel  Jew  was  repeating  aloud  the 
assurance  which  he  strove  to  maintain,  not- 
withstanding the  miraculous  darkness  and  the 
earthquake  :  "  He  saved  others,  Himself  He 
cannot  save."  But  still,  in  this  bold  and  public 
manner,  this  friend  of  Jesus  conveys  away  that 
form  on  which  earth  and  hell  had  poured  their 
contempt  ;  and  he  bestows  upon  it  an  honour- 
able and  costly  burial.  Who  does  not  entertain 
for  such  a  man  a  feeling  of  the  deepest  respect 
and  reverence .'' — Idid. 

3  His    interest   in    Christ    culminated  in    an 
ardent  love  for  Him. 

[19039]  Here  was  the  secret  of  his  courage, 
the  hiding  of  its  power.  He  loved  Christ  ;  the 
Saviour's  rejection  and  sufferings  had  raised 
the  affections  of  this  friend  to  their  highest 
l)itch  ;  and  he  bestowed  upon  the  dead  body  of 
Ills  Redeemer  the  utmost  proofs  of  love.  He 
had  prepared  for  himself  a  family  tomb.  No 
member  of  his  family  had  yet  occupied  it.  As 
he  prepared  that  sepulchre,  no  doubt  he  some- 
times thought  of  the  first  interment  which 
should  be  made  there,  and  he  asked  himself, 
unwillingly,  which  member  of  his  household 
would  be  the  first  occupant  of  that  sacred  place. 
Had  any  applied  to  hiin  for  leave  to  bury  an 
entire  stranger  there,  perhaps  his  feelings 
would  have  revolted  at  the  request.     He  might 


have  said  to  himself,  It  is  my  family  tomb  ; 
far  distant  be  the  day  when  we  shall  follow  one 
of  our  number  to  the  spot  ;  yet,  until  the  place 
is  hallowed  in  this  mourn kil  manner,  I  would 
keep  It  sealed.  But  now,  behold,  the  first 
occupant  of  that  tomb  is  taken  from  what  we 
should  call  the  scaffold,  the  gibbet  ;  from  be- 
tween two  thieves  ;  amid  the  execrations  of  a 
great  city  ;  and  in  the  face  of  contempt  and 
scorn  without  measure. — Ibid. 

[19040]  There,  in  the  new  tomb,  where  he 
had  expected  first  of  all  to  be  laid  himself,  or 
to  lay  some  object  of  his  love,  Joseph  places 
the  body  of  his  Lord,  who  was  crucified  in 
weakness,  and  in  whom  none  but  an  eye  of 
faith  and  a  heart  which  had  felt  the  power  of 
a  Saviour's  love  could  see,  amid  all  His  humilia- 
tion and  ignominious  wounds,  the  Son  of  God 
and  Saviour  of  the  world.  Herein  is  love.  Joseph 
has  bestowed  on  his  deceased  Master  the  greatest 
proof  of  sincere  affection.  John  took  the  Saviour's 
mother  to  his  own  family  and  home  ;  Joseph 
took  the  Saviour's  body  to  his  own  family 
tomb.  What  price  would  have  purchased  an 
interment  for  that  body  in  the  high  priest's 
tomb,  or  in  the  tomb  of  any  other  member  of 
the  Sanhedrim  except  Joseph .''  What  makes 
the  difference.^  Love.  Love  can  do  miracles  ; 
love  regards  not  human  opinion,  numbers,  in- 
fluence; intent  on  its  object,  it  sees  no  difficulties, 
feels  no  burden.  It  was  such  love  for  us  that 
bi  eight  the  Saviour  from  heaven,  and  carried 
Him  to  the  cross.  It  was  love  for  his  and  our 
Saviour,  by  which  Joseph  prepared  a  place  in 
his  own  new  tomb  for  Him  whom  we  by  our 
sins  had  crucified. — Ibid. 

III.    HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

I  The  history  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea  ex- 
emplifies the  fact  that  the  grace  of  God 
can  prevail  over  hindrances  to  faith  and 
Christian  zeal,  presented  by  the  cha- 
racters and  circumstances  of  men. 

[19041]  "  And  after  this  Joseph  of  Arimathea. 
being  a  disciple  of  Jesus  (but  secretly  for  fear  of 
the  Jews),  besought  Pilate  that  he  might  take 
away  the  body  of  Jesus.  .  .  .  And  there  came 
also  Nicodemus  (which  at  the  first  came  to 
Jesus  by  night),  and  brought  a  mixture  of 
myrrh  and  aloes,  about  a  hundred  pounds 
weight."  It  is  certainly  remarkable  that  the 
two  men  who  performed  this  courageous  act 
were  men  who  once  were  exceedingly  cautious, 
reserved,prudent,  and,it  may  be,  timid.  .  .  .  God 
can  place  us  in  circumstances  where  our  faith, 
though  now  like  a  bruised  reed,  shall  suddenly 
acquire  the  strength  of  years,  and  as  Joseph 
and  Nicodemus,  no  doubt,  wondered  at  them- 
selves, and  may  have  said.  Can  it  be  that  we, 
once  so  reserved,  are  the  only  men  in  Jeru- 
salem that  dare  to  bury  Jesus.''  so  we,  if  we 
walk  according  to  the  light  already  given,  may 
be  permitted  to  perform  acts  of  love  for  the 
Saviour  which  will  fill  us  with  wonder  and  joy. — 
Ibid. 


19042— I 


NEIV    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


447 

ll.UKE. 


2  The  reward  with  which  Joseph  met,  is 
an  illustration  of  the  blessedness  of  those 
who  love  and  serve  Christ. 

[19042]  In  two  days  Joseph's  tomb  became 
the  scene  of  an  event  second  to  the  scene  on 
Calvary  only  in  the  order  of  time.  There,  in 
that  tomb,  life  and  immortality  were  brought 
to  light.  Never  had  man  a  house  or  palace 
so  honoured  as  Joseph's  tomb.  It  was  occujiicd, 
first,  by  the  lifeless  form  of  the  Son  of  God. 
Who  may  fully  imagine  what  transpired  there, 
as  that  form  came  to  life  again  ;  what  angelic 
ministrations  were  there  ;  and  what  presence 
of  glorified  souls,  to  witness  in  the  Saviour's 
resurrection  the  type  and  earnest  of  their  own. 
"  And  behold,  there  was  a  great  earthquake  ; 
for  the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from 
heaven,  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the 
door,  and  sat  upon  it.  His  countenance  was 
like  lightning,  and  His  raiment  white  as  snow  ; 
and  for  fear  of  Him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and 
became  as  dead  men." — Ibiu. 

[19043]  To  Joseph  and  his  household,  what 
associations  must  have  been  connected  with  that 
family  tomb  ;  and  with  what  peace  must  he 
and  they  have  buried  their  dead,  to  sleep  in  the 
Saviour's  own  bed  of  death  !  All  the  Church 
of  God  thank  and  love  thee,  Joseph,  for  thy 
love  and  services  to  their  Lord.  They  who 
give  burial  to  a  friend  of  ours  that  dies  on  a 
foreign  shore,  receive  our  thanks.  He  who 
took  our  Saviour  from  His  cross,  and  laid  Him 
in  his  own  new  tomb,  is  a  benefactor  to  the 
Church  of  God.  For  ever,  in  the  history  of 
redemption,  Joseph  will  be  remembered  in  con- 
nection with  his  Saviour's  death.  As  he  bows 
in  heaven  at  those  sacred  feet,  he  remembers 
that  he  once  composed  those  bleeding  feet, 
those  bleeding  hands,  that  bleeding  head,  for 
burial.  At  the  last  day,  when.  Judge  of  the 
world,  Jesus  shall  sit  with  the  nations  at  His 
bar,  Joseph  will  rememl^cr,  I  laid  Him  once  in 
my  own  new  tomb. — Ibid. 


LUKE. 

I.  His  Personal  Identification. 

[19044]  Christian  writers  of  a  very  early  age 
assure  us  of  the  fact  that  the  Evangelist  Luke 
was  the  well-known  physician  and  companion 
of  Paul  ;  and  some  of  them  add  that  he  wrote 
his  history  under  Paul's  direction.  But  if  he 
was  the  writer  of  the  third  Gospel,  he  was  also 
the  writer  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ;  since 
the  one  book  refers  so  pointedly  to  the  other  as 
a  "  former  treatise  "  from  the  same  hand.  This, 
too,  those  primitive  authorities  confirm.  And 
now  ther-e  comes  further  light  upon  the  man's 
identity  in  a  rather  curious  manner.  Up  to  a 
particular  point  in  the  Book  of  the  Acts  the 
narrator  uses  the  third  person  in  his  descrip- 
tions, after  the  ordinary  method  of  historians. 


Suddenly  the  third  person  is  changed  to  the 
first  :  "  7ve  endeavoured  to  go  into  Macedonia  ;" 
"  wt'  came  with  a  straight  course  to  Samoth- 
racia."  But  the  form  of  speecli  is  dropped 
after  a  {&\v  verses  in  favour  of  the  former  one  ; 
and  again,  after  an  interval  of  three  chapters, 
it  is  resumed,  and  is  continued  to  the  end  of 
the  book.  The  inference  is  a  tolerably  secure 
one  that  the  writer  of  the  history  was  to  this 
extent  an  eye-witness  of  its  events  :  that  Luke 
must  have  so  far  accompanied  Paul  in  his 
travels,  shared  his  labours,  and  enjoyed  his 
confidence.  We  can  trace  him  in  fact  to  Rome  ; 
and  at  Rome  we  are  met  by  the  allusions  in 
the  Epistles.— H^.  Brock. 

[19045]  Whether  Luke  was  Jew  or  Gentile,  or 
to  what  country  he  belonged,  cannot  be  decided, 
though  tradition  has  fixed  his  birthplace  at 
the  Syrian  Antioch,  and  criticism  has  judged 
that  he  was  a  native  of  Philippi.  Under  whose 
ministry  he  became  a  Christian  is  equally  un- 
certain ;  for  his  own  statement  merely  shows 
that  he  was  not  among  the  iminediate  disciples 
of  our  Lord.  Nor  can  we  fix  distinctly  the 
scene  and  scope  of  his  missionary  labour. — 
Ibid. 

II.  -His  Fidelity. 

It  was  remarkably  exhibited  in    his  friendship 
with  St.   Paul. 

[19046]  Even  in  his  earlier  imprisonment 
the  apostle  had  with  him  a  faithful  i&w  whose 
names  are  united  with  his  own  in  the  saluta- 
tions of  his  Epistles.  But  at  last  the  group  is 
scattered.  Some  have  proved  untrue,  others 
have  been  sent  on  distant  errands,  and  in  his 
most  urgent  need  Paul  is  left  with  one  solitary 
comrade  in  the  Roman  prison.  "  Only  Luke 
is  with  me,"  he  writes  to  Timothy  ;  and  there 
is  a  touch  of  pathos,  if  not  of  sadness,  in  the 
words. — Ibid. 

[19047]  Luke  is  believed  to  have  shared 
much  of  the  two  years'  confinement  at  Cresarea. 
Certainly  he  shared  the  perils  of  the  stormy 
voyage  to  Italy,  and  seems  to  have  kept  a 
regular  journrd  of  its  stirring  incidents.  He 
was  there,  when  at  last  they  approached  the 
Eternal  City  itself,  and  saw  the  joyful  meeting 
between  Paul  and  the  Roman  brethren,  who 
came  out  forty  miles  along  the  Appian  Way  to 
give  him  welcome.  He  entered  Rome  Ijcside 
his  master,  remained  with  him  during  that  first 
imprisonment,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  returned 
to  cheer  him  in  the  second. — Ibid. 

[19048]  He  was  a  beloved  friend  ;  but  so  were 
manyotheis  whose  presence  was  far  less  constant 
and  regular  than  his.  He  was  a  physician  as  well 
as  a  friend,  and  therein  lay  his  special  recom- 
mendation. For  we  know  that  even  during 
his  most  active  years  Paul  was  a  great  and 
frequent  sufterer.  The  thorn  in  the  flesh,  what- 
ever was  its  nature,  buffeted  him  so  sorely  that 
again  and  again  he  cried  out  for  deliverance 


448 
19048— 19053] 


KEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[mark. 


from  it.  How  aggravated  would  it  become 
with  increasing  years,  with  the  exposure,  the 
hardship,  the  continual  confinement  !  The 
cold  of  the  Roman  winters  tried  him  terribly. 
And  while  Titus  is  despatched  in  one  direction, 
and  Crescens  in  another,  Luke  stays  with  Paul 
because  he  can  do  him  most  good. — Ibid. 

III.  His  Writings. 

1  These  had  marked  characteristics. 
[19049]  In    both    books    we    recognize     the 

hand  of  a  man  of  education,  exact  in  his  informa- 
tion and  picturesque  in  his  description,  de- 
lighting to  communicate  details  of  place  or 
time,  and  to  make  his  history  live  before  his 
reader's  eye.  But  the  special  interest  lies  in 
the  spirit  which  they  breathe.  The  man  shines 
through  the  writer,  and  seems  to  grow  familiar 
as  a  friend.  There  is  not  the  abundance  of 
Old  Testament  reference  which  distinguishes 
the  pages  of  Matthew,  nor  the  depth  of  spiritual 
discernment  which  is  manifest  in  those  of  John  : 
but  there  is  an  element  of  feeling  peculiar  to 
Luke  ;  a  mingled  breadth  and  warmth  which 
remind  us  continually  of  the  Christian  teaching 
and  temper  of  the  last  and  greatest  of  the 
apostles. — Ibid. 

2  These    seem    to    bear    the    impress  of   St. 
Paul's  mind  upon  them. 

[19050]  Salvation  by  grace  is  confessedly  the 
leading  theme  of  Paul  s  preaching  and  of  Paul's 
Epistles.^  He  was  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
commissioned  to  present  the  message  of  the 
kingdom  in  its  freest  form,  clear  of  all  limita- 
tions. Now  if  we  had  to  choose  out  of  the 
four  Gospels  the  one  most  suited  to  the  heathen, 
as  distinguished  from  the  Jews,  and  therefore 
most  adapted  for  general  circulation,  should  we 
hesitate  to  name  the  Gospel  of  Luke.'^  Christ 
appears  in  its  pages  as  emphatically  the 
Saviour — the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and 
especially  the  Saviour  of  the  lost.  The  famous 
fifteenth  chapter  is  really  the  key  to  the  whole 
book.  Seeking  the  lost  is  its  burden  from  be- 
ginning to  end.  The  outcasts  of  society  be- 
come the  objects  of  Christ's  care  and  cure. 
The  characters  we  meet  are  the  beggar  Lazarus, 
the  poor  widow  with  her  two  mites,  the  despised 
Samaritan,  the  publican  pushed  into  the  out- 
skirts of  the  temple  court,  the  prodigal  son. 
To  the  Saviour's  feet  creeps  the  fallen  woman 
of  the  city ;  the  sinner  Zaccheus  runs  to  see 
Him  ;  on  the  very  cross  the  penitent  robber 
craves  His  mercy.  All  own  Him,  and  all  are 
by  Him  accepted.  Let  the  contrite  and 
troubled  heart  turn  hither!  For  here  we  meet 
the  fulness  of  redeeming  mercy  which,  com- 
prehending the  vilest,  cannot  exclude  us  ;  and 
here  we  see  in  exercise  that  simple  principle  of 
humble  confidence  which  justifies  the  ungodly  : 
"  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  ;  go  in  peace." 
It  is  Paul's  great  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith,  illustrated  in  the  action,  and  impressed 
in  the  words,  of  Christ.— /c^/</. 


[19051]  No  less  prominent  in  Luke  is  that 
other  leading  element  of  Paul's  teaching  which 
he  calls  "joy  in  the  Lord."  The  third  Gospel  is, 
above  all,  the  gospel  of  gladness.  The  angels' 
song  is  echoed  from  one  page  to  another  : 
"  Behold,  we  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great 
joy."  A  happy  Christian  heart,  one  feels,  has 
been  concerned  in  the  choice  and  composition 
of  its  materials.  For  the  people  "  rejoice  at  all 
the  wonderful  works"  of  Christ ;  and  the  seventy 
"return  with  joy"  from  their  missionary  travels  ; 
and  the  sinner  whose  house  the  Lord  enters 
"receives  Him  joyfully;"  and  "there  is  great 
joy  in  the  city  "  where  the  preachers  of  the  Word 
have  come.  The  curtain  falls  upon  the  company 
of  disciples  "returning  with  great  joy,"  even 
from  the  parting  with  their  ascended  King,  and 
"  continually  praising  and  blessing  God."  Nay, 
our  evangelist  is  suffered  to  unveil  thus  the 
hallowed  delights  of  the  heavenly  sanctuary  ; 
and  from  the  rejoicings  of  angels  over  repent- 
ing sinners,  we  are  taught  that  "it  is  meet  for 
us  to  make  merry  and  be  glad." — Ibid. 


MARK. 

I.  Formation  of  Character. 

[19052]  That  was  a  fine  moral  atmosphere  for 
a  youth  to  breathe  :  a  godly  mother,  praying 
friends,  missionaries  and  martyrs  and  apostles 
coming  and  going  there  ;  and  a  bracing  one 
withal,  with  frequent  winds  of  fierce  opposition 
raging  around.  Something  it  must  have  been 
to  be  a  son  in  the  house  to  which  Peter  came 
that  night,  with  the  mark  of  the  chains 
fresh  upon  his  wrists,  and  the  light  of  the 
angel's  presence  still  reflected  from  his  face  : 
something  to  have  been  in  the  company  when 
cousin  Barnabas  brought  in  a  stranger,  insignifi- 
cant in  appearance  and  awkward  in  address,  and 
introduced  him  as  the  dreaded  Saul  of  Tarsus 
changed  to  a  beloved  brother,  and  a  fervent 
fellow-labourer  ! — IV.  Brock. 


II.  His  Early  Service. 

[19053]  A  flourishing  and  energetic  church  is 
gathered  at  Antioch,  the  great  commercial 
capital  of  Syria.  Barnabas  and  Paul  are  among 
its  foremost  teachers  ;  and  Mark,  wearied,  we 
may  suppose,  of  the  monotonous  life  at 
Jerusalem,  and  eager  for  adventure,  has  come 
to  join  them.  He  must  already  have  been  re- 
cognized as  a  converted  man.  And  when  those 
two  friends  have  been  solemnly  set  apart  for 
mission  work,  it  is  settled  that  Mark  shall 
accompany  them.  He  is  styled  their  "  minister," 
or  servant.  It  was  the  excellent  custom  of  the 
older  evangelists  to  associate  the  younger  with 
them ;  just  as  Moses  chose  Joshua  for  his 
assistant,  and  Elisha"  poured  water  on  the  hands 
of  Elijah."     The  design  was  to  inure  them  to  the 


19053—19059] 


NEW    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


449 


[mark. 


discipline  of  the  missionary  life,  and  to  instruct 
them  in  its  duties.  It  was  the  squire  learning 
to  win  his  spurs  in  the  Christian  chivalry  by 
attendance  on  the  knight  who  had  won  them 
already.  And  what  could  be  more  suitable,  or 
full  of  promise,  than  that  Mark  should  serve 
his  first  campaign  under  Barnabas,  his  elder 
kinsman  and  friend,  a  man  of  such  a  noble, 
enterprising  spirit,  and  yet  so  full  of  all  gentle- 
ness and  grace? — JOid. 


III.  His  Defection. 

[19054]  What  sudden  change  is  this, occurring 
when  that  missionary  journey  has  been  but  a 
little  while  begun?  "John,  departing  from 
them,  returned  to  Jerusalem."  Short  words,  but 
how  significant,  and  how  disappointing!  Can 
he  be  already  weary  in  well-doing  ?  Has  he 
had  only  time  to  visit  Cyprus,  to  sail  across  to 
Asia  Minor,  and  will  he  so  soon  repent  and  re- 
turn ?  After  witnessing  the  awful  judgment  on 
Elymas,  and  the  glorious  conversion  of  Sergius 
Paulus  ;  after  seeing  how  Paul  coukl  smite,  and 
how  Barnabas  could  heal  ;  after  feeling  some 
thrill  of  holy  emulation  in  his  own  bosom,  does 
he  now  give  up  the  Christian  work  ?  What 
motive  can  have  turned  him  back  ?  Matthew 
Henry  gives  the  answer  in  his  own  quaint 
fashion  :  "  Either  he  did  not  like  the  work,  or  he 
wanted  to  go  see  his  mother."  A  fit  of  home- 
sickness, in  fact  !  A  shrinking  from  the  distance 
and  the  danger  :  once  up  among  yonder  rugged 
highlands  of  Pisidia  with  their  perils  of  waters 
;ind  perils  of  robbers,  what  prospect  would 
there  be  of  ever  seeing  Jerusalem  and  Mary's 
iiouse  again  ?  Perhaps  also  Paul,  himself  so 
hardy  and  self-sacrificing,  was  a  little  impatient 
with  the  young  man,  and  treated  him  with  an 
outspoken  severity  not  pleasant  to  endure. — 
Ibid. 


IV.  His  Return". 

[19055]  Five  years  must  be  supposed  to  pass. 
Barnabas  and  Paul  have  accomplished  their 
journey,  and  returned.  The  great  conflict  with 
the  Pharisaic  party  at  Jerusalem  has  been  fought 
out.  The  two  missionaries  are  panting  to  be 
at  work  again.  And  of  all  men,  who  should 
appear,  applying  to  accompany  them,  but  the 
deserter  Mark  ?  Paul  has  never  seen  him  since 
that  unhappy  parting  at  Perga  ;  and  he  does  not 
mean  to  be  deceived  a  second  time.  Barnabas 
must  do  as  he  thinks  right,  but  Paul  will  rather 
break  their  own  old  companionship,  and  go 
by  himself.  Then  Barnabas  will  break  it  too. 
Barnabas  takes  the  milder,  more  hopeful,  more 
indulgent  view ;  he  has  probably  heard  better 
things  of  his  young  cousin  during  the  recent 
visit  to  Jerusalem,  and  sees  some  new  fire  and 
fervour  in  the  man,  which  he,  at  least,  will  not 
quench.  The  decision  of  the  "son  of  consola- 
tion "  is  to  give  him  another  chance.  "  And  so 
Barnabas  took  Mark,  and  sailed  unto  Cvprus." 
—Idid. 

VOL.   VI. 


30 


[19056]  Marcus,  in  the  letters  of  St.  Paul,  is 
clearly  identified  with  our  own  Mark  by  his  rela- 
tionshipto  Barnabas.  Butcanitbethesame  man? 
Where  is  the  useless,  untrustworthy  character  of 
whom  we  were  obliged  to  get  rid  ?  Anotiier 
stamp  is  set  now  upon  his  name  by  the  very 
hand  that  was  once  ready  to  brand  "deserter" 
there.  '•  My  fellow-prisoner," says  St.  Paul.  He 
has  the  courage  then,  at  least,  to  brave  hardship 
for  the  Gospel's  sake.  "  A  comfort  unto  me," 
a  strong  support,  as  Barnabas  himself  was  wont 
to  be.  .  .  .  Surely  our  stranded  ship  floats 
again  I  Our  fallen  brother  has  lifted  himself  up, 
with  heaven's  help,  and  is  on  his  own  feet, 
pressing  forward  with  as  stout  a  heart  as  the 
bravest.  Barnabas  was  right  ;  there  was  a  true 
heart  in  the  man  after  all. — Ibid. 


V.  His  Growth  in  Grace. 

[19057]  We  turn  to  the  first  Epistle  of  Peter. 
Here  also  Mark's  name  is  recorded,  and  where  is 
Mark  now?  At  Babylon,  in  the  distant  East; 
what  an  indefatigable  traveller  he  has  grown, 
and  what  a  heart  has  he  for  labour !  With  whom 
is  he  found?  With  aged  Peter,  the  friend  of  his 
early  youth,  the  instrument  of  his  conversion, 
his  father  in  the  faith.  And  what  impressions 
does  he  leave  behind  him?  The  best  ;  all  the 
warm  confidence  of  Simon  Petei^'s  heart  is  in 
that  one  phrase,  "  Marcus,  my  son."  Ay,  a 
Christian  worthy  of  apostolic  approval  ;  born 
to  God  under  his  mother's  roof  in  far  Jerusalem 
twenty  years  ago,  and  now  a  man  in  Christ 
Jesus,  grown  to  a  full  stature  and  a  masculine 
strength  ! — Ibid. 

[19058]  Presently  Paul  is  writing  again  ;  it  is 
the  last  of  all  his  letters,  the  second  to  Timothy, 
despatched  during  that  second  term  of  his  im- 
prisonment at  Rome,  which  was  so  much  closer 
and  sharper  than  the  first.  His  friends  have 
left  him  ;  he  is  cold,  and  he  is  ill,  and,  with  all 
his  steadfast  f.iith  in  the  Divine  support,  he 
craves  for  a  little  human  sympathy.  Therefore 
let  Timothy,  if  it  may  be,  come  quickly  from 
Ephesus,  where  he  is,  bringing  cloak  and  parch- 
ments, and  his  own  filial  care  ;  and  let  him  bring 
also  some  other  tried  and  trusty  brother,  as  a 
second  source  of  consolation.  Who,  then,  shall 
the  chosen  one  be  ?  "  Take  Mark,  and  bring  him 
with  thee  ;  "  a  useful  man,  a  '"  profitable"  man, 
the  very  man  for  a  minister,  a  servant,  a  friend  ! 
Mark,  the  runaway?  Mark,  rather  than  have 
whom  in  my  company,  I  forfeited  my  dear  com- 
panionship with  Barnabas?  Even  him;  for 
years  ha\e  passed  since  then,  and  the  timid 
stripling  has  become  the  resolute  and  energetic 
veteran  ;  none  better  now,  none  worthier,  and 
few  indeed  so  good.  Yes,  let  me  have  him  to 
tend  my  hard  confinement,  to  go  out  with  me 
on  the  day  when  I  must  die,  to  witness  my  end, 
and  to  lay  my  body  in  its  resting-place ! — Ibid. 

[19059]  One  further  reference  remains,  a  large 
and  a  long  one  ;  for  it  is  a  whole  book  of 
Scripture,  "  the   Gospel    according   to    Mark." 


450 

19059—19065] 


NEW   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[nicodemus. 


.  .  .  All  the  early  traditions  agree  in  attributing 
to  Mark,  as  the  scribe  and  interpreter  of  Peter, 
that  shortest  lite  of  Jesus,  with  its  peculiar  charm 
of  graphic,  pithy,  picturesque  representation, 
which  the  Church  would  not  willingly  let  die. 
And  thus  the  image  which  remains  is  not  that 
of  tlie  fugitive  youth,  but  of  the  missionary,  the 
faithful  companion  of  the  chief  apostles,  and 
one  among  the  four  evangelists. — ihid. 

VI.  His  Style  as  a  Writer. 

[19060]  It  is  exceedingly  unclassical,  strongly 
provincial,  and  destitute  of  every  species  of 
*'  the  wisdom  of  words."  It  is  homely,  humble, 
unadorned,  and  altogether  devoid  of  literary 
artifice  or  art.  .  .  •  He  deals  very  largely — after 
the  fashion  of  the  true  Hebrew — with  the  con- 
junction ''^and^j  has  a  partiality  for  fixing  the 
attention  on  beginnings ;  and  has  a  very  great 
liking  for  the  expression  inuneaiaiely. — James 
J.  Morrison. 

VII.  HOMILETICAL   SUGGESTIONS. 

The  spiritual  recovery  of  Mark  affords  strong 
encouragement  to  the  desponding  and 
disheartened. 

[19061]  On  the  northern  coast  of  Devon  there 
spreads  a  bay,  along  which  the  sea  comes  tide 
after  tide,  washmg  a  broad  beach  of  tiny  shells. 
Shells  are  there  innumerable ;  but  you  may 
search  the  shore  for  hours,  and  find  no  perfect 
specimen  :  the  shells  are  broken.  I  can  conceive 
many  a  disheartened  traveller  in  life's  hard 
journey  sitting  down  on  that  beach,  and  saying, 
•'  Behold  the  image  of  my  own  experience,  of  my 
broken  resolutions,  unaccomplished  purposes, 
and  perpetual  failures  !  "  Even  in  the  Christian 
Church  there  are  not  a  few  who  feel  that  they 
have  failed  of  the  high  aims,  the  noble  impulses, 
which  warmed  and  quickened  them  at  first !  To 
any  such  disheartened  souls  this  story  of  Mark's 
recovery  should  come  like  a  trumpet  call  of 
hope.  Too  late,  say  you,  to  join  the  ranks  once 
more,  to  b/^come  men  of  high  attainment, 
heavenly  character,  and  fervent  spirit  ;  too  late 
to  win  the  brighter  crown,  and  the  more  abun- 
dant entrance  ?  Never  too  late  while  life  lasts. 
—Ibid.  ^ 

[19062]  Stronger  than  the  oldest  habit  of  evil 
is  the  Spirit  of  God  poured  into  the  willing 
human  heart.  You,  too,  though  now  like  Saul 
you  hide  trembling  among  the  stuff,  have  a 
royal  part  that  you  may  play,  and  a  heavenly 
prize  that  you  may  win.  Once  more  to  the 
front  1  If  Paul  does  not  trust  you,  Barnabas 
will.  If  Paul  does  not  care  for  you  now.  he  may 
come  to  lean  on  you  with  all  his  strength.  And 
One  of  whom  you  know,  clearer- sigh  ted  by  far 
than  the  shrewd  apostle,  tenderer  of  heart  than 
that  '"son  of  consolation,"  marks  your  struggles, 
and  prays  for  your  success  ;  and  He,  as  you  arise, 
will  breatiie  into  your  ear  those  words  of  un- 
utterable hope  and  encouragement,  "  Neither  do 
I  condemn  thee  :   go  and  sin  no  more." — Jbid. 


NICODEMUS. 

I.  Introductory. 
His  personal  history. 

[19063]  Nicodemus,  we  are  told,  was  a  ruler 
of  the  Jews,  a  memtaer  of  the  Sanhedrim,  or 
great  council  of  the  nation.  And  as  he  was  a 
man  of  rank,  so  was  he  a  man  of  learning.  He 
was  a  master  in  Israel,  or,  as  some  will  have  it, 
the  Master,  that  distinctive  title  having  been 
given  him  because  of  his  pre-eminence  over 
the  teachers  of  his  day.  Beyond  this  we  only 
know  of  him,  that  on  a  certain  occasion  when 
the  chief  priests  and  rulers  were  assuming  the 
guilt  of  the  Saviour,  before  they  had  any  proof 
of  it,  he  ventured  to  reprove  his  colleagues  for 
indulging  in  a  spirit  so  contrary  to  the  law  ;  and 
that,  after  our  Lord's  death,  he  showed  his  re- 
spect for  His  remains  by  bringing  a  large  quantity 
of  myrrh  and  aloes  for  the  embalming.  This  is 
the  man  whose  memorable  interview  with  the 
Saviour  is  recorded  in  the  third  chapter  of  St. 
John. — VV.  Sparrow. 

II.  His  General  Character. 

[19064]  We  may  suppose  that  as  one  of  the 
Pharisees  he  would  be  a  moral  man,  a  learned 
man,  in  a  sense  a  religious  man.  Like  Saul  of 
Tarsus,  he  would  be  zealous  for  the  law,  and 
blameless  in  all  its  ordinances.  For  instruction 
he  comes  to  Christ,  being  persuaded  by  the 
miracles  that  had  been  wrought  that  Christ 
could  be  none  other  than  a  messenger  sent  of 
God.  He  comes,  however,  fearful  of  the  re- 
proach that  he  might  incur.  That  he  came  by 
night  was  not  merely  because  there  might  then 
be  a  better  opportunity  for  converse,  but  because 
he  dreaded  at  that  time  being  known  as  a  fol- 
lower of  Jesus.  "The  same  that  came  to  Jesus 
by  night,''  is  the  remark  that  the  evangelist 
always  attaches  to  his  name. — Kev.  G.  Evcrard. 

[19065]  The  person,  and  office,  and  attain- 
ments, and  external  history  of  Nicodemus,  as 
of  every  other  man,  are  comparatively  of  small 
account.  The  great  consideration  is,  what  were 
the  motives  by  which  he  was  actuated,  and  what 
were  the  objects  at  which  he  aimed?  His 
motives  were  manifestly  of  a  mixed  character, 
partly  commendable  and  partly  not.  He  was 
undoubtedly  a  serious  person.  He  was  not 
living  like  the  beasts  that  perish,  careless  of  the 
future.  He  had  not  let  folly  dissipate  his  mind, 
or  business  harden  it  into  indifference  to  an 
hereafter.  He  believed  religion  to  be  the  chief 
concern  of  man.  He  had  some  light  ;  he  was 
anxious  for  more.  He  felt  that  he  lived  in  event- 
ful times,  and  he  was  looking  out  for  such  further 
disclosures  of  the  Divine  purposes  as  God  might 
choose  to  make.  He  was  satisfied  of  the  pro- 
phetic mission  of  Christ.  "  Rabbi,  we  know 
that  thou  art  a  teacher  from  God,"  were  his 
words  ;  and  he  was  not  willing  to  let  such  an 
opportunity  of  religious  knowledge,  as  the  pre- 


19065— I907I] 


N£IV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[nicodemi-s. 


sence  of  a  prophet  afforded,  pass  unimproved. 
Casting  off  the  reserve  which  his  rank  and  repu- 
tation would  naturally  impose,  he  comes  to 
Jesus,  with  a  virtual,  if  not  a  verbal  acknow- 
ledgment of  his  ignorance,  and  of  his  desire  to 
have  it  remedied. —  W.  Sparrotv. 

[19066]  Behold  this  man  coming  to  Christ  by 
night  !  Thoughtful,  but  cautious,  revolving  how 
much  he  should  admit,  and  how  much  hold  in 
reserve  ;  yet  a  teacher  himself,  and  bent  on 
searching  the  matter  from  his  rationalistic  posi- 
tion. This  quality  of  rationalism— this  desire 
and  purpose  to  know  and  judge  of  everything 
according  to  his  own  understanding — is  the  cha- 
racteristic of  Nicodemus,  and  so  the  key  to  the 
entire  conversation.  He  believes  more  than  he 
is  willing  to  avow.  He  begins  his  salutation 
with  an  admission,  and  closes  it  with  a  most 
"cautious  inconsistency."  He  is  very  far  from 
being  the  miserable  "  time-server  "  which  some 
have  supposed  ;  yet  before  the  conversation 
closes,  he  is  reproached  by  our  Lord  for  not 
giving  fuller  expression  to  his  honest  convic- 
tions. He  is  quite  in  earnest,  and  honest  in  his 
way  ;  but  it  is  just  such  a  combination  of 
rationalism  and  materialism  as  we  might  sup- 
pose would  characterize  a  thoughtful  Pharisee, 
which  describes  the  man  who,  in  the  darkness 
of  nigiit,  now  seeks  out  our  Lord.  He  was 
already  a  believer,  but  not  a  believer  of  the  right 
sort.  The  miracles  of  Christ  had  carried  the 
outposts  of  the  citadel,  but  the  whole  man  had 
not  assented.  Everything  which  is  said  by  our 
Lord  throughout  the  whole  interview  is  adapted 
to  meet  this  semi-persuaded  rationalistic  con- 
dition of  mind,  by  the  presentation  of  truths 
which  were  designed  to  test  the  counter-quality 
of  faith.  "  How .''  "  "  how .?  "  is  the  interrogatory 
of  the  ruler.  "  Believe,"  "  believe,''  is  the  re- 
sponse of  Christ.  By  his  own  admission  of  being 
convinced  by  miracles,  Nicodemus  put  himself 
in  a  position  where  it  was  right  and  wise  that  he 
should  be  pressed  with  this  duty  of  faith  as  a 
logical  necessity.  If  he  confessed,  as  he  did, 
that  the  person  with  whom  he  talked  acted  with 
Divine  sanction  and  power  in  His  indisputable 
miracles,  then  nothing  could  be  more  consistent 
or  appropriate  to  this  confession  than  that  he 
should  believe  the  testimony  of  the  Being  whose 
words  were  corroborated  by  such  preternatural 
wonders.- — W.  Adams,  D.D. 


IIL  His  Spiritual  Enlightenment. 
I       It  was  the  result  of  earnest  inquiry. 

[19067]  We  cannot  but  wonder  at  the  candour 
and  honesty  of  this  man's  mind.  Most  men  are 
carried  away  by  the  opinions  of  the  day,  and  of 
those  with  whom  they  associate  :  but  here  we 
have  Nicodemus  thinking  for  himself,  and 
arriving  at  the  conclusion  that  Jesus  was  a 
teacher  come  from  Cod,  when  all  his  fellow- 
councillors  were  prejudiced  against  Him,  hated 
Him,  and  were  striving  to  kill  Him. — Towns- 
hend  Fox. 


[19068]  Nicodemus'  soul  was  awakened  ;  his 
understanding  was  at  least  so  far  enlightened  as 
to  make  him  sensible  of  his  ignorance.  There 
was  a  felt  want  in  his  mind — the  want,  namely, 
of  light,  of  truth.  Conscience  was  ill  at  ease, 
and  urged  him  to  seek  something  more  satis- 
factory in  his  religious  state.  Looked  at  from 
the  subjective  side,  we  have  an  instance  of  a 
person  putting  forth  an  effort  to  find  the  truth,, 
and  turning  to  the  only  quarter  where  it  could 
be  found. — A.  L.  Foolc. 

2       It  advanced  by  a  gradual  growth  in  grace. 

[19069]  Two  years  have  passed  away  since 
that  eventful  night  ;  and  it  is  clear  that  the  seed 
has  been  taking  root,  and  is  now  appearing  :  first 
the  blade,  and  in  its  due  time  will  appear  the  ear 
and  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  The  officers  sent  by 
the  chief  priests  refuse  to  lay  hands  on  Christ, 
so  greatly  had  His  words  taken  hold  upon  them. 
Then  the  Pharisees  say  to  them,  "Are  ye  also 
deceived  }  Have  any  of  the  rulers  or  Pharisees 
believed  on  Him  .''  But  this  people  who  knoweth 
not  the  law  are  cursed.''  No  longer  Nicodemus 
can  be  silent.  He  ventures  a  remark.  True,  it 
was  not  a  very  strong  one,  yet  it  required  no 
small  amount  of  courage  to  make  it.  He  showed 
them  that  there  was  at  least  one  ruler,  one 
Pharisee  who  would  Viot  condemn  Christ.  He 
was  not  afraid  to  bringdown  suspicion  and  envy 
upon  himself  "  Nicodemus  sailh  unto  them 
(he  that  came  to  Jesus  before  being  one  of 
them),  Doth  our  law  judge  any  man  before  it 
hear  him  and  know  what  he  doeth .-'  They 
answered  and  said  unto  him.  Art  thou  also  of 
Galilee?  Search  and  look  :  for  out  of  Galilee 
ariseth  no  prophet." — Rev.  G.  Everard. 

[19070]  Another  year  passes  by.  Again  Nico- 
demus is  brought  before  us.  And  now  very 
marked  is  the  advance  that  he  has  made.  He 
is  no  more  the  timid  inquirer,  no  more  the  one 
who  ventures  with  trembling  a  word  on  behalf 
of  the  Master,  but  the  bold  and  devoted  dis- 
ciple. It  was  at  the  time  when  all  looked  the 
darkest.  The  enemy  has  triumphed  :  Christ  is 
crucified  :  the  disciples  have  tied  :  Judas  has 
betrayed  Him,  and  Peter  denied  Him  ;  yet  even 
then  Nicodemus  proves  his  faith  and  love.  He 
unites  with  Joseph  of  Arimathea  in  going  in 
boldly  and  begging  the  body  of  Jesus.  He 
brings  a  costly  gift,  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and 
aloes,  about  a  hundred  pounds  weight.  He 
assists  Joseph  in  carrying  the  precious  body  of 
our  Lord,  and  laying-  it  in  the  new  sepulchre. 
What  a  glorious  triumph  of  faith  !  How  truly 
in  him  were  the  words  fulfilled  that  "  the  last 
should  be  first "  \—lbid. 

[1907 1]  Nicodemus  was  an  unwonted  visitant 
to  Christ — for  few  indeed  were  they  among  the 
scribes  and  Piiarisees  sitting  in  Moses' seat,  who 
would  have  sought,  by  night  or  by  day,  the 
despised  Prophet  of  Nazareth  of  Galilee.  An 
ambiguous  visitant,  as  to  the  probability  of  his 
turning  back  or  going  forward— for  many  have 
advanced  thus  lar,  and  walked  no  more  with 


452 

19071— 19078] 


NEIV    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 

CHRISTIAN    ERA.  [tHE   PENITENT   MALEFACTOR. 


Jesus  ;  but  in  this  case  there  shall  be  a  steady 
and  a  growing  light,  shining  more  and  more  unto 
a  perfect  day  ;  this  voice  shall  one  day  be  re- 
proving in  the  adverse  Sanhedrim  a  precipitate 
condemnation  of  Jesus  ;  these  hands  shall  one 
day  be  busy  about  that  sacred  corpse  from 
which  friends  and  disciples  shall  have  slunk 
away  trembling. — Dean  i  ai4ghan. 

IV.   Varying  Views   as   to    his   Moral 
Cowardice. 

[19072]  A  constitutional  timidity  is  observable 
in  all  which  the  Gospels  tell  us  about  Nico- 
demus  ;  a  timidity  which  could  not  be  wholly 
overcome  even  by  his  honest  desire  to  befriend 
and  acknowledge  one  whom  he  knew  to  be  a 
Prophet,  even  if  he  did  not  at  once  recognize 
in  Him  the  promised  Messiah.  Thus  the  few 
words  which  he  interposed  to  check  the  rash 
injustice  of  his  colleagues  are  cautiously  rested 
on  a  general  principle,  and  betray  no  indication 
of  his  personal  faith  in  the  Galilasan  whom  his 
sect  despised.  And  even  when  the  power  of 
Christ's  love,  manifested  on  the  cross,  had  made 
the  most  timid  disciples  bold,  Nicodemus  does 
not  come  forward  with  his  splendid  gifts  of 
affection,  until  the  example  had  been  set  by  one 
of  his  own  wealth,  rank,  and  station  in  society. — 
Archdeacon  Fat-rar. 

[19073]  Nicodemus  was  an  earnest  man.  We 
find  an  evidence  of  this  in  his  coming  to  Christ 
by  night.  It  has  been  usually  thought  that  he 
was  a  timid  man — that  he  came  by  night  for 
fear  of  the  Jews — but  no  such  statement  is  any- 
where made.  The  interview  he  sought  could 
only  be  obtained  at  night.  He  himself  might 
have  been  occupied  with  his  official  duties 
during  the  day  ;  and  Christ  was  taken  up  from 
morn  till  eve  with  His  works  of  mercy,  with 
teaching  and  healing.  It  was  no  easy  thing  to 
force  a  way  through  the  crowd,  and  to  gain 
access  to  Him  ;  and  what  this  man  needed  was 
a  private  interview,  that  he  might  be  able  to  place 
before  Christ  his  own  difficulties,  and  obtain 
answers  to  his  questionings.  If  he  had  not  been 
an  earnest  man  he  would  not  have  gone  by  night, 
treading  those  lone  dark  streets,  meeting  only 
some  guest  from  the  board  of  the  Roman  gover- 
nor returning  home,  or  the  soldiers  who  were 
going  to  relieve  the  guard.  He  must  see  Christ, 
and  talk  with  Him,  and  spend  the  night  in  His 
company. — H.J.  Bevis. 

[19074]  It  was  to  his  praise  that  he  voluntarily 
came  to  Jesus,  not  for  any  official  inquiry,  not 
for  the  sake  of  criminating  Him  by  His  own 
words,  but  seeking  on  his  own  account,  as  an 
individual,  for  that  instruction  which  he  is  de- 
sirous to  hear.  That  he  came  by  night,  is 
rather  a  token  of  deep  desire,  than  a  blam- 
able  evidence  of  human  i&3.r:.— Rudolf  Slier, 
D.D. 

[19075]  The  fact  that  Nicodemus  came  to 
Jesus  by  night  has  often  been  interpreted   as 


proof  of  his  moral  cowardice.  But  the  work  of 
conviction  in  him  cannot  be  supposed  to  have 
proceeded  by  this  time  so  far  as  to  justify  this 
view.  The  evangelist  does  not  either  expressly 
or  by  implication  attribute  fear  to  Nicodemus. 
As  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrim,  the  business  of 
that  body  would  be  greatly  increased  at  the  time 
of  the  Passover,  and  the  night  might  have  been 
the  only  opportunity  for  such  an  interview  as  he 
desired.  ]\Ioreover,  as  Jesus  would  be  sur- 
rounded by  crowds  during  the  day,  night  was 
the  only  season  when  he  could  hope  for  a  private 
interview.^/.  Macdonald,  D.D. 

V.    HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

The  spiritual  history  of  Nicodemus  affords 
encouragement  to  the  Christian  novice 
and  the  faint-hearted  believer. 

[19076]  Nicodemus  affords  a  bright  example 
to  those  that  are  setting  their  face  Zionward. 
Nothing  is  impossible  with  God.  Grace  can 
uphold  the  weakest  and  give  boldness  to  the 
most  fearful.  Thus  the  righteous  holds  on  his 
way,  and  he  that  hath  clean  hands  becomes 
stronger  and  stronger.  Doubtless  Nicodemus 
must  have  been  much  in  prayer,  he  must  have 
hidden  the  word  of  Christ  deep  within  his  heart  ; 
thus  the  Spirit  was  given,  and  from  a  little  child 
in  the  Divine  life  he  grew  into  the  fulness  of 
the  stature  of  Christ. — Rev.  G.  Everard. 


THE  PENITENT  MALEFACTOR. 

I.  Probable  Nature  of  his  Crime. 

[19077]  "  Malefactors  "  is  the  name  by  which 
St.  Luke  calls  them  ;  ''  thieves  "  (according  to  our 
Version)  the  two  earlier  Evangelists  ;  from 
whom,  and  from  the  blending  of  whose  record 
with  his,  we  have  learned  to  speak  of  "  the 
penitent  thief."  Our  translators  would  have 
done  much  better  to  maintain  the  distinction 
which  the  Scripture  maintains  between  him,  the 
"  robber,"  or  violent  spoiler  (see  Matt.  xxi.  13, 
xxvi.  55  ;  Luke  x.  30  ;  John  xviii.  40  ;  2  Cor.  xi. 
26),  and  the  ''thief,"  or  secret  purloiner  (Matt. 
vi.  19  ;  John  xii.  6  ;  i  Thess.  v.  2  ;  Rev.  iii.  3, 
xvi.  15).  Many  passages  have  suffered  in  our 
Version  from  the  neglect  of  this  distinction,  but 
none  so  seriously  as  that  with  which  we  now 
have  to  do. — Abp.  7'rench. 

[19078]  These  two  were  not  "  thieves,"  as  we 
have  learned  to  call  them,  but  robbers.  Having 
vindicated  this  title  for  them,  we  may  further 
inquire  what  at  this  time  the  name  probably 
implied,  and  whether  more  than  lies  on  the 
surface  of  the  word.  It  will  help  us  to  answer 
this  question  aright,  if  we  put  side  by  side  the 
application  of  the  title  of  "  robber  "  to  Barabbas 
(John  xviii.  40),  and  the  other  notices  of  him 
which  the  Gospels  supply  ;   and  then  seek  to 


19078—19083] 


NE]y    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CJIARACTEKS.  453 

CHRISTIAN    ERA.  [THE    PENITENT   MALEFACTOR. 


read  all  in  the  light  which  contemporary  history 
affords.  Barabbas,  this  "  robber  "  according  to 
St,  John,  was,  we  are  told,  "  a  notable  prisoner  " 
(Matt,  xxvii.  16)  ;  "  which  lay  bound  with  them 
that  had  made  insurrection  with  him,  who  had 
committed  murder  in  the  insurrection  "  (Mark 
XV.  7)  ;  "  who  for  a  certain  sedition  made  in  the 
city,  and  for  murder,  was  cast  into  prison " 
(Luke  xxiii.  19)  ;  plainly  a  ringleader  in  one  of 
those  fierce  and  fanatic  outbreaks  against  the 
Roman  domination,  which  on  a  large  scale  or  a 
small  so  fast  succeeded  one  another  in  the  latter 
days  of  the  Jewish  commonwealth.  .  .  .  There 
is  every  likelihood  that  the  two  malefactors 
crucified  with  Jesus  belonged  to  the  band  of 
Barabbas. — I  bid. 

[19079]  Those  whom  the  Romans  with  a 
certain  amount  of  tiuth  called  "  robbers,"  were 
oftentimes  wild  and  stormy  zealots,  maintaining 
in  arms  a  last  and  hopeless  protest  against  that 
yoke  of  the  stranger  which  God  had  imposed 
on  His  people  for  the  chastisement  of  their  sins, 
and  which,  therefore,  it  behoved  them  meekly 
to  accept.  This  may  ha\'e  been  one  of  these, 
seeking  at  the  outset  of  his  career  to  work  by  the 
wrath  of  man  what  he  counted  the  righteous- 
ness of  God.  Presently  a  fugitive  from  Roman 
justice,  compelled  to  take  to  the  mountains,  and 
to  live  there  by  rapine,  he  may  have  gradually 
learned  less  and  less  to  discriminate  between 
friend  and  foe,  inay  have  earned  only  too  well 
the  title  under  which  he  was  at  last  to  expiate 
his  offences  on  a  Roman  cross.  His  own  con- 
fession implies  as  much. — Jbid. 


II,  His  Conversion. 

I       Conviction  and  confession  of  sin. 

[19080]  Few  as  are  the  words  which  this  peni- 
tent utters  in  his  brief  address  to  his  fellow- 
sinner,  and  then  in  his  still  briefer  to  his  Saviour, 
they  yet  are  sufficient  to  reveal  to  us  a  most 
authentic  work  of  grace  going  forward  within 
him.  He  is,  in  the  first  place,  deeply  convinced 
of  his  sin.  There  is  no  more  certain  sign  of  an 
effectual  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  than  a 
readiness  on  the  sinner's  part  to  accept  and 
acquiesce  in  his  punishment,  whatever  that 
punishment  may  be,  to  put  his  mouth  in  the 
dust,  and  to  say,  "Thou  art  righteous,  O  God, 
that  doest  this;"  "Wherefore  doth  a  living 
man  complain,  a  man  for  the  punishment  of  his 
sin  ,'"'  (Lam.  iii,  39  ;  cf.  Ezra  ix,  6,  7  ;  Luke  xv, 
18,  19)  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  there  can  be 
no  surer  token  of  an  impenitent  and  obdurate 
heart  than  the  refusal  of  the  sinner  to  receive 
correction,  to  humble  himself  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  God  (Isa.  i.  5,  ix.  10  ;  Jer.  ii.  30,  v.  3  ; 
Luke  XV.  14,  15  ;  Rev.  ix.  21,  xvi.  21).  And 
this  man,  even  in  that  bitter  cross,  saw  nothing 
more  than  he  had  earned,  "  the  due  reward  of 
bis  deeds,"  How  profound  the  conviction,  how 
unreserved  on  his  part  lu  the  confession  of  sin  I 
—Ibid. 


2  Faith  in  Christ. 

[ 1 9081]  If  other  graces  signally  manifest 
themselves  in  him,  yet,  more  than  all  other, 
what  a  wondrous  faith  utters  itself  in  these 
words  of  his  !  To  believe  that  He,  whose  only 
token  of  royalty  was  the  crown  of  tliorns  that 
still  clung  to  His  bleeding  brows,  was  a  King, 
and  had  a  kingdom  ;  that  He,  on  whose  own 
eyes  the  mists  of  death  were  already  hanging, 
was  indeed  the  Prince  of  life,  wielding  in  those 
pierced  hands,  nailed  so  helplessly  to  the  cross, 
the  keys  of  death  and  of  hell  ;  that  He  could  shut 
and  none  could  open,  could  open  and  none  could 
shut  ;  that  it  woulcl  profit  something  in  that 
mysterious  world  whither  they  both  were  hasten- 
ing to  be  remembered  by  this  crucified  Man  — 
that  was  a  faith  indeed.  What  was  the  faith  of 
any  other  to  his  faith  ?  Everything  seemed  to 
give  the  lie  to  Christ's  pretensions.  Disciples 
and  apostles  themselves  had  fallen  away  and 
fled.  They  had  trusted  once  ''  tliat  it  had  been 
He  which  should  have  redeemed  Israel  "  (Luke 
xxiv.  21)  ;  but  they  had  now  renounced  that 
hope  ;  and,  indeed,  every  other  hope  ;  and  then, 
in  the  midst  of  this  universal  unbelief,  one,  all 
whose  anterior  life  might  seem  to  have  unfitted 
him  for  tliis  heroic  act  of  faith,  does  homage, 
not  indeed  in  outward  act,  for  his  limbs  are 
nailed  to  the  tree,  but  in  heart  and  word,  to 
Jesus  as  the  King  of  Israel,  as  the  Lord  of  the 
spirits  of  all  flesh.  Truly  we  may  say  of  his  faith 
that  it  was  itself  one  of  the  miracles  of  the  cruci- 
fixion.— Il>id. 

3  Love  to  man, 

[19082]  Ignorant  he  may  very  well  have  been 
of  that  special  precept  in  Moses'  law,  "Thou 
shalt  in  any  wise  rebuke  thy  neighbour,  and  not 
sufl'er  sin  upon  him  "  (Lev.  xix.  17)  ;  but  love  is 
the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  and  love  will  not  suffer 
him  to  keep  silence  now.  They  two  may 
in  times  past  have  been  frequent  partners  in 
guilt,  associated  in  many  a  deed  of  violence  and 
wrong,  strengthening  one  another  in  wicked- 
ness ;  but  now,  himself  a  penitent,  he  would  fain 
lead  his  fellow-sinner  by  the  same  blessed  path 
of  contrition,  repentance,  and  faith,  which  he 
himself  is  treading,— /i^/V, 


III,  His  Petition. 

[19083]  "Lord"  need  not  in  itself  be  more 
than  a  general  term  of  respectful  address  ;  it  is 
oftentimes  this,  and  nothing  further  ;  thus  Matt, 
XXV.  20,  24;  John  iv.  ii,  xii.  21,  xx.  15,  and 
elsewhere.  But  it  may  have  a  much  deeper, 
and  a  theological  meaning  ;  and  such  no  doubt 
it  has  here.  For  without  assuming,  which  would 
indeed  be  absurd,  that  this  untaught  man  meant 
by  his  "  Lord  "  all  which  the  Church  now  under- 
stands by  Jehovah  or  Lord,  yet  was  there  on  his 
part  the  recognition  of  a  Divine  character  in 
Christ,  His  "Lord"  of  itself  would  not  be 
sufficient  to  prove  this,  but  only  as  it  is  read  in 
the  light  of  what  follows,  "  Remember  me  when 
Thou    comest  into  Thy   kingdom.''      For   that 


454 

19083— 19087I 


N£IV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

CHRISTIAN   ERA.  [THE    PENITENT   MALEFACTOR. 


*•  Remember  me"  is  no  mere  counterpart  of 
Joseph's  petition  to  the  chief  butler  of  Pharaoh 
(Gen.  xl.  14  ;  cf.  Ecclus.  xxxvii.  6),  but  is  itself 
a  prayer,  even  as  the  prayers  of  the  Jews  con- 
stantly clothed  themselves  in  this  same  form 
(Nehem.  xiii.  14,  22,  31,  and  often  in  the 
Psalms  ;  for  another  kind  of  remembrance,  see 
Rev.  xvi.  19).  But  seeing  that  it  was  now  at 
length  abundantly  evident  that  Christ's  kingdom 
was  not  here,  nor  on  this  side  of  the  grave,  it 
must  have  been  plainly  in  the  glory  of  some 
kingdom  to  be  revealed  hereafter  that  he  desired, 
through  Christ's  remembrance  of  him,  a  part. 
The  words  themselves  of  his  prayer  should  not 
stand  exactly  as  in  the  English  Version  they  do. 
It  is  not  "  when  Thou  comest  into  Thy  king- 
dom," as  though  Christ's  kingdom  could  even  in 
thought  be  contemplated  asapartfrom  Himself  ; 
but  "  when  Thou  comest  in  Thy  kingdom." — 
Ibid. 

[19084]  There  are  two  remarkable  expressions 
in  the  brief  prayer  which  he  addressed  to  Christ, 
both  of  them  exhibiting  wonderful  faith.  One 
is,  "  Thy  kingdom."  Thy  kingdom  ! — as  though 
the  suffering,  dying  Jesus  had  a  kingdom.  This 
idea  was  a  subject  of  sport  and  ridicule  below, 
while  on  the  cross  it  was  an  object  of  faith. 
Above  the  cross,  even  Pilate  writes  a  caricature  : 
"  This  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the 
Jews."  To  let  every  man  of  every  tongue  in 
that  motley  crowd  have  his  chance  to  under- 
stand the  criminal  pretensions  of  Jesus,  this 
accusation  was  written  in  Hebrew,  and  Greek, 
and  Latin.  But  let  the  Hebrews,  and  the  Greeks, 
and  the  Romans,  with  Pilate  at  their  head — let 
the  whole  priesthood,  and  all  the  scribes — insult 
at  the  idea  of  that  crucified  victim  having  a 
kingdom  ;  nevertheless,  this  poor  thief  speaks 
to  the  Saviour  of  His  "kingdom." — N.  Adams, 
D.D. 

[19085]  The  other  expression  in  the  penitent 
thiefs  prayer,  which  expresses  his  faith,  is  this  : 
"  Lord,  remember  me."  The  other  words,  "  Thy 
kingdom,"  expressed  a  general  belief  in  Christ. 
These  words,  "  Remember  me,"  were  the  triumph 
of  faith.  Grant  that  Christ  has  a  kingdom,  and 
is  on  His  way  to  His  throne  ;  it  would  have 
been  natural  for  the  thief  to  have  been  overawed 
by  the  thought  of  that  dying  Potentate,  and  to 
have  feared  to  make  any  request  of  Him.  Yet 
he  prefers  this  request  :  "  Lord,  remember  me." 
He  was  not,  in  his  own  esteem,  too  wicked,  and 
too  far  below  the  notice  of  Christ  ;  though  he 
had  the  worst  possible  thoughts  of  himself  as  a 
malefactor,  who  received  the  due  reward  of  his 
deeds  in  being  crucified.  What  boldness,  and 
"  confidence  of  access,  by  the  faith  of  Him,"  did 
this  poor  creature  have,  in  thus  appealing  to 
Christ  !  See  in  it  a  perfect  illustration  of  faith, 
which  cannot  be  explained,  or  made  any  more 
forcible,  by  words.  It  is  hung  up  by  the  side  of 
the  very  cross  of  Christ,  that  if  any  wish  to  know 
what  faith  in  Christ  is,  and  whether  they  can  be 
forgiven,  and  whether  they  are  not  too  wicked, 


and  too  unworthy  to  hope  for  the  favour  of  God, 
they  have  the  answer,  recorded  in  the  most  con- 
spicuous place  of  all  the  earth  ;  not  in  St.  Peter's 
Cathedral,  nor  at  the  side  of  the  highways,  but 
by  the  cross  of  Jesus.  It  stands,  the  most  per- 
fect illustration  of  the  way  to  believe  in  Christ, 
and  a  refutation  of  the  error  that  believing  and 
not  believing  depend  on  the  amount  of  evidence, 
and  a  rebuke  of  the  pride  which  keeps  many  a 
sinner,  conscious  of  guilt,  from  asking  for  mercy. 
—Ibid. 

/  IV.  The  Answer  Given  to  his  Petition. 
I       The  way  in  which  it  is  to  be  interpreted. 

[19086]  We  must  not  dismiss  without  further 
notice  a  word  on  which  so  much  has  been 
written,  a  promise  the  form  of  which  in  times 
past  has  perplexed  not  a  few.  As  many,  indeed, 
as  assume  "  Paradise "  to  be  equivalent  to 
heaven,  and,  in  fact,  identical  with  the  kingdom 
of  glory,  cannot  fail  to  find  a  difficulty  here,  in- 
asmuch as  Christ  Himself  was  not  on  that  day 
in  heaven,  but  in  Hades  ;  and  these  suggest 
various  ways  of  escaping  from  this  perplexity  ; 
which,  however,  is  of  their  own  creating.  A 
not  unfrequent  one  is  the  separation  of  "to-day" 
from  the  words  which  follow,  with  the  joining  of 
it  to  those  which  precede  :  "  Veiily,  I  say  unto 
thee.  To-day  thou  shalt  be  with  Me  in  Paradise." 
Theophylact  says  of  those  who  offer  this  expla- 
nation, that  they  "  do  violence  to  the  words  ;  "  a 
judgment  in  which  most  will  concur.  By  others, 
who  in  like  manner  make  Paradise  equivalent  to 
heaven,  or  at  least  fail  to  see  its  identity  with 
Hades,  or  rather  with  the  more  blessed  half  of 
Hades,  it  is  said  that  however  His  human  soul 
was  that  day  in  this  latter  place,  yet,  according 
to  His  Divine  nature  everywhere  present,  He 
was  in  Paradise— that  is,  as  they  understand  it, 
in  heaven  (cf  John  iii.  13). — Ibid. 

[19087]  Our  blessed  Saviour  told  the  con- 
verted thief  that  he  should  "  that  day  be  with 
Him  in  Paradise."  Now  without  perad venture 
He  spake  so  as  He  was  to  be  understood,  mean- 
ing by  "  Paradise  "  that  which  the  schools  and 
pulpits  of  the  Rabbis  did  usually  speak  of  it. 
By  "Paradise"  till  the  time  of  Esdras  it  is 
certain  the  Jews  only  meant  that  blessed  garden 
in  which  God  once  placed  Adam  and  Eve  ;  but 
in  the  time  of  Esdras,  and  so  downward,  when 
they  spake  distinctly  of  things  to  happen  after 
this  life,  and  began  to  signify  their  new  dis- 
coveries and  modern  philosophy  by  names  they 
called  the  state  of  souls,  expecting  the  resurrec- 
tion of  their  bodies  by  the  name  of  Gan  Eden, 
the  garden  of  Eden.  ...  It  is  therefore  more 
than  probable  that  when  the  converted  thief 
heard  our  blessed  Saviour  speak  of  Paradise,  or 
Gan  Eden,  he  who  was  a  Jew,  and  heard  that 
on  that  day  he  should  be  there,  understood  the 
meaning  to  be  that  he  should  be  there  where 
all  the  good  Jews  did  believe  the  souls  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob  to  be  placed.— Z)y>. 
Taylor. 


19088 — 19092] 


NEW  TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS.  455 
CHRISTIAN    ERA.                                     [tHE    PENITENT   MALEFACTOK. 


2  The  expectations  which  it  was  calculated 
to  raise. 

[190S8]  The  reply  of  our  Lord  is  a  glorious 
example  of  what  we  may  not  unfitly  call  the 
prodigalities  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  of  the 
answers  to  prayer,  infinitely  larger  and  more 
liberal  than  the  suppliant  in  the  boldest  ventui  es 
of  faith  had  dared  to  suggest.  In  two  points 
the  granting  of  tliis  suppliant's  petition  immea- 
surably transcends  the  petition  itself.  All  which 
he  had  been  bold  to  ask  was  that  he  might  be 
remembered  of  the  Lord.  But  one  may  remem- 
ber the  absent,  may  do  them  good  at  a  distance, 
and  keeping  them  at  distance  still.  This  to 
have  done  would  have  fulfilled  the  measure  of 
all  which  he  had  desired.  But  for  him,  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  cross,  the  first  who  should  set  his 
seal  to  that  word  of  the  prophecy,  "I,  if  I  be 
lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me,"  for  him 
Christ  has  better  than  remembrance  in  store  ; 
far  better  than  this — "thou  shalt  be  with  Me." 
And  not  this  only  ;  he  shall  be  with  Him  on  that 
very  day.  Christ's  "  to-day,"  besides  containing 
an  announcement  of  His  own  departure  out  of 
this  world  within  the  limits  of  that  day,  contains 
also  a  pledge  and  promise  for  this  poor  pardoned 
sinner,  that  he  too  should  find  speedy  release 
from  all  his  agonies — a  release,  indeed,  far 
speedier  than  according  to  common  probabilities 
he  might  have  looked  for. — Abp.  Trench. 

[19089]  For  him,  within  a  few  brief  hours, 
before  that  day  had  ended,  it  should  be  well. 
He  should  be  at  rest — and  more  than  this — in 
Paradise  and  joy.  The  coming  of  Christ  in  His 
kingdom  might  very  well  be  a  remote  contin- 
gency,as  we  know, in  fact,  that  it  was.  In  all  like- 
lihood this  petitioner  more  or  less  looked  onward 
to  it  as  such.  But  it  is  no  boon  in  some  far-otf 
future  which  the  Lord  will  bestow  upon  him  : 
that  very  day  he  shall  taste  the  sweetness  of  it  : 
"  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  Me  in-  Paradise." — 
Ibid. 

V.  Practical  Reflections. 

I  The  repentance  of  the  penitent  malefactor 
at  the  eleventh  hour  furnishes  a  warning 
against  the  postponement  of  this  duty. 

[19090]  If  we  should  see  a  man  who  went 
over  the  falls  of  Niagara  in  a  boat,  and  was 
saved,  should  it  encourage  us  to  venture  into 
the  rapids?  What  a  risk  this  thief  ran  !  how 
near  he  came  to  losing  that  heaven  which  he 
has  now  secured  !  Here  is  the  only  case  in  the 
Bible  of  repentance  at  the  close  of  life.  One 
instance  is  given,  that  none  may  despair  ;  and 
only  one,  that  none  may  presume.  Some 
think  that  sickness  and  suffering  will  arouse 
them.  But  stupidity  in  religion  is  voluntary. 
It  is  not  like  being  frozen  or  stunned.  Stupidity 
in  religion  is  voluntary.  No  one  need  be 
stupid  ;  no  one  is  stupid  who  does  his  known  duty. 
As  to  the  effect  of  suffering  to  arouse  and  per- 
suade, look  on  the  other  side  of  Christ  upon  the 
cross.  Suffering  hardens  as  frequently  as  it 
softens.      The   probability  is   extremely   small 


that  a  man  who  has  all  his  lifetime  known  his 
duty  and  neglected  religion,  will  come  to  his 
senses  in  death.  Men  generally  die  as  they  live. 
...  A  sick  man  is  afraid  to  prepare  to  die,  be- 
cause that  is  an  admission  to  his  own  mind, 
that  he  may  not  or  will  not  recover  ;  so  he  puts 
it  off  till  it  IS  too  late.— A'.  Adams,  D.D 

2  The  salvation  of  the  penitent  malefactor 
is  an  illustration  of  the  operation  of  free 
grace. 

[ 1 9091]  We  sometimes  hear  it  said,  that  as 
that  moment  when  the  Son  of  God  hung  upon 
the  cross  was  a  moment  unlike  every  other  in 
the  moral  and  spiritual  history  of  tiie  world,  so 
there  were  graces  vouchsafed  then,  unlike  those 
of  any  other  moment,  larger,  freer,  more  mar- 
vellous ;  such  as  were  proper  to  that  time  and 
no  other  ;  the  gates  of  mercy  being,  so  to  speak, 
thrown  open  more  widely  than  at  other  times  ; 
and  that  therefore  no  conclusions  can  be  drawn 
from  what  then  found  place  in  regard  of  what 
will  find  place  when  events  have  returned  to 
their  more  ordinary  course.  This  is  sometimes 
urged,  and  chiefly  out  of  a  desire  to  withdraw 
the  temptation  to  a  deferred  and  late  re- 
pentance, which  the  acceptance  of  this  penitent 
at  the  closing  moment  of  his  life  might  ehe 
seem  to  hold  out  to  others.  I  confess  that 
even  the  desire  to  avert  such  an  abuse  cannot 
persuade  me  to  accept  this  explanation  of  the 
grace  which  he  obtained.  The  laws  of  God's 
kingdom,  the  conditions  under  which  grace 
may  be  obtained,  are  unchangeable.  This  man 
was  forgiven  and  accepted  exactly  on  the  same 
grounds  which  would  secure  pardon  and  accep- 
tance for  any  other  man,  that  is,  because  he 
repented,  and  believed,  and  obeyed.  Time  does 
not  exist  for  God  ;  and  if  only  this  repentance, 
faith,  and  obedience  of  his  were  genuine, 
whether  they  were  spread  over  the  forty  or 
fifty  years  to  which  his  life  in  the  natural 
course  of  things  might  have  been  prolonged, 
or  concentrated  into  the  few  hours  upon  the 
cross  which  he  actually  did  survive,  this  made 
and  could  make  no  difference  in  God's  sight. — 
Abp.  Troich. 

[19092]  This  is  characteristic  of  Christ  and 
of  Divine  grace.  Here  was  a  dying  male'actor. 
.  .  .  We  are  glad  that  it  was  not  an  emperor, 
nor  a  disciple  ;  it  is  so  beautiful  an  illustration 
of  grace.  Every  one  of  us — strange  as  some 
may  think  it — every  one  of  us,  if  saved,  will  be 
saved  in  the  same  way  ;  every  one  of  us  who 
are  saved  will  vie  with  that  penitent  tiiief  to 
show  that  we  owe  as  much  to  Christ  as  he. 
\\^e  shall,  perhaps,  contest  his  claims  to  pre- 
eminence as  a  subject  of  wonderful  grace  ;  for 
many  of  us  will  say  to  him,  You  were  forgiven 
and  saved  without  ever  having  heard  of  and  re- 
jected Christ.  We  lived  till  we  were  ten  or  twelve 
years  old,  or  twenty,  or  forty,  or  sixty,  rejecting 
that  Saviour  on  whom  you  believed  the  first 
time  that  you  heard  Him.  Did  you,  O  penitent 
hief,  ever  turn  your  back  on  the  body  and  blood 
of  Christ  offered  to  you .-'     We  did,  for  years. 


456 

19092- 


19097] 


NFAV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  seventy. 


Did  you  live  in  known  sin,  for  years,  rejecting 
the  offer  of  redeeming  love?  Were  you  ever  at 
the  point  of  death,  by  accident  or  sickness  ;  and, 
being  snatched  from  death,  did  you  go  on  re- 
jecting Christ.?  Did  you  have  a  seat  in  a 
Cliristian  temple,  pious  parents,  meetings  for 
religious  inquiry.  Bibles,  the  Holy  Spirit  striv- 
ing with  you,  all  in  vain — for  years  in  vain  ? 
Take  away  that  crown,  O  penitent  thief,  which 
yon  have  cast  at  Jesus'  feet  as  the  crown  of  one 
who  owes  most  to  the  grace  of  God  ;  to  mine, 
as  much  as  to  yours,  belongs  that  great  dis- 
tinction, and  let  it  have,  at  least,  an  equal  place 
there.  Here,  Saviour,  is  the  crown  of  a  re- 
deemed sinner,  from  a  Christian  land,  in  the 
nineteenth  century — a  sinner  against  light  and 
love  unparalleled,  spared  and  forgiven,  and 
saved  from  a  hell  which  would  have  been  more 
tolerable  for  thieves,  and  for  Sodom,  than  for 
me. — A.  Adams,  D.D. 

3  The  promise  of  Christ  to  the  penitent 
malefactor  affords  a  proof  of  instan- 
taneous retribution  after  death. 

[19093]  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
departed  souls  are  in  a  state  of  happiness  in- 
ferior to  that  which  they  will  enjoy  after  the 
resurrection,  except  that  the  addition  of  the 
body  will  contribute  greatly  to  their  happiness, 
and  make,  perhaps,  the  difference  of  gazing  for 
a  time,  in  full  health  and  strength,  at  the  starry 
heavens,  enjoying  the  sight  in  the  company  of 
intelligent  friends,  ;n  1  afterward  possessing 
the  advantages  of  a  telescope.  The  telescope 
is  an  addition  to  your  means  of  enjoyment,  but 
not  to  your  character  or  consciousness.  The 
Westminster  Assembly's  Shorter  Catechism  ex- 
presses the  scriptural  truth:  "The  souls  of 
believers  are,  at  their  death,  made  periect  in 
holiness,  and  do  immediately  pass  into  glory  ; 
their  bodies,  being  still  united  to  Christ,  do  rest 
in  their  graves  until  the  resurrection."  If  so, 
how  near  the  Christian  is,  continually,  to  his 
home  in  heaven  !  A  sudden  accident,  a  sharp, 
short  sickness  may  dismiss  his  spirit,  and  im- 
mediately it  takes  "  its  mansion  near  the 
throne."  Suppose  that  there  were,  in  a  certain 
room  of  your  house,  a  company  of  angels  who 
were  waiting  to  convey  you  to  heaven,  and  you 
knew  it.  What  manner  of  persons  would  you 
be  in  all  holy  conversation  and  godliness  ?  We 
ought  to  live,  continually,  seeing  that  we  look 
for  these  things,  in  such  a  manner,  that  we  may, 
at  any  time,  "be  found  of  Him  in  peace,  with- 
out spot,  and  blameless." — Ibid. 

VI.  HoMiLETicvL  Hints. 

[19094]  We  have  in  this  instance  evidences 
of  genuine  repentance  and  faith.  He  is  con- 
cerned for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow-sinner. 
He  frankly  makes  confession  of  his  own  guilt. 
He  nobly  testifies  to  the  innocence  of  Jesus. 
He  turns  to  the  Saviour  to  save  him.  He  prays, 
''  Remember  me  when  Thou  comest,"  &c.  He 
humbly  begs  for  mercy,  asking  only  to  be 
remembered. —  IV.  H.  Van  Doren. 


THE  SEVENTY, 

I.  Their  Appointment. 

Suppositions  as  to   the  reason  for  the  precise 
number  selected. 

[19095]  He  "appointed  5i?7'(?«/>','' a  number, 
like  that  of  twelve,  derived  probaijly  from  the 
original  Israel  ;  Twelve,  from  the  twelve  sons 
of  the  patriarch  Jacob,  and  Seventy  from  the 
threescore  and  ten  souls,  the  united  family  of 
Jacob,  who  went  into  Egypt,  and  there  so  mar- 
vellously multiplied.  Or  this  seventy — a  round 
number  for  seventy-two — may  be  derived  from 
the  seventy  elders  appointed  by  Moses  at  the 
instance  of  his  father-in-law,  Jethro,  to  aid  him 
in  his  judicial  functions  ;  or  rather,  perhaps, 
from  the  seventy  elected  at  the  command  of 
God,  and  ordained  as  an  assistant  council  to 
ease  that  patr"arch  of  the  burden  of  govern- 
ment. "I  will  take."  said  the  Lord,  "of  the 
spirit  which  is  upon  thee,  and  will  put  it  upon 
them  ;  and  they  shall  bear  the  burden  of  the 
people  with  thee,  that  thou  bear  it  not  thyself 
alone  ; "  and  "  when  the  Spirit  rested  upon 
them,  they  propliesied,  and  did  not  cease."  This 
council  is  the  prototype  of  the  later  Sanhedrin. 
Others  again  trace  the  origin  of  the  Seventy, 
like  that  of  the  Twelve,  to  the  twelve  wells  of 
water  and  seventy  palm-trees  at  Elim,  where 
the  Israelites  encamped  in  their  journeyings 
through  the  wilderness,  and  obtained,  for  the 
satisfying  of  their  great  needs,  water  and  re- 
freshment and  repose,  typical  of  the  living 
water  and  spiritual  refreshment  and  comfort 
supplied  by  the  twelve  apostles  and  seventy 
disciples  of  our  Lord. — Rev.  VV.  Pinnock,  LL.D. 

[19096]  The  more  generally  accepted  elucida- 
tion of  this  question  is,  that  the  heathen  races 
were  considered  by  the  Jews  as  seventy  in  num- 
ber, and  their  welfare  consequently  had  been 
customarily  impetrated  during  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  by  the  sacrifice  of  seventy  bullocks, 
corresponding  to  the  seventy  nations  supposed 
to  have  been  segregated  at  the  Babel  dispersion. 
Thirteen  bullocks  were  sacrificed  on  the  first 
day,  and  the  number  was  reduced  by  one  every 
day  to  the  seventh,  when  seven  were  sacrificed, 
and  the  number  seventy  was  thus  completed. — 
Ibid. 

II.  Their  Commission. 

[19097]  The  route  of  these  new  missionaries 
is  not  defined,  but  it  was  probablv  through 
Samaria  and  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles,  for  their 
mission  was  not  limited  to  Judiea,  like  that  of 
the  Twelve.  Their  equipment  was  also  pre- 
scribed and  their  maintenance  assured,  while 
the  only  miraculous  power  conferred  upon  the 
Seventy  was  the  healing  of  the  sick.  Their 
teachmg  was  to  be  similar  to  that  of  John  the 
Baptist,  ofthe  Christ  Himself,and  of  the  Twelve: 
"The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  come  nigh  unto 
you."     Still  continuing  the  design  of  gathering 


igo97 — 19101] 


NEll^    TESTAMENT  SCK/PTUKE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


457 


[the  seventy. 


a  people— the  creation  of  a  society — which  in- 
deed seemed  to  be  the  desideratum  for  accom- 
plishing the  salvation  of  the  race  of  man,  the 
Seventy  started  on  their  mission  with  instructions 
to  "  salute  no  man  by  the  way,"  lest  they  might 
be  retarded — etiquette  must  give  place  to  duty, 
and  in  whatever  house  they  found  a  welcome 
they  were  to  remain,  and  gather  there  a  church, 
as  a  centre  of  their  teaching  and  of  Divine 
worship.  He  also  denounced  "woe!"  upon 
the  city  which  should  not  receive  them  ;  at  the 
same  time,  casting  a  melancholy  thought  upon 
His  Galilean  failure,  He  pronounced  fearful 
anathemas  against  the  favoured  cities  Bethsaida, 
Chorazin,  and  Capernaum,  which  had  now  re- 
jected Him. — Idid. 


III.  Their  Joyful  Return. 

1  Their  elation  was  caused  by  unexpected 
spiritual  successes. 

[19098]  These  ambassadors  of  Christ  "re- 
turned again  with  joy,  saying,  Lord,  even  the 
devils  are  subject  unto  us  through  Thy  name" 
(cf.  Mark  .\vi.  17).  In  His  charge  to  the  Seventy 
(vers.  2-16)  our  Lord  had  given  them  no  distinct 
commission  to  cast  out  devils,  as  He  had  to  the 
Twelve  (IMatt.  x.  8  ;  Luke  i.\.  i)  ;  but  some 
tentative  eftbrts  of  theirs,  some  ventures  of  faith 
in  this  direction,  even  without  distinct  authority, 
had  been  crowned  with  success.  An  acknow- 
ledgment that  this  surpassed  at  once  their  com- 
mission and  their  hopes  seems  to  lie  in  that 
utterance  of  theirs,  "  Lord,  even  the  devils  are 
subject  unto  us  ;  not  diseases  only,  over  which 
Thou  gavest  us  power  (ver  9),  but  the  devils  as 
well.  The  work,  in  which  a  little  while  ago 
apostles  themselves  were  foiled  (ix.  40),  has  not 
lain  beyond  the  limits  of  our  powers,  has  not 
baffled  \is:'—Abp.  Trciuh. 

2  Their  elation  was  natural,  but  perilous  on 
account  of  its  tendency  in  the  direction 
of  spiritual  pride. 

[19099]  Such  exultation  was  most  natural  ; 
yet  was  there  in  it  something  of  peril  for  those 
who  entertained  it,  and  for  their  own  spiritual 
life.  One  need  not  exactly  affirm  that  "through 
Thy  name  "  comes  in  only  as  a  formal  and  a 
saving  clause  at  the  end,  and  that  the  entire 
emphasis  of  the  passage  lay  really  on  what  pre- 
ceded— "  are  subject  unto  us;"  still  there  may 
have  been  something  of  this.  It  could  scarcely 
have  been  otherwise  ;  for,  indeed,  there  is  no 
more  perilous  moment  for  any  man  than  that 
wiien  he  first  discovers  that  he  too  can  wield 
powers  of  the  world  to  come  ;  that  these  wait 
upon  his  beck  ;  lest  he  should  find  in  this  a 
motive  to  self-elation  instead  of  giving  all  the 
glory  to  God.  The  disciples  at  the  present 
moment  were  exposed  to  this  temptation,  as  we 
might  conjecture  even  if  we  had  only  these  words 
of  theirs,  but  as  is  certain  when  we  read  these 
words  in  the  light  of  that  earnest  warning  which 
the  Lord  presently  addresses  to  them,  suggest- 
ing to  them  a  safer  and  a  truer  joy  than  that 


which  they  were  now  too  incautiously  entertain- 
ing.— Idid. 

IV.  Question    as   to    the   Meaning   of 
Our  Lord's  Reply  to  Them. 

[19100]  "And  He  said  unto  them,  I  beheld 
Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven."  Here, 
some  urge,  is  a  warning  to  the  disciples  against 
that  sin  of  pride  which  their  Lord  detected  in 
them  ;  as  though  He  had  said,  "  Be  not  lifted 
up  ;  beware  of  the  first  beginnings  of  a  sin, 
which  may  end  in  so  fearful  a  catastrophe  as 
that  which  I  once  beheld  "—beheld,  that  is,  in 
His  pre-existent  glory  and  before  the  world  was 
— the  fall,  namely,  of  one  through  pride  even 
from  the  height  of  heaven  itself  "  Swift  and 
sudden  as  the  descent  of  the  lightning  was  that 
fall,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  from  a  throne 
of  light  even  to  the  blackness  of  darkness  for 
ever.  And  even  such  a  casting  down  may  be 
yours,  if  you  forget  your  humility,  and  are  lifted 
up  in  heart.'.'  I  cannot  so  take  the  words.  The 
warning  I  believe  to  be  reserved  for  ver.  20,  the 
Lord  for  the  present  freely  sharing  in  their  joy, 
even  as  His  own  presently  breaks  forth  at  these 
tidings  of  the  mighty  works  which  they  had 
wrought  (vers.  21,  22).  Any  interpretation  of 
this  passage  seems  to  me  altogether  at  fault, 
which  makes  it  say  other  than  what  the  Saviour 
on  another  occasion  said,  "  Now  is  the  judgment 
of  this  world,  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world 
be  cast  out"  (John  xii.  31),  or,  "cast  down,"  as 
some  read,  which  would  bring  that  passage  into 
yet  closer  verbal  connection  with  this.  Others, 
who  agree  with  these  interpreters  in  taking  the 
Lord  to  allude  here  to  that  great  original  tall 
of  the  "  son  of  the  morning,"  anterior  to  the  fall 
of  man,  yet  do  not  accept  the  words  in  the  same 
sense.  They  too  find  in  them  a  check  to  the 
undue  elation  of  the  disciples,  but  from  another 
point  of  view  :  "  Think  not  so  much  of  these 
petty  exorcisms  which  you  have  been  permitted 
to  achieve.  I  have  seen  another  sight  ;  the  very 
prince  of  the  whole  kingdom  of  wickedness,  and 
him  in  whose  defeat  tlie  defeat  of  each  one  of 
his  subordinate  ministers  was  involved,  cast  out 
from  heaven  itself" — with,  of  course,  the  under- 
thought  of  having  been  Himself  the  victorious 
author  of  his  defeat. — Ibid. 

[19101]  The  supporters  of  these  expositions 
commonly  urge  that  no  other  satisfies  the  words 
"  from  heaven  ; "  Satan,  they  say,  may  at  a 
later  moment  have  fallen  into  a  deeper  depth 
than  before,  but  how  fallen  "  from  heaven"  in 
the  days  of  Christ's  flesh  .^  how  could  He  speak 
in  this  language  of  any  fall  of  Satan  which  He 
was  only  now  beholding,  seeing  that  long  since, 
at  the  instant  of  his  first  sin,  he  had  been  cast 
out  from  his  first  habitation  (Jude  6,1,  from  his 
place  among  the  "  sons  of  God  "  (Job  xxxviii.  7), 
in  the  heavenly  places  ?  It  is  sufficient  to  reply 
to  these,  that  their  difficulty  arises  from  giving 
an  emphasis  to  the  word  "  heaven,"  which  it  was 
not  intended  to  bear,  and  which,  in  this  very 
I  chapter,  there  is  plain  evidence  that  it  need  not 


458 


igior — 19107] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

CHRISTIAN   ERA.  [DISCIPLES  ON   THE  WAY  TO  EMMAUS. 


have  ;  for  see  ver.  1 5.  For  the  right  understand- 
ing either  of  that  passage  or  of  this,  we  must 
dismiss  the  more  solemn  use  of  "heaven,"  in 
which  it  signifies  the  holy  place,  the  more  im- 
mediate seat  and  habitation  of  God,  .  .  .  and 
only  associate  with  the  word  the  notion  of  eleva- 
tion and  pre-eminence — so  that  in  fact  Christ 
would  be  saying  here,  "  I  beheld  Satan  fall  from 
the  high  places  of  his  pride  and  power  ;  while 
you  were  warring  with  the  servants,  I  beheld  the 
fall  of  the  master." — Idid. 

[19102]  He  employs  the  imperfect  tense  (t^suj- 
povv)  to  make  clear  that  He  had  foreseen  the 
glorious  issue  even  when  He  sent  them  forth. 
This  which  they  now  announce  to  Him  is  even 
as  He  had  surely  expected,  "  I  saw,  as  I  sent 
vou  forth,  Satan  fall  like  lightning  from  heaven." 
—Ibid. 

[19103]  If  Christ  be  not  here  speaking  of  that 
original  fall  of  Satan,  in  which  he  left  his  first 
habitation,  but  rather,  as  I  am  persuaded,  of 
some  fall  within  the  fall,  some  present  dejection 
of  Satan  from  those  seats  of  his  power  and  his 
pride,  which  during  the  four  thousand  years  of 
his  domination  he  had  reared  and  constructed 
anew,  and  from  which  he  was  now  being  thrust 
out  again — what  reason,  it  may  be  asked,  had 
the  Lord  for  in  spirit  beholding  this  at  the  pre- 
sent moment  ?  These  tew  and  petty  exorcisms, 
were  they  not  far  too  slight  and  insignificant  a 
matter  to  justify  so  magnificent  a  saying  .''  As- 
suredly, if  contemplated  as  the  efficient  cause  of 
that  fall  ;  but  not,  if  seen  as  its  evidences  and 
accompaniments.  As  Christ  drew  proofs  of  a 
victory  over  Satan,  which  must  have  been  ac- 
complished by  Himself,  from  His  own  expelling 
of  devils  (Matt.  xii.  28,  29),  so  He  found  proofs 
of  the  same  victory  in  like  works  done  by  His 
disciples.  The  power  of  the  strong  man  could 
not  but  indeed  be  broken,  when  not  merely  the 
stronger  Himself  could  spoil  his  goods  at  His 
pleasure,  but  the  very  weaklings  among  His 
servants  could  go  in  and  out  of  His  domain,  and 
do  there  at  their  will. — I/^id. 


V.  Their  Enlarged  Commission. 
It  was  of  the  nature  of  a  reward. 

[19104]  "Behold  I  give  unto  you  power  to 
tread  on  serpents  and  scorpions,  and  overall  the 
power  of  the  enemy,  and  nothing  shall  by  any 
means  hurt  you."  The  reading,  "  I  have  given 
you,"  arose  from  a  misunderstanding  of  the  pas- 
sage. Hitherto  He  had  not  given  them  this 
power  ;  they  had  in  faith  anticipated  some  por- 
tion of  it  ;  and  He,  findmg  they  were  the  men  to 
make  the  right  use  of  it,  now  imparts  it  to  them 
in  all  its  fulness,  according  to  that  law  of  His 
kingdom,  "  To  him  that  hath  shall  be  given." 
In  the  form  of  the  promise  there  is  manifest 
allusion  to  Psa.  xci.  13  ;  perhaps  also  to  Isa.  ix. 
8  ;  and,  whether  directly  so  intended  or  not,  we 
may  certainly  recognize  here  a  very  gracious 
reading  backward  and  reversing  of  a  threatening 


made  under  the  elder  covenant  Qer,  viii.  17). — 
Jbid. 

VI.  Their  Correction. 

[19105]  With  the  enlarged  commission,  for  it 
is  "  all  the  power  of  the  enemy  "  which  it  is  now 
given  them  to  prevail  against,  comes  also,  and 
as  I  believe  comes  for  the  first  time  in  this  dis- 
course, the  word  of  warning,  "  Notwithstanding 
in  this  rejoice  not,  that  the  spirits  are  subject 
unto  you  ;  but  rather  rejoice,  because  your  names 
are  written  in  heaven."  They  were  not  forbidden 
altogether  to  rejoice  in  these  mighty  powers  as 
exercised  by  them,  forbidden  only  to  make  them 
the  chiefest  matter  of  their  joy.  The  reason  is 
obvious.  These  a  man  might  possess,  and  yet 
remain  unsanctified  still  (Matt.  vii.  22,  23  ; 
I  Cor.  xiii.  2)  ;  for  was  there  not  a  Judas  among 
the  Twelve  .''  these  at  best  were  the  privilege 
only  of  a  few,  they  could  not  therefore  contain 
the  essence  of  a  Christian's  joy.  There  was  that 
wherein  they  might  rejoice  with  a  joy  which 
should  not  separate  them  from  any,  the  least  of 
their  brethren,  a  joy  which  they  had  in  common 
with  aW.—Idid. 


TWO    DISCIPLES    ON   THE 
TO    EMMAUS. 


WAY 


I.  Question  as  to  their  Identification. 

[19106]  The  name  of  one  of  these  favoured 
wayfarers  we  learn  in  the  Gospels.  It  was 
Cleopas  (Luke  xxiv.  18),  who  must  not  be  iden- 
tified with  the  Cleopas  of  John  xix.  25.  Who 
the  other  might  be  we  are  not  told.  Apostle 
he  certainly  was  not  ;  and  those  who  suggest 
Bartholomew  or  James  cannot  reconcile  this 
with  the  fact  that  the  two  report  the  mysterious 
interview  to  the  Eleven  (Luke  xxiv.  23),  could 
not  therefore  themselves  belong  to  the  Eleven. 
Neither  is  it  at  all  likely  that  the  unnamed 
disciple  was  St.  Luke  himself;  for  this,  again, 
seems  scarcely  reconcilable  with  the  announce- 
ment of  the  Evangelist  that  the  account 
which  he  gives  in  his  Gospel  was  delivered 
to  him  by  those  who  were  "eyewitnesses  "  as 
well  as  "ministers  of  the  word"  (i.  2)  ;  herein 
implicitly  affirming  that  such  "eyewitness"  he 
had  not  himself  been,  that  he  had  not  himself 
beheld,  as  these  two  beheld,  the  risen  Lord. 
Jerome  and  others  suppose  that  they  may  both 
have  been  of  the  Seventy,  which  is  probable 
enough  ;  but  we  cannot  affirm  it  with  any  cer- 
tainty.— Abp.  Trench. 

II.  Their  Spiritual  Darkness. 

Christ  is  unknown  and  unexpected  by  a  faith 
which  is  obscured. 

[19107]  The  resurrection  had  taken  place 
already  ;  but  the  disciples  had  refused  to  credit 
it.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness,  which  seemed  to 
have  set  for  ever,  had  again  risen  with  healing 


19107 — igiio] 


in  His  wings  ;  but  the  disciples,  not  without 
grave  fault  of  their  own,  are  walking  on  in  dark- 
ness still,  in  a  darkness  which  in  some  sort  they 
have  made  for  themselves.  So  it  fares  with  these 
two  disciples,  who,  as  I  think  we  may  gather 
from  their  reply,  were  not  perfectly  pleased  to 
be  accosted,  and  interrupted  in  their  confidential 
discourse  with  one  another,  by  one  who  seemed 
to  have  no  right  to  meddle  with  the  sacredness 
of  their  sorrow.  They  cannot  forbear  expressing 
their  surprise  that  such  a  question  should  have 
been  put  to  them.—/liW. 

[19108]  "And  they  said  unto  Him,  Concern- 
ing Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  was  a  prophet 
mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and  all  the 
people"  (cf.  Acts  vii.  22).  From  this  answer  of 
theirs  it  is  evident  that  the  mystery  of  Christ's 
Divine  nature  was  hidden  from  them  as  yet  ; 
or  if  at  any  time  they  had  caught  glimpses  of  it, 
these  now  were  completely  obscured  by  the  thick 
shadows  which  during  the  last  days  had  closed 
around  their  Lord.  Jesus  was  to  them  "  a 
prophet,"  and,  as  we  presently  see,  t/te  prophet. 
He  that  "should  have  redeemed  Israel,"  the 
Messiah  therefore  ;  but  the  Jewish  anticipations 
of  a  Messiah  (and  they  had  not  lifted  themselves 
above  these)  did  not  involve  more  than  glorious 
human  prerogatives.  That  Messiah  should  come, 
and  that  God  should  come,  they  expected  both  ; 
but  that  both  promises  should  be  fulfilled  in  one 
and  the  same  person,  that  these  two  stars  of  hope, 
which  had  lighted  Israel  through  long  ages  of 
gloom,  should  in  the  actual  fulfilment  blend  and 
become  a  single  star,  this  was  a  mystery  hidden, 
we  may  say,  or  almost  hidden,  from  prophets 
and  kings,  from  those  who  most  waited  for  the 
consolation  of  Israel. — /d/d. 

[19109]  They  go  on  :  "And  beside  all  this," 
in  addition  to  that  cruel  death  inflicted  on  Him 
by  our  rulers,  and  sufficiently  explaining  the 
sadness  which  thou  hast  noted  in  us,  "  to-day  is 
the  third  day  since  these  things  were  done.  We 
might  have  had  some  glimpses  of  hope  up  to 
this  present  time,  seeing  that  while  He  was  alive. 
He  more  than  once  uttered  mysterious  words 
not  merely  about  His  own  death,  words  which 
we  have  found  only  too  true,  but  also  about  a 
triumphant  reversal  of  that  doom  of  death, 
mysterious  words  about  what  should  happen  on 
the  third  day  after  His  death  ;  but  this  day  has 
arrived,  and  is  unmarked  by  any  change."  How 
much  unbelief  is  there  here  !  The  third  day  has 
come,  but  it  has  not  gone  ;  and  how  could  they 
be  sure  that  He  had  not  already  made  good  His 
words.?  indeed,  there  was  much  to  render  it 
likely  that  He  had.  Their  own  words  which 
follow  imply  as  much  :  "  Yea,  and  certain  women 
also  of  our  company  made  us  astonished,  which 
were  early  at  the  sepulchre.  And  when  they 
found  not  His  body,  they  came,  saying,  that  they 
had  also  seen  a  vision  of  angels,  which  said  that 
He  was  alive  "  (vers.  l-io  ;  John  xx.  i,  2).  The 
hesitating,  doubting  disciples  will  not  confidently 
affirm  of  this  that  it  was  a  mere  subjective 
imagination  of  these  women  ;  as  little  pledge 


I/Eir  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  459 
CHRISTIAN    KKA.                 [DISCIPLES   ON   THE   WAY  TO   EMMAUS. 


themselves  to  its  objective  reality.  They  speak 
of  it,  therefore,  as  "a  vision  of  angels,"  leaving 
this  matter  undecided.  They  go  on  to  tell  of 
the  visit  of  Peter  and  John  to  the  sepulchre  ; 
"  and  certain  of  them  which  were  with  us  went 
to  the  sepulchre,  and  found  it  even  so  as  the 
women  had  said.''  I'.ut,  having  thus  stated  all 
which  gave  them  warrant  for  hojjc,  they  yet  leave 
off  with  the  mournful,  desponding  words,  "  but 
Him  they  saw  not  "  (cf.  ver.  12  ;  John  xx.  3-ioj. 
— Idid. 


III.  Their  Spiritual  Enlightenment. 

I       The    Scriptures    are    opened    and    under- 
stood, 

[191 10]  "And  beginning  at  Moses  and  all  the 
prophets,  He  expounded  unto  them  in  all  the 
Scriptures  the  things  concerning  Himself"  (cf. 
ver.  44  ;  John  i.  45  ;  Acts  xxvi.  22,  23  ;  i  Pet.  i. 
1 1).  What,  we  may  reverently  inquire,  were  the 
passages  to  which  the  great  Prophet  of  the 
New  Covenant  mainly  referred  as  having  in 
Himself  been  fulfilled?  And  first,  what  pro- 
phecies of  a  suffering  Messiah  did  He  recognize 
and  allow,  claiming  in  the  books  of  Moses  for 
His  own  }  He  began,  as  we  can  hardly  doubt, 
with  the  prot-e-i'ani^-t-liinn.  The  seed  of  the 
woman,  who  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head, 
or,  in  other  words,  inflict  on  him  a  wound  which 
should  be  deadly,  was  not  Himself  to  escape 
unscathed  altogether  ;  this  same  serpent  should 
bruise  His  heel  (Gen.  iii.  15).  And  then  there 
were  the  types,  claimed  by  the  Lord  in  the  days 
of  His  flesh,  or  by  those  who  wrote  concerning 
Him,  as  fulfilled  in  Him  ;  the  brazen  serpent 
(Num.  xxi.  9  ;  John  iii.  14;  Wisd.  xvi.  6)  ;  the 
Paschal  Lamb  (Exod.  xii.  46  ;  John  xix.  36)  ; 
and  as  the  types,  so  also  the  typical  persons  ; 
Joseph,  who  from  the  lowest  humiliation  of  the 
pit  and  the  dungeon  passed  to  the  highest  place 
of  dignity  and  honour,  even  to  the  right  hand 
of  the  throne  ;  David,  who  suflered  so  much 
and  so  long  from  the  persecutions  of  Saul — 
these,  with  many  more.  And  when  the  august 
Interpreter  of  the  things  in  Scripture  concerning 
Himself  reached  the  prophets,  it  can  be  little 
doubtful  that  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah 
was  the  central  prophecy  which  He  expounded. 
Around  this  there  would  be  grouped  the  great 
prophetical  Psalms  of  the  Crucifixion — the 
Psalms  are  not  specially  referred  to  here,  but  at 
ver.  44 — as  eminently  the  twenty-second,claimed 
by  the  Lord  upon  His  cross  (Matt,  xxvii.  46; 
cf.  Mark  xv.  24),  and  the  fortieth,  claimed  in 
like  manner  for  Him  by  His  apostle  (Heb.  x. 
5)  ;  then  further,  Daniel  ix.  26  ;  and  the  book 
of  the  Prophet  Jonah  ;  while  Zechariah  would 
prove  eminently  rich  in  prophetic  glimpses  of 
all  which  had  just  on  Calvary  been  fulfilled  (xii. 
ID,  xiii.  7).  These  disciples  had  assumed  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  could  not  be  the  Christ, 
because  He  had  suffered  these  things ;  the 
Lord  shows  them  from  all  Scripture  that  He 
could  not  be  the  Christ  unless  He  had  suffered 
these  things. — Uid. 


460 

igiii — 19114] 


NEIP"   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[ZACCHiEUS. 


2  Further  spiritual  instruction  is  desired. 

[191 11]  While  He  was  still  engaged  in  open- 
ing to  them  the  Scriptures,  ''they  drew  nigh  unto 
the  village  whither  they  went  ;  and  He  made 
as  though  He  would  have  gone  further,"  not, 
that  is,  pretended,  but  actually  would  have  gone 
further,  unless  they  had  detained  Him  ;  by  thus 
offering  to  proceed,  proving  them  whether  His 
words  had  taken  any  mighty  hold  upon  them  or 
not,  and  whether  there  was  any  desire  upon 
their  part  for  further  communion  with  Him  (cf. 
Mark  vi.  48).  It  was  seen  that  there  was  so.  Much 
they  had  heard,  )'et  they  evidently  desired  to 
hear  still  more.  "  But  they  constrained  Him, 
saying.  Abide  with  us  ;  for  it  is  towards  evening, 
and  the  day  is  far  spent.  And  He  went  in  to 
tarry  with  them,"  to  be  their  guest  now,  as  two 
of  their  number  at  the  outset  of  His  ministry 
had  been  His  (John  i.  39). — Ibid. 

3  Christ  is  recognized. 

[191 12]  "And  it  came  to  pass,  as  He  sat  at 
meat  with  them,  He  took  bread  and  blessed  it,  and 
brake  it,  and  gave  to  them."  He,  in  some  sort, 
the  guest,  assumes  at  once  the  place  of  the  host, 
and,  as  on  other  occasions  (Matt.  xiv.  19,  xv. 
36,  xxvi.  26),  the  prerogatives  of  the  householder 
or  goodman  of  tiie  house,  to  whom  this  blessing 
and  giving  thanks  belonged.  "  And  their  eyes 
were  opened,  and  they  knew  Him  ;  and  He 
vanished  out  of  their  sight."  He  was  known  to 
them,  as  they  themselves  report  to  the  Eleven, 
"in  breaking  of  bread."  This  might  seem  to  imply 
that  there  was  something  in  the  act  of  breaking 
the  bread  by  which  they  recognized  at  least 
with  whom  they  had  to  do.  Perhaps,  as  has 
been  suggested,  and  as  may  be  seen  in  some 
old  pictures,  the  stigmata,  the  marks  of  the 
wounds  in  the  hands  through  this  action  of  His 
became  visible.  At  the  same  time,  the  words, 
"their  eyes  were  opened,"  going  before  "they 
knew  Him,"  and  put  evidently  as  the  condition 
of  their  knowing,  imply  that  it  was  not  a  mere 
natural  conclusion  which  they  drew  from  some- 
thing which  they  saw  Him  do,  but  a  super- 
natuial  enlightenment,  a  ceasing  of  the  condi- 
tion indicated  at  ver.  16,  where  it  is  said, 
"  their  eyes  were  holden." — Idid. 

4  Joy  is  experienced. 

[19113]  With  such  tidings  to  tell,  they  do  not 
tarry  any  longer  at  Emmaus.  "  And  they  rose 
up  the  same  hour,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem, 
and  found  the  eleven  gathered  together,  and 
them  that  were  with  them."  Yet,  if  they 
imagined  that  they  were  the  first  to  bring  the 
glad  tidings,  in  this  they  were  disappointed — 
if  disappointment  it  could  be  called  ;  they  did 
but  contribute  another  stream  to  swell  the  great 
flood-tide  of  joy,  which  every  moment  was 
rising  higher  and  higher.  They  found  the 
Eleven,  and  them  that  were  with  them,  able  to 
answer  good  tidings  with  good  ;  nay,  as  it  would 
seem,  preventing  their  good  tidings  with  those 
which  tlieyhad  themselves  to  tell,  with  evidence 
coming  in  from  one  quarter  and  another,  and 


now  from  the  very  chief  among  themselves, 
that  the  barriers  of  the  grave  had  indeed  been 
broken,  that  their  Lord  was  in  truth  that  Con- 
queror of  death,  that  Prince  of  life,  which  in 
their  unbelieving  ears  He  had  proclaimed  Him- 
self to  be  :  "  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath 
appeared  to  Simon"  (cf.  i  Cor. xv.  5).  And  yet, 
anticipated  though  their  tidings  had  been,  every 
confirmation  of  a  fact  so  marvellous,  so  far 
transcending  all  experience  and  all  hope,  must 
have  been  welcome  ;  welcome,  therefore,  their 
confirmation  of  it,  as  they  threw  their  symbol 
into  the  common  stock  of  hope  ripening  now 
into  glorious  certainty,  as  "  they  told  what  things 
were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  He  was  known 
of  them  in  breaking  of  bread." — Jdid. 


ZACCHJsUS. 

L  General    View    of   the    Publican's 
Position  and  Character. 

[191 14]  In  the  suburbs  of  Jericho  there  re- 
sided a  man  by  the  name  of  Zacchnsus.  of  Jewish 
extraction,  as  the  name  indicates.  He  was  a 
publican,  an  officer  of  the  revenue  ;  and  as  the 
place  was  quite  notorious  for  the  extent  of  its 
trade  in  dates  and  balsam,  by  the  management 
of  the  imposts  he  had  found  his  position  lucra- 
tive, and  had  become  very  rich.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  remind  the  reader  of  the  social 
condition  and  the  general  estimate  of  the  class 
of  men  to  which  Zaccha:us  belonged.  While  the 
farmers  of  the  revenue,  of  the  first  class,  were 
Roman  knights  of  considerable  rank  and  dignity, 
their  agents,  the  common  collectors  of  tribute, 
were  regarded  by  the  Jews  with  the  utmost  con- 
tempt and  odium.  This  was  owing  not  only  to 
the  fact  that  the  Jews  thought  it  unlawful  to  pay 
tribute  to  a  heathen  power,  but  more  especially 
to  the  fact  that  the  publicans,  having  a  certain 
share  in  the  tribute  which  they  collected,  were 
generally  noted  for  imposition,  rapine,  and  ex- 
tortion. The  Jew  who  accepted  the  offices  of 
publicans,  was  execrated  by  his  own  country- 
men. He  was  not  allowed  to  enter  the  syna- 
gogues, and  his  presents  for  the  temple  were  not 
accepted,  being  regarded  as  wicked  and  offen- 
sive. "  Let  him  be  unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man 
and  a  publican,"  is  only  one  of  the  many  ex- 
pressions in  the  New  Testament  which  indicate 
the  general  detestation  in  which  all  belonging 
to  the  order  were  held.  It  is  nowhere  affirmed 
that  every  man  attached  to  the  profession  par- 
took of  the  character  usually  associated  with  the 
order.  Matthew,  one  of  the  apostles  of  Christ, 
and  the  first  in  order  of  the  Evangelists,  was 
a  i)ublican  at  the  port  of  Capernaum,  or  on  the 
high  road  to  Damascus,  at  the  time  when  he 
was  called  to  follow  the  Master.  Neither  is  it 
affirmed  thatZacchjeus  was  particularly  notorious 
tor  his  dishonesty  and  exactions.  Still,  he  was 
not  altogether  clear  of  the  imputations  which 


I9I14— I9II8] 


N£iy  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CIIKISTIAN    ERA. 


461 
[ZACCH.r.US. 


belonged  to  his  class.  He  was  by  no  means 
immaculate,  as  his  own  confession  betrays  be- 
fore this  interview  with  Christ  is  closed.  There 
were  other  things  upon  him  besides  the  social 
ban  which  distinguislied  his  profession.  "  P'or 
the  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost."  These  are  the  words  which 
last  fell  from  the  lips  of  Christ — terminating  the 
conversation,  and  explanatory  of  the  whole 
transaction.  Zacchaeus,  therefore,  was  one  of 
the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  He 
occupies  the  opposite  pole  to  that  where  stood 
the  young  ruler,  in  the  halo  of  his  spotless 
morality.  Not  only  did  he  belong  to  another 
class  socially,  but  in  point  of  character  also. 
The  one  was  scrupulously  honest  and  upright, 
defrauding  not  and  stealing  not  ;  the  other,  we 
are  forced  to  admit,  by  the  purpose  of  restitu- 
tion which  he  afterwards  avowed,  had  defrauded, 
perhaps  often.  Instead  of  being  classified 
with  Pharisaic  legalists,  with  ornate  moralists, 
with  scrupulous  religionists,  we  must  assign 
him  a  place  in  the  general  category  of  publicans 
and  sinners  ;  one  who  would  have  been  found 
wanting  if  weighed  in  the  balances  of  common 
honesty.  We  shall  lose  the  point  of  the  whole 
conversation  if  we  mistake  at  the  beginning 
the  character  of  this  man.  We  need  not  impute 
to  him  anything  extraordinary  in  the  way  of 
crime  ;  but  from  these  several  expressions — 
the  judgment  of  his  neighbours — "  He  was  gone 
to  be  guest  with  a  man  that  is  a  sinner  ; " 
and  his  own  admission,  "  Wherein  I  have 
taken  anything  from  any  man  by  false 
accusation  ; "  and  Christ's  final  explanation, 
"  For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost  " — we  are  forced  to  conclude 
that  this  rich  publican  of  Jericho  was  open  to 
the  charge  of  dishonesty  and  immorality. — 
II '.  Adams,  D.D. 


II.  His  Religious  Awakening. 

I       "He  sought  to  see  Jesus." 

[19115]  Rich  as  he  was,  he  had  not,  as  the 
sequel  shows,  incurred  the  woe  of  those  rich 
who  are  full,  and  who  have  so  received  their 
consolation  here,  that  all  longings  for  a  higher 
consolation  are  extinct  in  them  (Luke  vi.  24). 
We  may  take,  as  an  evidence  of  this,  the  fact 
that  "he  sought  to  see  Jesus — who  He  was  ;" 
not  "  who  He  was  "  in  the  sense  of  "  what 
manner  of  person  ;  "  but  "  which  He  was  "  of 
that  confused  multitude,  to  distinguish  Him  from 
His  company.  And  he  sought  this,  as  the  issue 
proves,  out  of  mere  curiosity,  such  as  Herod's 
(Luke  xxiii.  8)  ;  but  much  more  nearly  in  the 
temper  of  those  Greeks  who  at  the  feast  desired 
to  see  Jesus  (John  xii.  21).  He  may  not  have 
known  or  given  any  account  to  himself,  out  of 
what  motives  this  anxiety  to  see  the  Lord  had 
its  rise  ;  yet  assuredly  there  were  yearnings 
here,  unconscious  they  may  have  been,  of  the 
sick  man  towards  his  Healer,  of  the  sinner 
towards  his  Saviour. — Adp.  Tretich. 


2       He  persisted  and  persevered  in  the  object 
of  his  desire. 

[191 16]  It  was  not  easy  for  him  to  accomplish 
his  desire.  See  Him  he  "could  not  iw  the 
press,  because  he  was  little  of  stature."  So 
earnest,  however,  is  he  in  the  matter,  that, 
rather  than  be  defeated  of  his  longing,  he  devises 
a  w;iy  for  the  satisfying  of  it,  which  will  involve, 
indeed,  a  certain  compromise  of  his  dignity,  but 
from  which  he  does  not  therefore  shrink.  "  He 
ran  before,  and  climbed  up  into  a  sycamore  tree 
to  see  Him."  Many,  no  doubt,  would  wonder 
that  he,  a  rich  man,  and  of  some  official  position 
in  the  city,  should  climb  up,  like  one  of  the 
populace,  into  a  tree,  the  better  to  gaze  upon  a 
spectacle  below.  But  there  is  that  in  him  which 
will  not  allow  such  respects  as  these  to  have  any 
weight  at  the  present.  He  has  not,  or,  if  he  has, 
he  overcomes,  that  false  pride,  through  which 
so  many  precious  opportunities,  and  oftentimes 
in  the  highest  things  of  all,  are  lost. — Ibid. 


HI.  His  Spiritual  Conversion. 

1  It  was  the  direct  effect  of  the  Lord's 
conduct  towards  him. 

[19117]  It  seems  that  the  immediate  effect 
upon  Zacchaeus  of  the  Saviour's  conduct  toward 
him  was,  conviction  of  sin,  unfeigned  repentance, 
confession,  and  restitution.  "  And  Zacch;eus 
stood  and  said,  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my 
goods  I  give  to  the  poor  ;  and  if  I  have  taken 
anything  from  any  man  by  false  accusation,  I 
restore  him  fourfold."  It  was  as  though  he  said, 
"Thy  kindness  to  me,  a  sinner,  has  broken  and 
subdued  my  heart.  I  adore  and  love  that  good- 
ness which  treated  me  so  infinitely  above  my 
deserts.  I  expected,  for  a  moment  in  the  tree, 
to  be  exposed  before  the  people,  to  have  my  sins 
set  in  order  before  my  eyes.  It  would  have 
been  just  and  right.  But,  instead  of  this,  I  am 
selected  from  all  the  people  in  Jericho,  and  Thou 
hast  come  into  my  house  to  be  my  guest.  I  can- 
not withstand  Thy  wondrous  mercy.  Truly 
Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
Is  this  the  manner  of  man,  O  Lord  ?  Thy  mercy 
is  above  the  heavens,  and  behold  I  am  vile  ! 
Here  I  repent  of  my  past  wickedness,  and  shall 
make  restitution.     One  half  of  all  my  property 

1  now  divide  among  the  poor.  I  shall  make  it 
known  that  to  every  one  whose  property  I  have 
rated  unjustly,  and  so  have  extorted  money  from 
him  by  wrongful  assessment,  I  will  pay  back  not 
only  his  proper  demand,  but  fourfold.' — Anon. 

2  It  gave  evidence  of  its  sincerity  by  its 
practical  results  of  a  genuine  repentance 
and  a  generous  restitution. 

[19118]  Assuming,  as  we  must,  that  this 
language  of  Zacchaeus,  followed  by  such  a  bene- 
diction from  Christ,  is  the  expression  of  a  peni- 
tential purpose,  the  fruit  and  evidence  of  the 
greatest  of  changes  in  his  character,  we  linger 
for  an  instant  upon  the  two  things  by  which  the 
sincerity  of  his  repentance  was  demonstrated. 
Christian  penitence  is  something  more  than  a 


462 

19II8— I9I2I] 


I/Eiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHUl'sTIAN   ERA. 


[zACCHjEUS. 


thought,  or  an  emotion,  or  a  tear  ;  it  is  action  : 
"  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to 
the  poor."  This  is  not  the  boast  of  self-com- 
mendation, but  the  purpose  of  a  new  life.  Con- 
versing with  the  moralist  who  prided  himself  on 
his  perfection,  our  Lord,  to  convince  him  of  his 
imperfection,  even  that  his  love  did  not  reach 
the  standard  of  the  law,  bade  him  sell  all  that 
he  had  and  give  to  the  poor.  That  direction 
was  given  as  a  means  of  conviction,  and  not  as 
a  ladder  by  which  to  climb  to  a  higher  morality. 
Here,  in  this  picture  of  the  publican — the  pendant 
of  the  picture  of  the  moralist — no  such  direction 
is  given  by  our  Lord  ;  but  there  is  a  spontaneous 
expression  of  Christian  feeling  on  the  part  of  the 
true  convert  which  proves  the  genuineness  of  the 
change  wrought  in  his  heart.  Instead  of  a  wish 
to  enrich  himself  as  before,  at  the  expense  of 
others,  there  is  now  the  new  emotion  and  purpose 
of  charity.  He  does  not  make  this  avowal  in 
the  spirit  ofa  self-righteous  Pharisee  ;  it  is  the  free 
act  of  a  grateful  and  penitent  sinner  ;  it  is  the 
evidence  of  a  new  affection.  It  is  no  act  of  a 
moralist,  setting  himself  a  task  ;  it  is  the  cheer- 
ful resolution  of  a  man  who  has  come  to  see 
how  much  he  owes  to  that  mercy  by  which  he 
is  forgiven  and  saved  ;  and  who,  in  the  ex- 
pression of  his  novel  Christian  disposition, 
would  evince  his  love  for  his  tellow-men.  The 
legalist  confessed  with  sorrow  that  his  love,  even 
that  of  which  he  boasted,  was  not  equal  to  the 
sacrifice  of  his  idolized  wealth  ;  the  penitent, 
converted  publican,  of  his  own  accord,  proposes 
to  distribute  largely  of  his  goods  to  the  poor,  in 
proof  of  that  new  love  to  God  and  man  which 
the  grace  of  Christ  has  just  enkindled.  This  is 
always  the  way  in  which  the  reality  of  Christian 
conversion  evidences  itself  It  makes  the  selfish 
man  charitable;  the  churlish,  liberal  ;  and  im- 
plants in  the  soul,  which  hitherto  has  cared  only 
for  the  things  belonging  to  himself,  a  disposition 
to  seek  also  the  things  of  others.  The  law  of 
God,  requiring  us  to  love  our  neighbour  as 
ourselves,  is  not  repealed  or  modified  ;  while  we 
cannot  look  to  it  for  hope,  or  for  the  proof  of  our 
perfection,  strange  would  it  be  if,  forgiven  and 
saved  as  those  that  were  lost,  we  should  show  no 
sign  of  a  wish  or  a  purpose  to  conform  to  that 
celestial  statute. —  W.  Adams,  D.D. 

[191 19]  The  other  proof  of  genuine  conversion 
evinced  by  Zaccha^us  was,  in  his  purpose  to  make 
ample  restitution  unto  those  whom  he  had 
wronged.  The  Jewish  law  prescribed  several 
things  in  regard  to  the  restitution  of  property 
obtained  fraudulently.  In  case  of  voluntary 
confession,  without  detection  and  without  trial, 
the  person  implicated  was  required  only  to 
return  what  had  been  stolen,  with  the  addition 
of  one-fifth  of  its  value.  In  case  of  judicial 
conviction,  a  much  larger  sum  was  enjoined. 
In  all  cases  the  implication  was,  that  there  could 
be  no  genuine  repentance  unaccompanied  by 
restitution.  To  be  sorry  for  having  extorted 
property  from  another,  and  still  retain  that 
property  in  possession,  would  be  more  incon- 
iiruous  than  for  sweet  water  and  bitter  to  flow 


from  the  same  fountain.  Zaccheeus  seems  to 
throw  his  constitutional  earnestness  into  the 
purpose  of  making  restitution  unto  all  whom  he 
had  wronged.  There  is  nothing  half-way  in  his 
resolution.  Of  his  own  accord,  without  any 
detection,  or  trial,  or  conviction,  or  compulsion, 
he  determines  to  restore  fourfold  — far,  far  beyond 
all  which  law  ever  prescribed  ;  more  than 
principal,  more  than  interest,  largely  in  advance 
of  all  legal  claims.  He  is  determined  to  make 
thorough  work  of  his  penitence  and  his  reform. 
Allowing  that  only  a  small  fraction  of  his  pro- 
perty had  been  acquired  by  dishonest  means  ; 
if  he  gave  half  of  all  he  possessed  to  the  poor, 
and  then  restored  fourfold  upon  all  he  had  pur- 
loined, it  is  evident  that  very  little  was  retained 
for  himself,  and  that  he  was  determined  that  his 
new  Christian  honesty  should  go  to  the  very 
root  of  the  matter. — Ibid. 

[19120]  In  the  presence  of  them  all  (Lukexix. 
11)  "Zacchceus,"  who  had  so  long,  like  another 
Levi,  sat  at  the  receipt  of  custom,  "  stood,"  or 
stood  forth,  "  and  said  unto  the  Lord  :  Behold, 
Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor  ; 
and  if  I  have  taken  anything  from  any  man  by 
false  accusation,  I  restore  him  fourfold."  The 
present,"  I  give,"  expresses  the  fixedness  of  his 
resolve  ;  for  however  this  distribution  of  his 
goods  is  still  in  the  future,  that  future  to  him  is 
as  though  actually  present.  To  make  it  stand 
for  a  past,  and  to  accept  this  "  I  give,"  and  "  I 
restore,"  as  the  expression  of  his  past  conduct 
in  the  stewardship  of  this  worldly  mammon,  as 
though  Zaccha^us  had  been  another  Cornelius, 
"  a  devout  man,  which  gave  much  alms  to  the 
people"  (Acts  x.  2),  is  a  curious  missing  and 
marring  of  the  whole  point  of  this  incident,  in 
fact  a  most  notable  piece  of  Pharisaic  exegesis. 
Zaccha^us  might,  and  would  even  then,  have 
needed  the  higher  righteousness  of  Christ,  but 
he  would  scarcely  have  been  until  this  day  one 
of  the  "  lost."  Salvation  would  not  on  that  day 
have  first  come  to  his  house.  But  it  is  not  thus. 
All  which  he  now  announces  of  a  giving  of  his 
own,  and  a  restoring  of  that  which  is  another's, 
is  to  be  taken  as  the  blessed  results  of  Christ's 
visit,  as  the  outward  utterance  of  the  mighty 
inward  change  that  had  passed  upon  him.  Now 
is  he  a  righteous  man  according  to  that  rule  of 
the  prophet  (Ezek.  xviii.  21,  23,  xxxiii.  15),  and 
his  name  and  he  are  agreed. — Abp.  Trench. 

[19121]  Pie  parted  at  once  with  half  of  all  that 
he  had,  to  "  give  to  the  poor."  Out  of  the  other 
half  he  promised  to  pay  each  one  whom  he  had 
injured,  fourfold.  We  see  him  passing  along 
the  street.  What  confidence,  what  love,  what 
kindness  mark  the  varying  expression  of  his 
face  !  He  has  a  different  air  and  manner  ;  it 
almost  seems  that  he  has  added  to  his  stature 
since  yesterday.  Instead  of  skulking  about, 
afraid  or  ashamed  to  meet  men,  he  goes  to  some 
who  he  knows  fear  or  hate  him,  and  bids  them 
behold  in  him  a  new  man.  What  scenes  of 
confession  on  his  part,  of  weeping  on  the  part 
of  those  whom  he  grasps  by  the  hand  !     The  joy 


19121—19125] 


MEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


463 


[ZACCH.KUS. 


of  heaven  over  him  is  not  so  rich  as  his.  Not 
waiting  to  be  called  upon,  he  goes  to  one  and 
another — the  widow,  the  orphan,  to  all  whom  he 
has  wronged — receives  forgiveness,  has  peace 
with  his  own  conscience  and  with  God. — Anon. 

IV.  Contrast     with     Nicodemus     and 
Simon  the  Pharisee. 

[19122]  He  has  none  of  that  caution  which 
the  rationalist  Nicodemus  showed  when  coming 
by  night  to  converse  with  Jesus.  Whatever  the 
motives  which  impel  him,  whatever  the  emotions 
which  struggle  in  his  soul,  Zaccha^us,  the  rich 
man  of  Jericho,  is  not  ashamed  to  put  himself, 
in  broad  daylight,  in  a  most  conspicuous  place, 
before  all  the  people,  where  concealment  was 
impossible.  During  his  second  general  ministry 
in  Galilee,  our  Lord  was  invited  by  a  certain 
Pharisee  to  dine  at  his  house.  That  Pharisee 
thought  that  he  was  conferring  a  great  honour 
upon  Christ  by  this  invitation  ;  and  though  Christ 
accepted  it  for  the  purpose  of  administering  the 
lessons  which  He  did  to  the  Pharisaic  guests, 
yet  He  pronounced  no  blessing  upon  that  house, 
for  it  was  the  abode  of  pride  and  arrogance. 
How  different  was  the  temper  of  Zacchreus  !  He 
did  not  presume  to  invite  Christ  to  his  house  ; 
but  when  Christ  Himself  proposed  to  be  his 
guest,  Zaccha;us  shows,  by  every  expression,  that 
he  regarded  it  as  the  greatest  honour.  He  must 
have  had  a  poor  opinion  of  himself,  which  is 
the  best  definition  of  true  humility.  There  was 
nothing  like  pride,  or  arrogance,  or  supercilious- 
ness about  the  man,  but  a  most  hearty  sense  of 
his  own  unworthiness  ;  for  the  alacrity  he  dis- 
plays in  accepting  the  visit  which  Christ  pro- 
poses is  a  proof  that  he  considers  it  as  an 
honour  and  a  blessing.  Nor  do  I  see  anything 
to  forbid  the  belief  that  his  heart  had  often 
been  touched  by  the  sense  of  his  misery  and 
guilt,  and  that  this  may  have  been  one  among 
other  reasons  why  he  did  not  obtrude  himself 
through  the  crowd  with  his  own  voluntary  invi- 
tations to  the  Son  of  Man. — IV.  Adams,  D.D. 

V.  Homiletical  Reflections. 

I  The  conversion  of  Zacchasus  furnishes  a 
notable  instance  of  the  operation  of  Divine 
wisdom. 

[19123]  "He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise." 
When  Jesus  entered  and  passed  through 
Jericho,  on  purpose,  as  there  is  reason  to 
believe,  to  convert  this  sinner,  there  were  many 
ways  in  which  He  could  have  done  it  ;  but  the 
way  which  He  took  to  accomplish  His  object  was 
singularly  beautiful  for  its  adaptedness  to  the 
end  in  view.  The  Spirit  of  God  moved  Zac- 
cha?us  to  ascend  that  tree,  and  so  prepared  the 
way  for  the  call  which  was  to  be  made  to  him. 
Approaching  the  tree,  Christ  did  not  first  of  all 
turn  the  attention  of  the  people  toward  him  in 
a  way  to  cause  embarrassment  ;  nor  did  He  for 
one  moment  mortify  him  ;  nor  did  He  make  the 
most  distant  allusion  to  his  past  life  ;  and,  in- 
deed, it  does  not  appear  that  in  all  His  con- 


versation with  him,  in  the  tree,  by  the  wr.y,  or 
in  the  liousc,  He  said  one  word  to  him  in  the 
form  of  reproach,  or  even  reproof,  but  made  His 
kindness  and  love  the  almighty  instrument  of 
breaking  his  heart.  It  is  the  highest  wisdom, 
in  governing  men  and  children,  to  make  them 
govern  themselves.  We  can  imagine  that  kind, 
gracious  voice,  as  the  Saviour  paused  and  looked 
up  into  the  tree:  "  Come,  Zacchjeus,  I  will  go 
home  with  you  as  your  guest."  Exquisitely 
beautiful  was  this  stroke  of  Divine  skill  ;-not 
adroitness,  for  this  savours  too  much  of  human 
artifice  ;— not  tact,  for  this  is  too  ccjinmon  and 
low  a  term  by  which  to  designate  it  ;  rather  it 
was  an  instance  of  heavenly  wisdom  inspired  by 
heavenly  love. — Anon. 

2  The  conversion  of  Zacchasus  reminds  us  of 
the  benefit  which  is  likely  to  accrue  from 
an  endeavour  to  meet  with  Jesus  Christ. 

[19124]  It  is  well  to  bring  others  with  us  to 
public  worship,  and  to  the  places  where  prayer 
is  wont  to  be  made,  even  when  they  have  no 
interest  in  the  subject  of  religion  ;  for  such 
persons  are  sometimes  most  likely  to  be 
awakened.  If  any  have  a  desire  to  know  what 
spiritual  religion  is,  while  they  are  conscious 
of  no  special  religious  impressions  or  proper 
feelings,  let  them,  nevertheless,  be  encouraged 
to  visit  the  house  of  God  and  the  places  where 
Christians  meet  to  pray.  Zacchasus  had  no  other 
feeling  in  climbing  the  tree  to  see  Christ  than 
bare  curiosity  ;  but  every  ordinary  thought  or 
feeling  with  regard  to  Christ  which  will  {)r()mpt 
us  to  put  ourselves  in  His  way  is  to  be  cherished, 
nor  must  we  suspect  or  de:pise  it  though  it  be 
not  all  that  it  should  be.  If  we  would  obtain 
religion,  there  are  appropriate  means  to  be  used, 
as  in  every  other  pursuit.  Riding,  or  sailing,  or 
sleeping  on  the  Sabbath,  or  strolling  with  idle 
company,  has  no  tendency  to  make  us  acquainted 
with  Christ.  Put  yourself  under  religious  in- 
fluences, be  in  earnest  to  gain  heavenly  wisdom  ; 
wait  at  her  gates,  show  zeal  in  seeking  Christian 
knowledge,  run  before  the  multitude,  climb  the 
tree,  obtain  direction  in  your  doubts  and  diffi- 
culties ;  for  if  Zacchicus,  from  a  mere  motive  of 
curiosity  to  see  Christ,  found  eternal  life,  and  if 
men  who  had  confidence  in  Him  to  venture  and 
ask  for  cures  received  forgiveness  of  sins,  let  us 
be  persuaded  that  He  will  notice  and  cherish 
every  desire,  however  poor  and  feeble,  which  is 
directed  toward  Him. — Jdid. 

3  The  conversion  of  Zacchasus  reminds  us 
that  every '•  comiRg  to  Chrict  "  is  but  the 
result  of  a  previous  coming  of  Christ  to 
the  soul. 

[19125]  Say  what  we  will  of  Zaccha:us  seeking 
Jesus,  the  truth  is  Jesus  was  seeking  Zacchacus. 
For  what  other  reason  but  the  will  of  God  had 
Jesus  come  to  Jericho,  but  to  seek  Zaccha.'us  and 
such  as  he.''  Long  years  Zacchicus  had  been 
living  in  only  a  dim  consciousness  of  being  a 
servant  of  God  and  goodness.  At  last  the 
Saviour  is  born  into  the  world — appears  in 
Judaea — comes   to  Jericho,   Zacchasus'   town — 


464 


19125—19129] 


NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  innocents. 


passes  down  ZacchjEus' street,  and  by  Zacchasus' 
house,  and  up  to  Zacchseus'  person.  What  is 
all  this  but  seeking  .''  what  the  Bible  calls  elec- 
tion ?  Now  there  is  a  specimen  in  this  of  the 
ways  of  God  with  men  in  this  world.  We  do 
not  seek  God — God  seeks  us.  There  is  a  Spirit 
pervading  Time  and  Space  who  seeks  the  souls 
of  men.  At  last  tiie  seeking  becomes  reciprocal 
— the  Divine  Presence  is  felt  afar,  and  the  soul 
begins  to  turn  towards  it.  Then  when  we  begin 
to  seek  God,  we  become  conscious  that  God  is 
seeking  us.  It  is  at  that  period  that  we  dis- 
tinguish the  voice  of  personal  invitation — 
"  ZacchcEus  ! "  It  is  then  that  the  Eternal 
Presence  makes  its  abode  with  us,  and  the  hour 
of  unutterable  joy  begins,  when  the  banquet 
of  Divine  Love  is  spread  within  the  soul,  and 
the  Son  of  God  abides  there  as  at  a  feast, 
"  Behold  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  :  If 
any  man  hear  My  voice,  I  will  come  in  and  sup 
with  him,  and  he  with  M.c.'''^Rev.  F.  Robertson. 


TIIE  INNOCENTS, 

I.  Probable  Reasons  for  the  Permis- 
sion OF  THEIR  Massacre. 

[19126]  Let  us  look  into  the  case.  Let  us  see 
whether  there  be  really  anything  in  the  facts 
now  commemorated  at  variance  with  the  known 
mercy  of  God.  If,  indeed,  we  were  unable  to 
discover  that  the  slaughter  of  the  innocents  was 
a  means  to  ensure  wise  ends,  we  shall  be  con- 
fident, from  the  known  attributes  of  God,  that 
there  was  such  an  end,  though  not  to  be  ascer- 
tained by  our  limited  faculties.  This,  however, 
is  not  the  case.  And  they  who  think  at  all 
carefully  will  find  enough  to  remove  all  surprise 
that  Herod  was  not  witliheld  from  the  slaughter. 
Let  it  be  first  observed,  that  prophecy  had  fixed 
Bethlehem  as  the  birthplace  of  the  Christ,  and 
had  determined,  with  considerable  precision, 
the  time  of  the  nativity.  It  were  easy,  there- 
fore, to  prove,  that  no  one  could  be  the  Messiah 
who  had  not  been  born  at  Bethlehem,  and  about 
the  period  when  the  Virgin  became  a  mother. 
How  wonderfully,  then,  did  the  slaughter  of  the 
innocents  corroborate  the  pretensions  of  Jesus  ! 
If  no  one  could  be  Messiah  unless  born  at 
Bethlehem,  and  at  a  certain  time,  why,  the 
sword  of  Herod  did  almost  demonstrate  that 
Jesus  was  the  Christ  ;  for  removing,  perhaps, 
every  other  who  could  have  answered  to  the 
test  of  time  and  place  of  birth,  there  seems  only 
Jesus  remaining  in  whom  the  prophecy  could 
be  fulfilled.  We  regard  this  as  a  very  striking 
reason  why  the  slaughter  may  have  been  per- 
mitted. God  was  providing  tor  the  conviction 
of  those  who  should  search  into  the  pretensions 
of  Jesus,  and  of  leaving  all  inexcusable  who 
should  reject  these  pretensions.  There  was  so 
universal  an  agreement  that  Christ  was  to  be 
born  at  Bethlehem,  and  about  the  time  of  the 
slaughter  ;  and  what  then  did  the  slaughter  do, 


if  only  Jesus  survived,  but  prove  distinctly  that 
Jesus  was  the  Q\\usO.— Canon  Melvill. 

[19127]  It  should  be  carefully  marked,  that 
Tesus  was  to  live  in  comparative  obscurity  until 
thirty  years  of  age  ;  He  was  then  to  burst  sud- 
denly upon  the  world,  and  to  amaze  it  by  dis- 
plays of  omnipotence.  But,  brought  up  as  He 
had  been  at  Nazareth  (Bethlehem,  though  His 
birthplace,  not  being  the  residence  of  His 
parents),  it  was  very  natural  that  when  He 
emerged  from  long  seclusion,  He  slvould  have 
been  regarded  as  a  Nazarene.  Accordingly  v/e 
find  so  completely  had  His  birthplace  been 
forgotten,  that  many  objected  His  being  of 
Nazareth,  against  the  possibility  of  His  being 
the  Messiah.  There  was  a  general  persuasion 
of  His  being  the  Christ.  "  Others  said,  This  is 
the  Christ.  But  some  said,  Shall  Christ  come 
out  of  Galilee.''  Hath  not  the  Scripture  said, 
that  Christ  cometh  of  the  seed  of  David,  and 
out  of  the  town  of  Bethlehem,  where  David 
was?"  They  argued  rightly,  you  observe,  that 
no  one  could  be  the  Christ  who  had  not  been 
born  at  Bethlehem  ;  but  then  they  rashly  con- 
cluded, that  Jesus  wanted  this  sign  of  Messiah- 
ship,  because  they  knew  Him  to  have  been 
brought  up  in  Galilee.  And  what  made  them 
inexcusable  ?  Why,  the  slaughter  of  the  inno- 
cents. They  could  not  have  been  uninformed 
of  this  event  ;  bereaved  parents  were  still  living, 
who  would  be  sure  to  tell  the  story  of  their 
wrongs  ;  and  this  event  marked  as  with  a  line 
of  blood  the  period  at  which  the  Christ  was 
supposed  to  have  been  born.  How  easy,  then,  to 
ask  whether  the  parents  of  Jesus  had  been  then 
at  Bethlehem  ;  how  easy  to  determine  it,  seeing 
the  period  was  that  at  which  the  Roman 
Emperor  required  every  Jew  to  repair  to  his 
own  city.  So  that  there  was  not  needed  any 
laborious  investigation,  any  searching  into  gene- 
alogies and  records,  in  order  to  the  deciding 
where  Jesus  was  born  :  the  massacre  of  the 
innocents  was  a  proof,  known  to  the  most  illite- 
rate, that  thirty  years  before  there  had  been 
born  at  Bethlehem,  one  whose  nativity  had  been 
attended  by  such  signs  as  disturbed  the  king  on 
the  throne.  A  moment's  inquiry  would  have 
proved  to  them  that  Jesus  was  this  child,  and 
removed  the  doubt  which  attached  to  Him  as  a 
supposed  Galilean. — Ibid. 

[19128]  We  may  believe  that  God  was  leaving 
Herod  to  fill  up  the  measure  of  his  guilt,  that 
he  might  exhibit  in  this  instance  a  great  display 
of  retributive  justice.  Designing  at  the  outset 
of  Christianity  to  give  a  fearful  proof  that  even 
in  this  world  wickedness  shall  not  always  go 
unpunished,  God  allowed  the  tyrant  to  become 
notorious  by  his  endeavour  to  destroy  the  Christ, 
that  his  fall  might  be  a  warning  to  persecutors 
of  the  Church. — Ibid. 

[19129]  God  was  unquestionably  disciplining 
the  parents  by  the  slaughter  of  the  children. 
"Indeed,"  you  may  say,  "could  so  painful  a 
visitation    have   been    more  required    by    the 


19129— 1913s] 


NEiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  465 

CHRISTIAN    ERA.  [tHE  CHILDREN    IN    THE   TEMPLE. 


families  of  Bethlehem  than  by  those  of  other 
towns?"  .  .  .  The  sword  only  took  the  place  of 
fever  ;  and  as  we  readily  believe  that  when 
massacre  and  not  sickness  was  His  engine,  He 
consulted  best  for  the  parents  of  Bethlehem  by 
smiting,  and  for  those  of  Jerusalem  by  sparing. 
—Idid. 

[19130]  It  is  instructive  to  consider  the  conse- 
quences of  the  massacre,  so  far  as  the  innocents 
themselves  were  concerned.  There  is  much  here 
to  require  and  repay  your  careful  examination. 
We  have  an  unhesitating  belief  in  respect  of  all 
children,  admitted  into  God's  church,  and  dying 
before  they  know  evil  from  good,  that  they  are 
saved  by  the  virtues  of  Christ's  propitiation. 
An  adult  person  has  in  him  the  guilt  both  of 
original  sin  and  of  actual,  but  the  infant  only 
of  original.  The  infant  has,  indeed,  this  guilt 
of  original  sin  ;  else  why  does  it  die  whilst  yet 
at  its  mother's  breast,  and  thus  share  in  the 
penalty  which  only  sin  has  provoked  }  We  know 
not  how  any  one  can  question  original  sin  who 
has  marked  the  sufferings  of  a  babe,  or  seen  its 
little  cotfin  borne  to  the  churchyard.  But  if  the 
guilt  of  original  sin  be  on  the  infant,  that  of 
actual  cannot  be.  There  can  be  no  actual 
transgression  where  there  is  no  knowledge  of 
law  ;  and  the  faculties  must  be  opened  ere  the 
knowledge  can  be  gained.  But,  whatever  the 
other  virtues  of  baptism,  it  seems  most  reason- 
able to  believe  that  it  removes  from  its  every  ob- 
ject the  guilt  of  original  sin.  .  .  There  is  one  great 
sense  in  which  baptism  is  the  laver  of  regenera- 
tion ;  the  child  that  was  born  an  alien  is  received 
into  God's  family,  and  it  is  only  by  committing 
actual  sin  that  it  can  again  be  brought  under 
condemnation  :  and  if,  therefore,  the  child,  thus 
renewed,  and  accepted  in  Christ,  die  ere  old 
enough  for  moral  accountableness,  it  seems  im- 
possible to  question  the  salvation  of  this  child. 
Original  guilt  is  removed,  and  actual  guilt  there 
is  none  ;  and  what  then  shall  prevent  the  entrance 
of  the  immortal  spirit  into  heaven  .''  Who,  then, 
shall  say  that  Herod  was  permitted  to  do  a  real 
injury  to  those  innocents,  and  that  thus  their 
death  is  an  impeachment  either  of  the  justice  or 
the  mercy  of  God  .?  We  may  be  assured  that  they 
escaped  many  cares,  difficulties,  and  troubles, 
with  which  a  long  life  must  have  been  charged  ; 
for,  had  the  sword  of  Herod  not  hewn  them 
down,  they  might  have  remained  on  earth  till 
Judah's  desolation  began,  and  have  shared  in  the 
worst  woes  which  ever  fell  on  a  land. — Ibid, 


II.  Lessons  to  be  Drawn   from  their 
Mass.\cre. 

[19131]  Do  we  not  see  in  the  shedding  of  this 
innocent  blood  a  reflection  of  that  law  of 
vicarous  sacrifice  which  runs  through  the 
whole  of  creation,  and  of  which  Jesus  Himself 
was  to  be  the  perfect  fulfilment .?  The  children 
of  Bethlehem  laid  down  their  lives  that  He 
might  go  free.  He  is  not  ashamed  to  owe  His 
life  to  them— why  should  we  be  ashamed  to 
owe  our  lives  to  Him  ? — Rev.  V.  IV.  Hutton. 

VOL.   VI.  31 


THE  CHILDREN  IN  THE  TEMPLE. 

I.  Their  Hosannas. 

They  were   grateful,  and    probably   helpful   to 
Christ. 

[19 1 32]  This  sudden  impulse  upon  the  minds 
of  the  children,  in  praising  Christ,  must  have 
had  a  grateful  effect  upon  His  feelings,  con- 
sidering the  near  approach  of  His  sufferings 
and  death  ;  and  their  love,  at  such  a  time,  is, 
perhaps,  a  fulfilment  of  another  prophecy  con- 
cerning Him  :  "  He  shall  drink  of  the  brook  by 
the  way  ;  therefore  shall  He  lift  up  the  head  ;  " 
that  is,  as  He  goes  to  suffer  and  die.  His  spirits 
shall  be  cheered  by  manifestations  of  love,  which 
are  like  unexpected  brooks  to  a  weary  traveller. 
The  alabaster  box  of  ointment  was  another 
brook  ;  the  angel  in  Gethsemane  was  another  ; 
and  the  great  company  of  women, following  Him 
to  Calvary,  and  lamenting  Him,  was  another. — 
A''.  Adams,  D.D. 

[19133]  Some  may  say,  "This  act  of  the  chil- 
dren in  the  temple  was  a  mere  childish  and 
thoughtless  thing.  Children  are  great  imitators. 
No  account  is  to  be  made  of  their  hosanna." 
Christ  did  not  think  so.  He  considered  it  as  an 
offering  made  to  Flim,  and  quoted  Scripture  to 
explain  and  justify  it.  Is  it  the  spirit  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees  within  us  that  leads  us 
to  think  lightly  of  the  children's  hosanna  ? — 
Ibid. 


II.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 

Reason  why  children  should  be  moved  with 
interest  in  the  triumph  of  Christ,  and 
should  join  in  the  love  and  worship 
offered  to  Him. 

Ott  accoimt  of  the  vast  numbers  of  children 
who  receive  salvation  tliroiigh  the  Atonemetit. 

[19134]  It  is  probable  that  Christ  has  saved 
the  souls  of  more  young  children  than  of  grown 
persons.  It  is  estimated  that  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  all  who  are  born,  die  in  infancy  and 
early  childhood.  We  have  reason  to  hope  and 
believe  that  they  who  are  incapable  of  repent- 
ance and  faith,  though  partakers  of  a  corrupt 
nature  through  Adam,  share  in  the  benefits  of 
redemption  by  Christ  ;  so  that  where  sin 
abounded,  grace  doth  much  more  abound.— 
Ibid. 

[19135]  While  the  Bible  is  silent  on  the  sub- 
ject, there  is  reason  to  hope  and  to  believe  that 
God  has  glorified  Himself  by  saving  the  myriads 
of  children  who  have  perished  by  disease,  war, 
famine,  inflinticide.  Salvation  being,  in  every 
case,  an  act  of  grace,  grace  is  especially  honoured 
in  rescuing  the  poor,  wretched  heirs  of  sin,  who 
die  in  early  years,  and  making  them  the  subjects 
of  Christ's  redeeming  work,— they  being  renewed 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  thus  made  the  fruits  of 
the  Saviour's  death.  Unless  they  are  saved  in 
this  way,  there  will  be  a  majority  in  heaven  who 


466 

I9I3S— 19139] 


KEiy    TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 


CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[the  intelligent  lawyer. 


will  not  sing  the  song  of  heaven,  "  Unto  Him 
that  loved  us,  and  washed  ns  from  our  sins  in 
His  own  blood."  That  vast  multitude  would 
then  say,  "  We  owe  it  to  the  justice  of  God, — it 
is  something  which  God  was  obliged  in  justice 
to  bestow  on  us,  that  we  are  here."  John  saw 
and  heard  nothing  like  this  in  heaven.  Now,  if 
young  children  are  saved  by  Christ,  if  they  owe 
heaven  to  His  death,  of  course  they  needed  re- 
demption, on  account  of  their  being  involved  in 
the  fall.  If  it  would  have  been  unjust  to  punish 
them  for  Adam's  sin,  it  does  not  follow  that  their 
being  saved  is  not  an  act  of  grace.  Their  rescue 
from  all  liability  to  perish,  by  actual  transgres- 
sion, had  they  lived,  is  enough  to  lay  them  under 
infinite  obligations  to  Christ.  An  old  epitaph 
reads  thus  : — 

"Bold  Infidelity,  turn  pale  and  die  : 
Beneath  this  stone  four  infants'  ashes  lie. 
Say,  are  they  lost  or  saved  } 
If  death's  by  sin,  they  sinned, — for  they  lie 

here  ; 
If  heaven's  by  works,  in  heaven  they  can't 

appear. 
Reason,  ah,  how  depraved  !  revere  the  sacred 

page  ; 
They  died,  for  Adam  sinned ;  they  live,  for 

Jesus  died." — Ibid. 


THE  INTELLIGENT  LA  WYER. 

I.  His  Question. 

The  spirit  which  dictated  it  was  probably  not 
insincere. 

[191 36]  There  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
aught  amiss  either  in  the  spirit  of  the  question 
or  in  the  form  in  which  it  was  put.  It  is  said, 
indeed,  that  the  lawyer  tempted  Him,  but  to 
tempt  is  simply  to  try.  We  have  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  there  was  any  malice  in  the  lawyer, 
but  rather  an  honest  and  honourable  earnestness. 
He  had,  perhaps,  no  great  confidence  in  the 
wisdom  of  Jesus  ;  but  he  was  desirous  of  gain- 
ing what  instruction  he  could.  He  may  have 
heard  the  previous  declaration  concerning  the 
superior  blessedness  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus  to 
the  prophets  and  kings  of  old,  and  he  may  have 
wished  to  try  whether  the  teaching  of  Jesus  was 
indeed  more  comi)lete  than  that  of  the  Old 
Testament.  At  any  rate  we  are  certainly  to 
regard  the  superiority  of  Christian  privileges  to 
those  of  the  old  prophets  and  kings  as  consisting 
mainly  in  this,  that  we  are  now  more  completely 
and  effectually  put  into  the  way  to  eternal  life. 
—  Anon. 

[19137]  This  lawyer  had  probably  some  secret 
misgiving  that,  with  all  his  learning,  he  was  not 
on  the  right  road,  and  he  would  have  been  glad 
to  receive  satisfaction  from  the  new  prophet. 
Such  appears  to  be  the  spirit  of  his  question. 


And  we  must  notice  that  it  is  not  rebuked,  but 
earnestly  dealt  with  by  Jesus. — Ibid. 


II.   HOMILETICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

1       The  attitude  of   the  lawyer  suggests  that 
self-conceit  hinders  Christian  progress. 

[19138]  This  lawyer  was  thoroughly  satisfied 
with  his  own  condition,  and  fully  convinced  that 
it  lay  altogether  in  his  power  to  work  out  his  own 
salvation  without  any  help  from  God.  He  in- 
quired what  he  must  do,  what  special  feat  he 
must  accomplish,  in  order  to  win  for  himself 
eternal  life.  He  came  to  ask  this  important 
question,  not  as  the  jailer  at  Philippi  came  to 
ask  it,  namely,  trembling  and  abased  ;  he  came 
with  guileful  tongue,  hard  heart,  and  arrogant 
manner.  He  was  clothed,  not  with  humility, 
but  with  vanity  and  self-righteousness.  Many 
men  in  various  ages  of  the  world's  history  have 
striven  to  take  heaven  as  it  were  by  storm,  but 
have  only  come  to  great  discomfiture.  They 
have  rejected  God's  way  of  salvation  as  too 
simple,  too  easy,  and  have  endeavoured  to  work 
out  for  themselves  some  harder  course  of  life 
that  would  at  the  same  time  win  for  them  eternal 
life,  and  afford  scope  for  the  display  of  their  own 
peculiar  merits.  By  severe  asceticism,  by  self- 
inflicted  bodily  tortures,  and  by  the  abnegation 
of  all  earthly  ways,  men  strive  in  vain,  laboriously 
to  earn  by  their  own  works  what  was  offered  as 
a  free  gift  from  God's  bounty,  and  what  needs 
only  a  thankful  heart  and  a  lowly  spirit  in  the 
recipient  to  be  for  ever  owned.  The  words  of 
Naaman's  servants  to  their  master  are  eternally 
applicable  to  all  mankind  :  "If  the  prophet  had 
bid  thee  do  some  great  thing,  wouldest  thou  not 
have  done  it  ?  how  much  more,  then,  when  he 
said  unto  thee,  Wash,  and  be  clean  1 " — J^ev.  /v\ 
Vouni^. 


2  The  attitude  of  the  lawyer  suggests  that 
head-knowledge  without  heart-knowledge 
is   of  very  little  practical  value  in  religion. 

[19139]  This  lawyer  was  doubtless  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  letter  of  the  Mosaic  law,  of 
which  he  was  a  professed  expounder,  but  he  had 
imbibed  little  of  its  spirit.  He  was  familiar 
enough  with  the  term  neighbour  as  used  in  the 
Decalogue,  but  he  was  more  anxious  to  raise 
subtle  questions  as  to  the  extent  of  his  obliga- 
tion to  the  individual  or  individuals  thus  de- 
scribed than  to  heartily  endeavour  to  do  the 
duty  that  was  enforced  upon  him.  There  is  at 
the  present  day  a  craze  for  education.  Every- 
body is  to  be  stored  with  knowledge,  and  to  be 
tested  by  examination.  ...  A  millennium  of 
peace  and  plenty,  of  civilization  and  culture,  is 
to  prevail  throughout  the  world.  So  these 
optimists  dream  ;  but  their  dream,  it  is  to  be 
feared,  is  an  Utopian  one.  Can  any  intelligent 
and  unprejudiced  observer  believe  that  the 
world  is  to  be  reformed  by  such  means  and  such 
measures  as  are  now  predominant  in  educa- 
tional matters  ?~/bid. 


19140— I9I43] 


NEiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  467 
CHRISTIAN    ERA.                                       [THE    INTELLIGENT  SCRIBE. 


3  The  attitude  of  the  lawyer  suggests  that 
the  marks  of  true  charity  are  impartiality 
and  self-sacrifice. 

[19140]  The  lawyer  inquired  who  was  to  be 
considered  his  neighbour,  hoping  doubtless  that 
our  Lord  would  confine  the  term  to  such  a 
degree  as  to  enable  him  to  be  able  to  say  truly 
that  he  had  discharged  his  duty  towards  such  a 
neighbour  according  to  the  bare  requirements  of 
the  letter  of  the  law.  Our  Lord,  however,  shows 
that  our  neighbour  does  not  mean  merely  one 
who  is  contiguous  to  us  by  blood,  residence,  or 
nationality,  one  who  is  in  agreement  with  us  in 
political  opinions  or  religious  doctrines,  but  in- 
cludes the  alien,  the  foreigner,  the  heretic,  the 
schismatic.  He  declares,  too,  that  to  do  our 
duty  to  our  neighbour  does  not  mean  to  give 
him  of  that  which  costs  us  nothing,  but  to  make 
some  actual  sacrifice  on  his  behalf.  The  good 
Samaritan  does  not  shut  up  his  bowels  of  com- 
passion from  the  afflicted  stranger  when  he  dis- 
covers that  he  belongs  to  a  hostile  people  ;  he 
does  not  give  him  only  trilling  aid. — Jdid. 


THE    INTELLIGENT    SCIilBE. 

I.  Purpose  of  his  Inquiry. 

It  was  probably  a  sincere  desire  to  gauge, 
and,  if  possible,  to  profit  by  the  know- 
ledge of  the  law  possessed  by  the  Lord. 

[19141]  His  purpose,  we  must  believe,  was 
honest  ;  his  disposition  good.  Matthew,  indeed, 
says  that  the  lawyer  asked  the  question,  "  tempt- 
ing him."  But  a  very  slight  acquaintance  with 
the  language  of  the  New  Testament  satisfies 
one  that  the  word  thus  rendered  is  used  in  a 
good  sense  as  well  as  a  bad.  If  in  some  in- 
stances it  obviously  imports  a  malignant  design, 
such  as  solicitation  to  evil,  or  ensnaring  one  in 
mischief  ;  in  others  it  is  used  just  as  obviously 
in  the  general  sense  of  proving  one  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ascertaining  his  opinions  and  character. 
Beyond  all  question  this  was  the  intention  of 
the  individual  now  before  us.  There  was  no 
malign  purpose  in  his  heart ;  forbad  there  been, 
our  Lord  never  would  have  said  that  he  was  near 
to  the  kingdom  of  God.  Convinced  that  the 
person  who  in  his  hearing  had  just  before  refuted 
the  Herodians  and  the  Sadducees  so  cleverly 
must  have  still  further  knowledge  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  wishing  himself  to  obtain  informa- 
tion pertinent  to  his  own  profession,he  also  asked 
a  question  which  was  intended  to  develop  the 
character  of  the  man  in  whose  presence  he 
stood.  The  question  proposed  was  this  :  "  Mas- 
ter, which  is  the  first  commandment  of  all .'' " 
To  redeem  this  inquiry  from  the  appearance  of 
frivolity,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  this 
was  a  point  long  mooted  by  the  Jewish  teachers, 
whether  the  law  of  sacrifice,  or  the  law  of  cir- 
cumcision, or  the  law  of  the  Sabbath,  or  the 
law  of  the  phylacteries  should  have  the  prece- 
dence. Our  Lord  answered  the  question  thus 
proposed    by    reciting    sentences    which    were 


written  in  the  phylacteries  themselves — the 
compendium  of  the  moral  law.  Taking  no 
notice  whatever  of  those  disputed  questions 
concerning  the  ceremonial  law,  He  rehearsed  at 
once  the  substance  of  the  Divine  statute  which 
epitomizes  all  morals  :  "  Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy 
strength.  This  is  the  first  commandment." — 
W.  Adams,  D.D. 

II.  Significance  of  his   Comment   and 
Commendation. 

[19142]  And  the  scribe  exclaimed  :  "  Master, 
thou  hast  answered  well."  Our  English  word 
"well"  does  not  exhaust  the  meaning  of  the 
Greek  xrnXwf — beautifully,  excellently — convey- 
ing the  high  satisfaction  which  was  felt  with 
that  reply.  It  was  an  answer  which  corre- 
sponded to  his  own  judgment.  What  are  forms 
and  ritualisms,  burnt-ollerings  and  sacrifices,  m 
comparison  with  the  temper  of  the  heart,  the 
right  quality  of  the  affections  ?  When  our  Lord 
perceived  the  heartiness,  intelligence,  and  dis- 
cretion with  which  the  scribe  responded  to  His 
own  saying.  He  said  unto  him,  "Thou  art  not 
far  from  the  kingdom  of  God."  He  affirmed 
not  that  this  man  was  in  the  kingdom,  but  that 
he  was  near  to  it — far  nearer  than  if  his  manner, 
his  disposition,  his  opinions  had  been  other  than 
they  were.  Few  words  need  be  expended  in 
proving  that  the  expression,  "  kingdom  of  God," 
signifies,  in  this  connection,  that  state  of  blessed 
security  which  is  revealed  and  proffered  to  us  in 
the  gospel.  It  indicates  that  condition  of  things 
which  is  by  Jesus  Christ,  insuring  man's  highest 
welfare  for  this  life  and  for  the  life  which  is  to 
come.  Whether  the  person  here  conversing 
with  Christ  actually  entered  within  the  king- 
dom, receiving  the  gospel  and  the  salvation  of 
his  soul,  we  are  not  informed.  No  further  men- 
tion is  made  of  his  case  ;  he  is  not  introduced 
again  in  the  sacred  annals  ;  the  curtain  drops 
just  at  this  time  and  place,  so  that  we  cannot 
even  conjecture  whether,  improving  his  advan- 
tages, he  passed  on  yet  farther,  even  within  the 
precincts  of  safety,  or,  withdrawing  his  foot, 
retreated  to  a  greater  distance  from  the  kingdom 
of  God.  The  point  of  greatest  interest  to  us  is, 
that  which  is  disclosed  in  this  one  interview  and 
conversation.  If  this  individual  evinced  a  con- 
dition of  character  which  brought  him  into  a 
critical  nearness  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  it  is 
of  great  concern  to  each  and  all  to  know  what 
that  condition  was,  that  we  may  measure  our 
own  relations  to  the  redemption  of  the  Son  of 
God. — Ibid. 


III.  Homiletical  Hints. 

The  inquiry  of  the  intelligent  scribe,  and  the 
answer  which  was  accorded  to  it,  sug- 
gest the  value  of  an  honest  and  earnest 
inquiry  after  truth. 

[19143]  The  first  thing  which  the  truth  of  God 


468 

19143— 19146] 


NEW   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  rich  young  ruler. 


demands  is  a  mind  open  and  attentive  to  receive 
it.  The  greatest  censure  which  Scripture  and 
observation  compel  us  to  pass  upon  multitudes 
of  men  is,  that  though  the  light  shines,  they 
will  not  receive  it.  The  doors  and  the  windows 
are  barred  closely  against  it.  The  mind  has  no 
interest  in  the  truth — is  profoundly  insensible 
to  its  existence.  A  disposition  to  ask  for  the 
truth,  to  inquire  for  instruction,  is  the  first  sign 
of  spiritual  vitality.  Inasmuch  as  the  truth  of 
God  is  nigh  to  us,  flowing  around  us  like  the 
air,  shining  about  us  like  the  sun,  the  opening 
of  the  mind  to  receive  it  advances  one  imme- 
diately into  the  most  auspicious  proximity  to  its 
blessings.  This  thoughtful  teacher  of  the  law 
was  favoured  with  the  opportunity  of  a  personal 
conversation  with  Christ.  That  is  denied  to 
us  ;  but  we  possess  what  is  better  and  greater. 
The  kingdom  of  God  has  had  a  fuller  disclosure 
since  that  day  when  the  Son  of  man  held  these 
memorable  conversations  in  Jerusalem.  The 
redemption  which  is  by  Jesus  Christ  is  amply 
revealed  ;  and  that  revelation  is  given  to  us  in  a 
written  form.  Remote  from  all  the  benefits  of 
the  gospel  are  all  they  who  feel  not  interest 
enough  therein  to  consult  the  pages  of  inspira- 
tion with  a  candid  and  earnest  spirit.  Their 
faces  are  actually  averted  from  the  light ;  their 
backs  are  turned  upon  the  kingdom  of  God. — 
Ibid. 


THE    RICH    YOUNG    RULER. 

I.  His  Question. 

It  was  distinct   from    that   of   the    Philippian 
jailer. 

[19144]  It  seems  generally,  but  most  erro- 
neously, to  be  assumed  that  the  question  of  the 
ruler  is  of  the  same  import  with  that  proposed 
to  St.  Paul  by  the  jailer  at  Philippi  ;  and,  con- 
sequently, that  our  Lord's  answer  seems  at  least 
to  imply  a  different  doctrine  on  the  charter  prin- 
ciple of  Christianity  from  that  taught  by  St. 
Paul— justification  by  faith  alone.  But  let  us 
observe  that  the  questions  by  the  jailer  and  the 
young  ruler  materially  differ.  That  proposed 
by  the  jailer  is,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  .'"' 
— a  question  which  implies  a  deep  conviction  of 
sin,  and  guilt,  and  misery,  and  danger  ;  and  an 
earnest  desire  after  deliverance.  Had  the  ruler 
asked  this  question,  no  doubt  our  Lord  would 
have  replied  to  him,  as  St.  Paul  did  to  that 
trembling  penitent,  "  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  No  doubt 
our  Lord  would  have  opened  to  him,  as  He  did 
to  Nicodemus,  the  gospel  plan  of  redemption  ; 
would  have  taught  him  that  the  love  of  God 
was  the  freely  moving  spirit  which  animated  the 
whofe — "that  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He 
spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  freely  gave  Him 
up  for  us  all."  .  .  .  But  his  question  was,  "  What 
good  thing  shall  I  do  that  I  may  have  eternal 
life?" — a  question  which  implies  no  sense   of 


sin,  of  guilt,  of  misery,  of  danger  ;  and,  conse- 
quently, no  desire  after  deliverance  :  a  question 
addressed  as  from  the  high  vantage-ground  of 
blameless  and  unsullied  righteousness,  and  de- 
manding, with  a  full  confidence  in  native  and 
inherent  strength,  "  What  lack  I  yet  ?  "  show  me 
the  way,  that  I  may  walk  in  \l.—Rev.  J.  Hif- 
fernaji. 

II.  His  Answer. 

It  asserted  the  guilt  and  corruption  of  man. 

[19 145]  Our  Lord  well  knew  that  to  meet  such 
a  spirit  as  that  of  the  young  ruler  by  a  state- 
ment of  doctrines,  however  important,  were  but 
to  turn  aside  into  the  fields  of  jangling  contro- 
versy, or  to  minister  fuel  to  the  flame  of  pride 
and  self-righteousness.  He  therefore  indirectly 
enters  his  protest  against  the  doctrinal  error,  as 
to  the  state  of  man,  which  his  question  implied  ; 
and,  waiving  all  discussion  of  it,  hurries  on  to 
assail  him  with  the  weapons  of  practical  appeal, 
which  he  saw  would  alone  be  available  :  "  There 
is  none  good  but  one,  that  is,  God.  But,  if 
thou  wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  command- 
ments." Here  our  Lord  distinctly  asserts  that 
great  truth,  in  which  the  whole  scheme  of  re- 
demption is  wrapped  up — the  guilt  and  corrup- 
tion of  man.  For  unless  man  can  be  holier 
than  God  requires  him,  which  it  were  blasphemy 
to  assert,  it  is  impossible  for  him,  when  he  has 
once  sinned,  to  be  saved  without  the  atonement 
of  Christ  :  since,  if  he  were  to  keep  the  whole 
law  in  future,  he  would  be  but  an  unprofitable 
servant,  who  had  but  done  that  which  was  his 
duty  to  do  ;  and  therefore  could  not  himself, 
nor  could  any  created  being  for  him,  lay  up  a 
treasure  of  superabounding  righteousness,  with 
which  to  atone  for  the  past. — Ibid. 

III.  HOMILETICAL    REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  particular  duty  enjoined  upon  the 
rich  young  ruler  is  not  to  be  understood 
by  all  Christians   literally,  but  spiritually. 

[19146]  With  respect  to  the  particular  duty 
here  prescribed — "  sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give 
to  the  poor" — though  it  was  not  a  counsel  of 
perfection,  but  a  duty  indispensably  necessary 
to  this  individual,  whose  besetting  sin  was  the 
love  of  his  earthly  possessions,  and  who  was 
then  at  that  crisis  of  the  soul  when  it  is  vibra- 
ting between  God  and  the  world,  under  the 
opposite  impulses  of  conscience  and  of  covetous- 
ness — and  this,  too,  at  an  era  of  the  Church's 
history  when  Christians  were  to  be  trained  upon 
the  cross  ;  when  those  who  would  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus  must  be  ready  to  suffer  persecution, 
and  to  take  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods  ; 
— yet  to  do  this  literally  is  not  a  duty  in- 
cumbent upon  every  individual,  and  in  every 
age,  both  reason  and  Scripture  prove.  Reason 
tells  us  that  the  level  to  which  this  system 
would  bring  society  would  be  a  level,  not  of 
common  enjoyment,  but  of  common  wretched- 


19146—19148] 


NEW   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  469 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. [xHE  TIIREK   ASPIRANTS. 


ness  and  apathy  ;  that  it  would  level  the  idle  and 
industrious,  the  prudent  and  the  profligate  ;  that 
it  would  not  only  deprive  all  of  the  common 
comforts,  indeed  the  common  necessaries,  of 
life — for  who  would  labour  to  produce  them.? 
— but  also  of  the  honest  independence  which 
provided  them.  .  .  .  But,  undoubtedly,  if  every 
individual  is  not  called  to  practise  this  literally, 
each  and  all  are  called  to  do  so  spiritually  :  to 
cease  to  be  proprietors  of  anything  ;  to  resign 
themselves,  all  they  have,  and  all  they  are,  to 
God  ;  to  use  all  they  possess  as  His  stewards  ;  in 
all  they  do,  and  all  they  enjoy,  as  well  as  all  they 
suffer,  to  say,  "  Not  my  will,  but  Thine  be 
done  ;  ''  in  fact,  to  live  henceforth,  not  unto 
themselves,  but  unto  God. — Ibid. 

2  The  particular  duty  enjoined  upon  the  rich 
young  ruler,  and  its  unvk^elcome  nature, 
together  with  his  virtuous  life,  suggest  the 
height  to  which  we  may  attain  and  yet  fall 
short  of  heaven. 

[19147]  The  individual  before  us  is  not  a  dis- 
sipated profligate,  or  a  reckless  and  hardened 
reprobate,  sinning  without  remorse  of  con- 
science ;  violating  without  scruple  every  law  of 
God  and  man  ;  serving  divers  lusts  and  passions  ; 
embniting  his  higher  nature  by  sensuality,  and 
thus  levelling  himself  with  the  beasts  that  perish  : 
a  man  of  whom  even  the  wise  and  prudent  of 
this  world  would  pronounce  that  he  was  destroy- 
ing his  soul,  as  well  as  his  temporal  interests, 
and  rushing  headlong  to  perdition.  He  is  not 
a  specious,  formal  hypocrite,  imposing  upon 
man  ;  and,  in  the  fatuity  of  unbelief,  content  if 
he  can  but  deceive  man  ;  while  the  eye  of  a 
heart-seeing  and  holy  God  is  upon  all  his  ways, 
and  is  reading  all  the  secrets  of  his  treacherous 
heart,  thus  drawing  down  upon  himself  those 
denunciations  of  peculiar  woe  with  which  our 
Lord  continually  addressed  the  hypocrite,  "Woe 
iijito  you,  hypocrites  !  how  can  ye  escape  the 
damnation  of  hell?"  He  is  not  a  gay  and 
thoughtless  lover  of  pleasure,  unstained,  indeed, 
by  darker  crimes  and  grosser  vices,  but  occupied 
alone  with  the  fashions  of  the  day  and  the  frivo- 
lities of  the  world  ;  thus  effectually  preventing 
the  development  of  his  higher  nature,  and 
famishing  his  soul.  He  is  not  even  a  temperate, 
regular,  exemplary  moral  character  ;  amiable  in 
all  his  domestic  relations,  and  a  useful  and  re- 
spectable member  of  society  ;  but  yet,  as  we  but 
too  often  see  such,  totally  careless  about  religion  ; 
wholly  dead  to  theconcerns  of  his  immortal  soul  ; 
without  an  ear  to  hear,  or  a  heart  to  feel  one 
glow  of  sympathy  at  the  recital  of  a  Divine 
Saviour's  humiliations,  sufferings,  and  love. 
But  what  renders  this  a  peculiarly  awakening 
and  alarming  case  is  this — that  it  is  the  case  of 
one  not  only  high  in  moral  attainment,  but  sin- 
cerely anxious  about  his  eternal  interests  ;  one 
who  could  testify,  as  did  St.  Paul  of  himself 
before  his  conversion,  that  as  touching  the 
righteousness  of  the  law  he  was  blameless. 
"  All  these  things,"  he  says,  "  have  I  kept  from 
my  youth  up  ;  "  and,  as  to  the  letter  and  act,  our 
,Lord  does  not  deny  his  assertion  :  A  person  so 


amiable  as  to  his  natural  character  ;  so  young, 
and  yet  so  docile  ;  so  noble,  and  yet  so  meek, 
and  humble,  and  respectful,  that  "Jesus,  be- 
hokhng  him,  loved  him  ;  "  and  who,  until  our 
Lord  probed  his  heart  to  discover  its  besetting 
sin,  and  then  touched  this  cancer  of  his  soul, 
heard  Christ  gladly,  and  doubtless  was  prepared 
to  do  many  things  ;  yet  all  these  hopeful  buds 
of  religious  promise  are  utterly  blighted  by  the 
upas  shade  and  blasting  breath  of  a  worldly 
spirit  :  all  these  moral  excellencies  of  his  natural 
character  are  poisoned  by  the  contaminating 
influence  of  one  cherished  and  indulged  sin.— 
Ibid. 


THE  THREE  ASPIRANTS. 

L  A  Secret,  perhaps  Unconscious,  Time- 
Server  and  Place-seeker. 

[19148]  First  there  offers  himself  a  scribe — 
"  one  scribe,"  as  St.   Matthew  says,  with,  per- 
haps, an  emphasis  on  the  "  one,"  to  mark  how 
unfrequent  offers  of  service  from  such  a  quarter 
were.     And  his  words  sound  fairly,  "  Master,  I 
will   follow  Thee  whithersoever   Thou    goest." 
They  almost  remind  one  of  the  great-hearted 
words  of  Ittai  to  David  :  "Surely  in  what  place 
my  lord  the  king  shall  be,  whether  in  death  or 
life,  even  there  also  will  thy  servant  be  "  (2  Sam. 
XV.  21).     Nor   is  there  any  reason  to  suppose 
that  this  aspirant  to  discipleship  meant  at  the 
time  otherwise  than  he  spoke.     Yet  there  is  not 
in   him  that  true  devotedness  to  Christ  which 
shall  lead  him   so  to  follow  that  Lord  in  this 
world  that  in  the  world  to  come  he  shall  follow 
Him    whithersoever   He    goeth    (Rev.    xiv.  4). 
These  words  have  more  in  them  of  Peter's  con- 
fident asseveration,  "  Lord,  I  am  ready  to  go 
with   Thee    both    unto    prison    and    to  death" 
(Luke  xxii.  33).     At  all  events,  they  inspire  Him 
who,  knowing  all  things  (John  xxi.  17),  "knew 
what  was  in  man,"  with  no  greater  confidence 
than  those  other  words  of  Peter  hereafter  should 
do  ;  for  not  compelling  this  volunteer,  but  rather 
repelling,  He  answers,  "  The  foxes  have  holes, 
and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests  ;  but  the  Son 
of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  head."     In 
other  words,  "  Lookest  thou  for  worldly  com- 
modities through  the  following  of  Me  ?     In  this 
thou  must  needs  be  disappointed.     These  can- 
not be  My  follower's  portion  since  they  are  not 
Mine.     Beasts    have    dens,    and    birds    have 
shelters,  which  they  may  call  their  own,  but  the 
Son   of  man   is  homeless   and   houseless  upon 
earth  ;  He  who  made  the  world  has  not  in  the 
world    where   to  lay   His  head.     It  fares  with 
Him  as  with  Jacob  at  his  poorest  estate,  when, 
fleeing  from  his  brother's  wrath,  he  tarried  all 
night  at  Haran,  '  and  look  of  the  stores  of  that 
place,   and   put   them   for  his   pillows  '  "'  (Gen. 
xxviii.  11).     Nor  does  this  answer  of  Christ  our 
Lord  come  out  to  us  in  all  its  depth  of  meaning 
till  we  realize  that  hour  when  u])on   His  cross 
He  bowed  His  head,  not  having  where  to  lay  it, 


47° 

19148—19153] 


A"£;r   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
CHKISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  thuee  aspirants. 


and,  having  bowed  it,  thus  gave  up  the  ghost 
(John  xix.  30). — Abp.  Trench. 

II.  A  Half-hearted  Follower. 

[19149]  The  Lord,  who  has  checked  one,  in- 
cites another  ;  for  He  knew  there  was  more 
truth  in  the  backwardness  of  him  to  whom  He 
addresses  Himself  now  than  in  the  forwardness 
of  that  other  who  had  just  addressed  Hun.  He 
has  for  him  that  significant  "  Follow  Me  "  which 
He  had  for  a  Philip,  a  Matthew,  an  Andrew,  a 
Peter  (John  i.  43  ;  Matt.  ix.  9  ;  Mark  i.  17).  It 
is  in  answer  to  such  a  summons,  as  St.  Luke 
has  told  us,  that  this  one  replies,  "  Lord,  suffer 
me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father."  In  the  early 
Church  this  was  oftenest,  if  not  always,  under- 
stood, "  My  father  now  lies  dead  ;  sufier  me, 
before  I  attach  myself  to  Thee,  to  render  the 
last  offices  of  piety  to  him."  Christ's  rejoinder 
is,  "  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead  ; "  let  the 
spiritually  dead  bury  the  naturally  dead — which 
naturally  dead  He,  designating  as  "their  dead," 
implies  to  belong,  and  to  have  belonged,  to  the 
same  sphere  of  death  as  those  who  shall  now 
perform  the  last  offices  for  them.  At  the  same 
time  by  this  former  "  dead "  we  must  rather 
understand  those  in  whom  the  spiritual  life  is 
as  yet  unawakened,  than  urge  with  any  emphasis 
their  death  in  trespasses  and  sins  ;  that  must 
of  necessity  be  implied,  yet  rather  on  its  nega- 
tive than  its  positive  side.  "  The  spiritually  dead, 
those  who  are  not  quickened  as  thou  art  with 
the  spirit  of  a  new  life,  are  yet  sufficient  for  the 
fulfilling  of  this  office  which  would  now  call  thee 
away  from  Me."  .  .  .  "Go  thou  and  preach  the 
kingdom  of  God;"  as  though  He  had  said, 
"Another  task  is  thine  ;  namely,  to  spread  far 
and  wide  {ciayyiWin')  the  glad  tidings  of  life, 
which  as  many  as  hear  shall  live." — ih'd. 

III.  An  Unserviceable  Workman. 

[191 50]  A  third,  of  whom  only  St.  Luke  makes 
report,  offers  himself  for  discipleship  :  "  Lord,  I 
will  follow  Thee  ;"  yet  this  with  conditions,  and 
craving  time  for  farewells  which  he  fain  would 
interpose  ;  "  but  let  me  first  go  bid  them  farewell 
which  are  at  home  at  my  house  " — this  rendering 
of  our  English  Version  being  preferable  to  that 
which  some  would  substitute,  "  but  let  me  first 
set  in  order  the  things  in  my  house."  He  too 
must  learn  that  there  is  no  dallying  with  a 
heavenly  vocation  ;  that  when  this  has  reached 
a  man,  no  room  is  left  him  for  conferring  with 
flesh  and  blood  (Gal.  i.  16)  ;  to  him,  too,  as  to 
the  king's  daughter  of  old,  the  word  of  that 
precept  has  come,  "  Forget  also  thine  own  people, 
and  thy  father's  house"  (Psa.  xlv.  10) ;  while,  as  it 
may  only  too  easily  prove,  his  worst  foes,  those 
who  will  most  effectually  keep  him  back  from 
God,  may  be  those  of  his  own  household  (Matt. 
^-  36,  37)-  The  Lord,  therefore,  will  give  no 
allowance  to  his  request,  shuts  out  at  once  all 
dangerous  delays  and  interludes  between  the 
offer  of  service  and  the  actual  undertaking  of  it : 


"And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  No  man  having  put 
his  hand  to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit 
for  the  kingdom  of  God."  He  who  holds  the 
plough  must  not  look  behind  him  ;  if  he  does, 
he  spoils  the  furrow,  and  mars  the  work  which 
he  has  undertaken.  Remarkably  enough  this 
careless  marring  of  the  furrow  has  lent  a  word 
to  the  Latin,  and  through  the  Latin  to  our  own 
language  ;  "  delirare,"  originally  to  deviate  from 
the  "  lira,"  which  is  strictly  the  little  ridge  of 
earth  thrown  up  by  the  share  between  the  two 
furrows,  and  then  the  furrow  itself  The  dis- 
cipleship of  Christ  is  such  a  putting  of  the  hand 
to  the  plough,  for  the  breaking  up  of  the  hard 
soil  of  our  own  hearts,  for  the  breaking  up  of 
the  hard  soil  of  the  hearts  of  others. — /iuL 

[191 51]  He  who,  having  put  his  hand  to  the 
plough,  and  thus  begun  well,  shall  afterwards 
Christ  does  not  say  /urn  back,  but  even  so  much 
as  /ooA'  back,  in  token  that  his  heart  is  other- 
where than  in  the  task  before  him  (Gen.  xix.  26  ; 
Luke  xvii.  32  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  4  ;  Phil.  iii.  13,  14),  he 
may  still  have  his  hand  on  the  plough  ;  but, 
having  fallen  away  in  heart  and  affection  from 
his  work,  he  makes  no  straight  furrows,  he 
breaks  not  up  aright  any  fallow  ground  ;  he  "  is 
not  fit,"  or  rather,  is  of  no  service  and  profit 
"  for  the  kingdom  of  God."  Indeed,  unless  kept 
to  his  work  as  an  hireling,  it  is  likely  that  he 
will  presently  leave  his  plough  in  the  half-drawn 
furrow,  and  be  found  to  have  exchanged  toil  and 
exposure  abroad  for  the  comforts  and  ease  of 
his  own  hearth  (Acts  xiii.  13,  xv.  38). — Idi'd. 


IV.  Possible  Identifications. 

[191 52]  What  if  these  three  were,  as  one  has 
suggested,Judas I scariot,  Thomas, and  Matthew.-' 
In  the  second  and  third  instances  the  summons 
is  so  plainly  to  a  high  work  in  the  kingdom  of 
God  (that  "  Follow  Me  "  of  Christ  ever  implying 
as  much.  Matt,  iv,  19,  ix.  9,  xix.  21  ;  John  i.  43, 
x.xi.  19)  ;  and  there  is  altogether  so  marked  an 
emphasis  about  these  calls,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
suppose  them  calls  merely  to  discipleship.  Far 
more  probably  these  were  aspirants  and  can- 
didates in  their  own  eyes  or  in  their  Lord's,  to 
a  higher  grade,  to  the  apostolate  itself.  Indeed 
one  of  the  three  was  a  disciple  already  (Matt, 
viii.  21),  whom  the  Lord  here  draws  into  a 
closer  circle  of  service  ;  and  the  same  is  true  of 
another,  who,  as  is  clearly  implied,  had  already 
set  his  hand  to  the  plough. — /did. 

[191 53]  The  first  who  offered  himself  was  one 
whum  evidently  the  Lord  welcomed  with  no 
pleasure,whom  He  would  willingly  have  put  back 
from  Him,  whose  large  professions  inspired 
Him  with  no  confidence  whatever.  And  how 
significant  is  the  Lord's  reply  to  these  pro- 
fessions! He  to  whom  all  hearts  were  open, 
saw,  as  with  a  glance,  in  the  heart  of  this  oflerer 
what  perhaps  at  the  moment  was  altogether 
concealed  from  himself.  There  is  nothing  to  be 
gotten,  He  tells  him,  no  worldly  advantage  to 


19153—19158] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCFfPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[nliROD   TIIF.   G?vKAI 


471 


be  gained  through  a  following  of  Him — as  though 
He  ah'eady  beheld  in  spirit  the  unhappy  dis- 
ciple, who,  defeated  in  his  hope  of  a  kingdom 
of  this  world,  and  of  a  place  there  among  the 
chief,  should  seek  to  redress  a  little  tlie  wrong 
which  he  had  suffered,  by  purloining  from  the 
common  stock  (John  xii.  6),  and  should  end 
with  making  merchandize  of  the  Lord  of  glory 
Himself. — Ibid. 

[191 54]  While  the  first  proffering  himself  is 
rather  repelled  than  welcomed,  the  other  two 
have,  as  we  have  seen,  summonses  and  invita- 
tions more  or  less  direct  to  attach  themselves 
even  more  closely  to  their  Lord  ;  and  if  they  be 
the  two  who  have  been  suggested,  there  is 
addressed  to  each  the  exact  encouragement  and 
reproof  which  he  probably  would  have  needed. 
"  Suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father." 
How  characteristic  of  the  melancholy  Thomas 
is  the  excuse  and  the  hindrance  which  are 
pleaded  here — of  him  who,  at  a  later  day,  in 
the  very  presence  of  the  Lord  and  Prince  of  life, 
could  only  express  his  affection  to  Him  by  those 
words,  "  Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with 
Him  "  (John  xi.  16)  ;  who,  even  after  the  empty 
toinb,  and  the  testimony  of  the  women  and  of 
his  fellow  apostles,  could  not  disengage  himself 
from  thoughts  of  death  and  the  grave,  nor  be 
persuaded  to  believe  that  the  Lord  had  risen 
indeed  (John  xx.  24,  25).  How  cliaracteristic 
was  it  of  him  in  whose  mind  death  was  thus 
uppermost,  that  on  the  present  occasion  also 
the  duties  to  the  dead  should  seem  to  him  to 
overbear  those  to  the  living.  And  Christ's 
answer  and  reproof  exactly  meets  the  disease 
and  infirmity  of  his  soul :  "Thou  belongest  to  the 
new  creation  ;  not  to  the  old  world  of  death,  but 
to  the  new  world  of  life.  '  Go  thou,  and  preach 
the  kingdom  of  God.'  Disperse  to  others  the 
words  of  that  life  with  which  thou  thyself  hast 
been  quickened." — Ibid. 

[19 '5  5]  The  third,  who  cannot  obey  the 
calling  till  he  has  bade  a  solemn  farewell  to  all 
in  his  house,  might  very  well  be  St.  Matthew ; 
who,  being  refused  this,  did  not  therefore  at 
this  time  accompany  the  Lord  ;  but  to  whom 
that  Lord  a  little  later  so  spake  that  he  obeyed  ; 
and  whose  farewell  feast,  after  he  had  thrown  in 
his  lot  with  Christ,  so  that  there  was  no  longer 
any  indecision  in  his  asking  to  be  permitted  to 
make  it,  the  Lord  allowed,  and  adorned  with 
His  own  presence  (Matt.  ix.  9,  10  ;  Luke  v.  27, 
29)  ;  and  that,  although  He  had  disallowed  it, 
so  long  as  it  was  made  the  condition  of 
obedience. — Ibid. 


HEROD  THE  GREAT. 

I.  His  Character. 

[191 56]  It  is  perhaps  difficult  to  see  in  the 
character  of  Herod  any  of  the  true  elements  of 
greatness.     Some  have  even  supposed  that  the 


title — the  Great — is  a  mistranslation  for  the 
elder  ;  and  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  he  seems  to 
have  possessed  the  good  qualities  of  our  own 
Henry  VHI.  with  his  vices.  He  maintained 
peace  at  home  during  a  long  reign  by  the  vigour 
and  timely  generosity  of  his  administration. 
Abroad  he  conciliated  the  good-will  of  the 
Romans  under  circumstances  of  unusual  diffi- 
culty. His  ostentatious  display,  and  even  his 
arbitrary  tyranny,  was  calculated  to  inspire 
Orientals  with  awe.  Bold  and  yet  prudent, 
oppressive  and  yet  profuse,  he  had  many  of  ilie 
characteristics  which  make  a  popular  hero  ;  and 
the  title,  which  may  have  been  first  given  in 
admiration  of  successful  despotism  now  serves 
to  bring  out  in  clearer  contrast  the  terrible  price 
at  which  the  success  was  purchased. — Ca/io?t 
VVestcoti. 

IL  His  End. 

[191 57]  It  must  have  been  very  shortly  after 
the  murder  of  the  innocents  that  Herod  died. 
Only  live  days  before  his  death  he  had  made  a 
frantic  attempt  at  suicide,  and  had  ordered  the 
execution  of  his  eldest  son,  Anti pater.  His 
deathbed,  which  .  .  .  reminds  us  of  llenry  VIII., 
was  accompanied  by  circumstances  of  peculiar 
horror,  and  it  has  been  noticed  that  the  terrible 
disease  of  which  he  died  is  hardly  mentioned  in 
history,  except  in  the  case  of  men  who  have 
been  rendered  infamous  by  an  atrocity  of 
persecuting  zeal.  On  his  bed  of  intolerable 
anguish,  in  that  splendid  and  luxurious  palace 
which  he  had  built  for  himself  under  the  palms 
of  Jericho,  swollen  with  disease  and  scorched  by 
thirst  ;  ulcerated  externally,  and  glowing  in- 
wardly with  "a  soft,  slow  fire  ;"  surrounded  by 
plotting  sons  and  plundering  slaves,  detesting 
all  and  detested  by  all  ;  longing  for  death  as  a 
release  from  his  tortures,  yet  dreading  it  as  the 
beginning  of  worse  terrors  ;  stung  by  remorse, 
yet  still  unslaked  with  murder  ;  a  horror  to  all 
around  him,  yet  in  his  guilty  conscience  a  worse 
terror  to  himself  ;  devoured  by  the  premature 
corruption  of  an  anticipated  grave  ;  eaten  of 
worms,  as  though  visibly  smitten  by  the  finger 
of  God's  wrath  after  seventy  years  of  successful 
villany — the  wretched  old  man,  whom  men  had 
called  the  Great,  lay,  in  savage  frenzy,  awaiting 
his  last  hour.  As  he  knew  that  none  would  shed 
one  tear  for  him,  he  determined  that  they  should 
shed  many  for  themselves,  and  issued  an  order 
that,  under  pain  of  death,  the  princijjal  families 
in  the  kingdom,  and  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes, 
should  come  to  Jericho.  They  came  ;  and 
then,  shutting  them  in  the  hippodrome,  he 
secretly  commanded  his  sister,  Salome,  that  at 
the  moment  of  his  death  they  should  all  be 
massacred.  And  so,  choking  as  it  were  with 
blood,  devising  massacres  in  his  very  delirium, 
the  soul  of  Herod  passed  forth  into  the  night. 
— Archdeacon  Farrar. 

[191 58]  The  disease  of  which  Herod  the 
Great  died,  and  the  misery  which  he  suffered 
under  it,  plainly  showed  that  the  hand  of  God 


472 

I9I58 — 19162] 


I^Ell/-   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[HEROD   THE   TETRARCH. 


was  then  in  a  signal  manner  upon  him ;  for  not 
long  after  the  murders  at  Bethlehem,  his  dis- 
temper, as  Josephus  informs  us,  daily  increased 
in  an  unheard-of  manner.  He  had  a  lingering 
and  wasting  fever,  and  grievous  ulcers  in  his 
entrails  and  bowels,  a  violent  colic,  and  in- 
satiable appetite  ;  a  venomous  swelling  in  his 
feet  ;  convulsions  in  his  nerves  ;  a  perpetual 
asthma,  and  offensive  breath  ;  rottenness  in  his 
joints  and  other  members  ;  accompanied  with 
prodigious  itchings,  crawling  worms,  and  in- 
tolerable smell  ;  so  that  he  was  a  perfect  hos- 
pital of  incurable  distempers. —  Cyclopadia  of 
iMoral  and  Relii;;ious  A  necdotes. 


HEROD    THE    TETRARCH. 

I.  His  Character. 

Weakness  rather  than  violence  was  his  chief 
characteristic. 

TJiis  was  exemplified  in  his  treatment  of 
fohfi  Baptist  and  0/  the  Saviour. 

[19159]  This  man  was  not  by  nature  blood- 
thirsty. Weakness,  rather  than  violence,  was 
very  much  the  characteristic  of  his  mind.  He  was 
not  prepared  to  adopt  extreme  measures  ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  was  prone  to  try  temporizing  ex- 
pedients, and  to  seek  the  accomplishment  of  his 
ends  by  craft  and  compromise,  rather  than  by 
force.  Besides  the  account  which  the  Scriptures 
give  us,  other  historians  give  him  this  character. 
They  do  not  charge  him  with  a  deliberate  and 
systematic  love  of  cruelty,  but  rather  with  being 
sly  and  subtle,  cool,  crafty,  and  designing.  He 
was  ambitious,  but  he  had  not  learned  to  lay 
aside  all  restraints.  He  was  not  one  of  those 
who  could  "wade  through  slaughter  to  a  throne  ;" 
on  the  contrary,  he  contrived  to  maintain  a 
decent  character  for  just  clemency  and  modera- 
tion. Violence,  cruelty,  and  bloodshed  were 
therefore,  on  the  whole,  against  his  natural 
temper  ;  and  hence  we  may  well  suppose,  that, 
when  he  was  betrayed  into  the  temptation  of 
committing  crime,  he  might  show  much  in- 
decision and  reluctance.  We  may  give  him 
credit  for  a  struggle  in  his  own  mind,  and  for 
pain  and  sorrow  in  yielding.  Such  is  the  repre- 
sentation given  of  this  prince  in  the  uninspired 
histories  of  the  times. — Rev.  R.  Candlish,  D.D. 

[19160]  In  the  Bible,  the  little  that  is  told 
agrees  with  the  view  of  his  character  elsewhere 
given,  and  exhibits  him  as  a  man,  in  some 
respects  well  disposed,  yet  too  selfish  and  too 
timid  to  be  consistent  ;  with  some  good  prin- 
ciples, yet  too  much  the  slave  of  passion  and  the 
world  to  give  them  fair  play  and  scope  ;  not  firm 
enough  to  do  right,  yet  not  bold  and  bad  enough 
unscrupulously  to  do  wrong  ;  neither  decidedly 
good  nor  decidedly  wicked  ;  neither  resolutely 
honest  nor  a  reckless  ruffian  ;  but  hampered 
and  entangled  between  good  feclings,desires,and 
resolutions,  on  the  one  hand,  and  evil  inclinations 


and  evil  counsellors  on  the  other.  If  he  could 
have  got  rid  of  the  last,  he  might  have  been  a 
better  man.  If  he  could  even  have  got  rid  of 
the  first,  he  would  have  been  a  happier,  or 
at  least  an  easier,  man.  As  it  was,  he  was 
perpetually  miserable — tossed  and  bandied  to 
and  fro  between  his  sins  and  his  scruples, 
doing  things  by  halves,  and  settling  the  con- 
troversy of  conscience  with  temptation  by  a  sort 
of  evasive  underhand  compromise,  which  left  as 
much  room  as  ever  for  a  new  struggle,  a  new 
assault,  and  a  new  defeat.  Ever  as  he  was 
disposed  to  do  right,  some  supposed  necessity 
of  doing  wrong  interfered.  And  yet,  whenever 
the  wrong  was  done,  there  was  reluctance  at 
the  time,  and  regret  and  remorse  afterwards. 
He  was  always  stopping  short  too  soon  either 
way,  having  not  enough  of  principle  to  keep  him 
steady  in  duty,  and  yet  too  much  to  let  him  go 
on  contentedly  in  crime.  Hence  that  appear- 
ance of  cunning  which  procured  for  him  from  our 
Lord  the  name  of  "  fox."  And  hence,  too,  that 
wavering  and  vacillating  inconsistency  which 
marked  his  treatment  both  of  the  Baptist  and 
of  the  Saviour. — Ibid. 

[19161]  Touch  his  secret  sore  too  boldly,  and 
the  peace  is  broken,  the  friendship  gone.  Let 
temptation  kindle  again  his  favourite  lust — his 
cherished  desire  ;  let  the  world  make  its  demand 
openly,  and  religion  as  openly  interpose  her 
authority  ;  let  the  controversy  be  brought  to 
a  single  point,  and  the  call  be  made  upon  him 
in  a  single  definite  particular  to  deny  himself 
and  mortify  the  flesh— then  comes  the  struggle  ; 
and  then  is  seen  the  weakness  of  merely  natural 
impressions  of  religion.  The  prince,  who  ap- 
peared to  have  started  so  well,  in  an  unlucky 
hour  was  tempted  to  sin.  The  Baptist  fear- 
lessly remonstrated  and  reproved  : — "  It  is  not 
lawful  for  thee  to  have  thy  brother's  wife  " 
(Mark  vi.  18).  Then  was  the  king  distracted 
between  the  flatteries  of  the  world's  easy  morals 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  unaccommodating 
and  uncompromising  claims  of  religion  on  the 
other. — Ibid. 

[19162]  It  is  quite  clear  that,  in  spite  of  his 
promise,  Herod  had  no  right  to  behead  John 
the  Baptist.  He  had  no  right  to  make  such  a 
promise,  to  begin  with  ;  and  when  he  had  made 
it,  he  was  for  that  reason  bound  to  break  it.  It 
would  be  monstrous  indeed  that  a  man  should 
be  bound  to  commit  murder  because  he  had 
promised  to  do  so  ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
at  all  that  the  execution  of  John  the  Baptist 
was  murder,  neither  more  nor  less.  Nor  is  it 
difficult  to  define  the  principle  which  governs 
all  these  cases.  If  a  man  has  no  right  to  do  a 
thing,  his  promising  to  do  it  does  not  give  him 
the  right.  Such  a  promise  is  void,  to  begin 
with.  A  man  who  has  promised  to  steal,  a 
man  who  has  promised  to  commit  perjury,  a 
man  who  has  promised  to  do  an  injustice,  has 
no  right  to  keep  the  promise  which  he  has  made. 
There  is  a  third  party  concerned  in  such  a 
bargain,  and  he  has  no  right  to   sacrifice   the 


I9I62 — I9I66] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  473 

CHRISTIAN    ERA.  [lIKROD  THE  TKTRAKCH. 


right  of  this  third  party  because  lie  has  pro- 
mised to  do  so.  He  may  sacrifice  himself,  and, 
if  he  has  promised,  he  must  sacrifice  himself; 
but  not  another.  A  good  man  who  had  been 
betrayed  into  such  a  promise  would  instantly 
say,  "  I  never  meant  rffy  promise  to  extend  to 
doing  a  distinctly  wrong  thing."  Tliere  is  one 
case  which  shows  this  in  a  moment.  Suppose 
a  man  promises  to  tell  a  lie.  Shall  he  keep 
his  promise  ?  That  is,  shall  he  tell  a  lie  in 
order  to  keep  his  word  ?  Clearly  enough  that 
would  be  absurd.  And  as  a  good  man  who  was 
trapped  into  such  a  promise  ought  not  to  feel 
his  conscience  bound  by  it,  so  even  if  he  has 
not  been  trapped  into  it,  but  has  clone  it  with 
his  eyes  open,  his  repentance  will  assuredly 
require  him  not  to  keep  his  promise,  but  to 
treat  it  as  void,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  a 
promise  that  he  had  no  right  to  make.  Yet  I 
suppose  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  such  a  man 
as  Herod  would  be  seriously  perplexed,  and 
would  have  some  sort  of  scruple  of  conscience 
in  the  matter.  The  duty  of  keeping  his  word 
might  well  seem  to  such  a  conscience  as  his 
prior  to  the  right  of  John  the  Baptist  to  his  own 
life.  Very  likely  he  would  feel  that,  while  it 
was  wrong,  still  it  was  a  duty  to  do  so.— Bp. 
Temple. 

[19163]  The  king  yielded  to  his  unlawful 
passion  ;  but  not  without  many  apologies  to 
himself,  and  many  prudent  resolutions.  He  was 
sorry,  "exceeding  sorry,"  not,  perhaps,  "for 
his  sin  ai;ainst  God's  law,  but  yet  for  the 
severity  of  God's  law  against  his  sin."  He 
was  sorry  that  the  temptation  was  so  strong, 
and  his  friend  so  strict  ;  but  then  he  felt  as  if 
he  could  not  resist  the  temptation,  as  if  indeed 
he  could  scarcely  be  fairly  expected  or  required 
to  do  so.  And  though,  in  this  one  instance,  he 
could  not  go  along  with  those  high  and  stern 
principles — which  might  suit  an  austere  and 
solitary  recluse,  but  could  not  well  be  acted 
upon  in  the  world,  and  amid  the  trials  of  a 
court— still  this  single,  almost  unavoidable 
deviation  from  such  counsels,  would  not  hinder 
him  from  paying  all  respect  in  general  to  the 
teaching  of  his  Iriend. — Rev.  R.  Ccmdlish,  D.D. 

[19164]  He  would  fain  have  silenced  their 
too  faithful  witness  against  his  sin  at  once  and 
effectually,  and  for  ever.  But  he  feared  John. 
The  prophet  had  still  too  great  a  hold  on 
his  mind,  and  he  had  too  many  religious  feel- 
ings and  scruples  to  venture  on  so  bold  an  act 
of  violence  ;  and  so  he  hesitated  between  his 
dislike  of  the  reproof  and  his  reverence  for  the 
reprover.  And  this  perplexing  indecision  in 
his  own  mind  was  increased  by  opposing 
applications  from  without.  His  offended  and 
indignant  partner  instigated  him  to  direct 
outrage.  His  people,  again,  acknowledged 
John  to  be  a  prophet.  Weak,  therefore,  and 
irresolute,  he  had  recourse  to  the  usual  ex- 
pedient of  weakness.  He  adopted  a  middle 
course  ;  he  did  lohn  no  personal  violence,  but 
kept  him  in  prison. — Jbid. 


[19165]  The  Pharisees,  in  their  usual  enmity 
against  Christ,  had  applied  to  Herod  to  procure 
his  interference  against  Him.  Herod,  on  the 
other  hand,  had  scruples.  He  was  wilhng 
enough  to  oblige  the  Pharisees,  so  as  to  be 
on  good  terms  with  these  convenient  apologists 
and  absolvers  of  his  worldly  frailties.  He  would 
gladly  have  rid  himself  and  them  of  another 
troublesome  and  otTicious  reprover.  But  then 
he  felt  too  much  about  his  former  violence  to 
the  Baptist,  for  this  was  after  the  Baptist's 
death,  the  memory  of  which  crime  lay  so  heavy 
on  his  conscience,  as  to  make  him  dread  in  the 
Lord  Jesus,  his  injured  friend  risen  to  reproach 
him — a  striking  instance  this,  as  we  may  note  in 
passing,  of  the  power  of  conscience  ;  the  guilty 
man  has  rid  himself  of  one  accuser,  only  to  be 
startled  by  the  rising  up  of  another.  Herod, 
then,  would  not  again  be  so  rash  ;  and  besides, 
he  still  feared  the  people,  who  honoured  Jesus 
even  more  than  they  had  honoured  John.  .So, 
once  more,  he  was  in  a  dilemma,  and  once 
more  he  tried  a  middle  course,  authorizing  the 
Pharisees  to  convey  to  this  new  teacher  of 
righteousness  an  indirect  hint,  which  might 
have  the  effect  of  banishing  him  from  his 
territories.  This  seems  to  have  been  his 
cunning  device  and  stratagem,  in  allusion  to 
which  Jesus  denounces  him  as  "  that  fox."  And 
thus,  sinners  still  think  slyly  to  get  the  better 
of  their  God.  Without  committing  themselves 
by  open  hostility,  they  would  contrive,  by  a  sort 
of  by-play  or  side-wind,  to  put  away  His  word  of 
warning  and  reproof. — Ibid. 

[igi66]  The  second  occasion  of  Herod's 
having  to  deal  with  Jesus,  was  when  Pilate 
sent  Jesus  to  him  to  be  tried.  And  now  Herod 
hopes,  at  last,  to  gratify  his  vain  curiosity,  and 
see  some  specimen  of  the  miracles  of  which  he 
has  heard  so  much  : — "  And  when  Herod  saw 
Jesus,  he  was  exceeding  glad  :  for  he  was 
desirous  to  see  Him  of  a  long  season,  because 
he  had  heard  many  things  of  Him  ;  and  he 
hoped  to  have  seen  some  miracle  done  by  Him. 
Then  he  questioned  with  Him  in  many  words  ; 
but  He  answered  him  nothing"  (Luke  xxiii.  8, 
9).  Herod  is  provoked  by  the  Saviour's  silence, 
and  feels  it  as  a  reproof  of  his  former  crime. 
The  Jewish  authorities,  meanv.hile,  loudly  and 
clamorously  reiterate  their  accusations — "  The 
chief  priests  and  scribes  stood  and  vehemently 
accused  Him"  (Luke  xxiii.  10).  What  is  now 
the  judge's  course  ?  Plainly  either  to  condemn 
or  to  acquit  the  prisoner — to  declare  Him  guilty, 
and  worthy  of  death,  or  innocent,  and  therefore 
free.  But  mark  the  weakness  of  the  man  ! 
Either  of  these  measures  would  be  too  decided 
for  him.  He  dares  not  condemn,  neither  will  he 
at  once  absolve.  So  he  gratifies  the  Pharisees, 
and  vents  his  own  impotent  resentment  by  an 
act  of  wanton,  gratuitous,  and  unjustifiable 
barbarity  ;  exposes  his  victim,  still  uncon- 
demned,  to  the  insults  of  the  soldiery,  and  tiien 
sends  him  again  to  Pilate— thus  losing  all  the 
calm  uprightness  of  the  judi;c  in  the  petty  and 
jealous  insolence  of  the  tyrant.     "And  Herod 


474 

igi66- 


-19170] 


NEiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[HEROD   THE   TETRARCH. 


with  his  men  of  war  set  Him  at  nought,  and 
moci<ed  Him,  and  arrayed  Him  in  a  gorgeous 
robe,  and  sent  Him  again  to  Pilate "  (Luke 
xxiii.  10,  11). — Ibid. 


II.   HOMILETICAL  SUGGESTIONS, 

1  The  history  of  Herod  suggests  that  a 
guilty  conscieice  will  not  be  silenced  by 
the  luxuries  of  external  surroundings. 

[191 67]  Herod  was  a  wealthy  man  ;  he  fared 
sumptuously  every  day  ;  a  man  of  high  birth 
and  exalted  station.  He  had  hosts  of  servants  ; 
and  troops  of  soldiers  delighted  to  do  his 
bidding,  and  his  command  was  absolute  law. 
But,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  wealth  and  means 
of  happiness,  conscience  is  able  to  make  him 
miseralDle.  When  he  had  heard  of  the  fame  of 
Jesus,  he  said,  "  It  is  John  the  Baptist,  he  is 
risen  from  the  dead."  .  .  .  Many  months  had 
elapsed  since  John  was  beheaded,  but  memory 
was  still  busy  with  the  bloody  deed.  .  .  .  Men 
may  think  they  succeed  in  burying  their  guilt, 
but  memory  has  a  resurrection  power  that  will 
not  leave  the  awful  things  in  their  graves. 
Strange  things  may  transpire,  new  facts  may 
be  brought  to  light,  and,  in  the  meantime, 
memory  will  hold  its  torchlight  over  the  graves 
of  the  past,  and  their  buried  Johns  will  start 
into  life.  Seek  to  be  at  peace  with  your  con- 
science, while  the  blood  of  Christ  avails. — T. 
Kelly. 

2  The  history  of  Herod  suggests  that  a 
guilty  conscience  draws  its  terrors  not  only 
from  real,  but  a!so  from  imaginary  sources. 

[19168]  "The  wicked  flee  when  no  man 
pursueth."  How  imaginary  and  untrue  was  his 
belief  that  John  had  risen,  and  how  ground- 
less his  fears  !  A  little  investigation  and  inquiry 
would  have  convinced  him  that  this  wonderful 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  not  John  the  Baptist. 
But  he  was  so  guilty  in  the  matter  of  John's 
death  that  he  was  afraid  to  inquire,  lest  his 
interest  in  the  matter  might  cause  people  to 
suspect  that  his  conscience  was  troubling  him, 
or  lest  John  might  come  the  more  speedily  and 
scathe  him  with  merited  vengeance.  Not  only 
real,  but  imaginary  fears  haunt  the  wicked. 
Wickedness  is  self-love  in  a  mistake.  How 
unsafe  and  wretched  it  makes  its  votaries ! 
There  are  thousands  of  men  and  women  among 
us,  who  have  Herod's  fears  and  torturous 
musings.  From  certain  things  that  have  come 
to  their  ears  they  at  once  conclude  that  some 
buried  sin  has  risen.  Their  fears  may  be  only 
imaginary,  but  they  are  afraid  to  ask  a  question 
lest  their  very  anxiety  should  arouse  suspicion. 
How  unsafe  and  wretched  must  that  man  be 
who  has  his  reputation  poised  on  the  still  tongue 
of  a  woman,  or  of  an  accomplice  in  guilt.  Like 
Herod,  such  a  man  is  often  startled  by  strange 
appearances  and  statements,  and  made  to 
tremble  lest  the  awful  John  be  risen.  There 
are  men  and  women,  even  in  the  Church  of 
God,  who  are  standing  in  just   such    slippery 


places  as  this  to-day.  A  silent  tongue  holds 
tliem  up.  Never  hazard  your  character  in  the 
hands  of  any  person,  male  or  female.  Never 
give  any  person  the  power  to  blight  or  ruin  your 
character  by  telling  the  ixnih.—Ibid. 

[19169]  How  baseless  yet  how  baneful  the 
fear  of  Herod,  that  John  the  Baptist  had  "  risen 
from  the  dead  "  !  If  he  had  sent  his  servants 
to  open  John's  grave,  he  would  have  found  the 
body  of  the  sainted  martyr  where  the  disciples 
had  reverentially  placed  it  ;  the  most  cursory 
inquiry  would  have  convinced  him  that  the 
famous  man,  of  whose  "  mighty  works "  he 
had  heard,  could  not  be  the  pious  prophet,  whom, 
at  the  instigation  of  his  abandoned  and  ferocious 
paramour,  he  had  so  basely  put  to  death.  But 
it  is  the  fate  of  a  guilty  man  to  be  haunted  not 
only  by  real  spectres,  but  by  demons  of  his  own 
devising.     He  starts  at  his  own  shadow. 

"  The  thief  doth  fear  each  bush  an  officer." 

"  The  wicked  flee  when  no  man  pursueth." 
In  what  a  perturbed  and  wretched  state  must 
Herod,  with  all  his  luxuries  and  power,  have 
been,  when  every  report  concerning  Christ 
caused  him  to  tremble  like  a  culprit  at  the  foot 
of  the  gallows,  or  like  a  traitor  on  the  brink  of 
the  Tarpeian  precipice  !  Some  men  talk  of 
religion  as  if  it  were  a  gloomy  thing  ;  what  then 
must  the  commission  of  sin  be,  which  causes  a 
man's  conscience  so  to  torment  him,  that  he 
fancies  spectres  surround  him,  that  devils  are 
waiting  for  him,  and  that  he  is  tottering  upon 
the  brink  of  the  infernal  pit  !  How  true  the 
words  of  Scripture,  "  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my 
God,  to  the  wicked  ;  they  are  like  the  troubled 
sea,  when  it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up 
mire  and  dirt  "  ! — Ceriiis  of  Thoiiglit. 

3  The  history  of  Herod  suggests  that  a 
guilty  conscience  can  make  itself  heard 
through  the  interposing  barrier  of  avowed 
scepticism. 
[19170]  Herod  was  a  Sadducee;  and  it  would 
seem  he  was  a  strong  advocate  and  protector  of 
the  sect  to  which  he  belonged.  The  Sadducees 
were  the  Jewish  sceptics  ;  they  believed  neither 
in  the  existence  of  spirits,  angels,  devils,  hell, 
nor  the  resurrection.  But  no  sooner  does  Herod 
hear  of  the  fame  of  Jesus,  and  His  wonderful 
works,  than  he  is  filled  with  apprehension,  and 
exclaims,  "  John  the  Baptist  is  risen."  What  ! 
"  Risen  !  "  Why,  such  a  word  is  not  to  be  found 
in  your  creed,  Herod.  "  Well,  perhaps  not,  but 
I  have  heard  of  his  doings,  and  I  have  been 
thinking  it  over,  and  I  tell  you  it  is  John  the 
Baptist,  and  he  is  risen  from  the  dead."  Learn 
from  this,  that  a  man's  logic  may  guide  him  to 
conclusions  which  do  not  satisfy  his  conscience, 
and  from  which  his  better  nature  revolts.  A 
guilty  conscience  will  cut  its  way  right  through 
a  man's  sceptical  notions.  Herod  ridiculed  the 
doctrine  of  spirits  and  the  resurrection,  but  in 
the  whirlwind  of  his  guilty  apprehensions  he  is 
compelled  to  overleap  the  narrow  boundary  of 


I9I70— I9I74] 


A'A7K   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


475 

[PII.A  1  K. 


his  creed  and  declare  the  truth  of  both,  in  the 
assertion,  "Jolin  is  risen."  He  despised  the 
idea  of  hell,  and  yet  in  his  own  bosom  were 
burning  the  fires  of  horror  and  remorse,  which 
were  a  telling  preface  or  instalment  of  the 
terrible  exposition  about  to  follow.  My  brother, 
you  may  pull  up  the  old  landmarks  of  the  faith, 
and  make  broad  space  for  revelry  and  sensuality; 
you  may  boast  that  the  old  dogmas,  which  used 
to  grip  your  conscience,  are  laid  aside,  and  that 
you  are  now  at  rest  in  the  possession  of  broader 
views.  But  you  are  under  a  terrible  delusion. 
You  have  all  the  elements  of  unrest  and  appre- 
hension in  your  own  bosom,  and  with  all  your 
sceptical  notions  you  feel  them. — T.  Kelly. 


PILATE. 

I.  Factors  in  the  Formation  of  Cha- 
racter. 

[19171]  He  was  a  Roman,  probably  of  good 
family  ;  a  soldier  and  senator  of  considerable 
rank,  and  accustomed  to  move  in  the  best 
society.  The  tone  of  such  society  was  not 
favourable  to  serious  thought.  It  was  abun- 
dantly frivolous  and  dissipated.  The  showy 
accomplishments  and  refinements  of  a  luxurious 
age  accorded  well  with  the  light  sp'rit  of  the 
liberal  and  sceptical  philosophy  which  was  then 
in  vogue.  The  ancient  sternness  and  simplicity 
of  the  republican  manners  had  been  relaxed  ; 
the  ancient  depth  and  devout  earnestness  of 
character  had  given  place  to  a  shallow  and 
flippant  way  of  evading  all  grave  consideration 
and  decision  of  choice,  and  making  light  equally 
of  all  things.  Trained  in  such  a  school,  in  the 
camp  and  at  the  court,  a  noble  Roman  might 
enter  life,  whether  as  a  man  of  ambition  or  as 
a  man  of  pleasure,  with  little  fixed  principle  of 
any  kind — with  little  habit  and  little  capacity  of 
grave  reflection — with  a  sort  of  gay  and  easy 
indiflerence  of  temper,  likely  enough  to  waft  him 
buoyant  over  the  wa\es  of  fortune,  but  giving 
him  no  hold  of  the  element  through  which  a 
more  solid  mind  could  pursue  a  steadier  and 
more  commanding  course. — Rev.  R.  Ca/ulllsh, 
D.D. 

[191 72]  Living  in  a  remote  province  in  digni- 
fied ease,  and  invested  with  every  absolute  and 
discretionary  power — living,  too,  never  as  if  he 
were  at  home,  but  always  as  an  exile  expecting 
to  be  recalled — he  has  every  inducement  to 
abandon  himself  to  his  own  pleasure  or  his  own 
profit,  giving  himself  scarcely  any  real  concern 
about  what  may  be  passing  around  him.  Thus, 
if  not  tyrannical,  he  is  very  apt  to  prove  like 
Gallio,  governor  of  Achaia,  who,  when  the  whole 
city  of  Corinth  was  excited  and  convulsed  by 
the  agitation  of  religious  controversy,  took  the 
matter  very  easily,  and  cared  for  none  of  these 
things. — Ibid. 


II.  General  View  of  Character. 

[19173]  In  the  Clospel  by  Luke  fxiii.  i),  allu- 
sion is  made  to  his  having  perpetrated  an  act 
of  cruelty  on  some  Galileans,  who,  it  is  probable, 
having  come  up  to  Jerusalem  to  worship  at  one 
of  the  festivals,  were  slain  by  his  orders  in  the 
very  midst  of  the  solemnity,  so  that  their  blood 
was  mingled  with  their  sacrifices.    This  severity 
may  have  been  inflicted   on  some  pretence  of 
tunmlt  or  of  political   disaffection.     It   is  said 
that  on  other  occasions,  both  in  Juda:a  and  in 
Samaria,  Pilate  committed  great  cruelties  ;  and 
it  is  certain  that  he  was  a  man  who,  in  enforcing 
his   authority  and    prosecuting   his  ends,   held 
human  life  very  cheap,  and  made  no  scruple  of 
recklessly  causing  blood  on  a  large  scale  to  be 
shed.    Still  there  is  no  appearance  of  his  having 
been  wantonly  cruel,  either  as  a   man  or  as  a 
governor  ;   nor  even  of  his   having  been   par- 
ticularly oppressive  or  unjust.  .  .  .  The  fact  of 
its  having  fallen  to  him  to  judge  our  Lord,  and 
of  his  having  actually  caused  Him  to  be  cruci- 
fied, is  apt  to  leave  on  our  minds  an  impression 
that  he  was  worse  than  the  ordinary  class  of 
Roman  governors  of  the  day.     Strongly   con- 
demning this  treatment  of  the  Saviour,  we  form 
exaggerated  notions  of  the  injustice  and  blood- 
thirstiness  of  his  character,  and  conclude  that 
he  must  have  been  a  very  monster  so  to  deal 
with   the   Holy  One.     In    this   way  the  lesson 
which  his  conduct  is  fitted  to  teach,  is  rendered 
far  less  pointed  and  profitable  than  it  might  be. 
It  is  not  unlikely,  that  in  the  very  trying  pre- 
dicament in   which    he  found   hnnsclf  placed, 
Pilate  acted  better,  and  evinced  more  sensibility 
of  heart  and  conscience,  than  the  great  majority 
of  his  compeers  would  have  done,  and  more- 
over  it    is    not    unlikely,   that    in    his    circum- 
stances some  of  us  would  have  acted  worse. — 
Ibid. 


[19174]  He  was  a  type  of  the  rich  and  corrupt 
Romans  of  his  age  ;  a  workily-minded  states- 
man, conscious  of  no  higher  wants  than  those 
of  this  life,  yet  by  no  means  unmoved  by  feel- 
ings of  justice  and  mercy.  His  conduct  to  the 
Jews,  .  .  .  though  severe,  was  not  thoughtlessly 
cruel  or  tyrannical,  considering  the  general 
practice  of  Roman  governors,  and  the  diffi- 
culties of  dealing  with  a  nation  so  arrogant  and 
perverse.  Certainly  there  is  nothing  in  the  facts 
recorded  by  profane  authors  inconsistent  with 
his  desire,  obvious  from  the  gospel  narrative, 
to  save  our  Lord.  But  all  his  better  feelings 
were  overpowered  by  a  selfish  regard  for  his 
own  security.  He  would  not  encounter  the 
least  hazard  of  personal  annoyance  in  behalf 
of  innocence  and  justice  ;  the  unrighteous  con- 
demnation of  a  good  man  was  a  trifle  in  com- 
parison with  the  fear  of  the  Emperor's  frown, 
and  the  loss  of  place  and  power.  .  .His 
history  furnishes  a  proof  that  worldliness  and 
want  of  principle  are  sources  of  crimes  no  less 
awful  than  those  which  spring  from  deliberate 
and  reckless  wickedness. — Bp.  Cottoti. 


476 
19175- 


-19180] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA, 


[PII.ATE. 


III.  Special  Characteristics. 
I       Scepticism. 

[19175]  He  first  hears  what  the  people  have 
to  say  ;  then  asks  the  opinion  of  the  priests — 
then  comes  back  to  Jesus — goes  again  to  the 
priests  and  people — lends  his  ear — listens  to 
the  ferocity  on  the  one  hand,  and  feels  the 
beauty  on  the  other,  balancing  between  them  ; 
and  then  he  becomes  bewildered,  as  a  man  of 
the  world  is  apt  to  do  who  has  had  no  ground- 
work of  religious  education,  and  hears  super- 
ficial discussions  on  religious  matters,  and 
superficial  charges,  and  superficial  slanders,  till 
he  knows  not  what  to  think.  What  could  come 
out  of  such  procedure  ?  Nothing  but  that  cheer- 
lessness  of  soul  to  which  certainty  respecting 
anything  and  everything  here  on  earth  seems 
unattainable.  This  is  the  exact  mental  state 
which  we  call  scepticism.  Out  of  that  mood, 
when  he  heard  the  enthusiast  before  him  speak 
of  a  kingdom  of  the  truth,  there  broke  a  sad, 
bitter,  sarcastic  sigh,  "  What  is  truth?"  Who 
knows  anytliing  about  it?  Another  discoverer 
of  the  undiscoverable  !  Jesting-  Pilate  !  with 
Pilate  the  matter  was  beyond  a  jest.  It  was 
not  a  question  put  for  the  sake  of  information  : 
for  he  went  immediately  out,  and  did  not  stay 
for  information.  It  was  not  put  for  the  sake 
of  ridicule,  for  he  went  out  to  say,  "  I  find  no 
fault  in  Him."  Sarcasm  there  was  perhaps  : 
but  it  was  that  mournful,  bitter  sarcasm  which 
hides  inward  unrest  in  sneering  words  :  that 
sad  irony  whose  very  laugh  rings  of  inward 
wretchedness. — Rev.  F.  Robertson. 

[19176]  Pilate  was  false  to  his  conscience. 
His  conviction  was  that  Jesus  was  innocent. 
It  was  not  a  matter  of  speculation  or  probability 
at  all,  nor  a  matter  in  which  fresh  evidence  was 
even  expected,  but  a  case  sifted  and  examined 
thoroughly.  The  Pharisees  are  persecuting  a 
guiltless  man.  His  claims  to  royally  are  not 
the  civil  crime  which  they  would  make  out. 
Every  charge  has  fallen  to  the  ground.  The 
clear  mind  of  the  Roman  Procurator  saw  that, 
as  in  sunlight,  and  he  did  not  try  to  invalidate 
that  judicial  conviction.  He  tried  to  get  rid 
of  the  clear  duty  which  resulted  from  it.  Now 
it  is  a  habit  such  as  this  which  creates  the 
temper  of  scepticism.  There  is  boundless 
danger  in  all  inquiry  which  is  merely  curious. 
When  a  man  brings  a  clear  and  practised 
intellect  to  tryquestions,  by  the  answer  to  which 
he  does  not  mean  to  rule  his  conduct,  let  him 
not  marvel  if  he  feels,  as  life  goes  on,  a  sense 
of  desolation  ;  existence  a  burden,  and  all  un- 
certain. It  is  the  law  of  his  human  nature 
which  binds  him  ;  for  truth  is  for  the  heart 
rather  than  the  intellect.  If  it  is  not  done  it 
becomes  unreal  —  as  gloomily  unreal  and  as 
dreamily  impalpable  as  it  was  to  Pilate. — Ibid. 

[191 77]  Pilate  had  been  a  public  man.  He 
knew  lite  :  had  mixed  much  with  the  world's 
business,  and  the  world's  politics  :  had  come 
across  a  multiplicity  of  opinions,  and  gained  a 


smattering  of  them  all.  He  knew  how  many 
philosophies  and  religions  pretended  to  an 
exclusive  possession  of  truth  ;  and  how  the 
pretensions  of  each  were  overthrown  by  another. 
And  his  incredulity  was  but  a  specimen  of  the 
scepticism  fashionable  in  his  day.  The  polished 
scepticism  of  a  polished,  educated  Roman,  a 
sagacious  man  of  the  world,  too  much  behind 
the  scenes  of  public  life  to  trust  professions  of 
goodness  or  disinterestedness,  or  to  believe  in 
enthusiasm  and  a  sublime  life.  And  his  merci- 
ful language,  and  his  desire  to  save  Jesus,  was 
precisely  the  liberalism  current  in  our  day  as 
in  his — an  utter  disbelief  in  the  truths  of  a  world 
unseen,  but  at  the  same  time  an  easy,  careless 
toleration,  a  half-benevolent,  half-indolent  un- 
willingness to  molest  the  poor  dreamers  who 
chose  to  believe  in  such  superstitions. — Ibid. 

[19178]  He  lived  in  an  age  when  the  old 
faiths  of  the  world  were  breaking  up,  and  when 
the  great  mass  of  the  educated  men  of  his 
nation  had  sunk  into  utter  scepticism.  They 
ridiculed  philosophy,  sneered  at  virtue,  and 
laughed  at  devotion.  To  this  class  Pilate  un- 
doubtedly belonged,  for  when  Jesus  said  to  him, 
"  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth,  heareth  My 
voice,"  he  asked,  partly  in  pity  and  partly  in 
scorn,  "What  is  truth?"  and,  turning  on  his 
heel,  went  out  again  to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees. 
There  was  no  high-souled  integrity  within  him. 
The  rule  of  life  for  him  was  to  take  the  most 
of  selfish  gratification  out  of  it.  He  "minded 
earthly  things "  alone.  If  he  had  been  even 
such  a  one  as  Cato,  he  might,  perhaps,  have 
said  :  "  It  is  before  all  things  necessary  that  I 
must  do  right.  I  maybe  recalled  and  banished  ; 
but  it  will  be  better  for  me  to  suft'er  anything 
than  to  put  an  innocent  man  to  death."  But 
he  was  anchored  to  his  Procuratorship  ;  and 
having  no  just  notions  of  rectitude,  he  kept  it 
and  let  Christ  go. —  IV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[19179]  He  evidently  belonged  to  a  class  of 
men  who  had  no  interest  in  anything  but  the 
present,— no  faith  in  anything  beyond  the 
maxims  of  human  policy  and  of  mere  worldly 
wisdom,  and  to  whom  nothing  was  real  but 
what  was  earthly  and  tangible.  The  immortal 
world,  and  all  that  it  contained,  was  mere 
cloudland  to  him,  more  unsubstantial  than  the 
air  he  breathed. — Rev.  A.  llwmpson,  D.D. 

[19180]  His  other  question,  "Am  I  a  Jew?" 
was  intended  to  express  the  same  sceptical  and 
contemptuous  feeling  in  reference  to  all  subjects 
that  belonged  to  the  sphere  of  the  invisible  and 
the  spiritual.  For  it  was  as  if  he  had  said,  "  It 
may  be  well  enough  for  a  superstitious  populace, 
such  as  that  now  standing  in  front  of  my  prtt- 
torium,  to  occupy  and  amuse  themselves  with 
matters  of  this  sort  ;  but  do  not  expect  a  Roman 
governor  to  stoop  from  his  lofty  path  of  ambi- 
tion and  pre-eminence,  in  order  to  grasp  at 
objects  which  are  unsubstantial  as  dreams.  I 
can  become  rich  and  powerful  without  being 


19180—191? 


NEiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


CJ{ARACTERS. 


477 

[PILATE. 


religious  ;  and  this  comprehends  all  my  world 
and  all  my  wishes." — Ibid. 

2       Moral  weakness  and  indecision. 

[19181]  He  was  shrewd  enough  to  penetrate 
the  motives  of  our  Lord's  accusers.  He  "  knew 
that  it  was  for  envy  the  Jews  had  delivered 
Him;"  read  in  the  front  of  all  their  varying 
charges  the  marks  of  malicious  invention  and 
perversion  ;  and  on  every  new  occasion  on 
which  he  came  forth  to  the  priests  and  the 
multitude  after  conversing  with  Jesus,  repeated 
his  conviction  of  His  innocence  with  louder 
emphasis  than  before,  "  Why,  what  evil  hath  He 
done.-*  I  can  find  no  fault  in  Him."  Surely 
then,  thou  wavering  judge,  thy  course  is  plain. 
Thou  art  not  called  to  decide  any  difficult 
question  of  jurisprudence,  or  to  adjust  the 
delicate  balances  in  some  fine  point  of  casuistry. 
If  thy  prisoner  be  without  fault,  loose  Him,  and 
hasten  to  discharge  one  of  the  highest  and 
noblest  functions  of  those  who  sit  in  judgment, 
by  throwing  the  shield  of  thy  protection  around 
the  head  of  innocence. — Idid. 

[19182]  First,  he  made  his  appeal  to  their 
sense  of  justice, — in  effect  asking  them  whether 
they  would  have  him  to  sanction  the  death  of 
one  in  whom  he  could  find  no  fault.  But  while 
his  conscience  was  weak,  theirs  was  dead  ;  and 
his  words  only  quickened  into  greater  fierceness 
the  resentment  with  which  their  voices  rent 
the  air,  clamouring  for  vengeance.  After  an 
interval  of  indecision,  he  tried  another  shift 
which  he  imagined  must  succeed.  Taking 
advantage  of  a  custom  which  appears  to 
have  been  introduced  by  the  Roman  governors 
at  the  great  annual  festivals  of  the  Jews,  of 
allowing  them  to  select  from  the  midst  of  those 
who  were  then  accused  of  capital  offences  one 
prisoner  for  pardon  and  release,  he  offered  to 
permit  them  to  make  their  choice  between 
Jesus  and  Barabbas.  This  Barabbas  was  an 
offender  triple-dyed  in  crime,  stained  with  sedi- 
tion, rapine,  and  murder,  the  blood-stained, 
lawless  leader  of  a  robber-band  ;  and  doubtless 
Pilate  expected  that,  for  very  shame,  they  could 
not  profess  their  preference  of  this  man  to  Jesus. 
—Ibid. 

[19183]  Pilate's  subsequent  refusal,  at  the 
demand  of  the  priests  and  elders,  to  alter  the 
inscription  which  he  had  caused  to  be  affixed  to 
the  Saviour's  cross,  "  This  is  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
the  King  of  the  Jews,"  and  his  apparently  firm 
and  dignified  answer,  "  What  I  have  written,  I 
have  written,"  were  in  no  respect  inconsistent 
with  the  estimate  of  his  character  which  we  have 
indicated.  For  it  often  happens  in  men  of  his 
stamp,  that  acts  of  moral  indecision  are  followed 
by  seasons  of  sullen  and  petulant  obstinacy,  in 
part  the  expression  of  resentment  against  those 
by  whom  they  are  secretly  conscious  of  having 
been  overreached  or  overpowered,  and  in  part 
an  impotent  show  of  supremacy  over  those  who, 
in  the  critical  and  testing  moment,  have  proved 
themselves  to  be  their  masters. — Ibid. 


[19 184]  We  may  account  for  Pilate's  weakness 
from  the  low  views  of  responsibility  which  he 
held.  Was  there  ever  such  a  display  of  silliness 
as  this  washing  of  his  hands  before  the  people.? 
and  where  shall  wc  look  for  such  another  attempt 
as^  was  made  here  to  cast  blame  upon  others .? 
What  was  he  a  judge  for,  if  he  was  not  to  feel 
that  the  issuing  of  each  case  brouglit  before  him 
rested  solely  with  himself.?  He  was  invested 
with  the  power  of  life  and  death  for  the  very 
purpose  of  seeing  that  the  malignity  of  the  Jews 
did  not  defeat  the  eniis  of  justice  ;  and  yet  with 
one  breath  he  declares  Jesus  to  be  innocent,  and 
with  the  next  he  gives  Him  over  to  crucifixion  ; 
and  with  the  next  he  seeks  to  absolve  himself 
from  all  blame.  Very  clearly  he  had  no  right 
notion  of  his  accountability  for  his  actions  ;  he 
had  no  thought  of  Ciod  at  all.  Remembering 
these  things  we  cannot  wonder  that  he  could  not 
stand  before  the  clamour  of  the  mob.  Indeed, 
our  marvel  is  that  he  held  out  so  long  as  he  did. 
Certainly  the  Jews  did  not  expect  that  they 
would  have  had  any  difficulty  with  him,  and  we 
can  only  explain  the  degree  of  resistance  which 
he  did  exert  from  the  probability  that  his 
intercourse/ with  Jesus  had  touched  some  part 
of  his  nature  which  had  long  lain  dormant,  and 
stirred  into  life  some  expiring  ember  of  principle 
within  him,  which,  alas  1  only  glimmered  for  a 
moment,  and  went  out  into  unmitigated  dark- 
ness. Poor  Pilate  !  Who  does  not  pity  him  as 
he  beholds  him  thus,  eagerly  attempting  to 
transfer  from  himself  a  guilt  which  would  not 
go  from  him,  and  to  wash  out  a  stain  which  all 
the  waters  of  the  ocean  could  not  obliterate  ? — 
IV.  Taylor,  D.D. 

[19185]  Pilate  was  weak— morally  weak.  He 
was  not  a  man  delighting  in  sin  for  its  own  sake 
— it  may  be  doubted  whether  such  men  are  any- 
where to  be  found— but  one  of  a  class  of  persons 
to  be  seen  every  day  and  on  every  hand — men 
who  sin  in  spite  of  their  better  selves.  His 
weakness  appears  in  his  condemning  Jesus 
against  his  inclination,  and  when  he  believed 
Him  innocent. — Lemon  Liddon. 

3       Ambition. 

[191 86]  Perhaps  he  might  have  ventured 
something  in  the  cause  of  righteousness  and 
truth  ;  but  an  accusation  at  Rome,  and  to 
Tiberius,  the  most  suspicious  of  all  tyrants,  this 
he  could  not  brave  ;  and  it  is  with  this  that  the 
Jewish  chief  priests  threaten  him  now.  They 
have  kept  this  weapon  in  their  armoury  to  the 
last,  only  to  bring  it  forth  in  case  of  uttermost 
need,  and  when  every  other  has  failed.  But  this 
need  has  arrived,  and  they  do  not  scruple  to 
employ  it  :  "  If  thou  let  this  man  go,  thou  art 
not  Cac'sar's  friend.  Whosoever  maketh  himself 
a  king,  speaketh  against  Cicsar."  They  will 
charge  him  at  Rome  with  this  his  unseasonable 
lenity  to  a  rebel  and  a  pretender  to  Cicsar's 
throne.  This  they  make  Pilate  clearly  to  under- 
stand, and  this  is  enough.  They  have  thrown 
a  weight  into  the  scale  of  unrighteousness  and 


478 


19186 — 19192I 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCKIPTVRE   CHARACTERS. 
CIIKISTIAN    ERA. 


[PILATE. 


wrong,  which  causes  that  of  righteousness  and 
truth  at  once  to  kick  the  beam. — Abp.  Trench. 

[191S7]  Pilate  was  not  blinded  nor  infuriated. 
His  zeal  was  not  goaded  on  by  his  prejudices. 
He  was  calm  ;  he  was  clear-headed  ;  he  was 
calculating  ;  he  did  the  whole  thing  in  cold 
blood.  Judas,  it  is  believed  by  many,  betrayed 
his  Master  expecting  that  Jesus  would  elude  His 
enemies  and  escape,  while  he  should  make  a 
profit  by  it.  The  priests  were  rabid  with  hatred. 
Pilate  was  the  only  calm  man  among  them.  He 
was  cool.  He  saw  things  just  as  they  were. 
He  said  deliberately  in  himself,  ''Although  this 
man  is  just  and  right,  and  all  these  men  are  His 
enemies,  and  are  infamous,  yet  it  will  not  do  for 
me  to  lose  favour  at  Rome  ;"  and  so  he  sold 
Christ  rather  than  lose  his  own  political  prestige. 
It  was  an  act  of  deliberation,  calm  and  cold  ; 
and  even  if  it  was  keen  and  sharp,  it  was  more 
detestable  than  the  brutality  of  Judas  or  the 
wickedness  of  the  priests.  He  was  placed  where 
he  was  bound  to  maintain  justice,  and  he  violated 
his  own  clear  convictions  of  justice.  He  went 
against  his  better  feelings.  He  put  off  upon 
others  the  deed  which  could  not  have  been 
achieved  without  his  permission.  He  was 
cowardly,  hypocritical,  and  venal.  He  was 
bribed.  Some  men  are  bribed  in  the  palm,  and 
some  men  are  bribed  in  the  head  ;  but  he  was 
bribed  by  political  ambition. —  Ward  Bccchcr. 

[19188]  While  Pilate's  utter  indifference  to 
everything  religious  made  him  treat  the  charge 
of  blasphemy  lightly,  his  selfish  ambition  ren- 
dered him  sensitively  awake  to  the  least 
insinuation  of  coldness  to  Caesar's  interests  ; 
and  the  threat  of  being  charged  with  this,  and  of 
thereby  incurring  the  Emperor's  frown,  made 
him  willing  to  give  forth  the  awful  command 
that  the  innocent  Lord  should  die  upon  a  cross. 
— Rev.  A.  Tlwmpson,  D.D, 

IV.  Estimate  of  his  Guilt. 

[191 89]  He  was  guilty  of  the  whole  transaction. 
He  was  the  guiltiest  of  all  that  acted  in  it. 
There  be  many  that  would  say  that  he  strove  to 
find  a  way  of  escape  for  the  Master.  He  showed 
very  many  kind  feelings,  it  is  true;  but  these 
things  are  the  measure  of  his  transgression.  If 
he  had  not  seen  a  better  way  ;  if  he  had  not  been 
assured  of  the  innocence  of  the  Master  ;  if  he 
had  had  nothing  to  overcome,  we  should  have 
ranked  him  with  the  whole  horde  of  transgres- 
sors :  but  the  strength  of  conviction,  the  activity 
of  conscience,  and  the  abundance  of  kind  feeling 
which  he  overcame  in  giving  way  to  the  cry  of 
the  mob,  measure  the  guilt  of  Pilate.  It  needed 
only  that  he  should  attempt  to  put  a  good  face 
upon  what  he  had  done  to  consummate  the 
enormity  of  that  guilt  ;  and  this  he  did  by  wash- 
ing his  hands,  and  endeavouring  to  leave  the 
impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  that, 
whatever  came  of  this,  he  had  cleared  himself. 
It  was  a  testimony  rather  against  than  for  his 
acquittal. —  Ward  Beecher. 


V.  Character  of  his  Punishment. 
It  was  eminently  retributive. 

[19190]  The  very  evil  came  upon  Pilate, 
which  he  had  sinned  with  so  high  a  hand  to 
prevent.  For,  soon  after,  the  Jews  complained 
of  him  to  the  Emperor  Caligula,  and  he  was 
recalled  from  his  proconsulate  to  answer  to  their 
charges.  Subsecjuent  years  reveal  him  to  us 
wandering  an  exile  over  many  lands,  sinking 
into  disgrace  and  want, — his  earthly  course 
terminating,  in  awful  keeping  with  that  of  the 
gloomy  traitor,  by  his  perishing  with  his  own 
hands.  And  were  we  daring  to  lift  the  veil  that 
conceals  from  us  the  dark  world,  might  we  not 
almost  expect  to  see  those  words  of  the  poet 
accomplished  in  the  venal  judge,  and  in  the  yet 
guiltier  betrayi^r  : 

"  The  common  damned  shun  their  society, 
And  look  upon  themselves  as  fiends  less  foul  "? 
— Rev.  A.  Thompson,  D.D. 

VI.  Contrast    between    Pilate    and 
Judas. 

[19191]  I  confess  that  when  you  contrast  such 
a  man  as  Judas  with  Pilate,  the  first  impulse  is 
to  say  that  Judas  was  far  the  more  wicked  ;  but 
if  you  btop  to  think,  you  will  perceive  that  Judas 
acted  a  low-lived,  vulgar  part.  Because  he 
bribed  himself  by  avarice,  and  because  he  was 
treacherous  to  his  Master,  his  crime  seemed 
more  culpable  than  Pilate's  ;  but  Judas  had  an 
ignoble  nature.  It  is  not  probable  that  he 
strove  within  himself  at  all  to  resist  his  trans- 
gression. He  acted  from  very  low  motives 
because  he  was  himself  very  low.  He  was 
abundantly  and  vulgarly  criminal.  But  here 
was  a  man  of  a  much  higher  organization,  of  a 
far  larger  education,  of  clearer  and  moral  per- 
ceptions. While  Judas  allowed  himself  to  be 
gnawed  by  avarice,  Pilate  saw  that  this  man 
was  just  and  uncondemnable  on  the  principles 
of  equity.  Pilate  sinned  from  a  higher  point, 
and  with  more  deliberation,  than  Judas,  and  he 
had  better  means  of  getting  at  the  right,  and 
going  right. —  Ward  Beecher. 

VII.  HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I       The  history  of  Pilate  exemplifies  the  perils 
which   wait  upon  weakness. 

[19192]  A  bad  man,  Pontius  Pilate,  but  very 
far  from  the  worst  ;  with  a  guilt  which  reaches 
not  at  all  to  the  guilt  of  high  priests  ;  which 
stands  far  below  that  of  Judas  ;  and  therefore 
the  more  awful  example  of  the  crimes  in  which 
men  may  be  entangled  merely  through  a  lack  of 
moral  stamina  ;  for  who  can  attest  to  us  with 
such  a  terrible  clearness  as  he  does,  how  little 
feeble  motions  towards  good  will  profit,  nay, 
how  they  will  serve  only  to  deepen  the  damnation 
of  those  who  refuse  to  yield  obedience  to  them  ; 
who,  seeing  what  is  the  better  part,  do  yet  for 
by-ends  of  worldly  policy  and  convenience,  and 
to  make  things  safe  and  pleasant  to  themselves, 


19192— I9I97] 


NE]l^   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS, 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


479 


[PILATi;. 


shrink  from  the  painfulness  of  duty,  and,  leaving 
that  better  part,choose  the  worst? — A/>p.  Trench. 

2  The  history  of  Pilate  exemplifies  the  im- 
possibility of  a  neutral  position  with  re- 
spect to  the  demands  of  Christ  and  the 
demands  of  the  world. 

[191 93]  If  the  question  be  once  fairly  and 
seriously  raised  between  Christ  and  His  enemies, 
or  between  the  claims  of  vital  Ciiristianity  and 
the  demands  of  the  world,  neutrality  becomes 
impossible — neither  party  will  suffer  it.  Christ, 
on  His  part,  cannot  endure  it  :  the  authority  with 
which  He  speaks— the  truth  of  which  He  is  the 
witness — the  relation  in  which  He  stands  to 
God  as  His  Son,  and  to  men  as  their  Saviour, 
Sovereign,  and  Lord,  are  all  of  such  a  kind  as  to 
forbid  His  being  satisfied  with  anything  short  of 
a  full  and  unreserved  acknowledgement  of  His 
claims.  Rut  the  point  of  the  moral  lies  rather  in 
the  consideration,  that  the  world  on  its  side  is  as 
intolerant  of  neutrality  as  is  the  gospel  of  Christ 
itself.  Let  the  question  come  to  a  trial  before 
you,  and  the  world  will  never  let  you  off  until  it 
extorts  from  you  a  sentence  against  the  Lord. 
Your  inclinations,  your  convictions,  your  good 
feelings  of  every  sort,  may  be  all  in  favour  of 
some  middle  course.  But  it  is  all  in  vain. 
You  cannot  long  escape.  You  are  at  the  mercy 
of  evil  principles  and  evil  men  with  whom  you 
are  not  prepared  to  break  ;  and,  as  you  will  not 
give  them  up  for  Christ,  the  issue  is  too  plain 
and  certain  on  the  other  side,^you  cannot  but 
in  the  end  sacrifice  Christ  to  them.  There  is, 
therefore, no  safety  in  a  neutral  position — neither 
the  prince  of  this  world  nor  the  Prince  of  Life 
will  let  you  rest  in  it.  There  must  be  a  decision 
for  or  against  the  Lord.  "He  that  is  not  with 
Me  is  against  Me."  Let  the  inevitable  alterna- 
tive be  pondered  well. — Rev.  R.  Candlish,  D.D. 

3  The  history  of  Pilate  exemplifies  the  evil 
of  fettering  oneself  for  the  future  by  the 
conduct   of  the   present. 

[19194]  Observe  how,  in  the  case  which  has 
been  before  us,  his  consciousness  of  maladminis- 
tration in  his  province  hung  like  a  millstone 
round  Pilate's  neck,  and  prevented  him  from 
rising  to  obey  the  promptings  of  his  better  nature. 
In  the  history  of  every  man  there  are  critical 
times,  which  correspond  to  that  in  which  Pilate 
was  when  Jesus  was  placed  at  his  bar,  and  it 
will  be  found  that  we  give  up  the  Lord  to  dis- 
honour, or  glorify  Him  by  our  loving  allegiance 
just  according  as  we  have  prepared  ourselves  by 
our  previous  conduct  for  the  emergency.  When 
one  is  attacked  with  a  dangerous  malady,  it  is 
commonly  the  case  that  he  weathers  the  crisis 
or  not  according  as  his  constitution  is  sound  or 
the  reverse,  and  if  he  have  been  addicted  to 
intemperance  or  excess,  it  will  stand  hard  with 
him  in  his  hour  of  peril.  It  is  not  ditlerent  in 
spiritual  experience  when  the  crisis  of  some 
great  temptation  comes  upon  a  man.  For  it  is 
a  mistake  to  suppose  that  our  actions  are  inde- 
pendent of  the  character  which  in  the  past  we 
have  been  forming  within  us.     Pilate,  no  doubt, 


never  dreamed  that  the  crimes  of  his  Procura- 
torship  were  in  the  least  degree  hampering  him 
for  the  future,  still  less  did  he  relleci  upon  the 
effect  which  the  commission  of  them  was  having 
in  his  own  spiritual  constitution  ;  but  when  this 
great  testing  hour  of  his  life  came,  he  felt  he  had 
already  committed  himself,  and  when  most  he 
wished  to  summon  up  stren^^th  to  break  away 
from  the  entanglements  of  the  past,  he  found 
that  he  had  no  strengtli  to  summon.  Depend 
upon  it,  if  you  give  yourself  to  a  course  of  vicious 
indulgence,  you  are  thereby  incapacitating  your- 
self for  a  life  of  honour  and  integrity  hereafter, 
and  rendering  yourself  unable  to  weather  the 
storms  of  temptation  that  are  sure  to  beat  upon 
you  yet. —  W.  Taylor,  D.D. 

4  The  history  of  Pilate  exemplifies  the  truth 
that  there  is  a  his/her  rule  of  life  than  mere 
selfish  expediency. 

[19195]  Pilate  was  a  heathen,  and  we  hardly 
wonder  that  he  considered  his  own  pleasure, 
prosperity,  and  safety  as  the  great  end  of  his 
life.  But,  alas  !  how  many  are  there  in  these 
days  among  ourselves,  who,  in  spite  of  the  light 
of  revelation  shining  round  them,  act  ])recisely 
as  he  did  !  They  have  no  thou;4ht  beyond  the 
present  life,  no  aim  above  their  earthly  enjoy- 
ment, and  no  scruple  as  to  the  means  through 
which  they  seek  that  end.  Be  on  your  guard 
against  allowing  yourself  to  take  any  such 
ground.  It  is  a  quicksand,  and  if  you  step  upon 
it,  it  will  suck  you  down  to  destruction.  Its 
light  is  but  a  flickering  marsh-fire,  and  if  you 
follow  it  you  will  find  yourself  at  length  in  some 
deep  moss-bog,  from  which,  with  all  your  efforts, 
you  will  never  be  able  to  extricate  yourself. 
Look  at  Pilate.  In  spite  of  all  his  anxiety  to 
retain  his  Procuratorship,  that  which  he  feared 
so  much  did  ultimately  come  upon  him,  for  he 
in  seven  years  was  recalled,  he  was  banished, 
and  unable  to  bear  up  under  all  his  troubles,  he 
had  recourse  to  suicide.  Thus  you  see  he 
incurred  the  guilt  of  being  a  partaker  in  the 
Saviour's  murder,  and  after  all  lost  everything 
which  he  hoped  to  save  by  consenting  to  His 
death.     But  it  is  always  thus. — Ibid. 

5  The  history  of  Pilate  exemplifies  the  truth 
that  sin  is  a  voluntary  thing. 

[19196]  Pilate,  even  when  he  was  washing  his 
hands,  felt  that  he  might  have  refused  to  give 
up  Jesus  if  he  had  chosen.  He  was  under  no 
necessity  to  sin.  The  same  is  true  of  us  all. 
We  can  never  sin  against  our  will,  and  so  when 
we  do  sin,  the  responsibility  is  all  our  own.  All 
such  make-shifts  as  this  of  Pilate  to  roll  the 
guilt  from  himself  are  vain  subterfuges.  Sin  is 
a  personal  matter,  and  when  character  dies  it  is 
always  through  suicide,  never  by  murder. — 
Ibid. 

6  The  history  of  Pilate  suggests  that  evil 
actions  are  not  less  wicked  because  they 
are  done  for  reasons  of  state  or  party. 

[19197]  This  man,  Pilate,  condemned,  or  suf- 
fered to  be  condemned,  the  .Saviour.    He  sacri- 


4So 
19197— 19203] 


HEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA, 


[CAIAPHAS. 


ficed  the  whole  spirit  of  the  Roman  law,  and  of 
universal  humanity  ;  and  the  reason  was  what 
seemed  to  him  to  be  the  exigencies  of  the  govern- 
ment. He  did  it  from  political  considerations. 
That  same  tendency  lives  yet.  Parties  will  do 
things  which  no  honourable  man  in  that  party 
will  ever  do  alone.  Men  will  consent  to  do,  or 
to  have  done,  in  party  relations,  that  which,  if 
they  stood  alone  in  the  community,  they  would 
scorn  ineftably.  Men  will  still  maintain  their 
connection  with  parties  and  with  men  in  them 
that  do  monstrous  iniquities  ;  and  the  sophistry 
is  this :  that  it  is  done  from  public  considera- 
tions ;  as  if  that  changed  the  essential  nature 
of  right  and  wrong  !  as  if  that  changed  the 
responsibility  of  the  individual  actors  in  a  party  ! 
Pilate  could  not  say  that  he  was  less  culpable 
because  he  acted  as  he  did  from  political  con- 
siderations.—  Ward  Beeclier. 

7  The  history  of  Pilate  suggests  that 
wickedness  which  a  man  can  prevent, 
and  which  he  does  not  prevent,  incul- 
pates him. 

[19198]  We  are  not  morally  responsible 
simply  for  the  wickedness  which  we  do,  but 
for  the  wickedness  which  we  can  prevent  as 
well.  Of  course  you  cannot  judge  this  by  the 
same  rules  by  which  you  can  judge  many  other 
departments  in  ethics;  nevertheless  it  is  an  im- 
portant truth  to  bear  in  mind  that  men  are 
responsible  for  the  mischief  which  they  could 
hinder.  If  you  put  the  torch  to  your  neighbour's 
house,  you  are  guilty  in  one  way;  but  if  another 
puts  the  torch  to  that  house,  and  you  go  by,  and 
see  the  flames,  and  si^y,  "It  is  not  my  business  ; 
I  did  not  kindle  that  hre  ;  and  besides,  he  is  an 
enemy  of  mine,"  you  are  as  culpable  as  if  you 
had  set  fire  to  the  house  yourself.  I  am  waked 
up  in  tlie  night.  I  hear  the  cry  of  my  children. 
I  hear  my  venerable  parent  shriek  for  help. 
There  is  blood  in  the  house  !  But  I  gather  the 
bed-clothes  over  my  head,  and  lie,  saying,  "  No 
danger  can  come  to  me  ;  my  door  is  locked  and 
tightly  bolted."  And  in  the  morning  the  father 
is  gone,  and  the  mother  is  gone,  and  the  chil- 
dren are  gone !  And  I  get  up  stained  with 
blood.  I  that  heard  the  outcry,  I  that  should 
have  given  the  alarm  and  summoned  help,  I 
that  should  have  died  with  them  rather  than 
suffered  tiiem  to  die— shall  I  stand  up  and  say, 
"Their  blood  is  not  on  me"?  Their  blood  is 
on  me. — Ibid. 


CAIAPHAS. 

I.  His  Iniquitous  Policy. 

z       It   was   apparently  adapted  to  the    end  in 
view. 

[19199]  Christ  was  alienating  the  people  from 
the  institutions  of  the  country,  and  shaking 
their  faith  in  its  authorities,  and  the  most  effec- 
tive plan  for  terminating  the  mischief  seemed 


to  be  to  put  Him  to  death.  This  would  appear 
to  strike  the  evil  at  the  root.  When  this  was 
done,  public  excitement  would  soon  subside,  a*nd 
the  feeling  of  the  people  soon  flow  back  to  its 
old  level  and  roll  on  monotonously  in  its  old 
channel  as  heretofore.  It  was,  anyhow,  plausible. 
— Anon. 

2  Though    seemingly  adapted  to  its  end,  it 
was  radically  wrong  in  principle. 

[19200]  What  right  had  Caiaphas  to  propose 
the  death  of  any  man,  however  criminal  that 
man  might  be?  And  even  assuming  his  right, 
as  a  governor,  to  put  a  criminal  to  death — a 
prerogative,  however,  which  we  deny  to  all  but 
God — certainly  there  was  no  show  of  right  in 
proposing  the  death  of  one  who,  like  Christ,  had 
never  violated  any  law  ;  who  had  wronged  no 
one,  but  blessed  all.  The  apparent  fitness  of  a 
measure  to  an  end  does  not  make  it  right. 
The  only  standard  of  right  is  the  will  of  God. 
—Ibid. 

[19201]  Some  one  said  the  Accused  is  inno- 
cent. The  reply  was — Better  that  one  should 
die  than  many.  "  It  is  expedient  for  us  that 
one  man  should  die  for  the  people,  and  that  the 
whole  nation  perish  not."  It  was  simply  with 
Caiaphas  a  question  of  numbers  :  the  unjust 
expediency  of  wresting  the  law  a  little  to  do 
much  apparent  good.  The  reply  to  that  was 
plain.  Expediency  cannot  obliterate  right  and 
wrong.  Expediency  may  choose  the  best  pos- 
sible when  the  conceivable  best  is  not  attain- 
able ;  but  in  right  and  wrong  there  is  no  better 
and  best.  Thou  sJialt  not  do  wrong.  Thou 
must  not :  you  may  not  tell  a  lie  to  save  life. 
Better  that  the  whole  Jewish  nation  should 
perish  than  that  a  Jewish  legislature  should 
steep  its  hand  in  the  blood  of  one  innocent.  It 
is  7iot  expedient  to  do  injustice. — Rev.  F.  Robert- 
son. 

3  Being  radically   wrong,   it  was   ultimately 
ruinous. 

[19202]  Did  the  putting  to  death  of  Christ 
avert  the  dreaded  calamity?  Did  it  secure 
Judasa  from  the  invasion  of  the  Romans  ?  Did 
it  serve  in  any  way  even  the  temporal  interests 
of  the  country?  No,  no  ;  it  hastened  the  flight 
of  the  Roman  eagle  ;  it  brought  upon  the  Jews 
judgments  which  speedily  broke  up  their  com- 
monwealth, and  beneath  which  the  Jewish 
people  have  been  groaning  to  this  hour.  Ah  ! 
what  seems  expedient  to-day  may  prove  in  the 
future  to  have  been  most  disastrous.  Eternal 
principle  is  the  only  pillar  to  guide  short-sighted 
creatures  in  their  endless  path.  Let  govern- 
ments study  the  policy  of  Caiaphas. — Anon. 

II.    His    Unconscious    Prophecy    and 
Statement  of  Doctrine. 

[19203]  The  very  words  in  which  he  propounds 
his  own  sinful  policy,  unconsciously  predict  a 
great  fact  in  God's  administration— namcly,that 
the  death  of  Christ  was  necessary  to  the  salva- 


19203 — 19207] 


NEll^  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


481 

[barabbas. 


tion  of  others.  Wicked  men  often  express  great 
truths,  and  truths  not  the  less  important  because 
uttered  by  the  lips  of  folly  and  crime. — Ibid. 

[19204]  We  need  not  cite  passages  in  proof  of 
the  fact  here  predicted — namely,  that  tlie  death 
of  Christ  is  essential  to  the  salvation  of  others. 
The  Bible  is  full  of  it.  It  is  the  central  truth 
of  the  Bible.  What  does  the  death  of  Christ 
do  towards  man's  salvation.''  First,  it  does  not 
change  the  mind  of  God  in  relation  to  man.  It 
is  sometimes  represented  as  appeasing  the 
anger,  and  awaking  the  compassion  of  God. 
This  is  a  fearful  blasphemy.  The  death  of 
Christ  is  not  the  effect  of  God's  love,  but  the 
expression,  proof,  and  medium.  Secondly,  it 
does  not  relax  the  claims  of  law.  There  are 
some  who  represent  the  death  of  Christ  as  free- 
ing man  from  the  claims  of  law.  This  is  absurd. 
Nothing  can  remove  a  moral  being  from  the 
claims  of  law  but  annihilation.  Thirdly,  it  does 
not  mitigate  the  enormity  of  sin.  It  increases 
the  enormity  of  sin  in  a  Christian.  Fourthly,  it 
does  not  change  the  necessary  conditions  of  spiri- 
tual improvement  ;  it  does  not  make  men  good 
and  great  in  any  miraculous  or  mystical  way. 
The  necessary  conditions  of  spiritual  improve- 
ment for  all  intelligences  are,  the  intellectual 
study  of  Divine  truth,  the  heart-application  of 
Divine  truth,  and  the  devotional  practice  of 
Divine  truth.  Angels  advance  in  this  way.  Had 
man  never  sinned,  he  must  have  advanced  in 
this  way.  The  death  of  Christ  does  not  alter 
these  conditions.  What,  then,  does  the  death 
of  Christ  do  towards  our  salvation  ?  First,  it 
gives  a  new  revelation  of  God.  What  is  the 
new  revelation?  His  love  for  sinners.  This 
idea  you  can  read  nowhere  else.  Secondly,  it 
gives  new  motives  to  obedience.  "Ye  are  not 
your  own  :  ye  are  bought  with  a  price,"  &c. 
Thirdly,  it  gives  a  new  medium  of  approach  to 
God.  In  innocence,  man  had  access  to  God  on 
the  ground  of  his  own  excellence,  but  now  only 
on  the  ground  of  Christ's  merits.  He  is  "  the 
new  and  living  way."  Fourthly,  it  supplies  new 
helps  to  spiritual  culture.  It  gives  the  highest 
ideal  of  excellence,  the  highest  incentives  to  ex- 
cellence, and  the  highest  helps  to  excellence — 
God's  Spirit. — Ibid. 


BARABBAS, 

I.  His  Character. 

[19205]  His  name  is  said  (by  Origen)  to  have 
been  Jesus  Barabbas.  Ihis  is  equivalent  to 
being  the  son  of  a  distinguished  father,  or  of  a 
Rabbi.  He  seems  to  have  been  associated  with 
others,  and  to  have  been  the  ringleader  in  an 
insurrection.  In  this  insurrection  murder  had 
been  committed.  Barabbas  was  taken  and  con- 
demned. He  may  have  been  a  fierce  desperado, 
able  to  play  the  assassin,  as  well  as  to  rifle  the 
girdles  of  those  who  fell  into  his  power.  If  his 
efforts  had  been  against  the  Roman  power,  he 

VOL.   VI. 


was  a  sort  of  desperate  revolutionary.  He  may, 
indeed,  have  been  only  one  of  a  gang  of  banditti 
infesting  the  gloomy  gorge  leailing  to  Jericho, 
ready  to  strip  or  leave  half  de.ul,  or  altogether 
dead,  any  poor  wayfarer.  Emboldened  with 
success,  he  may  have  carried  his  operations  into 
the  very  city.  He  thinks  to  enrich  himself  and 
his  followers,  if  only  he  can  foment  disorder  and 
anarchy  among  the  many  who  >^o  up  to  the  Pass- 
over. He  was  one  of  a  set,  perhaps  as  bad  or 
worse  than  himself.  It  is  said  of  him  that  he 
was  "  of  those  "  who  had  made  insurrection  in 
the  city.  His  plans  were,  however,  frustrated. 
He  was  found  in  the  strong  grip  of  the  law  ne 
had  evaded  so  long.  This  was  the  man  wliose 
release  the  Jews  demand  before  that  of  Christ. 
—Anon. 


II.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 

Barabbas  cared  not  for  Christ,  yet  Jesus  died 
for  him. 

[19206]  Perhaps  he  would  have  despised  Him 
as  a  Nazarene,  yet  Jesus  saved  him.  He  asked 
not  for  deliverance,  yet  it  was  given  through 
another.  And  we  may  not  have  asked  to  be 
saved  through  Christ,  yet  by  His  stripes  we  are 
healed,  by  His  death  set  free  from  the  law. 
How  did  he  think  of  Jesus  afterwards?  Did  he 
see  the  one  who  took  his  place  ?  There  is  no 
tradition  that  he  became  a  convert,  but  we  can 
suppose  that  he  did  go  and  look  on  the  one  who 
had  taken  his  place.  Look  at  him,  a  few  paces 
from  the  cross.  The  soldiers  have  gone  away 
to  a  distance,  and  Joseph  and  Nicodemus  have 
not  yet  come  to  take  Jesus  down.  Barabbas 
might  gaze  in  quiet  on  that  dead  Christ.  What 
would  his  thoughts  be?  "That  cross  was  in- 
tended for  me.  Tiiose  cords  were  to  have  cut 
my  wrists  and  limbs.  Those  nails  were  to  have 
pierced  my  hands  and  feet.  Instead  of  standing 
here,  conscious  of  life,  I  might  have  hung  there 
drooping  in  death.  Or  I  might  have  still  lingered 
in  thirst  and  torture,  praying  for  death.  He  has 
died  for  me."  We  can  imagine  Barabbas,  when 
the  body  of  Christ  was  borne  to  the  tomb,  follow- 
ing at  a  distance,  with  soul  awed  by  the  earth- 
quake, the  strange  darkness,  and  the  dread 
events  of  that  day.  As  he  looks  into  that  tomb 
he  may  have  thought,  "  He  lies  there  for  me." 
He  may  have  seen  that  Christ  died  for  his  sin, 
oh,  did  he  learn  that  Jesus  rose  again  for  his 
justification,  for  his  eternal  salvation.'' — Ibid. 

[19207]  How  did  Barabbas  die?  Where? 
No  account  remains.  But  what  if  the  very  man 
who  was  set  free  by  Christ's  bondage,  who  was 
spared  the  cross  by  Christ's  suffering,  should 
never  have  learnt  the  deeper  truth  of  spiritual 
freedom  and  eternal  salvation  !  Anyhow,  if  he 
knew  it  not  before,  we  believe  he  would  learn 
that  after  death.  Sooner  or  later  we  must  learn 
what  Christ  has  done  for  us.  He  hung  on  that 
cross  as  certainly  for  each  of  us  as  for  Barabbas. 
What  have  been  our  thoughts  of  our  debt  to 
Christ  ?     What  have  we  done  to  show  our  grati- 


32 


482 

19207 — I92II] 


JV£;f^   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  magi. 


tude  ?  Have  we  gone  away  content  that  we  have 
a  great  many  privileges  and  joys  through  the 
influence  of  Christianity,  but  ahogether  in- 
different as  to  the  personal  devotion  which 
should  be  evoked  to  Him  who  died  for  us.''  If 
Barabbas  went  away  to  enjoy  himself  and  carouse 
with  his  companions  over  his  escape,  while  Christ 
went  to  death,  how  terrible  the  thought  !  How 
different  were  the  two  paths  each  trod  that  day  ! 
Barabbas  congratulated  himself  that  he  was  not 
going  to  the  cross,  Jesus  went  there  in  sorrow  : 
the  one,  however,  went  into  oblivion  ;  the  other 
to  a  throne  of  triumph  in  the  cross  of  shame. 
Of  which  would  we  be  followers  1—Ibid. 


THE  MAGL 

I.  Their  Intellectual  Position. 

[19208]  They  were  the  learned  class  among 
■the  people  of  the  East,  employed  chiefly  with 
the  study  of  religion,  medicine,  and  astronomy, 
including  the  superstitious  observance  and  wor- 
ship of  the  heavenly  bodies,  to  which  were 
assigned  special  influences  over  the  destinies  of 
men.  The  evening  sky  was  to  these  Magi  their 
book  of  revelation.  Each  orb  and  constellation 
had  a  certain  character  and  certain  influences 
ascribed  to  it  ;  and  in  advising  kings,  in  going 
forth  with  them  to  battle,  and  in  directing  the 
movements  of  armies,  the  Magi  noted  carefully 
what  constellations  and  planets  were  in  the 
ascendant.  The  nearness  of  one  of  the  planets 
to  the  earth  at  the  birth  of  a  royal  personage 
was  used  to  foretell  his  character,  and  that  of 
his  reign. — N.  Adams,  D.D. 

[19209]  The  Magi  were  the  priests  and  scholars 
of  the  East.  They  were  wise  in  all  science  and 
philosophy,  but  especially  learned  in  astiouomy. 
Their  religious  belief  is  said  to  have  been  derived 
from  Abraham,  which  may  help  to  account  for 
their  remarkable  knowledge  of  the  Messiah. 
It  is  certain  they  had  been  long  looking  towards 
JudiEa  as  the  cradle  of  an  expected  king.  This 
expectation  led  them  to  scan  the  heavens  with 
increasing  desire  and  hope.  In  the  alphabet  of 
the  stars  they  sought  to  spell  out  the  deep  designs 
of  God.  Simple  as  the  astrologer's  faith  appears 
to  us,  there  is  something  pure  and  sublnne  in 
his  reverence  for  the  heavenly  bodies.  Every 
nightfall  was  the  drawing  back  of  curtains,  un- 
veiling the  secrets  of  the  Infinite  Mind.  A 
cloudy  evening  sky  drove  him  to  repentance  and 
made  him  mourn  the  anger  of  Heaven.  We  call 
this  superstition,  and  even  idolatry.  But  for  a 
people  on  whom,  the  day-star  of  higher  heavens 
had  not  yet  risen,  it  was  more  and  better  ;  it 
was  next  akin  to  the  worship  of  God.  And  who 
can  doubt  that  the  Creator  accepted  it  as  an 
honest  though  blind  struggle  of  His  creatures 
alter  clearer  light.?  Who  can  doubt  that  He 
often  made  their  simple  faith  the  medium  of 
tommunion   with    their  spirits  ?     It    is   certain 


that,  through  their  imperfect  worship,  they  were 
among  the  first  to  know  of  the  infant  Messiah. 
A  peculiar  and  brilliant  meteor  appeared  in  their 
sky.  At  once  the  books  and  charts  of  astrology 
were  opened.  The  secret  of  the  new  sign  was 
sought  out,  and  with  an  instinct  that  reminds 
one  of  inspiration,  they  welcome  the  bright 
comer  as  herald  of  the  great  and  expected  King. 
— Rev.  Joseph  Clark. 


II.  Question  as  to  the  Natural  or 
Supernatural  Character  of  the 
Guidance  Vouchsafed  to  Them. 

[192 10]  Had  this  star  been  one  of  the  regular 
heavenly  bodies,  it  is  plain  that  no  such  unusual 
impression  would  have  been  made  by  it  as  was 
made  by  this  new  sign  in  the  heavens.  The 
evening  star  had  always  been  seen  in  the  west 
without  exciting  any  special  attention  :  the 
special  brightness  of  a  fixed  star,  for  several 
nights  in  succession,  would  not  have  roused  the 
Magi  in  so  extraordmary  a  manner.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  celebratedmathematician, Kepler, 
regarded  the  star  of  the  wise  men  as  the  result 
of  a  conjunction  between  three  heavenly  bodies, 
such  as  occurred  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1604, 
when  Jupiter,  Saturn,  and  Mars  blended  their 
rays,  as  he  supposed  ;  those  planets  being,  at 
that  time,  in  the  sign  of  the  Fishes,  and  a  heavenly 
body  then  shedding  forth  a  strange  and  wonder- 
ful light  in  that  quarter.  Kepler  calculated  the 
conjunction  of  these  planets  as  having  taken 
place,  with  two  of  them,  in  the  year  of  Rome 
747,  and  with  the  three,  in  748  ;  in  one  of  which 
years  it  is  generally  agreed  that  Christ  was  born. 
Some,  who  wish  to  reduce  the  number  of  miracles 
in  the  Bible,  and  the  corresponding  tax  upon 
their  faith,  as  low  as  possible,  account  in  this 
manner  for  the  star  which  the  wise  men  saw. 
But  even  if  the  star  had  an  orbit  among  the 
regular  stars,  its  sudden  appearance  makes  no 
great  demand  upon  credulity,  for  He  who 
"  maketh  peace  in  His  high  places  "  has,  from 
the  beginning,  led  forth,  and  has  also  taken  away 
heavenly  bodies  from  the  eyes  of  men.  —  N. 
Adams,  D.D. 

[19211]  Behold,  that  kind  friend,  that  faithful 
lighthouse,  shines  forth  again,  and,  instead  of 
tracking  a  way  for  them  into  far  distant  regions, 
it  comes  and  rests  very  low,  no  higher,  perhaps, 
than  the  smoke  which  curls  from  our  chimneys, 
over  the  place  where  the  young  child  was.  They 
need  not  go  from  street  to  street,  and  from 
house  to  house,  nor  tax  their  patience,  nor 
exercise  their  faith,  any  more.  It  was  as  though 
"  Immanuel"  were  emblazoned  on  the  door,  or 
"  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords  "  were  written 
on  the  wall.  The  question  whether  this  star 
were  an  orb  of  heaven,  or  a  special  sign  created 
for  this  purpose,  it  would  seem,  must  be  removed, 
when  we  consider  its  position  over  the  dwelling 
where  the  child  was.  It  is  plain  that  one  of  the 
regular  heavenly  bodies  could  not  point  to  one 
dwelling  more  than  to  another. — Ibid. 


19212—19215! 


NEIV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN     ERA. 


[the  magi. 


[19212]  Why  should  it  be  thought  strange 
that  God  should  cause  a  fresh  point  of  light  to 
appear  in  the  heavens,  whose  silver  light  should 
silently  proclaim  the  advent  of  Him  who  made 
them  all?  Was  it  a  greater  miracle  than  \.\\c  fact, 
which  its  rays  alike  proclaimed  to  both  the  earth 
and  the  heavens,  that  He  who  was  the  Light  of 
lights,  the  Star  of  stars,  the  wonder  of  earth  and 
the  glory  of  heaven,  the  perfection  of  humanity, 
and  the  very  image  and  brightness  of  God, 
should  now  veil  His  glory,  and  appear  in  our 
midst  clothed  in  the  garb  of  human  frailty  and 
hidden  beneath  the  swaddling  bands  of  our 
flesh  ?  Let  but  our  faith  grasp  this  mystery  of 
mysteries,  and  all  others  become  plain.  Surely 
it  is  not  surprising  that  while  so  many  stars 
through  the  long  ages  of  darkness  had  reflected 
His  power,  whose  word  bade  them  to  shine,  one 
should  be  selected  to  proclaim  His  love,  and 
point  the  wandering  pilgrim's  feet  through 
the  gloom  of  night  to  Him,  wlio,  although  He 
called  them  all  by  their  names,  stoops  from  the 
height  of  His  glory  to  bind  up  the  broken- 
hearted and  to  heal  their  wounds. — Rev.  P. 
Baljcrn. 


in.  Their  Faith. 

It    was    undaunted  and    persistent,    and    met 
with  its  reward. 

[19213]  The  star  shone  at  a  great  distance, 
but  in  the  direction  of  Judrea  ;  and  these  wise 
men  arose  and  followed  it.  But  when  they  had 
entered  on  their  way,  the  star,  for  a  large  part 
of  the  time,  if  not  entirely,  must  have  disap- 
peared. In  the  daytime,  of  course,  they  could 
not  see  it ;  in  stormy  and  dark  nights  it  was 
veiled  ;  and  thus,  through  their  long  and  weari- 
some journey,  they  must,  to  a  great  degree, 
have  walked  by  faith.  Not  supposing  that  a 
king  could  be  born  out  of  the  metropolis,  they 
bent  their  way  toward  Jerusalem,  inquiring  for 
Christ.  Instead  of  finding  the  great  city  moved 
with  joy  at  His  birth,  it  would  seem  as  though 
the  city  had  the  first  information  of  it  from  these 
Persians.  The  story  of  the  shepherds,  perhaps, 
had  been  treated  with  ridicule,  and  was  for- 
gotten ;  and  the  arrival  of  the  Magi,  with  such 
an  inquiry,  only  had  the  effect  to  trouble  the 
king,  and  the  whole  city  with  him.  Nothing 
daunted  by  this,  nothing  chilled  in  their  faith 
and  zeal,  they  literally  followed  on  to  know  the 
Lord,  seeking  Him  with  all  the  heart  ;  and, 
pursuing  their  way  to  humble  Bethlehem,  be- 
hold, the  star  which  they  saw  in  the  east  came 
and  stood  over  the  place  where  the  young  child 
was.  If  we  were  half  as  zealous  to  know  the 
truth  respecting  Christ,  and  the  way  of  sal- 
vation by  Him,  as  these  heathen  were  to  find 
Him,  all  our  wishes  would  be  crowned  with 
complete  success.  We  are  strongly  disposed 
to  hope  and  to  believe  that  they  were  not  moved 
to  perform  such  a  journey,  and  such  an  act  of 
love  and  worship,  to  die,  after  all,  without  a 
saving  knowledge  of  the  Redeemer.  Supposing 
them   to    have    become   acquainted   with    the 


gospel,  they  must  have  reflected  with  great 
satisfaction  on  the  pains  they  took  to  find  the 
Saviour,  the  faith  they  exercised,  their  perse- 
verance, and  finally  their  not  being  offended  at 
the  lowly  condition  in  which  they  found  Him. — 
N.  Adams,  D.D. 

[192 14]  Their  difficulties  did  but  stimulate 
them  to  fresh  attempts  ;  and,  though  they  had 
lost  their  star,  they  still  kept  their  way,  carrying 
their  treasures  with  them  as  a  gift  for  the  King. 
And  thus  it  will  ever  be  with  those  in  wiiom  the 
true  spirit  of  Christian  earnestness  dwells. 
Though  the  path  may  be  difficult,  and  often 
dark,  still  the  language  of  their  hearts  to  Christ 
will  be  that  of  the  Hebrew  maid  of  old  :— 
"Entreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  or  to  return  from 
following  after  thee  ;  for  whither  thou  goest  I 
will  go  :  and  where  thou  lodgcst  I  will  lodge  : 
thy  people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God 
my  God  ;  where  thou  diest  will  I  die,  and 
there  will  I  be  buried  :  the  Lord  do  so  to  me, 
and  more  also,  if  aught  but  death  part  thee 
and  me."  And,  although  many  who  are  actuated 
by  this  spirit  may  be  poor  in  the  possession  of 
this  world's  goods,  yet  will  they  give  to  Christ 
the  most  costly  treasures  of  a  human  soul,  and 
pour  forth  as  a  libation  before  Him  the  myrrh 
and  frankincense  of  their  most  ardent  love. 
But  oh,  how  different  is  this  spirit  to  that  which 
is  manifested  by  many  who  profess  to  follow 
Christ  !  What  a  small  thing  will  often  turn 
them  aside,  even  from  the  public  observance  of 
the  means  of  grace  !  their  feet  stumble  over 
straws,  and  they  faint  at  the  appearance  of 
every  ghost  which  their  fear  creates. — Rev.  P. 
Balj'ern. 

IV.  Their  Joy. 

[192 1 5]  The  joy  of  the  Magi  claims  our  no- 
tice. They  had  seen  the  star  in  the  east.  They 
followed  it — it  seemed  to  go  out  in  dim  ob- 
scurity. They  went  about  inquiring  :  asked 
Herod,  who  could  tell  them  nothing  :  asked 
the  scribes,  who  only  gave  them  a  vague  direc- 
tion. At  last  the  star  shone  out  once  more, 
clear  before  them  in  their  path.  "  When  they 
saw  the  star,  they  rejoiced  with  exceeding  great 
joy."  Perhaps  the  hearts  of  some  of  us  can 
interpret  that.  There  are  some  who  have  seen 
tlie  star  that  shone  in  earlier  days  go  out  ; 
quench  itself  in  black  vapours  or  sour  smoke, 
'i'here  are  some  who  have  followed  many  a  star 
that  turned  out  to  be  but  an  ignis  fatuus,  one  of 
those  bright  exhalations  whicli  hover  over 
marshes  and  churchyards,  and  only  lead  to  the 
chambers  of  the  dead,  or  the  cold  damp  pits  of 
disappointment :  and  oh  the  blessing  of  "exceed- 
ing joy,"  after  following  in  vain — after  inquiring 
of  the  great  men  and  learning  nothing — of  the 
religious  men  and  finding  little — to  see  the  star 
at  last  resting  over  "the  place  where  the  young 
Child  lies" — after  groping  the  way  alone,  to  see 
the  star  stand  still — to  find  that  religion  is  a  thing 
far  simpler  than  we  thought — that  God  is  near 
us — that   to    kneel   and    adore   is   the   noblest 


484 


19215—19219! 


iV2:;r  testament  scripture  characters. 

CHRISTIAN    EKA. 


[the  magi. 


posture  of  the  soul.  For,  whoever  will  follow 
with  fidelity  his  oiun  star,  God  will  guide  him 
aright.  He  spoke  to  the  Magi  by  the  star  ; 
to  the  shepherds  by  the  melody  of  tlie  heavenly 
host  ;  to  Joseph  by  a  dream  ;  to  Simeon  by  an 
inward  revelation.  "  Gold,  and  frankincense, 
and  myrrh," — these,  and  ten  times  these,  were 
poor  and  cheap  to  give  for  that  blessed  cer- 
tainty that  the  star  of  God  is  on  before  us. — 
Rev.  F.  Robertson. 


V.  Their  Adoration. 
Its  import, 

[192 1 6]  That  young  child  whom  we  see  in 
His  mother's  arms,  while  Persian  wise  men  fall 
before  Him  on  the  humble  floor,  who  is  He.'^ 
whom  do  we  believe  Him  to  be  ?  It  is  He  of 
whom  we  read,  "  In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the 
Word  was  God."  It  is  the  great  "  mystery  of 
godliness,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh."  It  is  He 
who  afterward  stilled  the  tempest,  opened  the 
eyes  of  the  blind,  raised  the  dead.  It  is  He 
who  came  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of 
Himself;  "the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world."  It  is  He  before 
whom  the  heavenly  hosts  were  afterwards  seen 
prostrate,  crying,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and 
wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honour,  and  glory, 
and  blessing."  That  scene  between  the  wise 
men  and  the  child  Jesus  is  more  than  a  mere 
act  of  respect  to  a  remarkable  infant.  In  their 
imperfect  state  of  knowledge,  these  wise  men 
probably  did  not  know  the  full  extent  and 
meaning  of  their  worship.  We,  to  whom  Christ 
is  more  fully  revealed,  can  see  in  that  pros- 
tration of  the  wise  men  an  act  of  religious  de- 
votion intended  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  though 
the  wise  men  may  not  fully  have  comprehended 
the  meaning  of  their  own  act. — A'.  Ada^is,  D.D. 

VI.  Traditional  Views. 

[192 17]  From  the  three  kinds  of  gifts  which 
they  presented,  many  have  supposed  that  the 
number  of  the  Magi  was  three.  The  Nestorian 
church  generally  taught  that  it  was  twelve. 
Three  was  the  number  ascribed  to  them  in  the 
prevailing  traditions  ;  names  also  being  given 
to  them,  as,  among  others,  Melchior,  Gaspar, 
and  Balthazar.  They  were  held  to  be  kings, 
representing  the  grand  divisions  of  men — 
Melchior  being  put  for  Shem,  Gaspar  for  Ham, 
and  Balthazar  for  Japhet.  This  explains  the 
Ethiopian  complexion  given  to  one  of  them  in 
the  pictures  of  the  "Adoration."  The  passages 
which  are  so  uniformly  regarded  as  being  ful- 
filled by  them,  "  And  the  Gentiles  shall  come 
to  thy  light,  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy 
rising"  (Isa.  Ix.  3),  and  "The  kings  of  Tarshish 
and  of  the  isles  shall  bring  presents,  the  kings 
of  Sheba  and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts  "  (Psa.  Ixxii. 
10),  have  given  rise  to  the  belief  that  they  were 
kings,  and  accordingly  the  Feast  of  Epiphany 


was,  in  the  Middle  Ages,  most  commonly  called 
the  Feast  of  the  Three  Kings.  The  literature 
which  has  been  connected  with  this  brief  ac- 
count by  Matthew,  of  the  wise  men,  is  hardly 
exceeded  in  variety  by  that  of  any  other  part 
of  the  New  Testament.  Cologne,  upon  the 
Rhine,  the  "  City  of  the  Three  Kings,"  claims 
to  possess  their  relics,  and  has  given  them  a 
splendid  shrine.  But  it  is  needless  to  say  that 
all  this  lore  is  probably  the  fruit  of  the  imagi- 
nation.— Ibid. 

VII.    HOMILETICAL   HINTS. 

1  The  leading  of  the  Magi  to  Christ  illus- 
trates the  fact  that  an  increase  of  light  is 
granted  to  those  who  use  the  light  which 
they  have. 

[192 1 8]  No  distant,  silent  star  beckons  us, 
like  them,  to  seek  Christ.  We  have  a  more 
sure  word  of  prophecy — a  Bible,  in  which  pro- 
phets and  apostles  conspire  to  bring  us  to  the 
Saviour  ;  His  history  is  finished  ;  we  have  not 
only  His  manger,  but  His  cross.  His  tomb. 
Judsea,  Samaria,  Galilee  are  imprinted  with  His 
familiar  footsteps  ;  His  resurrection  and  as- 
cension, the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  testi- 
mony and  blood  of  martyrs,  the  conversion  of 
souls  already  without  number,  all  perform  that 
office  for  us  which  that  solitary  star  rendered 
to  these  wise  men.  But  faith  is  not  in  pro- 
portion to  the  amount  of  evidence.  "  Prophets 
teach  the  Jews  in  vain  ;  a  silent  star  beckons 
the  Gentiles  ;  they  arise  and  follow."  Still,  the 
same  prom.ise  assures  us  of  success,  if  we  follow 
after  the  small  portion  of  light  which  our  un- 
believing eyes  take  in  ;  still,  he  that  seeketh 
findeth,  if  he  seeks,  like  these  wise  men,  with 
all  the  heart. — -Ibid. 

2  The  leading  of  the  Magi  to  Christ  illus. 
trates  the  tact  that  God  condescends  to 
the  varying  capacities  of  different  men. 

[192 19]  It  is  deeply  significant  that  astrologers 
are  drawn  to  Christ  by  a  star.  Yet  it  only 
marks  the  universal  method  of  our  God,  His 
condescending  adaptation  to  the  capacity  of 
man.  That  method  was  exemplified  in  another 
scene  at  our  Saviour's  birth.  The  great  event 
was  announced  to  shepherds  as  they  watched 
their  flocks  near  Bethlehem- — but  not  by  a  star; 
a  song  of  angels  told  the  good  news  to  the 
music-loving  shepherds.  Go  a  little  further  for 
other  examples.  A  boat-load  of  fishermen  are 
dragging  their  empty  nets.  Christ  stands  on 
the  shore,  and  by  a  word  of  power  fills  them 
till  they  are  ready  to  break.  That  act  secured 
Him  apostles  and  martyis;  but  it  was  no  star, 
it  was  no  song,  that  bound  fishermen  to  Christ: 
it  was  a  draught  of  fishes.  The  sick  were 
drawn  by  neither  star,  nor  song,  nor  fishes,  but 
by  a  tender  hand  laid  upon  the  wasting  sore. 
He  reasoned  with  the  learned  rabbi,  and  con- 
vinced him.  He  made  a  mother  His  friend  by 
blessing  her  child  ;  and  in  simply  loving  children 
He  bound  them  by  the  strongest  tie  that  child- 
hood knows.       And    this   is    God's    method ; 


19219 — 19223] 


NEIV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTUHE  CIIARACTEKS. 
CHRISTIAN    EKA. 


[SIMON  THE  CYRENIAN. 


whether  raising  to  hfe  a  dead  son,  or  hanging 
a  new  star  in  the  sky,  He  bends  to  enter  the 
heart  by  that  door  which  stands  widest  open. — 
Rev.  Joseph  Clark. 

3  The  leading  of  the  Magi  to  Christ  illus- 
trates the  fact  that  frequently  least 
spiritual  enlightenment  is  found  where  we 
should  expect  most. 

[19220]  They  who  are  nearest  to  Christ  are 
not  always  the  first  to  find  Him.  The  holy 
metropolis  was  all  unconscious  that  the  Messiah 
of  Daniel,  and  David,  and  Isaiah  had  been 
born.  A  band  of  heatiien  living  five  months' 
journey  away  have  to  be  the  heralds  of  the 
infant  King  at  the  door  of  His  own  temple.  As 
every  morning's  sun  glanced  first  on  the  moun- 
tains round  about  Jerusalem  before  it  fell 
glittering  among  the  pinnacles  of  the  temple, 
so  the  hght  of  the  coming  Saviour  reflected  a 
ray  from  distant  Persia  before  it  broke  in  full 
splendour  upon  Juda?a.  Jesus  comes  first  where 
He  is  most  awaited.  A  city  full  of  satisfied 
worshippers  there  may  be,  resting  indolently  in 
the  assurance  of  a  coming  Redeemer  ;  but  the 
eyes  that  watch  for  Him  as  they  that  watch  for 
the  morning  shall  be  the  first  to  see  His  star  in 
the  East. — Idid. 

4  The  finding  of  Christ  by  the  Magi  illus- 
trates the  rewards  which  await  a  perse- 
vering and  persistent  faith. 

[19221]  The  success  of  these  men  is  not  ex- 
plained by  their  extensive  knowledge  of  Christ, 
nor  by  their  favourable  opportunities.  If  any 
seekers  were  ever  embarrassed  by  ignorance 
and  straitened  by  peculiar  difficulties,  it  was 
this  Persian  band.  Yet  how  courageously  they 
set  forth,  how  hopefully  they  follow  on,  how 
directly  they  are  led  to  Bethlehem  !  To  mark 
their  progress,  one  might  suppose  they  had  re- 
ceived secret  intelligence  of  the  nativity,  with  a 
chart  of  the  route  and  a  minute  description  of 
the  holy  Child.  But  no  !  They  had  only  their 
faith  for  a  guide.  They  were  travelling,  with- 
out sight,  into  the  West,  in  search  of  a  king  of 
whom  they  knew  nothing.  But  the  earnest  use 
of  what  dim  light  they  had,  brought  them  to 
the  manger  with  exceeding  joy.  Even  so  it 
always  was,  and,  we  are  assured,  always  will  be. 
"  Ye  shall  seek  Me  and  find  Me,  when  ye 
search  for  Me  with  all  your  heart." — Jdid. 


SIMON  THE   CYRENIAN. 

I.  Question  as  to  his  Nationality  and 
Faith. 

[19222]  In  regard  to  the  question  as  to  his 
country,  the  inspired  narratives  leave  us  in  no 
manner  of  doubt,  for  we  are  expressly  informed 
that  he  was ''aman  of  Cyrene."  This  was  a  chief 
town  in  the  province  of  Libya,  in  the  north  of 
Africa,  where,  as  we  may  certainly  gather  from 
other  parts  of  Scripture,  there  were  at  this  time 


many  Jews.  Thus  we  read,  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  of  many  strangers  being  in  Jerusalem 
at  the  feast  of  Pentecost  "  from  the  parts  of  Libya 
about  Cyrene ;  "  of  "certain  Cyrenians  disputing 
with  Stephen  "  in  the  various  synagogues  ;  of 
some  "  men  of  Cyrene  preaching  the  Lord  Jesus 
at  Antioch;"  and  particularly  of  "Lucius  of 
Cyrene,"  as  one  of  "  the  prophets  and  teachers 
of  the  Church  "  in  that  second  great  centre  of 
early  evangelism.  These  statements  may  prob- 
ably appear  to  some  to  anticipate  and  answer 
our  second  question,  as  to  whether  Simon  was 
a  Jew  or  a  (icntile?  It  may  scarcely  seem  to 
admit  of  a  doubt  that  he  was  a  foreign  Jew  from 
that  remote  Libyan  colony,  where  so  many  wor- 
shipped the  God  of  their  fathers.  But  is  there 
not  quite  as  much  likelihood  in  the  supposition 
that  he  was  a  native  African,  who,  through  the 
presence  of  a  large  synagogue  in  his  native 
Cyrene,  had  been  converted  from  idolatry  to 
the  knowledge  and  worship  of  the  true  God,  to 
the  faith  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  and 
to  the  expectation  of  the  Messiah,  who  was  the 
great  subject  of  its  revelations.''  It  is  quite  true 
that  his  name  Simon  was  a  Jewish  name  ;  but 
it  should  be  remembered  that  when  a  Gentile 
was  proselyted  to  Judaism,  in  token  of  his 
proselytism  he  cast  off  his  old  heathen  name, 
and  assumed  a  Jewish  appellation.  Some  have 
even  affirmed  that  the  phrase,  "  a  man  of  Cy- 
rene," favours  the  conjecture  of  his  African 
lineage  and  birth  ;  and  although  mere  senti- 
ment should  not  be  allowed  to  decide  such  a 
question,  yet  we  confess  to  a  sympathy  with 
those  who  have  felt  something  pleasing,  and 
even  fascinating,  in  the  thought  that  a  member 
of  the  Gentile  race,  a  dark-hued  African,  should 
have  been  called  in  so  remarkable  a  manner  to 
relieve,  in  some  degree,  the  last  sufterings  of 
the  Saviour  of  the  world. — Rev.  A.  Thompson, 
D.D. 

II.  Probable  Reasons  for  his  Bearing 
THE  Cross. 

[19223]  It  is  generally  supposed  that  this 
Simon  was  suspected,  or  known  to  be  a  friend, 
or  a  disciple,  of  Christ.  Commentators  agree 
in  this  impression.  The  reason  seems  to  be, 
that  only  one  who  was  odious  ever  had  such 
ignominy  put  upon  him  as  to  bear  a  cross  in 
public.  Mark  says,  that  "  this  man  was  the 
father  of  Alexander  and  Rufus,"  who  are  thus 
named  familiarly,  as  though  they  were  two  dis- 
ciples of  Christ,  well  known.  Two  of  the  three 
evangelists  who  mention  him,  however,  use  the 
word  "  compel,"  in  speaking  of  the  act  of  the 
people  in  laying  the  cross  upon  him.  Still,  this 
may  be  intended  merely  to  describe  the  act  as 
it  would  appear  generally  to  spectators,  without 
intending  to  intimate  the  feelings  of  .Simon  at 
the  force  which  the  people  would  natiually  use, 
whether  he  were,  or  were  not,  a  friend.  He 
was  on  his  way  from  the  country  into  the  city, 
when  the  crowd  met  him  as  they  went  to  the 
execution.  For  some  reason  he  was  a  marked 
man  ;  perhaps  of  such  ill  repute  that  the  people 


486 
19223 — 19228] 


NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[siMON   THE   CYRENIAN. 


felt  at  liberty  to  lay  hold  on  him  and  compel 
him  to  perform  this  most  degrading  and  revolt- 
ing service  of  carrying  a  cross  to  the  place  of 
punishment.  It  may  have  been  that  he  was  a 
fugitive  from  justice. — N.  Adams,  D.D. 

[19224]  After  Christ  had  carried  the  cross  a 
certain  distance,  the  soldiers,  for  one  reason  or 
another,  took  it  from  Him,  and  placed  it  on  a 
Cyrenian  whom  they  happened  to  meet  ;  and 
this  Simon  bore  it  to  Calvary.  We  have  no 
certain  information  as  to  who  Simon  was, 
whether  or  not  a  disciple  of  Christ.  He  is 
mentioned  by  St.  Mark  as  "the  father  of 
Alexander  and  Rufus  ; "  but  though  this  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  he  and  his  family  were 
well  known  at  the  time,  it  does  not  help  us  to 
determine  particulars.  The  probability  would 
seem  to  be,  that  he  was  at  least  disposed  to 
favour  Christ,  and  that  this  his  disposition  was 
matter  of  notoriety — nothing  is  more  likely  than 
that  it  was  on  account  of  his  attachment  to 
Jesus,  and  for  the  sake,  therefore,  of  exposing 
him  to  public  ridicule,  that  the  soldiers 
compelled  him  to  carry  the  cross. — Canon 
Melvill. 

[19225]  We  have  already  supposed  that 
Simon  the  Cyrenian  was  laid  hold  of,  on  ac- 
count of  his  bemg  known  to  favour  Christ's 
cause,  and  partly,  therefore,  with  the  design  of 
exposing  him  to  ridicule.  But  it  is  not  to  be 
imagined  that  this  was  the  only,  nor  even  the 
chief,  reason.  Had  not  the  condition  of  Christ 
been  such  as  to  suggest,  in  some  sense,  the 
necessity  of  relieving  Him  of  the  load,  we  can 
hardly  think  that  the  cross  would  have  been 
removed.  It  may  have  been  that  even  the 
soldiers  were  moved  to  something  like  pity,  as 
they  saw  the  Redeemer  tottering  beneath  the 
weight.  It  may  have  been  that  they  feared 
that,  if  they  now  goaded  on  the  innocent  suf- 
ferer, death  would  ensue  before  they  reached 
the  place  of  execution,  and  rob  them  of  their 
victim.  Or  it  may  have  been  that  those  who 
were  eager  to  crucify  the  Saviour  were  impatient 
of  delay  ;  His  feeble  steps  were  too  slow  for 
their  malice  ;  and  they  urged  the  removal  of 
the  cross,  that  they  might  accelerate  the  time 
of  His  being  fastened  to  it  with  the  nails.  But 
in  any  case,  it  must  have  been  the  exhausted 
condition  of  our  Lord  which  gave  occasion  to 
the  removal  of  the  cross  :  it  was  transferred  to 
Simon,  because,  to  all  appearance,  Christ  was 
unable  to  bear  it  to  Calvary.  And  this  is  just 
that  incidental  notice  which  supplies  the  place 
of  lengthened  narrative,  and  lets  us  in,  as  it 
were,  to  the  greatness  of  the  Mediator's  en- 
durances.—/Zi/!/. 

[19226]  We  could  not  spare  this  incident  :  it 
would  leave  a  gap  in  the  evangelical  histories, 
which  it  would  be  quite  beyond  our  power  to 
fill.  We  have,  indeed,  evidence  that  Christ 
could  hunger,  and  thirst,  and  be  weary  ;  and 
all  such  evidence  is  most  precious,  as  testifying 
to   the   real   humanity  ol    the    Saviour.      But 


nevertheless,  the  evidence  is  far  from  being 
considerable  :  and  if  you  set  it  against  the 
account  of  a  crucifixion,  in  which  there  is  not 
the  least  proof  that  any  pain  was  felt,  you  might 
find  it  hard  to  furnish  a  convincing  demonstra- 
tion that  Christ  suffered  in  the  body  like  one  of 
ourselves.  What  we  want  is  a  clear  witness, 
that  He  was  no  more  incapable  of  bodily  pain 
than  any  other  of  our  race  :  but  just  where  you 
would  most  naturally  look  for  this  witness,  in 
the  record  of  those  endurances  through  which 
He  presented  Himself  in  sacrifice  to  God,  you 
cannot  find  it  in  the  very  lowest  degree,  if  you 
remove  the  account  of  the  bearing  the  cross. — 
Ibid. 

III.    Probable  Effect  upon  himself  of 
Bearing  the  Cross. 

[19227]  As  Simon  moved  onward  up  the  ascent 
to  Calvary,  bearing  the  cross  after  the  fainting 
Saviour,  may  we  not  believe  that,  from  growing- 
love  and  sympathy  for  the  great  Sufferer,  and 
deepening  convictions,  amid  all  those  outward 
signs  of  humiliation,  of  His  Messiahship,  he 
became  more  than  reconciled  to  his  dreadful 
and  ignominious  burden  ?  The  words  which 
he  heard  Jesus  address  to  the  weeping  daughters 
of  Jerusalem — words  instinct  with  a  sublime 
self-forgetfulness,  and  which  seemed  to  write  in 
gloom  on  the  opposite  sky  the  preparing  retri- 
butions for  that  darkest  deed  of  national  crime 
— were  well  fitted  to  impress  his  opening  mind 
with  the  true  character  and  dignity  of  the  Being 
whose  sufferings  he  had  been  thus  strangely 
brought  in  for  a  little  moment  to  alleviate,  and 
in  some  sense  to  share.  Other  circumstances, 
which  are  not  recorded,  may  have  occurred, 
during  that  awful  and  mysterious  journey,  to 
strengthen  his  impressions  ;  and  altogether, 
there  is  surely  something  much  more  unlikely 
beforehand  in  the  fact  that  a  sinner  should 
have  been  converted  by  what  he  saw  of  Jesus 
on  the  cross,  than  that  a  secret  disciple  should 
have  been  confirmed  by  what  he  witnessed  and 
experienced  on  the  way  to  it. — Rev.  A.  Thonip- 
S07!,  D.D. 

[19228]  That  this  wonderful  passage  in  the 
outward  life  of  Simon,  when  he  became  the 
cross-bearer  of  the  Son  ot  God,  was  the  turning- 
point  of  his  inner  and  spiritual  life,  strikes  my 
mind  as  greatly  probable.  The  future  comes  in 
to  aftord  its  support  to  this  opinion.  For,  in 
regard  to  the  general  fact  of  the  Cyrenian's 
ultimate  Christian  discipleship,  there  is  surely 
very  strong  presumptive  evidence  in  the  cir- 
cumstance that  his  two  sons,  Alexander  and 
Rufus,  are  spoken  of  in  terms  which  make  it 
scarcely  possible  to  doubt  that  they  became 
noteworthy  among  the  early  disciples  of  Christ. 
Was  this,  then,  the  day,  and  this  remarkable 
occurrence  the  occasion,  of  the  birth  of  Simon 
the  Cyrenian  to  God.?  And,  in  the  course  ot 
years,  did  the  event  influence  not  only  his  own 
spiritual  condition,  but  also  the  immortal  destiny 
of  his  sons  ? — Idid. 


19229-19233] 


NJj-ii^  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACfEKS. 
CHUISTIAN    EKA. 


4S7 
[SIMON   THE  CYRENIAN. 


[19229]  Simon  would  rejoice  afterwards  when 
he  came  to  understand  for  whom  he  was  carry- 
ing; it.  At  first  Christ  was  nothing  more  to  him 
than  one  of  the  malefactors,  but  when  he  found 
out  that  He  was  the  Messiah,  the  Saviour  of  the 
world,  the  Son  of  God,  he  would  greatly  rejoice. 
— F.  Hastings. 

[19230]  There  was  another  thinjj  that  coun- 
terbalanced any  pain  in  bearing  the  cross,  viz., 
that  it  became  a  channel  of  grace  to  Simon.  It 
was  like  a  wire  along  which  flashed  the  electric 
current  of  love.  Seeing  how  Jesus  bore  with 
patience  all  His  sufferings,  and  only  pitied  and 
prayed  for  His  persecutors,  Simon  could  only 
wonder,  admire,  love,  and  adore.  That  he 
became  a  Christian  seems  x^robable  from  the 
way  in  which  he  is  spoken  of  as  the  father  of 
Alexander  and  Rufus,  evidently  well-known 
men  in  the  Christian  Church.  It  is  not  unlikely 
that  the  reference  to  the  mother  of  Rufus  in 
Rom.  xvi.  13 — ''Salute  Rufus  chosen  in  the 
Lord,  his  mother,  and  mine,"  is  a  reference  to 
the  wife  of  the  Cyrenian.  And  Lucius  of 
Cyrene  (Acts  xiii.  i)  may  have  been  not  only  a 
fellow-countryman,  but  a  friend  influenced  by 
Simon.  To  be  the  means  of  leading  one's 
family  or  a  friend  to  Christ  would  certainly  be 
a  great  result  from  bearing  the  cross  after  Jesus. 
—Idid. 


IV.     Spiritual     Significance 
Bearing  the  Cross. 


OF     his 


[19231]  It  is  one  of  Christ's  last  and  most  im- 
pressive sermons.  He  would  not  leave  the  world 
without  furnishing  a  standing  memorial,  that 
His  disciples  must  bear  the  same  cross  as  Him- 
self, inasmuch  as,  like  Himself,  they  must  en- 
dure the  world's  hatred  as  champions  and 
examples  of  truth.  And  together  with  this 
memorial  He  would  show,  by  a  powerful  in- 
stance, that,  in  religion,  a  temporizing  policy  is 
sure  to  defeat  itself,  so  that  to  fly  from  the  cross 
is  commonly  to  meet  it,  dilated  in  size,  and 
heavier  in  material.  Rut  He  had  one  more 
truth  to  represent  at  the  same  time — the  beau- 
tiful, comforting  truth,  that  He  has  borne  what 
His  followers  have  to  bear,  and  thereby  so 
lightened  it,  that,  as  with  death,  which  He  made 
sleep  to  the  believer,  the  burden  but  quickens 
the  step  towards  the  "  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory."  And  that  He  might  eflcct 
and  convey  all  this  through  one  great  signifi- 
cant action,  it  was  ordered,  we  may  believe, 
that,  as  they  led  away  Jesus,  carrying  like  Isaac 
the  wood  for  the  burnt-offering,  the  soldiers  laid 
hold  on  one  Simon,  a  Cyrenian,  coming  out  of 
the  country,  and  him  they  compelled  to  bear 
His  cross. — Cation  Melvill. 

V.  Possible  Typical  Character  of  his 
Bearing  the  Cross. 

[19232]  Who  is  it  that,  in  the  ordering  of 
Providence,  has  been  appointed  to  carry  His 
cross?    A  Cyrenian,  an  African.     I    read   the 


prophecy,  I  apprehend  the  type.  Land,  that 
hath  long  been  accursed,  whose  chihiren  have 
verily  been  the  servants  of  servants,  over  which 
hath  hung  so  ponderous  a  gloom,  that  those 
most  hopeful  of  improvement  in  human  con- 
dition have  almost  turned  from  thee  in  despair 
— briyht  times  await  thee.  Thou  art  not  in 
bondage  for  ever  :  thy  chains  shall  yet  be 
dashed  away  :  the  star  of  liethlchem,  the  sun 
of  righteousness,  shall  yet  break  upon  thy  pro- 
vinces and  gleam  in  thy  waters  :  the  anthem 
which  ascribes  praise,  and  glory,  and  honour  to 
the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  shall  float  through 
thy  forests,  and  be  echoed  by  thy  mountains. 
Not  without  a  meaning  was  one  of  thy  sons 
selected  to  bear  the  cross  after  Christ,  and  thus 
to  fill  a  post  to  which  the  martyrs  and  confes- 
sors of  every  age  of  Christianity  have  counted  it 
their  highest  honour  to  succeed.  Simf)n  the 
Cyrenian  is  raised  into  the  light  of  history  ; 
perhaps  to  teach  us  that  there  is  no  nobler 
honour  for  the  Christian  to  reflect,  "  I  have  been 
called  to  bear  the  cioss."  And  for  some  to  reflect, 
"  I  was  forced  into  carrying  the  cross  I  would 
have  refused,  or  left  on  the  ground." — Ibid. 


VI.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

I  The  bearing  of  the  cross  by  Simon  sug- 
gests (if  he  remained  an  unconverted  man) 
the  folly  and  misery  of  a  divided  service. 

[19233]  Some  are  like  Simon,  if  he  were  an 
unconverted  man,  when  compelled  to  bear  the 
cross.  Suppose,  then,  that  he  was  not  a  good 
man  ;  or,  at  least,  sujipose  that  he  was  inditfe- 
rent  to  Christ,  and  had  taken  no  part,  for  Him 
or  against  Him,  and  was  too  much  engrossed  in 
his  own  affairs  to  be  interested  in  the  contro- 
versy respecting  Jesus.  He  was  coming  out  of 
the  country,  and  was  going  into  the  city,  and 
accidentally  passed  along  the  way  to  Calvary  at 
the  time  that  the  crowd  was  moving.;  to  the 
place  of  execution.  They  laid  hold  on  him  and 
thrust  the  cross  upon  his  shoulder.  We  see  the 
angry,  furious  fellow,  with  the  heavy  cross  laid 
on  his  unwilling  neck.  With  oaths  and  curses 
he  staggers  along,  restrained  only  by  fear  of 
the  mob  from  resistance  and  flight.  He  de- 
plores his  bad  luck  that  led  him  that  way  just 
at  that  moment.  Had  he  been  a  few  minutes 
earlier  or  later,  he  might  have  escaped  this  great 
disgrace.  Now  he  feels  that  he  has  had  a  re- 
proach put  upon  him  which  he  can  never  wipe 
olT.  His  family,  his  friends,  or  his  acquain- 
tances, will  hear  of  this.  .  .  .  But  this  man, 
with  these  supposed  feelings,  represents  many 
who  would  not  suspect  that  they  could  be  com- 
pared to  him.  Yet  the  resemblance  is  striking, 
and  far  from  being  uncommon.  Here  is  a 
heartless  professor  of  religion.  He  wishes  that 
he  had  never  taken  upon  himself  the  vows  of 
God  and  joined  the  Church  of  Christ,  for  he 
feels  no  interest  in  religion.  He  does  not  love 
prayer,  nor  the  word  of  God,  nor  spiritual  truths, 
nor  spiritual  pleasures.  It  is  a  trial  to  him  to 
have    the    Lord's    Supper   recur.      He  doubts 


19233— 19237] 


NE^F  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[SIMON   THE   PHARISEE. 


whether  he  ought  to  go  to  the  Lord's  table, 
feeling  so  indifterent  to  Christ  and  to  religious 
duties  and  pleasures.  .  .  .  Such  a  man  envies 
those  who  are  out  of  the  Church  ;  as  Simon, 
probably,  would  have  been  willing  to  change 
places  with  the  poorest  and  lowest  of  the 
wretches  who  were  exulting  about  him  in  their 
freedom  from  that  accursed  cross,  which  he  was 
compelled  to  bear.  .  .  .  How  sad  this  is — to 
have  no  comfort  in  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a 
season  ;  to  be  deprived  of  sinful  gratifications 
in  this  life,  with  nothing  to  compensate  for  the 
deprivation  here  ;  and  then  to  lie  down  in  sorrow 
with  the  name  and  the  recollections  of  one  who 
once  professedly  bore  the  cross  after  Jesus. — 
M.  Adams,  D.D. 

2  The  bearing  of  the  cross  by  Simon  sug- 
gests (if  he  was  unwillmg  to  bear  it)  the 
future  shameful  retribution  which  awaits 
a  present  declining  to  accept  the  shame 
of  the  cross. 

[19234]  Where  had  Simon  the  Cyrenian  been, 
whilst  Christ  was  enduring  shame  and  indignity? 
Not  in  Jerusalem  :  he  was  met,  as  St.  Mark 
states,  "  coming  out  of  the  country."  Supposing 
him  a  disciple,  he  ought  to  have  remained  with 
Christ  in  His  hour  of  danger  ;  but  he  had  prob- 
ably gone  out  of  the  way,  wishing  to  let  the 
storm  blow  over  before  he  showed  himself  in 
the  city  ;  and  now  he  may  have  been  returning, 
calculating  that  the  worst  was  past,  and  that  no 
harm  could  happen  to  him  from  his  reputed 
adherence  to  Christ.  This  was  declining  the 
cross  ;  and  the  short-sighted  policy  met  a  full 
retribution.  He  is  compelled  to  bear  the  cross. 
The  soldiers  seize  him,  the  multitude  scoff  him  ; 
and  he  has  perhaps  a  thousandfold  more  to  sus- 
tain than  had  he  not  thought  to  ward  off,  by  a 
cowardly  absence,  what  in  one  form  or  another 
a  Christian  must  bear,  or  be  a  Christian  in 
nothing  but  name.  Be  ye  certain,  then,  not 
only  thaf,  if  Christians,  you  must  carry  Christ's 
cross,  but  that  you  make  it  all  the  heavier  by 
avoiding  it  when  it  lies  in  the  clear  path  of  duty. 
There  is  no  such  way  of  incurring  shame  as  the 
being  ashamed  of  Christ.  For  if  you  be  not 
left,  in  just  judgment  on  your  cowardice  and 
desertion,  to  harden  into  mere  nominal  disciples, 
of  whom  Christ  will  be  ashamed  when  He 
Cometh  with  His  angels,  you  may  be  sure  that 
you  shall  be  punished  with  an  aggravated 
measure  of  the  very  contempt  which  you  have 
thought  to  avoid. — Canon  Melvill. 

3  The  bearing  of  the  cross  by  Simon  sug- 
gests (if  he  were  a  friend  of  Christ's)  the 
honour  and  delight  of  taking  up  and  bearing 
our  cross  after  Him. 

[19235]  Let  us  now  suppose  that  Simon  was 
a  friend  of  Christ,  and  that  his  sons  were  dis- 
ciples, and  that  the  knowledge  of  these  things 
led  the  Jews  to  lay  the  Saviour's  cross  upon  him. 
This  being  so,  it  is  not  impossible  that  Simon 
was  on  his  way  into  the  city  to  show  his  love 
and  attachment  to  his  Saviour  and  Friend. 
Perhaps  he  had  heard  in  the  country  the  report 


of  the  Saviour's  betrayal  by  one  of  His  disciples. 
His  apprehension.  His  mock  trial,  and  the  cruel 
treatment  He  had  received  from  the  populace. 
It  may  be  that  he,  or  some  of  his  family,  had 
been  healed  by  Christ,  or  that  Christ  had  for- 
given his  sins,  and  that  he  had  become  an  heir 
of  everlasting  life.  We  can  then  imagine  his 
feelings  as  he  saw  Christ  in  the  hands  of  the 
mob,  bleeding  from  the  crown  of  thorns  and 
from  the  scourging,  bearing  His  cross  without 
the  gate  to  Calvary,  and  fainting  under  the  load. 
Hisfeeling  may  have  been.  Oh  that  I  might  die 
for  Him  ;  oh  that  they  would  take  me,  and 
release  Him,  as  they  did  Barabbas  ;  oh  that  I 
might  be  assisted  to  do  something  to  show  my 
love  to  Jesus  !  Perhaps  these  feelings  were  so 
evident  that  the  people  took  advantage  of  them 
and  said,  If  you  are  such  a  friend  and  devotee 
of  Christ,  you  surely  will  make  no  objection  to 
carry  His  cross  for  Him  ;  and  so,  without  fur- 
ther ceremony,  "  on  him  they  laid  the  cross,  that 
he  might  bear  it  after  Jesus."  Here,  then,  we 
have  this  man  again  with  the  cross  upon  his 
shoulder  ;  but  a  far  different  man  is  he  from 
that  which  we  have  before  supposed,  and  with 
far  different  feelings  does  he  bear  his  load. 
What  may  we  suppose  his  feelings  to  have 
been .''  Probably  he  was  at  that  hour  the 
happiest,  and,  in  truth,  the  only  happy,  man  in 
that  crowd. — N.  Adams,  D.D. 

[19236]  What  would  Simon,  in  heaven,  take 
in  exchange  for  the  honour  and  privilege  of 
having  borne  that  cross  after  Jesus  ?  You 
could  not  purchase  it  of  him  with  an  earthly 
throne  ;  you  could  not  make  him  feel  that 
any  disciple  of  Christ  on  the  earth,  or  any 
martyr  since  his  time,  has  more  to  make  him 
happy  than  he  has  in  his  recollections  of  the 
hour  when  he  bore  the  cross  after  Jesus. 
What  happiness  will  that  man  enjoy  for  ever  ! 
As  the  redeemed,  of  all  ages  and  nations, 
think  over  and  rehearse  to  one  another  the 
history  of  the  cross,  they  will  remember  the 
man,  however  humble  and  obscure  he  may  have 
been,  that  man  of  Cyrene,  that  African,  who  was 
so  highly  honoured  as  to  be  a  co-partner  with 
Emmanuel  in  the  labour  of  carrying  the  cross  to 
the  mount  of  sacrifice. — Ibid. 


SIMON  THE  PHARISEE. 

L  His  Spiritual  Blindness. 
I       As  regards  the  law. 

He  could  not  see  beyond  its  mere  letter. 

[19237]  The  law  was  to  him  very  like  a  human 
statute-book  that  takes  note  of  the  external  con- 
duct, and  its  transgressors  were  to  be  treated 
like  outlaws  and  criminals.  The  view  of  the 
law  as  a  deep,  spiritual,  all-embracing  element 
had  scarcely  dawned  upon  him — a  view  which 
gives  an  unspeakably  more  profound  idea  of  the 
evil  of  sin,  but,  at  the  same  time,  a  more  tender 


19237— 19243] 


NEIV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    KRA. 


489 
[SIMON  THE   PHARISEE. 


sympathy  with  those  who  are  infected  with  it. — 
J'iev.  y.  Ker. 

2  As  regards  Christ. 

He  could  7iot  see  that  the  nature  of  the  Lord 
was  Infinite  Love. 

[19238]  He  imagined  that  Christ's  accessi- 
bility to  this  woman  arose  from  want  of  know- 
ledge, when  it  came  from  the  greatness  of  His 
compassion.  The  Pharisee,  from  his  narrow 
circle  of  view,  was  pitying  the  ignorance  of 
Christ  that  He  could  be  so  deceived,  while  Christ 
was  looking  into  the  Pharisee's  thoughts,  and 
about  to  give  a  striking  view  of  His  knowledge 
of  them,  tie  saw  into  the  woman's  heart  and 
life  deeper  than  the  Pharisee  did.  He  judged 
them  by  a  law  far  higher,  and  loathed  sin  as  no 
man  ever  will  do  while  he  dwells  in  clay.  But 
He  did  not  gather  up  His  garments  from  the 
touch  of  the  sinner,  because  in  His  heart  there 
was  an  infmite  fountain  of  mercy.  What  a  dif- 
ference this  was  from  the  conception  of  the 
Pharisee  !  The  forbearance  of  Christ  had  its 
source  not  in  ignorance,  but  in  the  deep,  far- 
reaching  vision  of  Infinite  Love,  which  wills  not 
the  death  of  any  sinner,  but  that  he  should  turn 
and  live  ;  and  which  made  Him  ready  not  only 
to  receive  the  lost  and  wipe  away  their  tears,  but 
to  pour  out  His  own  soul  unto  the  death  to  save 
them.  But  every  man  reads  another  by  the 
heart  in  his  own  bosom  ;  and  the  hard,  self- 
righteous  Pharisee  is  utterly  unable  to  compre- 
hend Him  who  does  not  break  the  bruised  reed, 
and  who  has  a  joy  greater  than  all  the  angels 
of  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth. — Ibid. 

[19239]  If  it  entered  into  the  Pharisee's 
thought  at  all  to  rescue  from  sin,  it  would  be  by 
keeping  the  sinner  back  from  him,  thanking 
God,  and  even  feeling  a  selfish  kind  of  thank- 
fulness that  he  was  not  like  him.  The  sinner 
must  be  made  fully  sensible  of  his  exclusion  from 
the  sympathy  of  all  good  men,  and  no  door  of 
access  can  be  opened  till  purity  is  restored. 
Any  other  way  would  seem  encouragement  to 
transgression.  Christ's  way  is  the  very  reverse 
of  this.  It  is  the  grand  discovery  of  the  gospel, 
the  spiritual  law  of  attraction.  His  way  was  to 
come  from  an  infinite  height  into  this  world,  that 
He  might  be  near  sinners,  able  to  touch  them, 
and  ready  to  be  touched. — Ibid. 

3  As  regards  "  the  woman  that  was  a  sinner." 

(i )  He  coidd not  see  anv tiling  attractive  in  her 
soul's  capacity  for  better  things. 

[19240]  He  saw  only  what  was  repulsive  in 
her,  and,  had  he  confined  his  view  to  the  sin,  his 
feeling  had  right  with  it.  But  he  included  the 
sinner.  It  was  a  look  of  pride  without  any  pity  ; 
and  pride,  above  all,  spiritual  pride,  without  pity, 
is  as  cold  and  blind  as  the  polar  ice.  Such  pride 
could  not  see  a  human  soul  with  infinite  des- 
tinies, though  degraded,  a  precious  gem  incrusted 
with  miry  clay,  yet  capable  of  reflecting  the 
brightest  rays  of  the  Divine  glory.  For  there 
that  soul  was,  great  in  its  origin  and  nature,  and 
ready  to  be  saved  in  the  Lord  with  an  everlasting 


salvation.  He  saw  it  who  knew  the  soul's 
capacity,  for  He  made  it,  and  did  not  over- 
estimate its  value  when  He  gave  His  life  for  it. 
He  had  said,  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  though 
he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul?" 
and,  measuring  in  His  compassion  tiie  infinite 
loss,  He  paid  for  it  the  infinite  price. — Ibid. 

(2)  He  could  not  see  anything  propitiatory  in 
her  attitude  and  behaviour. 

[ 1 9241]  A  man  who  is  so  blind  as  not  to  per- 
ceive the  deep  capacity  of  the  old  nature  will  not 
discover  the  dawning  tokens  of  the  new.  Was 
it  nothing  to  find  her  pressing  close  to  Christ, 
clinging  to  His  feet,  bathing  them  with  weeping  ? 
The  outward  signs  were  before  him,  if  he  had 
known  how  to  read  them,  of  the  greatest  change 
that  can  befall  a  human  soul.  These  sobs  and 
tears,  and  this  irrepressible  emotion,  are  the 
cries  of  the  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus,  which 
must  find  its  way  to  Him  who  is  its  life  and  joy. 
Penitence  was  tliere,  too  deep  for  words,  the 
broken  and  contrite  heart  wiiich  God  will  not 
despise,  a  loathing  of  sin  which  this  Pharisee 
cannot  understand,  and  a  glowing  love  that 
made  his  frown  forgotten  in  the  irresistible 
attraction  to  a  Saviour's  feet.  What  worlds  of 
emotion  maybe  passing  within,  where  man  can- 
not look,  a  bitterness  of  grief  which  the  heart 
alone  knows,  and  a  joy  with  which  no  stranger 
can  intermeddle  !  He  knows  it  who  is  its 
author  and  its  end.  He  sees  the  birth  of  an 
immortal  spirit,  the  glow  and  grandeur  of  a 
second  creation  better  than  the  first,  and  wel- 
comed with  gladder  songs.  But  all  the  while 
the  poor  Pharisee,  in  presence  of  its  tokens,  can 
understand  it  no  more  than  he  can  hear  the 
angels  who  rejoice  over  it,  and  he  complacently 
charges  with  ignorance  Him  who  searches  the 
heart,  and  proudly  condemns  her  who  is  being 
acquitted  by  the  Judge  of  all  ! — Ibid. 

4       As  regards  himself. 

( 1 )  He  could  not  see  the  state  of  his  own  heart. 
[19242]   Had  he  been  better  acquainted  with 

it,  he  would  have  found  sufficient  there  for  dis- 
satisfaction. If  not  committing  the  sins  which 
he  condemned,  he  might  have  known  that  he 
had  the  seeds  of  them  in  his  nature.  If  he  was 
keeping  them  down  by  inward  struggle,  this 
should  have  made  him  lenient,  and  if,  cherishing 
the  love  of  them,  he  was  a  publican  wearing  a 
cloak.  Every  unrenewed  heart  has  the  fire  of 
corruption  smouldering  though  it  may  not  show 
the  flame.  The  grace  of  God  alone  can  e.vtin- 
guish  the  fire  of  any  one  sin,  and  even  then  the 
man  is  a  brand  plucked  from  the  burning,  ready 
to  be  rekindled,  and  therefore  bound  to  humility. 
—Ibid. 

(2)  He  could  not  see  that.,  in  condemning  the 
woman.,  lie  was  condemning  himself. 

[19243]  If  he  could  have  established  his  point 
that  it  was  unworthy  of  the  Saviour  to  hold  in- 
tercourse with  sinners,  what  hope  would  there 
have  been  for  him  .''  Shutting  the  door  of  his 
house  upon  this  woman  who  sought  Christ,  he 


490 

19243— 19249] 


JVEiy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[MATTHIAS. 


would  have  shut  the  door  upon  Christ  Himself. 
Publican  and  Pharisee,  open  transgressor  and 
moral  formalist,  can  only  enter  heaven  by  the 
same  gate  of  free  unconditional  mercy.  Nay, 
had  the  Pharisee  seen  it,  he  was  further  from 
the  kingdom  of  God  than  she  with  all  her  sins 
about  her  ;  and  it  was  not  so  wonderful  that 
Christ  should  permit  this  poor  woman  to  touch 
His  feet,  as  that  He  should  sit  down  as  a  guest 
at  the  Pharisee's  table.  This,  too,  was  in  the 
way  of  His  work  to  bring  in  a  contrite  sinner 
with  Him,  and  touch,  if  it  might  be,  the  hard, 
self-righteous  heart. — Ibid. 

II.   HOMILETICAL   REFLECTION.S. 

1  The  purblind  consciousness  of  Simon  the 
Pharisee  suggests  that  those  who  profess 
religion  should  be  careful  how  they  give  a 
false  view  of  it,  by  uncharitable  judgments 
and  by  assumptions  of  superiority. 

[19244]  It  matters  little  whether  this  is  done 
under  the  guise  of  zeal  for  orthodoxy  of  doctrine 
or  morality  of  life.  If  it  want  the  spirit  of 
meekness  and  sympathy,  it  has  not  the  spirit  of 
the  gospel.  The  greatest  proof  of  the  Divine  is, 
that  it  is  deeply  and  tenderly  human.  God 
became  man  to  show  this.  Those  who  have 
struggled  nearest  to  the  centre  of  truth  and  life 
in  Christ  are  those  who  will  have  most  sympathy 
with  men  striving  amid  waves  of  doubt  to  plant 
their  feet  on  some  spiritual  certainty  ;  and  they 
who  have  risen  highest  in  purity  of  heart  will 
be  most  ready  to  stretch  out  their  hand  to  help 
a  sinner  to  retrieval.  The  reason  is  plain.  It 
is  these  men  who  are  acquainted  with  the  misery 
of  the  conflict  and  the  blessedness  of  the  calm. 
We  know  of  no  greater  enemies  to  Christianity 
than  a  hard  orthodoxy  destitute  of  the  insight 
of  charity,  and  a  cold,  self-satisfied  morality 
which  seeks  its  own  comfort  in  being  saved,  and 
gathers  up  its  skirts  from  the  touch  of  what  it 
calls  the  sinful  world.  What  that  world  wants 
at  all  times,  and  in  our  time  more  than  ever,  is 
sympathy  ;  and  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for 
Christian  men  to  look  less  to  the  Pharisee  as 
their  model,  and  more  to  Christ. — JdU. 

2  The  purblind  consciousness  of  Simon  the 
Pharisee  suggests  that  those  who  profess 
to  be  seeking  religion  should  be  careful  to 
form  their  judgment  of  it,  not  from  its  pro- 
fessors, but  from  its  author. 

[19245]  Many  say  they  have  been  repelled 
from  Christianity  by  the  coldness  and  incon- 
sistency of  its  professors,  and  they  reckon  this 
a  sufficient  excuse.  It  might  be  so  if  we  had 
to  plead  our  case  at  last  before  these  professors. 
But  the  answer  must  be  given  in  before  Him 
with  whom  we  have  to  do.  Nothing  will  avail 
then,  unless  we  can  make  it  clear  that  we 
honestly  and  earnestly  appealed  to  Himself, 
and  were  repelled.  It  will  be  very  hard  to  show 
this.  Honest,  earnest  men  should  feel  bound 
to  take  their  estimate  of  Christianity  only  from 
Christ.  It  is  surely  a  case  of  sufficient  import- 
ance to  justify  this,  when  the  interests  of  the 


soul  and  eternity  are  involved  in  the  issue.  To 
indulge  in  childish  recriminations  when  these 
are  at  stake  is  not  reasoning,  but  trifling.  We 
are  all  on  our  way  to  the  Judge,  and  He  will 
settle  the  question  of  mutual  blame  ;  but  the 
question  of  sin  must  be  settled  between  Him 
and  each  one  of  us  alone.  If  men  have  felt  the 
pressure  of  guilt  and  want,  and  their  need  of  a 
Saviour,  they  will  find  their  way  to  Him  through 
all  the  cold  looks  of  professed  disciples  and 
proud  formalists.  That  there  are  Pharisees 
who  misrepresent  Him  is  only  a  stronger  reason 
why  we  should  take  His  name  and  bear  it  in 
truth. — Ibid. 


MATTHIAS. 

I.  The    Manner    of    his    Election    to 
Supply  the  Place  of  Judas. 

[19246]  What  qualification  must  be  possessed 
by  the  new  apostle  as  by  the  eleven  who  re- 
mained.''  He  must  be  one  of  those  who  had 
accompanied  Jesus  on  earth  through  the  days 
of  His  ministry.  From  first  to  last  he  must 
have  been  a  witness  of  His  Divine  life  below. 
But  for  this  he  would  lack  the  characteristic 
mark  of  the  apostle,  as  a  witness,  in  the  highest 
degree  competent,  of  His  resurrection.  They 
who  had  been  with  Him  throughout  His  earthly 
ministry  could  best  tell  whether  the  Risen  and 
the  Crucified  were  one.  Three  years  and  a  half 
of  intimate  knowledge,  of  constant  companion- 
ship, would  suffice,  as  a  shorter  acquaintance 
would  not,  to  make  it  impossible  that  there 
should  be  any  mistake  or  error  as  to  the  identity 
of  the  dead  man  and  the  living.  —  Dean 
Vauglian. 

[19247]  The  apostles,  it  will  be  remembered, 
had  not  yet  received  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  this  solemn  mode  of  casting  lots,  in  accord- 
ance with  a  practice  enjoined  in  the  Levitical 
law  (Lev.  xvi.  8),  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  way  of 
referring  the  decision  to  God  (comp.  Prov.  xv. 
2,0).  Chrysostom  remarks  that  it  was  never 
repeated  after  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit. — 
McClintock  and  Strong's  Cyclopcedia. 

[19248]  This  was  the  apostle's  last  confor- 
mity to  a  usage  of  the  old  dispensation,  for 
they  were  to  have  henceforth  a  better  guide  to 
the  will  of  God.— y.  B.  Builer,  D.D. 

II.  His    Qualification    for  the  Apos- 
tolic Office. 

[19249]  Different  opinions  have  prevailed  as 
to  the  manner  of  the  election  of  Matthias.  The 
most  natural  construction  of  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture seems  to  be  this  :— After  the  address  of 
Peter,  the  whole  assembled  body  of  the  brethren, 
amounting  in  number  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  (Acts  i.  15),  proceeded  to  nominate  two, 


19249-19257! 


NEiy    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


491 


[PAUL. 


namely,  Joseph,  surnamcd  Barsabas,  and 
Matthias,  who  answered  the  requirements  of  an 
apostle  ;  the  subsequent  selection  between  the 
two  was  referred  in  prayer  to  Him  who,  know- 
ing the  hearts  of  men,  knew  which  of  them  was 
the  fitter  to  be  flis  witness  and  apostle.  The 
brethren  then,  under  the  heavenly  guidance 
which  they  had  invoked,  proceeded  to  give  forth 
their  lots,  prt)bably  by  each  writing  the  name  of 
one  of  the  candidates  on  a  tablet,  and  casting 
it  into  the  urn.  The  urn  was  then  shaken,  and 
the  name  that  first  came  out  decided  the 
election. — Lightfoot. 

III.  Lessons  to  be  Learnt  from  the 
Silence  of  Scripture  Respeciing 
HIS  Previous  or  Subsequent 
Career. 

[19250]  So  Matthias  became  an  apostle,  and 
we  read  of  him  no  more.  How  eloquent  is  the 
silence  of  Scripture  !  How  vast  the  unrecorded 
labours  of  God's  saints  !  What  comfort  to 
labourers  in  humble  or  obscure  positions  !  No 
monument  here  ;  enough  if  they  are  written  in 
tiie  Book  of  Life  I  According  to  tradition,  St. 
Matthias  preached  the  gospel  in  Africa,  and 
was  martyred  A.D.  51. — Rev.  E.  Bray,  M.A. 

[19251]  Concerning  him, as  concerning  several 
other  apostles,  we  have  no  further  definite  in- 
formation. This  we  know,  they  all  fulfilled  the 
ministry  appointed  them.  Each  had  a  history, 
and  performed  a  life-work  whose  record  of  fruit- 
fulness  and  blessing  shall  be  gratefully  traced 
in  the  studies  of  the  redeemed. — J.  B.  Butler, 
D.D. 


PAUL. 

L  General  View  of  his  Character. 

[19252]  Paul's  original  nature  had  three 
dominant  faculties- — pride,  conscience,  love  ;  and 
they  stood  in  that  order,  pride  giving  the  key- 
note, conscience  supplying  the  motive  power, 
and  love,  where  it  was  in  consistence  with  these, 
accompanying  them.  After  he  became  a  subject 
of  renewing  grace,  these  were  still  the  three 
dominant  faculties,  but  they  stood  exactly  in  the 
reverse  order — love  first,  conscience  next,  and 
pride  last.  By  pride  I  do  not  mean  the  offensive 
kind  of  pride,  but  self-esteem — that  sense  of 
one's  own  personality  which  God  gives  as  the 
inspiration  of  dignity  and  character. —  Ward 
Beecher. 

[19253]  Acting  upon  one  fixed  principle,  he 
was  candid,  kindly,  and  conciliating  ;  steadfast 
as  the  martyr  at  the  stake,  steadfast  as  the  in- 
quisitor crushing  all  natural  instincts  ;  a  rock- 
like man,  massive,  compact,  and  firm,  and  yet 
retaining  all  the  susceptibilities  of  the  most 
genial  and  sensitive  temperament,   which  ever 


throbbed  with   sympathy  for  human   hopes  or 
human  fears. — Rev.  F.  Cook. 

[19254]  Amongst  recent  authors  Dean  How- 
son,  in  his  Hulsean  Lectures  on  the  character  of 
St.  Paul,  points  out  with  admirable  clearness 
his  tact  and  presence  of  mind,  his  tenderness 
and  sympathy,  his  conscientiousness  and  in- 
tegrity, his  thanksgiving  and  prayer,  his  courage 
and  perseverance  :  and  Mr.  Llewellyn  Davies, 
in  his  article  on  St.  Paul  in  the  "  Dictionary  of 
the  Bible,"'  thus  sums  up  the  apostle's  character: 
"  We  perceive  the  warmth  and  ardour  of  his 
nature,  his  deeply  affectionate  disposition,  the 
tenderness  of  his  sense  of  honour,  the  courtesy 
and  personal  dignity  of  his  bearing,  his  perfect 
fearlessness,  his  heroic  endurance  ;  we  perceive 
the  rare  combination  of  subtlety,  tenacity,  and 
versatility  in  his  intellect  ;  we  perceive  also  a 
practical  wisdom  which  we  should  have  asso- 
ciated with  a  cooler  temperament,  and  a  tolerance 
which  is  seldom  united  with  such  impetuous 
convictions."  Professor  Jowett,  in  a  fragment 
on  the  character  of  St.  Paul,  quotes  with  ap- 
proval the  quaint  notion  "  that  St.  Paul  was  the 
finest  gentleman  that  ever  lived  ;"  adding  that 
no  man  had  nobler  forms  of  courtesy  or  a 
deeper  regard  for  the  feelings  of  others. — Rev. 
Sz'r  E.  Bay  ley. 

[19255]  We  can  all  perceive  the  active  habit, 
the  fervent  spirit,  the  strong  will,  the  warm 
atTections,  the  tender  sensibility,  the  exercised 
intellect,  the  subjective  tendencies  of  thought, 
the  vivid  consciousness  of  his  osvn  inward 
history,  the  combination  of  (]reek  and  Hebrew 
training,  the  thorough  grounding  of  the  mind  in 
the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  the  profound  ex- 
perience of  the  false  theory  of  Judaism,  in  its 
effects  on  his  own  heart,  and  in  the  practical 
consequences  to  which  it  once  carried  him.— 
Canon  Bernard. 

[19256]  It  has  perhaps  been  the  unbiassed, 
concurrent  testimony  of  the  Christian  ages,  that, 
in  all  the  essentials  of  a  strong,  educated,  up- 
right, disinterested,  and  heroic  manhood,  Paul 
stands  without  a  peer.  His  intellectual  powers 
were  of  the  highest  order  ;  his  mind  was  dis- 
ciplined in  the  best  of  schools  and  under  the 
most  accomplished  teachers  ;  and  he  was  well 
versed  in  Jewish,  if  not  also  in  Gentile  lore.  By 
nature,  he  was  endowed  with  a  lofty  imagination 
and  a  lyric  fire  that  could  rise  to  the  grandest 
poetic  conceptions  and  to  the  sublimest  elo- 
cjuence,  and  with  a  power  of  logical  thought  and 
a  skill  of  argumentation,  by  which  he  could 
reach  down  to  the  very  depths  of  mightiest 
problems.  Said  Coleridge,  "  I  think  St.  Paul's 
Epistle  to  the  Romans  the  most  profound  work 
in  existence."  Great  in  ability  and  eminent  in 
learning,  he  was  equally  remarkable  for  his 
moral  qualities,  having  an  unusual  measure  of 
candour,  charity,  unselfishness,  purity,  courage, 
and  rectitude. — Christian  Examiner. 

[19257]  Heexhibitstheastonishingendurance, 
which  no  trials  could  exhaust,  and  wliich  enabled 


492 

19257- 


-19260] 


X^EIV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[PAUL. 


the  iiTOSt  physically  weak  of  the  apostles  to 
become  the  most  ceaselessly  active  ;  the  high 
conviction  that  God  had  called  him  to  a  special 
apostolate  "to  make  the  Gentiles  obedient  by 
word  and  deed  ;  "  the  ''  enthusiasm  of  humanity," 
which  made  him  ready  to  associate,  for  their 
souls'  sakes,  whether  with  men  who  had  once 
been  thieves  and  drunkards,  or  with  sweet, 
innocent,  and  gentle  women  ;  the  courtesy  which 
iTiade  him  equally  at  home  among  slaves  and 
among  kings  ;  the  power  of  style  which  rose  or 
fell  with  the  occasion,  sometimes  condescending 
to  the  humblest  colloquialism,  sometimes  rising 
to  the  most  impassioned  eloquence  ;  the  clearness 
of  insight  which  always  kept  one  end  in  view,  and 
sacrificed  all  minor  points  to  attain  it  ;  the  total 
emancipation  from  that  slavery  to  trifles  which 
is  the  characteristic  of  small  minds,  and  is  ever 
petrifying  religion  into  formulae,  or  frittering  it 
away  into  ceremonial  ;  the  spirit  of  concession  ; 
the  tact  of  management  ;  the  willingness  to  bear 
and  forbear,  descend  and  condescend  ;  the 
tolerance  of  men's  prejudices  ;•  the  contented 
acceptance  of  less  than  was  his  due.  And  there 
were  in  the  soul  of  Paul  qualities  far  more 
precious  for  his  life's  work  than  even  these. 
There  was  the  tenderness  for  his  converts  which 
makes  his  words  ever  sound  as  though  he  were 
ready  to  break  into  sobs  as  he  thinks,  on  the 
one  hand,  of  their  affection,  on  the  other,  of  their 
ingratitude  ;  there  was  the  conviction  which 
makes  him  anticipate  the  very  fiat  of  the  throne 
of  judgment,  and  vehemently  to  exclaim  that  if 
an  angel  were  to  preach  a  different  gospel  it 
would  be  false  ;  there  was  the  missionary  rest- 
lessness, so  often  found  in  the  great  pioneers  of 
salvation,  which  drives  him  from  city  to  city  and 
continent  to  continent  in  the  cause  of  God  ;  there 
was  the  ardent  and  imaginative  impulse  which 
made  it  the  very  poetry  of  his  life  to  found  a 
church  among  the  Gentiles  as  the  first  messen- 
ger of  the  gospel  of  peace  ;  and  last,  but  perhaps 
the  most  important  of  all,  there  was  the  perfect 
faith,  the  absolute  self-sacrifice,  self-obliteration, 
self-annihilation,  which  rendered  him  willing, 
nay  glad,  to  pour  out  his  whole  life  as  a  libation  ; 
to  be  led  in  triumph  from  city  to  city  as  a  slave 
and  a  captive  at  the  chariot-wheels  of  Christ. — 
Archdeacon  Farrar. 


II.  His    Several    Mental   and    Moral 
Qualifications. 

I       Intensity. 

[19258]  The  same  earnestness  of  conviction, 
strength  of  will,  and  vitality  of  allegiance,  went 
into  his  Judaism  and  his  Christianity  ;  for  after 
the  straitest  sect  he  lived  a  Pharisee,  and  yet 
was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision  of 
the  light  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun.  He 
was  a  man  to  look  on  with  cool  consent  at 
Stephen's  martyrdom,  before  he  heard  the  voice 
from  heaven  ;  and  after  the  Word,  like  a  two- 
edged  sword,  had  pierced  the  joints  and  marrow 
of  his  spirit,  to  accuse  himself  as  the  chief  of 
sinners,  and  cry,  "  O  wretched  man  that  I  am  ! 


what  I  would  not,  that  I  do  ;  who  shall  deliver 
me  from  the  body  of  this  death?"  His  strong 
passions  made  all  his  religious  experience  vivid 
as  the  lightning,  and  his  comprehensive  intellect 
made  his  eloquence  reverberate  like  the  thunder. 
His  moods  were  various,  but  all  intense.  He 
could  with  equal  skill  sport  satire  v^-ith  the 
Corinthians,  or  foil  such  dignitaries  as  Agrippa 
and  Felix  with  his  polished  rhetoric,  or  smite 
Elymas  the  sorcerer  and  the  backsliders  at 
Galatia  with  the  battle-axe  of  his  indignation. 
Too  rapid  in  his  style  to  balance  an  antithesis, 
or  limit  a  parenthesis,  or  modulate  his  sentences, 
he  forgets  all  the  rules  of  composition  in  the 
thing  to  be  said.  He  was  tesolute  enough  to 
withstand  Barnabas,  his  associate,  to  the  face,  in  a 
question  of  principle,  yet  tender  enough  to  restore 
Eutychus  and  comfort  afflicted  women  ;  a  man 
to  confound  equally  the  Jews  who  required  a 
sign,  and  the  idolaters  that  sought  after  worldly 
wisdom  ;  a  man  to  spend  three  years  in  Arabia 
to  prove  whether  the  inspiratrion  was  genuine, 
and  its  pulse  healthy  ;  a  man  to  sing  praises  at 
midnight  in  a  jail,  and,  when  an  earthquake 
opened  the  walls,  calmly  to  tell  the  jailer  to  do 
himself  no  harm,  for  he  had  not  availed  himself 
of  his  liberty  ;  and  then  to  preach  Christ  there 
to  the  frightened  keepers,  and  the  next  day, 
when  the  magistrates  were  troubled  at  their 
illegal  arrest,  to  stand  upon  his  dignity,  and 
refuse  to  go  out  till  he  had  humiliated  them 
by  compelling  them  to  come  and  beseech  him 
to  go  ;  a  man  that  could  tell,  and  tell  without 
complaining,  but  with  a  light  heart  and  in  a 
cheerful  tone,  of  stripes  and  stonings,  shipwrecks 
and  perils  by  the  wilderness,  of  robbers  and  false 
brethren,  of  watchings  and  nakedness,  of  escap- 
ing by  a  basket  from  a  window,  of  hunger  and 
thirst  and  weariness  daily,  glorying  in  his 
tribulations,— could  tell  also  of  visions  and 
revelations  in  the  third  heavens,  of  joy  unspeak- 
able, and  the  peace  that  passeth  understanding. 
— Bp.  Huntington. 

1       Manliness. 

[19259]  Paul  was  a  noble  example  of  that 
manliness  which  Emerson  says  "  stands  first 
among  the  physical  qualifications  of  oratory." 
It  matters  not  where  he  speaks,  in  the  presence 
of  the  cultured  andsceptical  Athenians,  facing 
the  infuriated  rabble  at  Jerusalem,  or  standing 
before  kings  and  governors,  we  look  upon  the 
same  brave  and  dauntless  man,  and  admire 
the  presence  of  mind  which  holds  in  perfect 
control  every  faculty,  and  absorbs  the  mind  in 
the  truth  he  has  to  speak. — Christian  Globe. 

3       Eloquence. 

[19260]  We  perceive  in  the  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles  those  mental  qualifications  which  give 
that  force  or  power  of  statement  that  is  the  lead- 
ing characteristic  of  eloquence.  The  same  sim- 
plicity and  purity  of  thought  which  mark  the 
immortal  passages  of  Deniosthenes  is  found  in 
the  addresses  of  Paul.  Every  word  was  a  spark 
from  the  fires  that  burned  in  his  soul,  and  in 
this,  red  heat  proof  and  statement  were  welded 


19260 — 19265] 


^ElV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


493 

[I'AUL. 


together.  Even  the  hardened  Fehx  trembled 
before  the  irresistible  force  of  the  apostle's 
thought  and  feeling,  and  Agrippa,  entrenched  as 
he  was  by  Jewish  prejudices,  not  in  irony,  as  it 
appears  to  us,  but  in  earnestness,  says,  "  Al- 
most thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian." — 
Ibid. 

4  Didactic  skill, 

[19261]  St.  Paul's  first  object  is  always  to  find 
what  truth  is  held  by  those  whom  he  would  con- 
vert ;  to  draw  that  truth  out  distinctly  ;  to  sepa- 
rate it  from  the  falsehoods  by  which  it  may  have 
been  disguised  or  obscured  ;  to  raise  his  hearers 
to  a  higher  sphere  of  thought  from  which  they 
may  discern  the  full  signiticance  of  the  truth 
itself,  and  the  great  spiritual  realities  with  which 
every  truth  is  essentially  connected.  In  ad- 
dressing the  rude  idolaters  of  Lystra  (who  were 
ready  to  worship  him  and  Barnabas  as  beneficent 
deities)  he  appeals  to  the  first  simple  principles  of 
natural  religion,  and  teaches  them  to  recognize 
in  the  power  which  had  "given  them  rain  from 
heaven,  and  fruitful  seasons  filling  their  hearts 
with  joy  and  gladness,"  the  one  Maker  and 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth.  Thus,  too,  at  Athens  : 
we  do  not,  indeed,  find  that  the  beauty,  grace, 
and  dignity  of  the  forms,  with  which  idolatry  was 
there  invested,  blinded  him  to  the  abominations 
with  which  it  was  invariably  associated  ;  he  had 
no  such  false  liberality,  no  tolerance  for  deadly 
sin  ;  but  in  reasoning  with  the  subtle  and  in- 
genious disputants  whom  he  there  encountered, 
he  accepts  all  the  truth  which  they  too  really 
held  ;  he  shows  himself  conversant  with  the 
thought  which  occupied  their  minds  ;  he  appeals 
to  their  unwitting  acknowledgment  of  ignor- 
ance touching  the  nature  of  God  ;  he  uses  the 
most  inoffensive  epithets  to  designate  their  re- 
ligions feelings  ;  he  quotes  their  own  poet  to  show 
the  inconsistency  of  idol-worship  in  those  who 
felt  themselves  to  be  the  creatures,  nay,  the 
children  of  God  :  no  point  is  omitted  by  which 
he  can  possibly  find  access  to  their  understand- 
ing and  hearts  ;  but  all  this,  be  it  again  noted, 
without  keeping  back  the  truth  which  he  well 
knew  would  be  repugnant  to  their  prejudices,  and 
excite  their  scorn. — Re^'.  F.  Cook. 

5  Sincerity. 

[19262]  If  St.  Paul  had  not  been  an  entire 
character,  he  would  not  have  spoken  so  in- 
genuously of  himself  as  he  does  in  Romans  vii. 
He  would  have  acted  as  many  others  have  done  : 
he  would  have  put  the  best  aspect  on  things. 
He  would  not  have  opened  the  chambers  of 
imagery,  and  have  showed,  while  all  the  Church 
was  admiring  him,  what  was  passing  within. 
Here  were  real  simplicity  and  humility— nothing 
of  that  Pharisee  which  he  once  was.  The 
Pharisee  has  become  a  publican  ;  the  reality  is 
coming  forward  ;  and  he  seems  to  say,  "Is  any 
man  groaning  under  a  body  of  sin  and  death  .'' 
or,  searching  his  heart,  does  he  find  that  therein 
dwelleth  no  good  thing  ?  This  is  my  case  also  ; 
and  if  I  have  anything  wherein  to  glory,  it  is  in 


Christ,  and  not  in  myself." — Remains  0/  Rev.  R. 
Cecil. 

6  Disinterestedness. 

[19263]  Had  Paul  been  less  pure  and  dis- 
interested in  character,  he  would  infallibly  have 
been  made  the  head  of  a  party  ;  but  when  he 
heard  of  the  attenijjt  at  Corinth  to  set  him  in 
this  position,  and  to  organize  a  sect  to  be  called 
by  his  name,  he  repelled  the  project  with  indig- 
nation. It  was  a  kind  of  man-worship,  and  a 
dishonour  to  Christ,  from  which  his  whole 
nature  recoiled.  "Who,  then,"  he  said,  "is 
Paul.?  Who  is  Paul.'  Was  Paul  crucified  for 
you?  Paul  and  Apollos  are  but  ministers  ;  and 
shall  the  servant  usurp  the  place  of  his  Lord.?" 
— Rev.  Prof.  Fisher. 

7  Generous  sympathy. 

[19264]  What  strikes  us  above  all  in  his 
character,  then,  even  as  compared  with  the  great 
saints  who  had  been  formed  under  the  personal 
influence  of  our  Lord  during  His  sojourn  among 
us  in  the  tlesh,  is  the  largeness  and  liberality  of 
his  views,  his  generous  and  comprehensive  sym- 
pathies :  the  will  and  the  power  to  enter  into 
the  feelings  of  other  men,  to  make  allowance 
for  their  failings  or  their  prejudices,  to  discern 
whatever  of  good  there  may  be  in  them,  ob- 
scured or  damaged  as  it  may  be  by  infirmity  or 
even  by  sin.  It  is  this  union  of  force  and  tender- 
ness, of  unity  of  purpose  and  absolute  unselfish- 
ness, which  gives  St.  Paul  that  peculiar  and  un- 
paralleled influence  over  men's  hearts,  which 
attracts  us  most  especially  in  his  writings,  which 
marks  him  as  the  man  in  whom  the  Christian 
sees  reflected  for  his  edification  the  attributes 
of  the  righteous  and  loving  Saviour  :  a  model 
which  we  are  bound  to  imitate,  and  which  we 
can  only  hope  to  imitate,  if  we  apply  ourselves 
earnestly  to  the  work. — Rev.  F.  Cook. 

8  The  loftiest  philanthropy. 

[19265]  Not  indifferent  to  the  temporal  good 
of  man,  as  he  showed  by  setting  an  example  of 
mechanical  industry  as  a  tent-maker  ;  anxious 
to  relieve  the  distress  of  the  needy,  as  he  showed 
by  his  diligent  collection  for  the  poor  saints  at 
Jerusalem  ;  friendly  to  intellectual  improvement, 
as  he  showed  by  his  sanction  of  both  Jewish  and 
Gentile  studies  :  he  yet  mainly  looked  to  the 
spiritual  and  eternal  welfare  of  souls,  sensible  of 
their  transcendent  value  ;  feeling  that  a  benevo- 
lence which  did  not  go  the  depth  of  man's  spiritual 
need,  which  did  not  rise  to  the  height  of  man's 
spiritual  salvation,  is  a  benevolence  dimmed  in 
its  vision,  and  feeble  in  its  wing.  In  all  his  self- 
denial  and  labours,  in  all  his  wise  adaptation  to 
men  and  circumstances,  the  salvation  of  souls 
was  the  polar  star  of  his  course.  "  Unto  the 
Jews  I  became  as  a  Jew,  that  I  might  gain  the 
Jews  ;  to  them  that  are  under  the  law,  as  under 
the  law,  that  I  might  gain  them  that  are  under 
the  law  ;  to  them  that  are  without  law,  as  with- 
out law,  that  I  might  gain  them  that  are  without 
law.     To  the  weak  became   I  as  weak,  that  I 


494 

19265—19271] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHHISTIAN    ERA. 


[PAUL. 


might  gain  the  weak  :  I  am  made  all  things  to 
all  men  " — and  why,  for  what  end  would  he  gain 
them  ? — "  that  I  might  by  all  means  save  some."' 
— Rev.  y.  Stotighton. 

[19266]  He  felt  a  burning  desire  for  the  salva- 
tion of  his  brethren  according  to  the  flesh.  He 
had  been  himself  as  they  were,  in  a  state  of 
separation  from  Christ  ;  like  one  anathematized 
— accursed.  He  felt  for  those  who  were  still  so 
circumstanced  ;  he  had  great  heaviness  and  con- 
tinual sorrow  of,  heart  on  their  account,  and 
with  a  gushing  earnestness  exclaimed,  "  Breth- 
ren, my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  for 
Israel  is,  that  they  might  be  saved." — Ibid. 

[19267]  He  was  a  lover  of  mankind  at  large. 
Whatever  there  had  been  in  him  of  the  bigotry 
of  the  Jew  was  expelled.  An  expansive  and 
universal  affection  reigned  in  his  heart.  The 
lines  of  distinction  between  tribe  and  tribe, 
country  and  country,  melted  away  before  the 
march  of  his  sublime  philanthropy.  We  see 
him  traversing  Asia  Minor  and  Greece  again 
and  again — thus  ceasing  to  be  as  a  Jew,  and  be- 
coming as  a  Gentile  ;  thus  merging  the  Oriental 
and  putting  on  the  European  ;  thus  losing  the 
patriot  in  the  man  ;  thus  fusing  all  in  the  Chris- 
tian.— Ibid. 

9  Prudent  zeal. 

[19268]  Among  the  qualifications  of  Paul 
for  his  peculiar  work  as  a  propagator  of  the 
gospel  and  a  founder  of  churches,  the  singular 
blending  of  enthusiasm  with  prudence  in  his 
nature  deserves  attention.  There  was  a  fire 
which  no  difficulties  ihat  stood  in  his  path  could 
quench  ;  but  along  with  it  there  was  a  modera- 
tion, the  temperance  or  sobriet}',  which  kept  him 
back  from  all  extravagance,  He  unites  a  zeal, 
which  one  would  think  could  brook  no  restraint, 
with  a  wonderful  tact  and  shrewdness.  A  cer- 
tain sagacity,  or  good  sense,  presides  over  his 
conduct.  His  burning  earnestness  never  runs 
into  fanaticism.  At  the  right  time,  he  knows 
how  to  consult  expediency.  When  we  find  these 
apparently  incongruous  qualities  combined  in 
the  champion  of  any  cause,  we  may  look  out  for 
greatresults.  Thesetraits  minglein  the  character 
of  a  statesman  like  Cromwell,  and  in  the  founders 
of  some  of  the  great  religious  orders  in  the 
Catholic  Church.  The  history  of  Paul  contains 
many  examples  of  the  opportune  exercise  of  this 
prudence  and  tact.  He  would  not  yield  an  inch 
to  the  demand  of  the  Judaizers  when  the  prin- 
ciplewas  at  stake, even  though  Peter  was  seduced 
to  give  them  his  tacit  support  ;  but  he  rebuked 
this  leading  apostle  in  pointed  terms.  Yet  he 
would  go  very  far  in  making  concessions  to  re- 
move the  misunderstanding  and  prejudice  of  the 
Jews,  and  to  pacify  Jewish  feeling  that  was 
offended  by  his  apparently  radical  proceedings. 
—Rev.  Prof.  Fisher,  D.D. 

10  Loyalty  to  Christ. 

[19269]  "I  am  ready,  not  to  be  bound  only, 
but  also  to  die  at  Jerusalem  for  the  name  of  the 


Lord  Jesus."  Call  it  by  what  name  you  like  ; 
you  see  a  man  of  the  highest  intelligence,  and 
v/ith  the  fairest  worldly  prospects,  possessed  of 
more  than  ordinary  wisdom  and  prudence,  for- 
saking all  that  men  usually  hold  dear,  and  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  purpose  enduring  every 
species  of  hardship,  encountering  every  ex- 
tremity of  danger  ;  scourged,  beaten,  stoned, 
left  for  dead  ;  persisting  in  this  course  through 
a  long  series  of  years,  unchanged  by  the  ex- 
perience of  malice,  ingratitude,  desertion  ;  un- 
subdued by  anxiety  and  want  ;  unwearied  by 
prolonged  imprisonment  ;  undismayed  by  the 
prospect  of  death  :  and  can  you  doubt  the 
reality  and  the  strength  of  the  principle  which 
dwelt  within  him  ? — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

II       Holiness. 

(i)  As  illustrated  by  his  heavenly-fninded- 
ness. 

[19270]  In  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  the 
apostle  exhorts  the  Christians  to  vie  with  each 
other  in  imitating  him,  and  to  observe  (for  imi- 
tation) those  who  so  walked  as  they  had  an 
example  in  him  and  his  companions  (chap.  iii. 
17).  In  the  following  words  he  assigns  as  his 
reason  for  thus  counselling  them,  that  many  pro- 
fessing Christians  walked  very  differently  :  their 
lives  were  sensual,  self-indulgent,  and  worldly  : 
they  professed  the  apostle's  doctrine,  but  they 
walked  not  in  his  steps.  Such  he  affirms,  in 
pointed  contrast,  is  not  our  life  :  our  home  is  in 
heaven,  and  as  citizens  of  that  better  country  we 
eagerly  await  the  coming  of  the  Lord  of  glory 
to  perfect  our  redemption.  Thus  the  apostle 
sets  the  heavenly-mindedness  of  himself  and  his 
fellow-labourers  against  the  earthliness  of  the 
false  livers,  and  bids  the  Philippian  Christians 
unite  in  cultivating  the  same  spirit.  In  this 
respect  St.  Paul's  life  was  a  close  copy  of  that 
of  His  Divine  Master.  If  the  mind  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  was  indeed  set  upon  heavenly  things,  the 
doing  of  His  Father's  will,  the  honouring  of  His 
Father's  name,  the  delighting  in  His  Father's 
presence  ;  in  a  subordinate  but  most  true  sense 
was  the  mind  of  St.  Paul  set  upon  the  same 
objects.  "  We  have,"  he  says,  "  the  mind  of 
Christ."  Such  is  the  very  essence  of  Christian 
holiness.  To  have  fellowship  with  Christ  in 
His  characteristic  feelings  and  principles,  to  love 
what  He  loves,  to  hate  what  He  hates,  to  desire 
what  He  promises,  to  rejoice  in  His  will  at  all 
times  and  under  all  circumstances  :  this  is  to 
be  holy  ;  this  is  to  have  the  mind  of  Christ. — 
Ibid. 

[19271]  He  dwelt  in  communion  with  the 
Eternal  Spirit,  kept  his  eyes  steadfastly  fixed 
upon  his  risen  and  adorable  Master,  and  held 
in  firm  and  adamantine  grasp  the  unseen  and 
eternal  realities.  So  exalted  at  times  he  ap- 
peared in  thought  and  contemplation,  so  borne 
aloft  by  the  power  of  love,  and  on  the  wings  of 
faith,  above  the  grovelling  and  transitory  things 
of  this  lower  sphere  ;  so  lost  in  his  supreme 
transcendent  devotion  to  the  word  and  to  the 
will  of  God,  that  he  might  well  feel  that  he  was 


NEIV 


19271— 19277] 


TES7AME.\T  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


495 

[PAUL. 


ready  to  be  offered  before  his  hour  of  departure 
came,  and  so  to  be  translated  evermore  to  be 
with  Christ.  Paul's  was  the  pure  and  practical 
wisdom  of  the  best  of  the  ancient  sages,  Con- 
fucius, Socrates,  Epictetus.  But  he  had  also 
that  which  they  had  not,  the  rich  and  sanctify- 
ing grace  of  CH)d,  which  hlls  the  soul  with  holy 
love  and  anchors  it  securely  in  the  spiritual  and 
everlasting. — CImstian  Exammer. 

(2)  As  illusirnted  by  his  vu'ssianayy  spi^-it. 
[19272]  The  missionary  spirit,  which  inspired 

the  entire  ministry  of  Him  who  "came  to  seek 
and  save  that  which  was  lost,"  was,  as  his  whole 
apostolic  career  bears  witness,  the  animating 
spirit  of  St.  Paul.  Thus  in  his  behaviour  with 
reference  to  the  many  questions  of  casuistry 
which  agitated  the  early  Church,  he  says,  "I 
please  all  men  in  all  things,  not  seeking  mine 
own  profit,  but  the  profit  of  many,  tiiat  they  may 
be  saved."  All  was  matter  of  indifference  to  him, 
except  as  it  bore  upon  the  salvation  of  men,  and 
then  he  adds,  "  Be  ye  imitators  of  me."  In  this 
again  he  would  have  his  own  accurate  copy  of 
Christ's  character  reproduced  in  the  lives  of  his 
converts  :  he  would  have  them  long  as  he  did 
for  the  salvation  of  others  ;  he  would  establisli 
in  their  hearts  a  true  apostolic  succession,  even 
a  succession  of  missionary  labour  and  zeal. — 
Rev,  Sir  E.  Bay  ley. 

(3)  As  illustrated  by  his  spirit  of  self-sacrifice. 
[19273]  It  showed  itself  in  great  things,  in  his 

abandonment  of  all  worldly  prospects,  in  his 
abundant  labours,  in  his  indifference  to  persecu- 
tion, imprisonment,  and  death;  but  it  showed 
itself  also  in  things  small,  or  in  things  which  by 
comparison  are  small,  though  in  reality  of  great 
importance.  .  .  Thus  the  apostle  came  down,  as 
it  were,  from  the  soarings  of  a  heavenly  mind, 
and  the  far-reaching  aims  of  missionary  zeal, 
and  engaged  in  the  homely  task  of  earning  his 
daily  bread  by  the  work  of  his  hands. — Ibici. 


III.  His  Conversion. 

I     Its  great  premonitory  and  preparatory  event. 

//  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  the  martyrdom 
of  Stephen  led  up  to  the  con^'ersion  of  Paul. 

[19274]  A  Spanish  painter  who  tried  his  skill 
in  portraying  the  martyrdom,  represents  Saul 
as  walking  by  St.  Stephen's  side,  towards  the 
fatal  spot,  with  a  melancholy  calmness,  which  is 
in  marked  contrast  with  the  fiendish  rage  de- 
picted on  the  faces  of  the  crowd.  "  The  picture, 
though  historically  incorrect,  is  poetically  true. 
The  painter  has  worked  according  to  the  true 
idea  of  his  art,  in  throwing  upon  the  persecutor's 
countenance  the  shadow  of  his  coming  repent- 
ance. We  cannot  well  separate  the  martyrdom 
of  Stephen  from  the  conversion  of  Paul.  The 
spectacle  of  so  much  constancy,  so  much  faith, 
so  much  love,  could  not  be  lost.  It  is  hardly 
too  m.uch  to  say  with  Augustine,  that  'the 
Church  owes  Paul  to  the  prayer  of  Stephen  '  " 
(Conybeare). — Rev.  f.  Norton. 


2       Its  bearing  on  St.  Paul's  life  and  teaching. 

(i)  //  involved,  in  a  temporal  sense,  a  total 
personal  and  national  loss. 

[19275]  As  to  Paul  himself,  he  had  everything 
to  lose  and  nothing  to  gain  by  the  change."  The 
Jews  were  wealthy,  the  Christians  poor;  the 
Jews  numerous,  the  Christians  comparatively 
few  ;  the  Jews  powerful,  the  Christians  per- 
secuted. He  cut  himself  off  at  once  from  all 
his  connections  and  friends  ;  he  frustrated  all 
the  hopes  which  his  country-men  might  have 
entertained  from  his  character  and  acquire- 
ments. He  drew  upon  himself  the  bitter  hatred 
of  all  his  Pharisaic  brethren  ;  he  exasperated  his 
powerful  patrons,  the  high  priests.  For  he 
added  to  his  crime  of  apostasy  that  which 
would  be  construed  into  treachery  to  his  em- 
ployers.— Dean  Milman. 

(2)  //  lay  at  the  root  of  his  clear  view  of  the 
nature  of  sin.  ajid  the  far-reaching;  character  of 
his  oii'7t  repentance. 

[19276]  He  had  been  brought  face  to  face 
with  God.  In  the  light  of  that  terrible  hour  he 
saw  himself  as  he  was,  a  bloody  blasphemer, 
wholly  offensive  to  God,  a  self-righteous,  bigoted, 
cruel,  injurious  wretch,  his  heart  a  very  liell  of 
bitterness  and  pride  on  one  hand,  and  the  holy, 
merciful,  patient  God  on  the  other — what  a  view 
of  sin  it  must  have  given  him,  and  of  himself  as 
a  sinner  !  If  the  prophet  Isaiah,  in  the  sensible 
presence  of  Jehovah,  was  forced  to  exclaim, 
"  Woe  is  me,  for  I  am  undone  !  "  Jiow  must  such 
a  man  as  Saul  have  felt  !  And  all  after 
meditation,  in  remembrance  of  that  vision, 
served  only  to  deepen  the  impression.  Sin  was 
in  his  sight  "  exceeding  sinful,"  and  the  sinner 
exceedingly  offensive  to  God.  And  the  same 
may  be  said  of  Saul's  penitence.  It  was  deep 
and  sweeping.  The  clearer  the  view  of  God  the 
clearer  is  the  view  of  sin,  and  the  deeper  is 
repentance.  When  Saul  saw  himself  in  the 
light  of  God's  presence,  like  job  in  similar 
circumstances,  "  he  abhorred  himself,  and  re- 
pented in  dust  and  ashes."  The  abandonment 
of  his  former  life  was  complete.  The  things  he 
had  loved  and  pursued  were  now  hateful,  and 
he  repudiated  them  absolutely  and  for  ever.  He 
"  sorrowed  after  a  godly  sort."  And  all  along 
through  his  writings  we  detect  the  minor  strains 
of  grief  over  the  wicked  work  of  his  early  days. 
— Sermons  by  the  Monday  Club. 

(3)  It  led  him  to  dwell  much  upon  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ. 

[19277]  There  is  none  of  the  sacred  writers 
who  makes  so  much  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ, 
or  who  dwells  so  exultingly  on  His  essential 
and  Divine  glory,  as  St.  Paul.  He  has  no  words 
to  express  the  joy  of  his  heart  in  the  thought 
that  he  has  a  living  and  a  glorious  Saviour. 
And  both  these  commanding  facts  were  im- 
pressed on  his  mind  by  the  energy  of  a  Divine 
testimony  at  the  time  of  his  conversion.  There 
stood  Jesus,  the  Jew  of  Nazareth,  radiant  with 
the  light  and  glor)-  of  infinite  majesty.     Jesus  is 


496 

19277- 


19283] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[PAUL. 


alive  ;  Jesus  is  God  :  these  two  facts  are  to  him 
clear  as  his  own  existence.  These  he  ever 
asserts.  Of  them  he  can  brook  neither  denial 
nor  doubt.  Jesus  a  living,  ever-living,  and  ever- 
present  Saviour.  Jesus  a  Divine  and  Almighty 
Saviour — these  were  the  basis  of  his  own  hopes, 
and  of  the  whole  redemptive  scheme. — Ibid. 

(4)  //  led  Jiim  to  lay  stress  upon  the  elect  iofi  of 
grace. 

[19278]  Paul  makes  much  of  the  election  of 
grace,  and  this  was  one  of  those  things  burned 
into  his  consciousness  at  the  time  of  his  change. 
In  his  view,  every  man  is  dependent  on  the 
purpose  of  God  for  salvation.  Every  one  is,  by 
nature,  a  child  of  wrath,  under  condemnation, 
and  on  the  way  to  death.  None  enter  the  path 
of  life  self-moved,  but  only  those  who  are  chosen, 
called,  and  divinely  persuaded  thereto.  Salva- 
tion originates  wholly  in  the  electing  mercy  and 
grace  of  God.  This  was  to  him  clear  as  an 
axiom.  He  felt  it  in  his  own  case.  He  knew 
that  he  was  violently  set  against  God.  He  was 
becoming  harder  and  more  fixed  in  sin  every 
day.  Left  to  himself,  he  never  would  have 
turned.  But  God,  of  His  own  will  and  for  His 
own  ends,  had  planned  otherwise,  and  in  good 
time  He  called  him  by  His  grace,  and  made 
him  His  child. — Ibid. 

3       Its  evidential  value. 

[19279]  Next  to  the  resurrection  of  Christ  and 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Gospel  had 
no  such  powerful  witness  to  its  Divine  origin 
as  that  supplied  by  the  conversion  of  Saul  of 
Tarsus. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

[19280]  In  the  calling  of  Paul  out  of  time 
there  appear  certain  indications  of  providential 
interference  almost  tantamount  to  miraculous. 
Had  he  been  among  the  original  apostles,  the 
infidel  might  with  some  plausibility  have  attri- 
buted the  origination  and  early  conduct  of  the 
design  to  a  man  of  his  vigorous  mind  and  dis- 
tinguished attainments.  But  the  design  is  far 
advanced  by  humbler  agents  before  his  assist- 
ance is  required.  No  sect  is  so  far  prosperous 
as  to  have  spread  beyond  the  limits  of  Judaea  ; 
it  is  of  sufficient  importance  to  excite  a  violent 
persecution,  and  so  firmly  established  in  the 
minds  of  its  followers  as  to  induce  them  to 
undergo  voluntary  martyrdom  in  its  defence. — 
Dean  Mihnati. 

[19281]  Upon  what  hypothesis  can  the  infidel 
explain  that  conversion  .''  There  is  an  idle  story, 
said  to  have  been  current  in  certain  circles  in 
primitive  times,  namely,  that  Paul  was  anxious 
to  marry  the  high  priest's  daughter,  and  then 
opposed  Judaism  because  the  high  priest  de- 
ceived him.  Unbelievers  must  have  been 
driven  to  desperate  shifts  to  invent  such  a  fable. 
Modern  Jews  say  that  he  changed  rapidly  from 
one  extreme  to  another,  being  a  man  who  could 
do  nothing  by  halves  :  but  that  by  no  means 
accounts  for  the  change.  Paul's  conversion  is 
an  insoluble  enigma,  except  we  take  the  account 


of  it  given  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Infidels 
must  believe  that  Paul  was  an  impostor  or  an 
enthusiast,  or  both.  But,  to  admit  that  he  was 
an  impostor  in  the  face  of  his  history,  which 
shows  him  to  have  been  sincere,  if  man  ever 
was — to  admit  that  he  was  an  enthusiast  in  the 
face  of  his  letters,  which  show  him  to  have  had 
a  clear,  strong,  humble  mind,  if  man  ever  had 
— is  to  raise  up  difficulties  around  the  infidel 
theory  far  more  formidable  than  ever  accom- 
panied the  Christian  doctrine.  Where,  on  the 
infidel  supposition,  were  the  means  and  motives 
for  the  conversion  of  Paul  ?  How  is  it  to  be 
explained  that  he  always  insisted  upon  the 
miraculous  story,  and  was  never  contradicted 
by  any  of  his  companions  who  went  with  him 
to  Damascus  ?  Where  are  the  motives  of  his 
self-denial,  benevolence,  and  holiness  "i  Here 
are  effects  without  a  cause. — Rev.  J.  Stoughton. 

[19282]  As  Lord  Littleton  shows  in  his  admi- 
rable book  on  Paul's  conversion,  the  fact  duly 
considered  is  a  demonstration  that  the  gospel 
comes  from  God. — Ibid. 

[19283]  If  the  conversion  of  Paul  is  a  reality 
his  testimony  must  be  true,  (i)  His  conversion 
shows  that  he  had  the  necessary  intelligence  to 
bear  a  credible  testimony.  It  is  necessary  to 
give  credibility  to  the  statement  of  the  testimony, 
that  the  witness  should  be  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  circumstances  he  affirms.  If  Paul  was 
ignorant  of  Christ,  if  the  statements  he  made 
were  the  reckless  utterances  of  a  blind  fanatic, 
his  testimony  is  worth  nothing  ;  but  the  history 
of  his  conversion  shows  that  he  became 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  Christ.  He  saw 
Him,  he  felt  Him,  he  heard  Him.  Christ  be- 
came more  real  to  him  than  any  being  in  the 
universe  ;  Christ  was  revealed  in  him,  he  said. 
(2)  His  conversion  shows  that  he  had  the  ne- 
cessary candour  to  bear  a  credible  testimony. 
If  a  witness  is  strongly  prejudiced  in  favour  of 
the  things  he  declares,  his  testimony  is,  to  say 
the  least,  but  questionable.  The  conversion  of 
Saul  shows  that  his  prejudices  were  all  against 
Jesus.  No  name  was  so  odious  to  him  as  the 
name  of  Jesus  ;  no  cause  so  abhorrent  to  his 
nature  as  His  cause.  Malignity  to  Him  bore 
him  now  to  Damascus,  the  scene  of  his  conver- 
sion. When  he,  therefore,  states  that  Jesus  is 
the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  he 
states  what  runs  directly  opposed  to  his  preju- 
dices, and  thus  shows  a  candour  which  gives  a 
credibility  to  his  word.  (3)  This  conversion 
shows  that  he  had  the  necessary  disinterested- 
ness to  bear  a  credible  testimony.  When  a 
witness  has  a  deep  interest  in  proving  what  he 
wishes  to  establish,  his  word  is  justly  looked 
upon  with  suspicion.  The  history  of  Paul's 
conversion  shows  that  self-interest  had  nothing 
to  do  in  prompting  him  to  adopt  the  new  faith. 
In  truth  he  made  enormous  sacrifices  to  do  so. 
His  position  as  a  member,  which  he  probably 
was,  of  the  great  council  of  the  nation,  his  high 
prospects  in  Church  and  State  as  a  young  man 
of  genius,  culture,  and  a  Hebrew  of  the  He- 


19283 — 1928 


NEiV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


497 


[PAUL. 


brews  ;  his  dearest  friendships,  his  worldly 
wealth  and  comforts,  all  were  sacrificed  on  his 
adhesion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  obloquy, 
insult,  want,  persecution,  and  martyrdom,  he 
knew  would  follow  his  decision.  If  disinterested- 
ness, therefore,  is  an  element  of  credibility  in 
a  witness,  Paul's  testimony  concerning  Christ 
must  be  taken. — The  Homilist. 

4       Its   typical  character. 

[19284]  The  receiving  one  to  mercy  who  had 
been  so  great  an  enemy  to  the  name  and  religion 
of  Christ,  and  not  merely  receiving  him,  but 
going  out  of  the  ordinary  method  of  providence 
to  meet  him,  and  then  to  dignify  him  so  far,  as 
to  put  him  into  the  high  and  honourable  trust 
of  planting  the  gospel  in  the  heathen  world,  for 
which  he  was  qualified  by  such  an  abundant 
measure  of  spiritual  gifts — this  would  be  a  de- 
monstration to  the  whole  world  of  the  kindness 
and  gentleness  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  nature  of 
His  doctrine,  designed  to  encourage  men  every- 
where to  repent  and  turn  unto  God,  and  His 
readiness  to  forgive  those  which  we  may  call 
personal  offences  against  Him,  being  intended 
directly  in  dishonour  and  contempt  of  Him  as 
an  impostor  :  according  to  what  He  Himself 
had  told  the  Jews,  that  whosoever  spoke  a  word 
against  the  Son  of  man,  how  reproachful  soever, 
it  should  be  forgiven  him.—//.  Grove. 

[19285]  The  conversion  of  St.  Paul  is  the 
great  typical  conversion  of  the  New  Testament. 
In  this  typical  conversion  we  find  the  leading 
characteristics  of  every  true  conversion — what 
it  is,  whence  it  cometh,  whither  it  leadeth  ;  its 
nature,  its  origin,  and  its  end.  This  thought 
was  evidently  present  to  the  apostle's  mind 
when  he  wrote,  "  For  this  cause  I  obtained 
mercy,  that  in  me  first  Jesus  Christ  might  show 
forth  all  long-suffering,  for  a  pattern  to  them 
which  should  hereafter  believe  on  Him  to  life 
everlasting."  .  .  .  They  are  not  to  contemplate 
him  so  much  as  the  mercy  of  God  in  him  ;  that 
was  the  subject  of  the  sketch,  or  sub-tracery, 
the  filling  up  of  which  would  take  place  in  the 
experience  of  every  one  who  should  hereafter 
believe. — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bay  ley. 

[19286]  St.  Paul's  conversion  was  a  signal 
example  of  Divine  grace.  "  I  obtained  mercy," 
is  his  own  account  of  the  transaction.  It  is  the 
ruling  thought  of  the  passage.  "  The  grace  of 
our  Lord  superabounded,"  as  a  river  full  to  over- 
flowing :  q.  d.  "  My  sins  obstructed  the  course 
of  grace  ;  but  the  streamof  God's  mercy  brimmed 
over,  overlapped,  and  carried  with  it  the  mounds 
and  dams  of  my  sinfulness.  There  was  thus  ex- 
hibited in  me  a  sublime  pattern  of  Divine  long- 
suffering,  an  encouraging  example  to  all  future 
believers."  None,  as  it  seemed  to  St.  Paul,  had 
sinned  as  he  had  sinned  ;  but  from  the  dark 
background  of  his  unbelief  the  mercy  of  God 
shone  brightly  forth,  and  ever  aftervyards  the 
thought  of  mercy  was  present  to  his  mind  : 
"  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  znn^'—Jdid. 

VOL.  VI.  : 


IV.  His  Writings. 

1  Their  style. 

[19287]  St.  Paul's  fiery  and  impetuous  style 
is  in  keeping  with  his  general  relation,  through- 
out his  Epistles,  to  Christian  dogma.  The  calm 
enunciation  of  an  enchained  series  of  conse- 
quences flowing  from  some  central  or  supreme 
truth  is  perpetually  interrupted,  in  St.  Paul,  by 
the  exclamations,  the  questions,  the  parentheses, 
the  anacolutha,  the  quotations  from  liturgies, 
the  solemn  ascriptions  of  glory  to  the  Source  of 
all  blessings,  the  outbursts  by  which  argument 
suddenly  melts  into  stern  denunciation,  or  into 
versatile  expostulations,  or  into  irresistible  ap- 
peals to  sympathy,  or  into  the  highest  strains 
of  lyrical  poetry.  Thus  it  is  that  in  St.  Paul 
primary  dogma  appears,  as  it  were,  rather  in 
flashes  of  light  streaming  into  rapid  coruscations 
across  his  pages  than  in  highly  elaborated  state- 
ments such  as  might  abound  throughout  a  pro- 
fessed doctrinal  treatise  of  some  later  age  ;  and 
yet  doctrine,  although  it  might  seem  to  be 
introduced  incidentally  to  some  general  or 
special  purpose,  nevertheless  is  inextricably 
bound  up  with  the  apostle's  whole  drift  of 
practical  thought. — Canot  Liddon. 

2  Their  vitalizing  force  as  regards  religion, 

[19288]  He,  more  than  any  other,  is  the 
apostle  who  made  clear  to  the  religious  con- 
sciousness of  mankind  the  "justification  by 
faith  "  which  springs  from  the  mystic  union  of 
the  soul  with  Christ — the  apostle  who  has 
brought  home  to  numberless  Christians  in  all 
ages  the  sense  of  their  own  helplessness,  and 
pointed  them  most  convincingly  to  the  blessed- 
ness and  universality  of  that  redemption  which 
their  Saviour  wrought.  And  hence,  whenever 
the  faith  of  Christ  has  been  most  dimmed  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  whenever  its  pure  fires  have 
seemed  in  greatest  danger  of  being  stifled,  as 
in  the  fifteenth  century,  under  the  dead  ashes 
of  sensuality,  or  quenched,  as  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  by  the  chilling  blasts  of  scepticism,  it 
is  mostly  by  the  influence  of  his  writings  that 
religious  life  has  been  revived. — Archdeacon 
Farrar. 

[19289]  How  every  word  he  wrote  has  been 
scanned  and  sifted,  as  if  men  were  sure  it  must 
contain  something  that  would  repay  the  toil  ! 
Show  us  the  philosopher  whose  words  of  wisdom 
have  sunk  so  deep,  and  been  remembered  so 
well.  Show  us  one  man  who  can  say  he  is 
seeking  to  practise  in  his  daily  life  the  precepts 
and  advices  of  Plato,  for  every  thousand  that 
are  praying  to  live  mindful  of  the  words  of  St. 
Paul.  Show  us  the  beloved  friend  whose  letters 
have  been  read  and  re-read  by  those  dearest  to 
him,  half  so  often  and  half  so  earnestly  as  St. 
Paul's  have  been  by  multitudes  beyond  number. 
From  his  tent-maker's  shed  ;  from  his  Rornan 
prison  ;  from  his  unknown  grave  ;— he  exercises 
a  sway  over  the  minds  of  men,  the  best  minds 
of  the  race,  to  which  the  empire  of  Alexander 
was  narrow  indeed.     Not  a  day  shines  on  the 


498 

19289 — 19293] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[PAUL. 


world,  but  his  name  is  in  the  thoughts,  and  his 
words  on  the  lips  of  millions.  Yet  so  lightly 
did  he  hold  such  renown  as  this,  that  he  seems 
to  have  thought  it  wrong  to  waste  one  care 
upon  it  :  and  duty  and  inclination  speak  to- 
gether in  the  memorable  text,  ''  God  forbid  that 
1  should  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ !  " — Boyd. 


V.   HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 

I  St.  Paul's  faith  and  patience  under  suffer- 
ing convey  an  evident  lesson  to  our  own 
times. 

[19290]  It  is  easy  to  see  how  sharply  this 
feature  of  the  entire  submission  of  the  will  to 
Christ,  the  patient  bearing  of  His  cross  in  St. 
Paul's  character  cuts  into  much  of  the  easy- 
going, self-indulgent  Christianity  of  the  day.  If 
stability  in  the  faith  is  an  unwelcome  doctrine 
to  many,  the  daily  crucifixion  of  the  flesh  is  still 
more  unpopular.  The  common  aim  would  seem 
to  be,  not  to  bear,  but  to  escape  the  cross  ;  and 
the  eftort  of  many  Christians  is  to  maintain 
their  Christian  fidelity,  without  being  made  con- 
formable to  the  death  of  Christ.  I  know  not  by 
what  special  pleading  the  professed  followers  of 
Christ  reconcile  a  life  of  luxurious  worldliness 
and  ease  with  the  precepts  and  examples  of  the 
New  Testament ;  but  sure  I  am,  that  if  their 
Christianity  be  real,  they  will  find  that  the  cross 
cannot  thus  be  shunned,  that  the  chastisement 
of  unfaithfulness  will  sooner  or  later  search  them 
out,  and  they  will  be  taught  through  the  bitter- 
ness of  trial  that  lesson  which  they  would  not 
learn  through  the  gentle  drawings  of  grace. 
God  "doth  not  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the 
children  of  men."  But  all  His  children  must 
be  "  taught  of  God  ;  "  and  if  love  alone  does  not 
wean  them  from  self  and  the  world,  sterner 
methods  must  be  employed.  "As  many  as  I 
love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten  :  be  zealous,  there- 
fore, and  repent." — Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

2  St.  Paul's  history  illustrates  the  necessity 
of  the  new  birth  for  all. 

[19291]  It  was  the  inward  revelation,  not  the 
outward  light,  which  changed  his  soul.  We  are 
not  to  expect  that  the  miraculous  part  of  Saul's 
conversion  will  be  repeated  ;  but  the  spiritual 
part  of  it  must,  in  the  case  of  all  of  us,  or  we 
cannot  be  saved.  He  who  spoke  to  Saul  by  the 
way,  speaks  to  us  in  His  word,  saying,  "  Except 
ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children, 
ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
"  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee.  Ye  must  be 
born  again."  Every  man  in  his  natural  state 
carries  within  him  a  heart  wholly  alienated  from 
his  Maker.  "  The  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God  :  for  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God, 
neither  indeed  can  be."  That  enmity  must  be 
displaced,  and  its  room  occupied  by  faith  and 
love,  purity  and  devotion.  The  gospel  demands 
it  ;  the  laws  of  the  universe  demand  it  ;  the 
society  of  heaven,  the  character  of  angels,  the 
nature  of  God,  demand  it.     It  is  an  ordinance 


which  can  no  more  be  changed  than  He  who 
proclaims  it  can  change.  And  this  conversion 
can  result  only  from  regeneration.  Men  will 
not  turn  to  God  till  they  are  renewed  by  Christ. 
The  light  of  His  gracious  eye,  and  the  sound  of 
His  loving  voice,  must  check  the  sinner  and 
bring  him  to  a  stand,  or  he  will  never  ask, 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  but 
will  rush  on  in  his  course  of  spiritual  obstinacy 
till  he  reaches  the  gates  of  the  city  of  the  dead, 
and  finds  himself  shut  up  in  God's  everlasting 
prison-house  of  righteous  judgment. — Rev.  J. 
Stoughton. 

[19292]  Divine  grace  is  essentially  the  same 
in  all  its  actings.  The  circumstances  of  the 
change  may,  and  often  do,  vary  exceedingly  ;  in 
one  case  it  is  sudden,  in  another  gradual  ;  in 
one  it  is  marked  by  deep  convictions  and  de- 
sponding fears,  in  another  these  signs  are 
wholly  wanting  ;  in  the  one  case  the  vessel  of 
the  soul  is  well-nigh  wrecked,  and  reaches  the 
place  of  safety  as  by  a  miracle,  in  the  other  the 
passage  from  the  old  life  to  the  new  is  calmly 
made,  and  the  prompting  motive  is  not  so  much 
the  dread  of  danger  as  a  sense  of  duty  and  the 
attractive  power  of  good.  But  whilst  we  allow 
for  variation  in  the  attendant  circumstances,  let 
us  not  lose  sight  of  the  unity  of  spiritual  change. 
There  may  be  no  "  great  light  "  from  heaven,  no 
audible  voice,  no  visible  manifestation  of  the 
Saviour  ;  but  the  work  may  be,  yea,  the  work 
must  ever  be,  as  truly  Divine  as  it  was  with  St. 
Paul.  If  saved,  we  must  be  saved  by  grace  ;  if 
born  anew,  we  must  be  born  from  above  :  con- 
version has  its  human  side,  it  has  also  its  Divine  ; 
and  no  one  felt  this  more  strongly  or  tauglit  it 
more  earnestly  than  St.  Paul  did.  "  Howbeit 
for  this  cause  I  obtained  mercy,  that  in  me,  the 
chief  of  sinners,  Christ  Jesus  might  show  forth 
the  fulness  of  His  long-suffering,  as  a  pattern  to 
those  who  should  believe  on  Him  to  life  ever- 
lasting.— Rev.  Sir  E.  Bayley. 

3  St.  Paul's  history  emphasizes  the  wisdom 
of  yielding  a  willing  submission  to  the 
supremacy  of  conscience. 

[19293]  Difficulties  undoubtedly  beset  the 
religious  inquirer  in  this  as  in  other  days.  But 
it  may  well  be  questioned  whether  they  are 
greater  now  than  were  those  which  an  educated 
Jew  of  the  first  century  had  to  encounter.  In 
consequence  of  the  advance  made  in  critical 
and  scientific  knowledge,  religious  difficulties 
have  perhaps  increased  in  number,  but  they 
have  hardly  increased  in  force  or  volume.  The 
cords,  for  example,  which  modern  science  would 
weave  around  the  steps  of  a  thoughtful  inquirer, 
and  by  means  of  which  she  would  hold  him  fast 
to  the  negation  of  God  and  the  rejection  of  the 
Christian  scheme,  are  thin  as  air  compared  with 
those  opposing  forces  by  which  Paul  was  sur- 
rounded, and  which,  having  chosen  his  party 
and  his  sect,  rendered  his  change  of  front  well- 
nigh  an  impossibility.  There  was,  however, 
this  one  point  of  hope  in  him,  that  he  was  an 
honest  man.     If  he  once  saw  the  truth,  whatever 


19293— 19298] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


499 
[BARNABAS. 


the  consequences,  he  would  at  once  act  upon  it. 
Let  us  attach  the  highest  vaUie,  then,  to  the 
supremacy  of  conscience.  Whatever  else  may 
be  wanting,  let  there  be  no  failure  here.  We  do 
not  say  that  conscience  alone  and  unaided  is  a 
safe  guide  to  truth  ;  but  we  do  affirm  that  if  its 
voice  be  hushed,  its  promptings  resisted  and 
disobeyed,  you  erect  a  barrier  against  truth 
which  no  known  human  forces  shall  be  able  to 
remove.  You  cover  the  pupil  of  the  spiritual 
eye  with  a  thick  film  of  deceit,  and  "  If  the  light 
that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how  great  is  that 
darkness  !  " — Idid. 

4  St.  Paul's  example,  and  the  eminent  reward 
which  he  cannot  but  have  obtained,  should 
be  unfailing  incentives  to  all  Christians  to 
follow  in  his  steps. 

[19294]  Certainly  there  is  no  soul  in  eternity 
now  more  satisfied  and  joyful  than  this  man  of 
self-sacrifice,  universal  charity,  holy  obedience 
and  faith  in  Christ.  Myriads  of  souls  are  there 
in  the  silent  realms  of  eternity  dwelling  upon 
the  memories  of  the  past.  Kings  and  con- 
querors, statesmen  and  philosophers,  poets  and 
artists,  men  of  science  and  men  of  literature — 
classes  more  numerous  than  we  can  describe — 
are  now  feeding  on  the  recollections  of  days 
gone  by.  That  early  portion  of  their  existence 
was  to  them  a  seed-plot,  whence  they  are  reap- 
ing now  sheaves  of  joy  or  heaps  of  sorrow. 
Among  the  richly  clothed  and  the  brightly 
crowned  in  the  upper  world  of  spirits,  Paul 
shines  pre-eminent.  Had  he,  instead  of  devo- 
ting all  the  energies  of  his  great  soul  to  Christ, 
employed  them — we  will  not  say  in  a  course  of 
reckless  ambition,  dishonest  avarice,  or  loath- 
some sensuality,  but — in  a  career  of  power,  gain, 
or  fame  decreed  honourable  among  men,  apart 
from  the  sanctifying  influence  of  the  gospel — 
had  he  been  only  a  warrior,  a  statesman,  or  a 
rabbi,  how  bitter  now  would  be  his  regrets  ;  and, 
though  shining  as  a  star  in  the  hemisphere  of 
human  glory,  how  deep  would  be  his  shame,  as 
the  disappointment  of  eternity  told  him,  that 
such  a  gorgeous-looking  life  was,  after  all,  a 
failure  !  From  the  heaven  where  he  sits  with 
Christ  upon  His  throne,  reaping  the  fruits  of 
self-denial  and  holy  love,  he  looks  on  us,  saying, 
"  Be  ye  followers  of  Me." — Rev.  J.  Sioughton. 


BARNABAS. 

I,  Significance  of  his  Name. 

[19295]  "Joses,  who  by  the  apostles  was  sur- 
named  Barnabas."  is  from  that  time  known  as 
Barnabas  alone.  For  Joses  was  one  of  the 
commonest  Jewish  names,  and  Barnabas  had  a 
meaning  peculiarly  characteristic  of  the  man. 
Our  English  translation  interprets  it  as  "  the  son 
of  consolation."  Take  "  consolation  "  in  a  strong 
sense,  and  that  is  right.  The  word  employed 
is  elsewhere  rendered  "exhortation."'    It  answers 


to  the  old  English  use  of  "comfort,"  in  the  sense 
of  strengthening,  as  well  as  soothing,  as  we  have 
It  m  the  phrase,  "  the  Comforter,  which  is  the 
Holy  Ghost." — IV.  Brock. 

[19296]  Whenever  a  new  name  is  made  con- 
spicuous in  Holy  Scripture,  we  are  almost  always 
conscious  that  it  possesses  considerable  depth 
of  meaning.  So,  in  the  case  of  Barnabas,  this 
new  name  might  seem  to  mark  the  first  out- 
growth of  that  charitable  help  and  service  in 
which  consists  so  large  a  part  of  the  internal 
life  of  the  Church.  A  doubt  may  arise  as  to 
whether  the  phrase  "son  of  consolation"  should 
not  rather  be  "  son  of  exhortation."  The 
difference  is  not  of  practical  moment.  If  the 
latter  rendering  be  more  correct,  we  may  remark 
with  truth  that  no  exhortation  is  more  effectual, 
as  nothing  is  more  consoling  in  times  of  trial 
and  difticulty  than  an  example  of  generous  self- 
denial. — Dean  Howson. 


II.  Traits  of  his  Character. 

1  Modesty. 

[19297]  We  find  in  his  history  no  trace  of  any 
jealousy,  but  rather  tokens  of  a  noble  modesty, 
akin  to  that  of  the  Baptist  when  he  drew  back 
into  the  shade  before  the  perfect  light  of  Christ. 
This  man,  who,  when  others  shunned  Paul,  had 
become  his  patron  and  protector,  laying  him 
under  no  common  obligation,  is  now  content  to 
yield  the  precedence,  and  to  walk  loyally  and 
lovingly  at  his  side.  There  was  no  backward- 
ness on  the  part  of  Barnabas  in  the  perils  and 
enterprises  which  he  shared  with  Paul.  He  too 
lifted  up  his  voice  at  Paphos,  in  the  synagogue 
at  Antioch,  in  the  towns  of  Lycaonia.  He  ran 
his  risks  at  the  hands  of  the  unbelieving  Jews. 
He  stood  steadfast  at  his  comrade's  side  in  the 
face  of  the  fierce  opposition  from  the  bigoted 
Pharisees  at  Jerusalem.  When  at  length  they 
differed — if  we  have  to  choose  between  the  two 
— surely  it  was  Barnabas  who  erred  upon  the 
generous  side  ;  for  what  he  did  was  to  take  a 
faint-hearted  brother  whom  Paul  was  too  im- 
patient to  endure,  and  to  give  him  that  fresh 
chance  of  honourable  service  which  made  Mark 
"  profitable  "  ever  afterwards  to  Christ  and  to 
His  Church.— ;F.  Brock. 

2  Superiority  to  prejudice. 

[19298]  The  first  purely  heathen  converts  had 
been  brought  into  the  Church  by  the  nameless 
men  of  Cyprus  and  Cyrene,  private  persons  with 
no  office  or  commission  to  preach,  who,  in  simple 
obedience  to  the  instincts  of  a  Christian  heart, 
leaped  the  barrier  which  seemed  impassable  to 
the  Church  in  Jerusalem,  and  solved  the  prob- 
lem over  which  apostles  were  hesitating.  Bar- 
nabas is  sent  down  to  see  into  this  surprising 
new  phenomenon,  and  his  mission,  though 
probably  not  hostile,  was,  at  all  events,  one  of 
inquiry  and  doubt.  But,  like  a  true  man,  he 
yielded  to  fact,  and  widened  his  theory  to  suit 
them.     He  saw  the  token  of  Christian  life  in 


500 

19298— 19306] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[BARNABAS. 


these  Gentile  converts,  and  that  compelled  him 
to  admit  that  the  Church  was  wider  than  some 
of  his  friends  in  Jerusalem  thought.  A  preg- 
nant lesson  for  modern  theorists  who,  on  one 
ground  or  another  of  doctrine  or  of  orders, 
narrow  the  great  conception  of  Christ's  Church  ! 
Can  you  see  "the  grace  of  God  in  the  people".'' 
Then  they  are  in  the  Church,  whatever  becomes 
of  your  theories,  and  the  sooner  you  let  them 
out  so  as  to  fit  the  facts,  the  better  for  you  and 
for  them. — A.  Maclaren,  D.D. 

[19299]  Barnabas  is  the  man  who,  when  Saul 
came  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Damascus,  when 
all  others  in  the  church  there  eyed  him  with 
suspicion,  had  faith  in  him,  introduced  him  to 
the  apostles,  and  told  them  that  he  had  indeed 
seen  the  Lord.  Paul  could  never  forget  Bar- 
nabas, the  first  friend  he  had  found  in  Jerusalem 
when  he  came  back  there  to  undo  the  dreadful 
work  of  his  iormer  life. — A.  Mitchell^  D.D. 

3  Catholicity  of  spirit. 

[19300]  The  goodness  and  faith  of  Barnabas 
led  him  to  be  wide  in  his  sympathies  and  chari- 
table in  his  dealings  with  others.  He  was  un- 
selfish and  devoted.  His  catholicity  may  have 
been  fostered  by  various  circumstances.  He 
was  a  native  of  Cyprus,  had  property,  was  a  man 
of  some  culture,  and  may  have  had  the  advan- 
tages of  a  good  training.  The  qualities  he 
loved  and  cultivated  he  was  most  ready  to 
recognize  in  another. — F.  Hastings. 

[  1 9301]  The  catholicity  of  Barnabas  may  have 
been  fostered  by  various  circumstances.  Being 
a  native  of  Cyprus,  although  a  Jew,  and  having 
been  brought  up  away  from  his  own  land,  he  did 
not  so  strongly  imbibe  their  national  exclusive- 
ness.  He  had  property  likewise,  and  money 
doubtless  enabled  him  to  travel,  and  come  more 
into  contact  with  his  fellow-men.  This  would 
broaden  his  mind.  He  was  evidently  also  a 
man  of  some  culture.  He  was  a  Levite,  a  pro- 
fessed teacher.  Like  Paul,  he  may  have  had 
the  advantages  of  a  good  training.  Indeed,  it 
is  possible  that  they  both  sat  together  at  the  feet 
of  that  great  and  renowned  professor  in  Jewish 
theology  and  philosophy,  Gamaliel.  There  they 
may  have  met  and  learned  to  respect  each 
other.  This  may  possibly  explain  how  it  was 
that  Barnabas  knew  Paul  and  took  him  by  the 
hand,  when  all  the  disciples  were  afraid  of  him, 
testifying  to  his  sincerity  and  purity.  The 
qualities  he  loved  and  cultivated  he  was  most 
ready  to  recognize  in  another.  That  he  should 
have  so  acted  in  that  case  indicated  how  fitted 
he  was  to  be  sent  down  to  inquire  concerning 
the  strange  spread  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  at 
Antioch.  His  gentleness  and  catholicity  at  this 
time,  and  that  of  Paul  afterwards,  probably 
saved  the  Gentiles  from  forming  a  sect,  distinct 
from,  and  hostile  to,  the  Christian  Church  at 
J  er  u  salem . — Ibid. 

4  Disinterestedness. 

[19302]  Barnabas  was  a  good  man  ;  not  one 


of  those  stern,  rigid,  unloving  men,  who  think 
their  work  done  when  they  have  just  borne  a 
testimony  ;  but  a  kindly,  benevolent,  and  bene- 
ficent man  ;  one  who  had  first  given  up  all  for 
his  brethren,  and  then,  as  the  best  of  gifts,  as 
that  without  which  the  other  would  have  been 
valueless,  gave  himself.  It  is  a  beautiful  trait 
in  his  character  that  he  was  ever  helping  for- 
ward those  whose  position  in  the  Church  of 
Christ  was  less  clear  or  less  established  than 
his  own. — Dean  Vaughan. 

5  Generosity. 

[19303]  His  first  appearance  has  more  of 
action  in  it  than  of  speech.  It  was  at  the 
moment  when,  under  the  t'resh  impulses  of  their 
awakening,  the  disciples  who  had  "  houses  or 
lands  "  were  parting  with  their  property  for  the 
relief  of  their  poorer  brethren,  suddenly  cut  off 
from  the  ordinary  means  of  maintenance.  Con- 
spicuous among  these  was  Barnabas.  He  is  the 
only  man  mentioned  by  name  among  the  gene- 
rous givers.  Was  it  because  what  he  did  he 
did  with  such  heartiness  and  genuine  humility 
as  to  serve  for  an  example  to  the  whole  Church  ? 
It  was  a  good  beginning  for  a  Christian 
ministry. —  W.  Brock. 

6  Tenderness. 

[19304]  In  some  respects  Barnabas  was  diffe- 
rent from  all  the  rest  of  the  leaders  of  the  early 
Church.  In  him  there  was  a  tenderness  which 
does  not  appear  in  the  others.  He  is  called  in 
one  place  "  a  son  of  consolation.''  He  enjoyed, 
almost  beyond  any  other,  the  confidence  of  the 
early  Church.  We  find  him  sent  on  almost 
every  difficult  and  delicate  mission.— y.  Morgan, 
D.D. 

7  "  Goodness." 

[19305]  From  the  statements  of  the  inspired 
historian,  it  appears  that  Barnabas  was  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  that  he  was  full  of  faith,  that 
he  was  not  a  lover  of  this  world,  that  he  found 
in  religion  the  great  business  and  the  great  en- 
joyment of  his  life,  that  he  was  the  object  of  the 
dislike  and  persecution  of  wicked  and  worldly 
men,  that  he  zealously  endeavoured  to  make 
other  men  religious,  that  he  sought  to  relieve 
the  bodily  as  well  as  the  spiritual  necessities  of 
his  fellow-men,  and  that,  notwithstanding  all  his 
excellencies,  though  a  good,  a  very  good,  he  was 
not  a  perfect  man.— y.  Brown,  D.D. 

[19306]  His  character  is  sketched  as  a  pattern 
whereby  to  guide  the  Church  in  the  choice  of 
agents  to  fill  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. "  He  was  a  good  man,"  &c.  Remark 
that  as  to  gifts  and  endowments  which  the 
world  values,  the  Evangelist  is  expressively 
silent.  He. was  a  "  good  man,"  good  in  all  the 
relationships  of  social  and  domestic  life,  good  in 
his  influence  and  fulfilment  of  public  duties, 
good  in  the  diffusive  benevolence  of  his  spirit 
and  social  bearing — he  was  "  a  good  man." — W. 
Mackenzie. 


19307— 19311] 


mnv   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[timothy. 


III.  Lesson  for  Our  Own  Times. 

[19307]  Surely  it  is  not  below  the  ambition  of 
the  strongest  to  play  tlie  part  of  I5arnabas  among 
the  churches  of  to-day.  He  must  be  content  in 
that  case  to  be  comparatively  unnoticed,  and  to 
leave  a  fainter  impression  on  the  general  world. 
He  will  not  appear  among  the  heroes,  like  Elijah  ; 
but  will  be  rather  like  Elisha,  the  homely  and 
holy  man  of  God,  passing  by  on  his  daily  errands 
of  duty.  But  as  long  as  so  many  timid,  unde- 
cided souls  remain,  needing  the  tenderest  touch 
and  a  patience  almost  motherlike  to  bring  them 
to  decision  ;  as  long  as  there  are  little  children 
to  be  drawn  into  the  Saviour's  arms  ;  as  long  as 
the  Church  has  her  backsliders  to  reclaim,  and 
her  doubters  to  direct  and  encourage  :  so  long 
there  will  be  ample  occupation  for  such  a  man, 
and  abundant  reward.  Nor  will  he  live  in  vain, 
but  rather  to  the  highest  purpose,  if  he  be  made 
instrumental,  like  iJarnabas,  in  dissipating  sus- 
picions, and  confirming  friendships,  between 
Christian  brethren. —  IV.  Brock. 

IV.  HOMILETICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

The  contention  between  Barnabas  and  Paul 
reminds  us  that  we  must  not  expect  lo 
find  even  the  best  men  free  from  imperfec- 
tions. 

[19308]  Who  could  have  supposed  that  Bar- 
nabas, peculiarly  mentioned  as  "  a  good  man, 
and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith," 
would  have  acted  as  he  did  with  regard  to 
Paul  1  With  respect  to  the  latter,  not  a 
word  is  needed  ;  he  evidently  stood  at  the 
highest  point  of  Christian  excellence.  Yet  these 
two  men,  men  of  gigantic  piety,  failed  in  this 
manner.  It  was  not  a  mere  difference  of  opinion  ; 
it  was  a  "  sharp  contention,"  a  paroxysm,  for 
this  is  the  word  in  the  original,  so  that  they  could 
not  act  in  concert.  Hence  we  should  learn,  not 
to  be  surprised,  or  discouraged,  when  we  dis- 
cover faults  in  excellent  men  ;  since  there  were 
faults  in  those  who  formed  the  brightest  orna- 
ments of  the  primitive  Church.  We  are  apt  to 
exaggerate  the  practical  virtues  of  the  first 
Christians  :  in  love  to  God,  and  zeal  for  His 
glory,  they  might  greatly  excel  modern  be- 
lievers ;  but  in  correctness  of  conduct  they  were 
probably  not  superior  :  so  faulty  were  many  of 
the  Corinthians,  who  had  embraced  the  faith, 
that  they  made  the  Holy  Communion  an  occasion 
of  intemperance.  As  we  think  of  two  such  men 
thus  falling  out  with  each  other,  it  is  difficult  to 
say  whether  we  are  more  sorry  or  surprised. 
We  mourn  that  these  good  and  great  men 
should  have  been  thus  easily  provoked.  We 
are  surprised  that  Paul  should  have  for  the 
moment  forgotten  the  kindness  of  Barnabas  to 
him  when  he  introduced  him  to  the  apostles  at 
Jerusalem,  and  his  brotherly  appreciation  of  his 
ability,  when,  at  a  later  day,  he  went  to  Tarsus 
to  secure  his  services  as  a  helper  in  the  gospel. 
Nor  are  we  less  astonished  that  Barnabas  should 
have  been  here  so  violent.  Surely  we  have 
seen  "an  end  of  all  perfection  "  when  such  men 
thus  sinfully  dispute. — Robert  Hall. 


TIMOTIiy. 
I.  His  General  Character. 

[19309]  With  little  beyond  allusions  to  guide 
us,  it  is  difficult  to  decide  on  the  precise  qualities 
of  character  which  distinguished  Timothy  from 
other  men.  His  bodily  health  was  feeble,  and 
required  stimulants  ;  his  natural  disposition  ap- 
pears to  have  been  as  sensitive  as  Paul's,  and 
perhaps  deficient  in  forwardness  and  courage. 
Some  have  urged  that  he  must  have  been  of  a 
cowardly  and  time-serving  spirit,  adducing,  as  a 
proof,  the  repeated  exhortations  in  the  Epistles 
addressed  to  him  to  be  strong  and  steadfast. 
These  exhortations,  however,  must  not  be  un- 
duly pressed.  The  situation  of  affairs  at  Ephesus 
was  at  the  time  extremely  difficult  and  even 
dangerous.  Heathenism  was  as  fierce  and  as 
vigilant  as  when  Demetrius  led  the  rioters 
against  Paul.  Heresy,  in  its  most  pernicious 
forms,  was  noisily  asserting  itself.  The  bravest 
might  easily  have  lost  heart  in  such  an  atmo- 
sphere, and  would  have  needed  to  sustain  him 
every  motive  which  an  apostle  could  supply. — 
W.  Brock. 

[19310]  More  dazzling  names  than  his  are  to 
be  seen  in  the  firmament  of  the  early  Church  : 
Apollos  flames  across  the  sky,  leaving  behind 
the  brilliant  sparks  of  his  Alexandrian  rhetoric  ; 
but  the  star  of  Timotheus  beams  on  with  a 
gentle,  gracious,  and  unfading  lustre,  holding 
forth  the  word  of  life.  His  was  one  of  those 
attractive  Christian  characters  which,  with  little 
outward  show  or  sound,  shine  by  the  very  neces- 
sity of  their  inner  light.  "  Blessed  are  the  poor 
in  spirit ;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
—Ibid. 

[19311]  In  letters  of  the  period  he  is  styled 
Paul's  "beloved  son,"  and  one  truly  "faithful  in 
the  Lord  ;"  while,  in  another  place,  there  is  a 
noteworthy  passage,  which  gives  us  some  insight 
into  his  defects  of  character.  "  Now  if  Tmio- 
theus  come,  see  that  he  may  be  with  you  with- 
out fear."  There  are  other  passages  in  the 
pastoral  Epistlps  which  depict  a  similar  weak- 
ness of  resolution.  "Let  no  man  despise  thy 
youth  ;  but  be  thou  an  example  of  the  believers, 
in  word,  in  conversation,  in  charity,  in  spirit,  in 
faith,  in  purity."  "  Drmk  no  longer  water,  but 
use  a  little  wine  for  thy  stomachs  sake  and  tliine 
often  infirmities."  "Wherefore  I  put  thee  in 
remembrance  that  thou  stir  up  the  gift  of  God 
which  is  in  thee."  "  Be  not  thou  therefore 
ashamed  of  the  testimony  of  our  Lord,  nor  of 
me  His  prisoner."  "Continue  thou  in  the  things 
wliich  thou  hast  learned  "  There  are  some  who 
see  in  the  angel  of  the  Ephesian  Church  the 
somewhat  timid  Timothy.  "  Nevertheless  I 
have  somewhat  against  thee,  because  thou  hast 
left  thy  first  love  :  remember  therefore  from 
whence  thou  art  fallen,  and  repent,  and  do  the 
first  works."  I  think  we  may  infer  from  such 
notices  as  these  that,  mortal-like,  the  much-loved 


502 

19311—19315] 


NEIV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN  ERA. 


[timothy. 


Timothy  showed  signs  of  backwardness  and 
timidity.  They  were  chiefly  displayed  in  his 
ministerial  work,  amid  the  difficulties  which  so 
often  arose.  But  how  boldly  that  utmost  earnest- 
ness and  that  Christian  self-denial  stand  out, 
which  prompted  him  gladly  to  leave  the  paternal 
roof,  to  submit  to  circumcision  at  the  Apostle's 
desire,  and  to  partake  of  no  stronger  drink  ihan 
water  when  even  his  bodily  ailments  were  of  no 
ordinary  kind.  Such  eminent  qualifications  as 
Timothy  possessed  may  well  conceal  from  our 
too  curious  gaze  failings,  though  serious  in  them- 
selves.— Cust  Nujin. 

II.  St.  Paul's  Testimony  to  his  Worth. 

[19312]  Paul  did  not  think  meanly  of  his  fol- 
lower. On  the  contrary,  he  speaks  of  his  un- 
feigned faith,  his  unwearied  service,  his  strict 
fidelity,  "  the  proof  of  him  "  as  a  man  weighed 
in  the  balance  and  found  to  be  of  sterling 
weight.  He  calls  him  by  the  dearest  names, 
"  my  brother,"  "  my  son,"  "  my  dearly  beloved 
son,"  and  entreats  the  special  kindness  of  the 
Churches  on  his  behalf.  He  declares,  in  one 
place,  that  in  all  the  chosen  band  of  his 
fellow-labourers  there  is  none  so  disinterested 
as  Timothy,  none  so  full  of  sympathy,  none  so 
much  after  his  own  heart.  High  praise  from 
such  a  pen  as  Paul's  1  For  it  marks  out  this 
man  at  the  age,  we  may  suppose,  of  thirty  or 
thirty-five,  as  the  leader  among  all  his  comrades 
in  the  faith.  And  he  led,  be  it  observed,  not 
because  of  his  natural  forwardness,  for  he  had 
none  ;  nor  yet,  apparently,  from  any  great  in- 
tellectual mastery,  for  he  seems  to  have  shrunk 
from  controversy,  but  by  dint  of  his  sheer  good- 
ness, unselfishness,  and  trust  in  God. —  W.  Brock. 


III.    HOMILETICAL  HiNTS. 

I  The  happy  result  of  the  youthful  training 
of  Timothy  illustrates  the  influence  of  the 
early  study  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  for- 
mation of  character,  and  their  sufficiency 
for  salvation. 

[19313]  One  powerful  element  in  his  educa- 
tion was  the  Bible.  "  From  a  child  "  it  had 
been  his  great  lesson-book  ;  its  milk  had 
nourished  his  spiritual  infancy,  and  its  meat 
sustained  his  spiritual  manhood.  And  now,  in 
this  great  age  of  making  books,  where,  by  com- 
mon confession,  is  there  a  book  that  will  do  for 
character  what  the  Bible  does  ?  "  Men  cannot 
do  without  it,"  writes  Matthew  Arnold  ;  "  for 
they  want  happiness,  and  happiness  is  the  result 
of  righteousness,  and  righteousness  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Bible."  "  I  have  put  a  New  Testament 
among  your  books,"  said  Charles  Dickens  to  his 
son,  "  because  it  teaches  you  the  best  lessons 
by  which  any  human  creature  can  possibly  be 
guided."  Dr.  Chalmers  has  left  it  on  record, 
"  If  I  were  asked  to  specify  the  likeliest  pre- 
scription for  the  well-being  of  the  soul,  I  should 
say  it  was  a  prayerful  reading  of  the  Bible."  A 
Bible   Christian    is    a  strong  Christian.      He 


escapes  the  perpetual  religious  childhood  in 
which  too  many  are  content  to  live  and  die. 
The  breezes  of  scepticism  do  not  break  his 
cable.  The  shocks  of  life  do  not  destroy  his 
faith.  By  daily  reading  and  weighing  of  the 
Scriptures  he  waxes  riper  and  stronger,  deeper 
and  yet  broader ;  at  once  a  scholar  and  a 
soldier,  a  "  man  of  God,  throughly  furnished 
unto  all  good  works."  Yes,  if  we  would  grow, 
there  is  no  better  secret  than  the  old-fashioned 
plan  of  a  regular,  orderly,  prayerful  study  of  the 
Bible.— /^/rt^. 

[19314]  Sufficient  as  the  Scriptures  are  for 
our  salvation,  who  is  not  ashamed  of  his  neg- 
lect of  them }  We  cannot  plead,  as  some  do 
for  turning  away  from  the  sacraments,  that  we 
are  not  worthy  to  use  this  means  of  grace  ;  nor 
object  our  want  of  time,  for  who  cannot  take  in 
at  least  a  verse  in  each  day.?  nor  want  of  learn- 
ing, for  the  wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool,  need 
not  err  in  this  path  ;  nor  want  of  Bibles,  for 
they  are  in  every  room  of  our  dwellings.  It 
is  only  want  of  relish  for  them  that  causes  them 
to  remain  there  unheeded.  It  is  this  that  leads 
us  to  read  the  newspapers  or  the  light  publica- 
tions of  the  day  with  eagerness,  while  the  Word 
of  God  lies  neglected,  or  is  taken  up  reluctantly, 
like  nauseous  medicine,  because  it  must  be  done. 
It  is  of  no  use  to  attempt  to  disguise  the  fact, 
that  the  best  of  us  have  not  always  a  hearty 
relish  for  God's  Word,  Oh  that  we  had,  for 
the  sake  of  our  usefulness,  our  comfort,  and  our 
growth  in  grace  !  It  was  the  rule  of  Henry 
Martyn  never  to  allow  any  other  book  to  be  read 
with  more  delight  than  the  Bible,  so  that  if  he 
could  not  immediately  lay  aside  whatever  he 
was  reading,  and  peruse  the  Bible  with  greater 
pleasure,  he  concluded  that  he  was  in  a  wrong 
frame  of  mind,  and  persevered  in  seeking  to 
bring  himself  back,  until  God's  law  was  loved 
above  everything  else.  He  was  like  Timothy, 
eminent  in  piety,  and  from  a  like  cause.  Let 
such  a  rule  as  Martyn's  be  made  our  own,  and 
it  would  supersede  the  need  of  all  other  rules, 
for  such  a  love  for  the  Scriptures  would  put  us 
upon  reading  them  diligently,  habitually,  and 
profitably. — Rev.  W.  Lewis,  D.D. 

2  The  happy  result  of  the  youthful  training 
of  Timothy  illustrates  the  influence  of  the 
character  of  a  child's  instructors  in  the 
formation  of  the  child's  own  character. 

[19315]  The  earliest  Scripture  lessons  of 
Timothy's  youth  were  mingled  with  the  happy 
associations  of  hours  spent  at  the  feet  of  his 
grandmother  Lois,  and  his  mother  Eunice.  Then 
explanations  had  made  the  sacred  stories  de- 
lightful, and  had  sweetened  as  well  as  simplified 
the  sacred  truths.  When  they  and  he  were 
parted,  the  same  good  work  was  carried  on  by 
apostolic  hands.  Paul  became  his  instructor, 
as  he  was  already  his  father,  in  the  Gospel. 
In  those  hallowed  hours  of  private  intercourse 
which  the  intervals  of  labour  must  often  have 
afforded,  Paul  had  led  the  young  disciple  for- 
ward from  fact  to  fact,  and  from  doctrine   to 


19315— 19320] 


NEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[STEPHEN. 


doctrine,  till  he  stood  rooted  and  grounded  in 
the  truth.  How  much  the  scholar  owed,  in  this 
instance,  to  the  inspiration  which  he  caught 
from  the  teacher  !  How  much  may  still  be 
done,  even  by  the  uninspired,  to  impart  interest 
and  impressiveness  to  the  Word  of  God  !  The 
desire  to  see  her  child  become  another  Timothy 
lives  in  many  a  Christian  mother's  heart  :  does 
not  the  power  to  make  him  so,  under  the  Divine 
blessing,  lie  largely  in  her  hands? — IV.  Brock. 


STEPHEN. 

I.  His  Defence. 

[19316]  The  title  given  to  his  speech  before 
the  high  court  of  the  Jews  is  by  far  too  narrow, 
as  it  passes  from  defence  into  attack.  There  is 
a  double  movement  through  the  whole, — one 
traces  the  providence  of  God,  the  other  notes 
man's  resistance  of  that  providence  at  many 
critical  points  ;  both  at  the  close  are  combined 
and  concentrated  into  a  blinding  and  overwhelm- 
ing accusation  of  the  guiltiness  of  the  judges 
themselves.  The  prisoner  at  the  bar  did  not 
mention  himself  once.  The  question  of  what 
should  be  thought  of  him,  or  done  with  him, 
was  forgotten  in  the  presence  of  truth.  No 
defence  of  Stephen  was  made,  but  a  defence  of 
truth.  He  was  as  dumb  as  his  Master  regarding 
himself  He  was  eloquent  as  an  angel  con- 
cerning his  Lord.  In  his  respect  paid  to  "this 
holy  place"  and  "the  law,"  he  incidentally  only 
cleared  himself  from  the  charge  of  irreverence. 
— Sen  not  IS  by  ilie  Mo7iday  Club. 

[19317]  His  argument  had  been  constructed 
from  what  the  Jews  deemed  the  most  sacred 
portion  of  their  history  and  the  most  authorita- 
tive of  their  Scriptures.  As  he  reasoned,  his 
judges  had  not  been  able  to  resist  the  wisdom 
and  skill  with  which  he  spake,  so  that,  when 
the  lightnings,  which  they  had  anxiously  watched 
gathering,  were  fearlessly  discharged  upon  them, 
the  effect  was  correspondingly  terrible.  No 
quick-tempered  and  unsustained  invective  had 
been  thrown  at  them.  Their  fellow-man  and 
contemporary,  Stephen,  was  not  holding  them 
in  condemnation  ;  but  the  long  line  of  prophets, 
their  mighty  lawgiver,  Moses,  and  the  great 
patriarchs,  yea,  even  the  Lord  of  the  covenant, 
were  represented  as  frowning  upon  them,  and 
accusing  them  of  treason  and  murder.  "  When 
they  heard  these  things  they  were  cut  to  the 
heart,  and  they  gnashed  on  him  with  their 
teeth."  But  Stephen  was  not  looking  at  them, 
nor  even  thinking  of  them.  Being  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  things  of  Christ  had  been 
taken  and  shown  unto  him,  and  by  them  he 
had  vindicated  the  grace  of  his  Lord.  Now  he 
is  to  be  blessed  by  the  supernatural  and  ecstatic 
vision.  God's  glory  is  uncovered,  and  Jesus  is 
disclosed  standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 
He  tells  what  he  sees.     The  Son  of  man,  re- 


jected by  earth,  is  enthroned  in  heaven.  The 
Son  of  man,  crucified  by  them,  is  crowned  by 
Jehovah.  They  can  b^ar  no  more.  The  mea- 
sure of  insult  and  blasphemy  is  inW.—lbid. 

\\.  The  Point  of  his  Testimony. 

[193 1 8]  St.  Stephen  is  the  acknowledged 
forerunner  of  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  He 
was  the  first  to  "look  steadfastly  to  the  end  of 
that  which  is  abolished,"  to  sound  the  death 
knell  of  the  Mosaic  ordinance  and  the  temple- 
worship,  and  to  claim  for  the  gospel  unfettered 
liJDerty  and  universal  rights.  "This  man,"  said 
his  accusers,  "  ceaseth  not  to  speak  words 
against  the  holy  place  and  the  law ;  for  we  have 
heard  him  say  that  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  shall 
destroy  this  place,  and  shall  change  the  customs 
which  Moses  delivered  us"  (Acts  vi.  13,  14.. 
The  charge  was  only  false  as  misrepresenting 
the  spirit  which  animated  his  teaching.  The 
accused  attempts  no  denial,  but  pleads  justifi- 
cation. To  seal  this  testimony  the  first  blood 
of  the  noble  army  of  martyrs  is  shed. — Bp. 
Lightfoot. 


\\\.  His  Resemblance  to  Christ. 

It  was  to  be  seen  in  the  spirit  which  animated 
his  life,  and  was  especially  evident  in  the 
manner  of  his  death. 

[19319]  In  his  complete  abandonment  of  self, 
and  hearty  devotion  to  his  Lord  ;  in  his  quick 
understanding,  and  reception  of  a  world-wide 
salvation  and  a  spiritual  worship  ;  in  his  getting 
at  the  spirit  of  prophecy  and  ceremonial,  behind 
letter  and  form  ;  in  the  irresistible  matter  and 
manner  of  his  speaking  ;  in  the  lack  of  preju- 
dice and  bigotry,  he  appears  to  have  understood 
better  the  scope  of  the  gospel,  and  to  have  re- 
ceived more  of  the  spirit  of  Christ,  than  had  any 
of  his  contemporaries  up  to  that  time.  Stephen 
was  a  full-souled  man.  His  hand  was  strong, 
and  his  heart  was  tender.  When  widows  and 
children,  helpless  and  innocent  ones,  are  in 
trouble,  Stephen  is  the  first  whom  every  one 
chooses  as  fittest  to  soothe  and  help  them. 
When  disputation  is  the  fiercest  and  opposition 
is  the  strongest,  who  but  Stephen  is  fore- 
most in  confronting  and  repelling  the  assault.'' 
When  hatred  and  rage,  malice  and  perjury, 
combine  to  kill,  whom  do  they  murder  but 
Stephen?  "  If  they  have  persecuted  Me,"  said 
the  Lord,  "  they  will  also  persecute  you."  Per- 
haps Stephen  was  first  slain  because  most  like 
his  Lord.  At  any  rate  he  resembled  Him 
closely  in  dying,  and  is  made  sharer  with  Him 
of  immortal  glory. — Ibid. 

[19320]  The  close  resemblance  of  Stephen's 
death  to  our  Lord's  has  been  often  noticed.  The 
Saviour  prays  for  Himself,  "  Father,  into  Thy 
hands  I  commend  My  spirit."  This  confident 
assurance  is  more  than  prayer.  Stephen  calls 
upon  the  Lord  Jesus  to  receive  his  spirit.  The 
Son   commits    His   soul   to   His  Father.     The 


504 

I9320— 19324] 


NEll^    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[pHILIP. 


saint  yields  his  to  his  Saviour.  The  prayers 
for  their  foes  breathe  the  same  desire  of  forgive- 
ness. Our  Saviour's  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do,'  finds  quick  and 
tender  echo  in  Stephen's  "  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin 
to  their  charge."  Here  is  a  beautiful  and  close 
following  of  the  Master  by  the  disciple  in  dying. 
If  we  knew  more  about  Stephen,  I  think  that 
we  should  find  the  living  resemblances  as 
striking.-— 7(5/^/. 

[1932 1]  He  left  us  the  earliest  example  how  a 
true  Christian  may  and  ought  to  die.  Consider- 
ing the  small  number  of  the  Lord's  disciples, 
we  may  believe  that  Stephen  was  not  only  the 
first  of  the  Christian  martyrs,  but  actually  the 
first  after  the  crucifixion  who  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 
Can  we  doubt  that  in  dying  the  last  words  of 
Jesus  were  in  Stephen's  memory  .''  There  had 
been  too  many  points  of  resemblance  between 
his  own  and  his  Master's  trial  and  condemna- 
tion for  Stephen  not  to  have  the  close  of  the 
Redeemer's  life  before  his  mind.  His  dying 
prayer  is  an  echo  of  that  which  came  from  his 
Mastei-'s  lips  ;  the  same,  yet  changed.  It  might 
do  for  the  sinless  one  to  say,  "Father,  into  Thy 
hands  I  commit  My  spirit."  It  is  not  for  the 
sinful  to  take  up  at  once  and  appropriate  such 
words  ;  so,  turning  to  Jesus,  the  dying  martyr 
says,  ''Lord  Jesus,  receiv-e  My  spirit,"  in  that 
simple,  fervent,  confiding  petition,  leaving  be- 
hind him,  for  all  ages,  the  pattern  of  a  sinner's 
dying  prayer,  modelled  upon  the  last  words  of 
the  dying  Saviour. — Rev.  IV.  Hanna,  LL.D. 

IV.    HOMILETICAL  HiNTS. 

The  calm  assurance  visible  in  Stephen's  death 
was  procured  by  the  bitter  agony  of  the 
Saviour's,  in  His  bearing  of  the  world's 
sins  upon  the  cross. 

[19322]  Calm,  prepared,  and  in  peace,  he  fell 
asleep,  we  are  told,  and  entered  into  his  heavenly 
rest.  There  is  something  peculiarly  striking 
and  deserving  of  notice  in  this  calni  death  of 
Stephen,  especially  when  viewed  in  contrast 
with  the  recent  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Here  we  find  the  servant  meeting  death  calmly; 
we  find  him  meeting  its  worst  terrors  without 
any  kind  of  alarm  ;  but  when  we  look  back  to 
the  death  of  the  Master,  we  find  all  agony,  all 
terror,  and,  as  it  were,  the  shrinking  back  from 
this  conflict  with  the  last  enemy.  Stephen  de- 
parted in  peace,  praying  for  his  murderers. 
"He  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  Our  Lord  and 
Master  departed  in  the  agonies  of  His  soul." 
It  was  because  upon  that  blessed  Saviour's 
head  was  poured  the  volleys  of  indignation  and 
wrath,  which  our  sins  deserved  ;  it  was  because 
He  was  engaged  in  the  weighty  undertaking  of 
reconciling  God  and  man  who  were  at  enmity, 
and  of  opening  those  gates  for  us,  which  our 
offences  had  barred,  and  by  which  we  had  ex- 
cluded ourselves  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Stephen  died  under  the  supporting  hand  of  his 
adorable  Redeemer,  by  the  promises  with  which 
that  Redeemer  has  cheered  and  encouraged  His 


servants.  Our  Saviour  died  under  the  load  of 
our  sin,  which  must  have  sunk  us  into  eternal 
ruin,  bearing  it,  blessed  be  His  name,  that  "the 
kingdom  of  heaven  might  be  opened  to  all 
believers."  That  is  the  ground  of  difference  ; 
the  one  died  as  an  individual,  supported  by  his 
Saviour  ;  the  other  died  as  the  representative, 
the  substitute,  the  Redeemer  of  sinners,  bearing 
our  curse  and  agony  in  His  own  body  on  the 
cross. — Dr.  Thot-pe. 


PHILIP. 

Secrets   of   his   Success    as    an    Evan- 
gelist. 

1  His    personal  character  and   Divine   gifts. 

[19323]  One  secret  of  Philip's  success  un- 
questionably lay  in  what  he  was.  On  turning 
to  the  sixth  chapter,  we  find  that  the  seven 
there  named  were  all  to  be  men  "  of  honest 
report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  of  wisdom." 
Philip,  then,  was  of  "honest  report."  Having 
a  house  at  Caesarea,  it  is  plain  that  he  bought 
and  sold  as  other  men  did.  But  none  ever 
charged  him  with  meanness,  falsehood,  or  fraud. 
His  yea  was  yea  ;  and  his  nay,  nay.  You  could 
trust  him  in  daylight  and  in  the  dark.  One  of 
the  great  burdens  the  religion  of  the  Saviour 
has  always  had  to  carry  has  been  the  forward- 
ness of  too  many  who  are  not  of  "  honest 
report."  The  man  who  has  to  be  watched  in 
the  market-place  is  not  the  man  to  lift  up  his 
voice  in  the  prayer-meeting.  Even  where  the 
loss  of  one's  good  name  is  by  no  fault  of 
his  own,  the  best  service  he  can  render  to 
Christ's  cause  is  ordinarily  that  of  silence. 
Then,  Philip  was  "full  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  It 
is  characteristic  of  every  believer  that,  in  some 
measure,  the  Spirit  dwells  in  him.  But  not  all 
are  "filled  with  the  Spirit."  The  larger  measures 
are  for  those  who  open  their  hearts  wide,  and 
bid  Him  possess  the  whole.  Such  have  power 
with  God  and  with  men.  They  pray,  and  God 
hears  them.  They  speak,  and  somehow  their 
words  go  straight  to  the  conscience  and  heart. 
Philip  was  full  of  the  Spirit.  The  Spirit  said  "go," 
and  he  went.  When  his  mission  was  accom- 
plished, by  the  Spirit  he  was  "caught  away," 
The  one  other  distinction  which  Philip  shared 
with  all  the  seven,  was  that  of  "  wisdom."  Not 
a  little  well-meant  Christian  effort  fails  apparently 
for  no  better  reason  than  that  it  lacks  in  time- 
liness, courtesy,  consideration  of  differences  of 
inner  state,  definiteness  of  purpose,  patience, 
in  many  things,  indeed,  which  Christian  wisdom 
is  quick  to  perceive  and  practise. — Sermons  by 
the  Monday  Club. 

2  His  whole-hearted  service. 

[193-4]  There  is  no  mention  of  him  save  in 
some  connection  which  indicated  fidelity  in 
Christian  work.  But  the  most  convincing  proof 
of  his  entire  subjection  to  a  higher  master  ap- 


19324— 1933°] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRfPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    KRA. 


505 


[epaphroditus. 


pears  in  his  prompt  obedience,  however  irksome 
the  duty  imposed.  "Arise,"  said  the  iieavenly 
messenger,  "  and  go  towards  the  south.''  To 
Gaza  there  were  more  roads  than  one.  He  was 
to  take  that  which  was  desert.  And  why  that 
one?  Why  should  he  go  at  ail?  Was  he  not 
doing  a  great  and  good  work  in  Samaria  ?  Had 
he  not  tastes,  tact,  and  talents  suited  to  reach 
the  masses  ?  Why  should  he  leave  the  high- 
ways of  Samaria  for  a  by-way  down  in  the 
desert  towards  Philistia  ?  There  are  modern 
preachers  to  whom  a  call,  from  outside  some 
populous  town  or  city,  could  hardly  be  made 
sufficiently  loud  to  be  heard.  There  are  modern 
laymen  who  can  be  kept  at  work  only  by  keeping 
them  in  some  conspicuous  church  office.  The 
angel  said  to  Philip,  "  Arise,  and  go  towards  the 
way  which  is  desert."  The  Master  had  spoken  ; 
it  only  remained  for  the  servant  to  obey.  "He 
arose  and  went." — Ibid. 

3       His  •' guile  in  taking"  men. 

[19325]  The  one  other  secret  of  his  success  lay 
in  the  means  he  used  to  bring  men  into  the  fold. 
There  is  a  disposition,  in  sundry  quarters,  to 
disparage  preaching.  Whether  in  Samaria  or 
in  the  desert,  Philip  ''  preached."  It  will  be 
observed  that  this  term  is  not  limited  to  formal 
discourse  in  a  public  place,  and  by  one  who  has 
been  specially  set  apart  thereto.  Preaching  is 
the  proclamation  of  a  message.  And,  in  those 
early  days,  whoever  had  learned  the  story  of 
salvation,  was  understood  to  have  a  commission 
to  go  out  and  tell  it.  He  might  do  this  in  a  con- 
secrated desk  or  by  the  wayside,  to  a  great 
throng  or  a  single  hearer,  on  the  river's  bank  or 
in  a  traveller's  waggon.  Think  how  much  might 
be  wrought  by  the  feeblest  flock,  hedged  about 
by  the  greatest  difficulties,  were  this  spirit  now 
to  animate  the  hearts  of  all ! — Ibid. 

[19336]  Observe  the  manner  of  Philip's  ap- 
proach to  the  Ethiopian.  He  began,  not  rudely, 
not  afar  from  the  subject  on  his  heart,  much 
less  with  a  trifling  question,  as  of  the  weather, 
the  roads,  or  the  news  from  Jerusalem,  but  with 
an  implied  offer  of  help.  "  Understandest  thou 
what  thou  readest  ?  "  To  have  learned  and  ac- 
quired the  habit  of  using  this  art  is  one  of  the 
foremost  qualifications  for  successful  Christian 
work. — Ibid. 


EPA  PHRODITUS. 

I.  Introductory. 

Question   as    to  his    identification  with    Epa- 
phras. 

[19327]  Some  expositors  have  sought  to 
identify  him  with  Epaphras,  a  man  like-minded, 
to  whose  fervent  spirit  the  apostle  bears  willing 
witness  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians.  But 
Epaphras  is  expressly  stated  to  be  himself  a 
Colossian,  and  his   special  anxieties  were    for 


the  churches  of  Asia.  Epaphroditus,  it  seems 
scarcely  less  clear,  was  a  Pliilippian,  and  liis 
connection  lay  with  the  churches  of  Macedonia. 
—  W.  Brock. 

\\.  Distinguishing  Characteristics. 

1  Sympathetic  energy. 

[19328]  Epajihroditus  soon  proved  himself  to 
be  a  worthy  representative  of  the  church  from 
which  he  came.  He  was  much  more  than  a 
bearer  of  their  gifts.  He  laid  himself  out  to  be 
of  use  to  Paul.  He  ministered,  with  a  ready 
will,  to  his  every  want.  He  went  swiftly  on  his 
every  message.  He  threw  his  energies  into  the 
work  of  Christ  in  the  city,  and  laboured  with  self- 
sacriflcing  zeal.  The  portrait  which  we  have  of 
him  presents  him  as  one  of  those  invaluable 
helpers,  alike  tender  and  true,  "  brother  and 
fellow-soldier,"  to  whom  you  can  confide  your 
most  secret  anxieties,  and  whom  you  can  trust 
to  stand  by  you  in  your  sorest  perils.  A  con- 
fidence of  no  ordinary  kind  sprang  quickly  up 
between  him  and  the  aged  apostle  whom  he 
sought  to  serve.  Perhaps  he  was  fast  becoming 
indispensable  to  Paul,  as  such  friends  are  apt 
to  become  to  ourselves. — Ibid. 

2  Lovableness. 

[19329]  The  lovable  character  of  the  man 
appears  upon  the  surface.  He  carried  with  him 
everywhere  that  friendly  spirit  which  opens 
other  hearts  as  if  by  magic,  and  binds  them  to 
itself  Paul  had  been  won  in  an  instant  by  the 
frank  offer  of  personal  service;  and  as  the 
service  was  ungrudgingly  maintained,  the  at- 
tachment grew  stronger  and  surer.  The  very 
rumour  of  the  illness  of  Epaphroditus  occasioned 
a  burst  of  agitated  feeling  among  his  friends  ; 
the  news  of  his  recovery  created  a  corresponding 
delight.  It  is  evident  that  any  man  must  be 
worth  loving,  if  people,  sei)anited  from  him  by 
hundreds  of  miles,  still  bear  him  in  affectionate 
remembrance,  and  long  for  his  return.  And 
such  characters,  in  whatever  class  they  appear, 
are  one  main  element  in  the  strength  ot  the 
Christian  Church. — Ibid. 

3  Serviceableness. 

[19330]  Epaphroditus  was  what  we  may  call 
a  serviceable  man.  There  are  a  number  of  ex- 
cellent people  in  the  present  day  who  insist  on 
doing  good  in  their  own  way,  aside  from  the 
channels  of  our  ordinary  benevolence.  To  a 
certain  extent,  this  is  a  symptom  not  to  be  re- 
gretted. It  is  extremely  desirable  that  the 
Church  should  constantly  find  new  openings  for 
her  energies  ;  and  her  devout  thanks  are  due  to 
those  more  original  and  enterprising  spirits  who 
explore  the  untrodden  fields,  and  invent  the 
appropriate  appliances  of  action.  Were  all  her 
members,  however,  to  aspire  to  be  discoverers, 
it  would  go  hardly  with  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil  already  in  possession.  No  less,  therefore, 
is  the  good  cause  indebted  to  those  who  humbly 
accept  the  work  which  lies  ready  to  their  hands, 


5o6 
19330— 19335] 


NEW    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 

CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the  philippian  jailer. 


and  heartily  discharge  it.  These  are  the  special 
comfort  of  the  Christian  minister.  These  are 
the  mainstay  of  our  Sunday  schools,  our  mis- 
sionary societies,  our  ordinary  agencies  among 
the  poor,  the  ignorant,  and  the  afflicted.  And 
they  may  fairly  claim  Epaphroditus  as  one  of 
their  own  order. — Ibid. 

4      Unassuming  fidelity. 

[19331]  It  is  written  of  Epaphroditus  :"  For 
the  work  of  Christ  he  was  nigh  unto  death,  not 
regarding  his  life."  He  did  not  seek  death  ; 
but  when,  in  his  steady  course  of  obedience, 
death  faced  him,  he  did  not  flee  from  it,  He 
would  not  throw  away  his  life  ;  but  if  the  choice 
came  between  losing  life  and  shrinking  from 
service,  he  was  ready  to  let  it  go.  Fanaticism 
he  would  have  abjured:  fidelity  and  self-sacrifice 
he  held  to  be  simple  duty.  Are  there  not 
thousands  in  the  ranks  of  our  own  Israel,  lead- 
ing humble,  holy,  and  self-denying  lives,  who 
would  be  equally  willing  to  die  for  Christ  ? — 
Ibid. 


THE  PHILIPPIAN  JAILER. 

I.  His  Conviction. 

Its  terrors  paralleled  the  throes  of  the  accom- 
panying earthquake. 

[19332]  There  was  as  great  an  earthquake 
shaking  the  very  foundations  of  his  moral  and 
spiritual  life  as  any  which  had  just  before  shaken 
the  foundations  of  that  prison  ;  everywhere 
terror,  terrors  within  him,  and  terrors  without  ; 
God  speaking  in  that  strange  commotion  ;  the 
attested  servants  of  God,  whom  he  had  despised, 
whom  he  had  misused,  standing  before  him  ; 
his  conscience  waking  in  an  instant  fiom  its 
life-long  sleep  of  death  and  sin  ;  the  fiery 
flashes  of  God's  judgment  searching  the  deepest 
and  darkest  recesses  of  his  heart,  revealing  to 
him  in  an  instant  all  his  guilt  and  all  his  sin  ; 
and  out  of  all  this  that  cry  proceeded,  "  What 
must  I  do  to  be  saved?" — Abp.  I'rench. 

II.  His  Inquiry. 

Its  anxiety  had  not  respect  to  temporal  safety 
only. 

.[19333]  And  think  you  that  this  question  of 
his,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  "  meant  only 
*'  How  shall  I  escape  the  punishment  of  my 
sin.?"  Oh,  no.  It  was  from  sin,  and  not 
merely  from  the  punishment  of  sin,  that  he 
yearned  to  be  delivered  ;  from  his  whole  guilty 
self,  from  the  accusing  past  no  less  than  the 
threatening  future  ;  from  the  bondage,  the  guilt, 
the  stain,  the  pollution,  no  less  than  from  the 
punishment  and  penalty  of  sin.  The  selfish  cry 
after  mere  safety  never  finds  such  an  answer  as 
he  found.  And  if  his  question,  so  interpreted, 
was  indeed  the  question  of  all  questions,  surely 
we  have  in  St.  Paul's  reply  the  answer  of  all 


answers,    "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved,  and  thy  house." — Ibid. 

III.  His  Conversion. 

In  its  practical  results  we  behold  "  faith 
working  by  love,"  accompanied  by 
spiritual  joy. 

[19334]  ^  h^  vc\7\x\  did  not  receive  the  grace  of 
God  in  vain.  Hard  and  harsh  and  unfeeling 
before,  without  pity  and  without  love,  he  had,  as 
we  have  seen,  thrust  his  prisoners  into  the  inner 
dungeon,  made  their  feet  fast  in  the  stocks,  left 
them  hungering  and  thirsting  there,  their  backs 
torn  and  bleeding,  to  pass  the  long  night  in 
darkness  and  in  fever-pain.  But  now  he  is  a 
new  creature  ;  the  new  man  has  been  born  in 
him  ;  the  heart  of  stone  has  been  taken  from 
him,  and  a  heart  of  flesh  given  him.  His  faith 
is  a  "faith  working  by  love  "  ;  not  a  dead  faith, 
the  miserable  counterfeit  of  a  livings  but  such 
as  approves  itself  a  living,  and  therefore  a  justi- 
fying, faith  by  the  blessed  fruit  that  it  bears. 
"  He  took  them  the  same  hour  of  the  night,  and 
washed  their  stripes,"  and,  as  we  presently  read, 
"brought  them  into  his  house,  and  set  meat 
before  them."  A  novice  in  Christ's  school,  he 
has  already  learned  one  lesson  there  :  to  be 
pitiful,  compassionate,  tender-hearted.  Mark, 
too,  what  a  blessed  traffic  and  exchange  of 
benefits  there  is  between  him  and  those  whom 
he  thus  tends.  He  that  washes  their  stripes  is 
in  return  washed  by  them  of  his  sins  ;  being 
"  baptized,  he  and  all  his,  straightway,"  Paul 
having  first  spoken  to  them  the  word  of  the 
Lord.  And  then,  it  is  significantly  added,  "he 
rejoiced,  believing  in  God  with  all  his  house." 
"  He  rejoiced,"  and  was  there  not  a  cause  ?  had 
he  not  ample  reason  for  rejoicing  ?  The  hard 
rock  of  his  heart  had  been  smitten,  so  that  the 
waters  gushed  freely  out  ;  he  had  found  the 
pearl  of  great  price. — Ibid. 

IV.  Contrast  betv^^een  the  Conversion 
OF  the  Philippian  Jailer  and  that 
OF  Lydia. 

[19335]  What  a  "  manifold  wisdom"  is  the 
wisdom  of  God  ;  how  infinitely  various  are  His 
ways  in  the  work  of  the  conversion  of  souls  and 
the  bringing  of  sinners  to  Himself !  One  is  never 
more  struck  with  this  than  comparing  the  two 
records  of  conversion  which  the  same  chapter 
contains,  and  which  befell  in  the  same  city — the 
conversion  of  Lydia,  and  the  conversion  of  this 
Philippian  jailer.  The  first,  what  a  quiet  work  ; 
the  evening  dews  do  not  light  more  gently, 
more  imperceptibly  on  the  earth  than  did  the 
doctrine  of  the  Lord  light  and  distil  upon  her 
heart.  He  "  that  hath  the  key  of  David,"  with 
a  touch  of  that  key  caused  the  chambers  of  her 
heart  to  fly  open,  so  that  "  she  attended  unto 
the  things  spoken  of  Paul,"  and  almost  without 
an  effort,  for  so  it  would  appear,  was  born  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  Contrast  this  with  the 
mighty  though  brief  birth-pangs  with  which  he 


19335— I931I] 


NEJi'    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[ANTII'AS. 


was  born  into  the  same  kingdom,  the  earth- 
quake of  fear  which  shook  his  soul,  the  agony 
of  terror  out  of  which  he  cried,  "  What  must  I  do 
to  be  saved  ?  " — Ibid. 

[19336]  What  is  the  lesson  which  we  may 
draw  from  this  comparison  and  contrast  ?  It  is 
this.  Let  none  of  us  make  rules  for  conversion, 
either  in  our  own  case  or  that  of  others  ;  how 
it  should  come  about,  and  what  exactly  are  the 
successive  stages  of  the  process  through  which 
one  who  is  brought  to  God  must  pass  ;  so  that 
if  any  has  not  passed  exactly  through  these, 
we  will  not  believe  that  the  work  has  been 
wrought  in  him  at  all.  No  man  is  in  this 
matter  in  all  things  a  pattern  for  others.  God 
is  greater  than  our  rules  ;  He  refuses  to  be  shut 
in  by  them.  There  is  a  boundless,  inexhaustible 
originality  in  His  methods  of  dealing  with  souls. 
Some,  like  the  jailer,  are  brought  into  deepest 
depths  of  anguish  and  despair  for  their  sins, 
and  only  after  they  have  had  thus  the  sentence 
of  death  in  themselves,  do  they  lay  hold  on  the 
message  of  life.  Others,  like  Lydia,  glide 
silently  into  the  kingdom  of  God's  love  with  no 
such  terrible  struggles  ;  and  their  deepest  con- 
victions of  sin  do  not  so  much  precede  their 
conversion  as  follow.  Some  are  born  in  an 
hour,  in  a  minute  ;  at  one  stride  comes  the  day, 
and  the  darkness  for  them  is  past,  and  the  true 
light  shineth.  For  others  this  same  transition 
from  darkness  to  light  extends  over  a  far  larger 
period  of  their  lives  ;  there  is  a  long  twilight 
dividing  their  light  from  their  darkness. — Ibid. 


ANTIPAS. 

I.  His  Name. 

[19337]  It  has  been  thought  by  some  that  the 
name  Antipas  is  mystical,  like  "Jezebel," 
"Balaam,"  "Egypt,"  "Sodom,"  and  "Babylon," 
when  they  are  mentioned  in  the  Apocalypse. 
It  is  probably  the  well-known  name  of  some 
elder  or  pastor  in  the  Church  at  Pergamos, 
and  means,  "  against  all "  ;  or  "  one  against 
many."  There  is  an  independent  ring  about 
the  name.  It  may  have  been  given  to  him 
after  death,  even  as  Chrysostom — golden  mouth 
- — was  given  to  John,  the  eloquent  preagher  of 
Constantinople. — F.  Hastings. 

II.  His  Resolute  Fidelity. 

He  formed  a  rallying-point  for  the  Church  in 
Pergamos,  and  an  object  of  affectionate 
approval  to  Christ  in  heaven. 

[19338]  In  Pergamos,  a  city  of  Asia  Minor, 
vice,  sensuality,  and  godlessness  reigned  su- 
preme. It  was  a  very  citadel  of  the  prince  of 
darkness,  and  is  called  in  the  chapter  from 
which  the  text  is  taken,  "  Satan's  seat."  Still 
Christ  had,  in  such  a  place,  a  church,  and  a 
band   of    faithful    soldiers    who   unfurled    His 


banner  and  battled  for  His  truth.  When  per- 
secution raged  some  grew  nervous  and  were 
frightened  into  retraction  ;  others  held  fast  to 
their  principles.  Among  those  who  were  faith- 
ful was  Antipas.  He  was  a  centre  of  influence, 
an  example  of  faithfulness,  and  an  inspiration 
to  the  fearful.  He  was  a  very  tower  of  strength. 
He  acted  as  the  standard-bearer  to  a  small  but 
resolute  band  of  Christians.  Against  him  the 
efforts  of  the  enemies  of  the  cross  were  per- 
sistently directed.  So  far  from  shaking  his 
principles,  they  were  as  unsuccessful  as  are  the 
waves  in  breaking  to  pieces  some  huge  boulder 
over  which  they  dash.  They  might  submerge, 
but  could  not  shatter.  Antipas  stood  amid  the 
perilous  attacks  firmly  attached  to  Christ,  and 
when,  as  a  martyr,  he  died,  Christ  pronounced 
oyer  him  words  of  strongest  approval,  calling 
him  "  My  faithful  martyr."  Not  only  is  there 
Divine  approval  expressed  in  the  words,  but 
also  much  of  affection.—/^.  Hastings. 

III.  Homiletical  Hints. 

I       Every  sincere  Christian  is  of  necessity  in 
one  direction  or  another  an  Antipas. 

[19339]  Antichrist  is  the  name  of  the  one  who 
is  opposed  to  Christ;  Antipas,  here,  of  him  who 
is  for  Christ  and  opposed  to  evil.  AH  who 
have  principles,  and  act  up  to  them,  will  find 
that  they  might  in  a  sense  claim  the  name  of 
Antipas. — Ibid. 

[19340]  When  the  principles  of  Christianity 
are  embraced,  they  make  a  man  a  very  Antipas 
with  respect  to  the  world.  He  will  find,  ofttimes, 
things  that  will  clash  with  conscience,  and  cir- 
cumstances such  as  will  demand  much  casuistical 
reasoning  in  the  eftbrt  to  reconcile  the  clamis  of 
God  and  mammon.  Perhaps  a  man  finds  that 
in  business  he  is  obliged  to  look  at  the  worldly 
saying,  "  Business  is  business,  and  religion  is 
religion."  He  finds  that  the  phrase  means  that 
business  is  a  law  unto  itself,  and  that  religion  is 
not  to  intrude  into  its  mysteries,  or  meddle  with 
its  maxims.  The  man  wishes  to  be  a  true 
Christian,  but  he  sees  that  others  prosper  by  fol- 
lowing out  this  maxim,  and  perhaps  he  is  tempted 
to  imitate  them.  He  may  know  how  to  palm  off 
the  inferior  for  the  good,  to  make  an  article  pos- 
sess an  attractive  appearance  when  it  is  almost 
valueless.  W'hatever  may  be  his  business,  he 
may  know  the  special  '"  mysteries"  thereof,  but 
he  knows  that  some  are  such  as  no  man  of 
principle  could  with  a  good  conscience  practise. 
Being  above  casuistry,  and  wishing  to  live  and 
die  with  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart,  he  finds 
that,  in  respect  to  business,  he  has  often  to  follow 
the  example  and  imbibe  much  of  the  spirit  of 
an  Antipas. — Ibid. 

[19341]  It  might  be  the  duty  of  one  em- 
ployed to  act  as  an  Antipas,  and  rather  lose  a 
situation  than  do  that  which  might  be  re(|uired 
against  conscience.  In  associating  with  others 
also,  a  man,  and  especially  a  young  man,  may 
rind  that  he  has  to  be  as  an  Antipas.     The  con- 


5o8 
19341—19347! 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[CORNELIUS. 


versation  of  others  may  be,  at  times,  irreverent 
and  sensual  ;  their  habits  may  be  loose  ;  they 
may  seek  to  allure  to  drink,  dice,  or  cards  ;  they 
may  draw  him  into  extravagant  outlay,  and  he 
has  to  learn  to  withstand  all.  He  is  compelled 
to  associate  with  them  in  the  factory,  shop,  or 
counting-house,  but  he  will  not  be  like  them. 
There  are  families  also  where,  perhaps,  there  is 
only  one  having  any  spiritual  tastes,  and  the 
life  of  that  one  is  a  constant  rebuke  to  the 
worldliness  of  the  rest.  That  one  has  there  to 
be  a  sort  of  Antipas. — Ibid. 

[19342]  In  respect  to  social  questions  there 
have  been  those  who  have  had  to  act  as  Antipas. 
The  privileged,  easy-going,  comfortable  people, 
who  wish  all  things  to  be  right,  but  never  lift  a 
finger  to  bring  about  that  state,  are  not  those 
who  would  appreciate  his  character.  Such 
people  would  tolerate  slavery,  injustice,  op- 
pression, and  wrong,  rather  than  be  disturbed 
themselves  or  disturb  others.  The  world  owes 
little  to  such  beings  ;  but  it  owes  much  to  those 
who  seek  to  remedy  evils,  and  remove  wrongs. 
And  yet  it  will  sometimes  speak  of  those  who 
do  the  most  for  its  benefit  as  "  dangerous 
persons."  The  true  Antipas,  however,  will 
never  be  troubled  at  being  so  regarded  by  his 
fellows,  but  will  be  prepared  for  any  amount  of 
misrepresentation  and  opposition.  Sometimes 
in  the  Church  itself  there  is  need  for  a  man  to 
act  as  an  Antipas.  If  he  finds  non-essentials 
made  the  pretext  for  useless  divisions,  and 
cumbersome  creeds  the  means  for  lading  men's 
shoulders  with  burdens  grievous  to  be  borne,  he 
must  speak  out.  If  he  finds  out  some  truth 
long  overlooked,  and  which  it  would  be  for  the 
welfare  of  the  whole  Church  to  accept,  he  may 
not  keep  the  truth  to  himself.  He  may  find 
himself  the  subject  of  much  detraction  ;  he 
may  be  condemned  as  heretical  ;  but  he  has  to 
remember  that  of  others,  who  have  sometimes 
been  the  means  of  advancing  the  interests  of 
truth,  many  have  thus  been  spoken.  The 
heresy  of  one  age  sometimes  becomes  the  or- 
thodoxy of  the  next.  Hence  truth  should  be 
adhered  to,  whether  it  be  regarded  as  heretical 
or  orthodox. — Jbid. 

2       The  true  Antipas  may  always  reckon  upon 
the  approval  and  support  of  Christ. 

[19343]  In  all  his  struggles,  anxieties,  and 
sufferings,  the  true  Antipas  may  always  be  sure 
of  the  support  of  Christ.  When  the  trial  comes 
he  finds  a  strength  given  such  as  he  little  ex- 
pected. His  support  is  that  "  hidden  manna" 
of  conscious  fellowship  with  the  Saviour.  He 
is  brought  also  to  understand  what  Christ  had 
done,  and  how  He  had  loved,  when,  single- 
handed.  He  struggled  in  Gethsemane,  in  the 
judgment-hall,  and  on  Calvary  with  unnum- 
bered foes.  Suffering  for  Christ,  he  is  per- 
mitted to  enter  more  into  the  "  fellowship  of 
the  mystery."  But  Christ  also  utters  His 
approval.  He  speaks  of  Antipas  tenderly  as 
"  My  faithful  martyr."  What  praise  !  What 
an  honour  to  have  such  mention,  by  such  lips, 


before  men  and  angels  !  The  sufferings  of 
Antipas  must  have  been  terrible,  when,  by  the 
order  of  Domitian,  he  was  shut  up  in  the  brazen 
hell,  heated  red-hot  by  a  large  furnace.  What, 
however,  was  all  the  pain  when  Christ  was  with 
him  and  gave  such  reward?  Has  Antipas 
regretted  his  fealty  to  principle  ?  Could  he 
speak  he  would  say,  "  No  ;  a  thousand  times, 
no  1 " — Ibid. 


CORNELIUS. 

I.  A    God-fearing   Head   of  a    House- 
hold. 

[19344]  He  "feared  God,  with  all  his  house." 
Dim  was  the  light  by  which  he  walked,  few 
were  the  opportunities  of  a  knowledge  of  God 
and  holy  things  that  he  enjoyed,  yet  it  was  not 
sufficient  in  his  estimation  that  he  himself 
should  fear  God  ;  it  must  be  "with  all  his  house." 
Though  the  light  may  be  dim,  though  the  know- 
ledge may  be  limited,  yet  shall  others  partake 
of  what  he  possesses  ;  he  will  be  liberal  with 
his  spiritual  possessions  no  less  than  with  his 
material  substance  ;  he  will  speak  to  all  his 
house  of  the  true  God  as  he  knows  Him. — • 
Rev.  Marcus  E.  IV.  Johnson. 

II.  A  Charitable  Friend, 

[19345]  The  sympathies  of  Cornelius  were 
not  confined  to  the  limits  of  his  home  circle, 
happy  as  that  circle — being  a  religious  one — 
no  doubt  was.  No,  they  extended  far  beyond 
those  narrow  bounds.  He  was  eminently  a 
charitable  man.  "He  gave,"  we  read,  "much 
alms  to  the  people."  His  heart  doubtless  felt 
for  the  poor  in  their  hardships  and  sorrows  even 
more  than  for  those  of  his  own  station  in  life. 
The  sick  and  the  needy,  the  stranger,  the 
fatherless,  and  the  widow,  found  the  house  door 
of  the  good  Cornelius  open  to  them  in  their 
hour  of  distress,  nor  went  away  without  their 
wants  relieved. — Ibid. 

III.  A  Man  of  Prayer. 

[19346]  In  helping  to  supply  the  lack  of 
others,  Cornelius  did  not  forget  his  own  soul's 
needs.  The  mechanism  of  his  life  found  its 
mainspring  in  a  spirit  of  constant  prayer.  He 
"  prayed  to  God  always."  His  were  no  morning 
or  evening  orisons  hurried  over  in  a  few 
minutes,  as  though  the  least  important  part  of 
the  whole  day's  work,  and  accompanied  by  no 
desire  for  heartfelt  communion  with  God.  Little 
though  he  knew  of  God,  he  desired  to  know 
more.  He  opened  his  mouth  wide  that  God 
might  fill  it  ;  he  prayed  for  knowledge  of  the 
Most  High  ;  he  prayed  to  be  guided  in  all  the 
truth. — Ibid. 

[19347]  That  he  was  pre-eminently  a  man  of 
prayer,  may  be  inferred  from  the  way  in  which 


19347— 19352] 


NEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  509 
CHRISTIAN    EKA. [THE   ETHIOPIAN  EUNUCH. 


the  account  of  him  is  set  down.  He  is  said  to 
have  been  devout  and  God-fearing,  but  how  can 
a  man  be  this  and  not  be  also  a  man  of  prayer  .' 
Yet  St.  Luke  concludes  the  character  which  he 
gives  us  of  the  centurion  (as  though  pointing  to 
that  which  was  his  chief  characteristic)  with 
the  words,  "  he  prayed  to  God  alway." — Hid. 

IV.  An  Object  of  God's  Favour. 

[19348]  We  might  well  have  considered  (and 
Cornelius  himself  certainly  wouUl  have  thought) 
that  a  visit  from  one  of  heaven's  inhabitants, 
bringing  with  him  the  assurance  that  God  had 
heard  the  centurion's  prayers,  and  noted  his 
charitable  deeds,  was  a  sufficient  condescension 
and  reward.  But  the  Lord  is  a  King,  and 
therefore  distributes  His  gifts  with  royal 
liberality.  For  this  man  who,  in  spite  of  diffi- 
culties and  hindrances,  has  faithfully  called 
upon  Him,  God  will  now  do  something — nay, 
the  utmost  that  He  can.  And  what  is  this 
greatest  of  all  blessings  which  God  will  bestow  ? 
Is  it  a  colossal  fortune  ?  is  it  perfect  health.''  is 
it  a  great  reputation  in  his  profession  ?  is  it 
absolute  freedom  from  care?  No  ;  it  is  none 
of  these  things,  nor  yet  all  of  them  together, 
but  still  something  far  better  than  each  or  all. 
It  is  "knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ."  Though  neither  a  Jew  nor  a 
Christian,  he  lived  the  life  of  a  good  Christian. 
He  practically  obeyed  the  restramts  of  religion, 
for  he  feared  God  ;  and  this  latter  part  of  the 
description  is  extended  to  all  his  family  or 
household.  Such  piety,  obedience,  faith,  and 
charity  prepared  him  for  superior  attainments 
and  benefits,  and  enabled  him  to  fully  enjoy  their 
bestowment. — Ibid. 

V.  HOMILETICAL   SUGGESTIONS. 

The  visit  of  the  angel  to  Cornelius  exalts  the 
value  of  Christ  to  the  soul  by  showing  that 
if  we  have  not  Christ  we  are  nothing. 

[19349]  Cornelius  was  a  devout  man  ;  he 
feared  God  ;  he  exercised  a  religious  influence 
upon  those  about  him  ;  his  generous  disposition 
was  v.'ell  known,  and  his  whole  life  was  con- 
secrated and  rendered  really  spiritual  by  con- 
stant prayer,  but  all  this  was  in  comparison  of  a 
knowledge  of  Christ  as  nothing.  We  are  sure 
that  his  upright  life  possessed  a  value  in  the 
eyes  of  God  ;  it  was  because  of  this  value  that 
God  sent  His  angel  to  guide  the  feet  of  His 
servant  into  the  way  of  peace  ;  but  we  are  sure 
also  that  however  leniently  God  might  have 
dealt  with  the  soul  of  a  man  who  had  had  no 
opportunity  of  knowing  Christ,  yet  Cornelius 
knew  nothing  of  remission  of  sins  and  ever- 
lasting life  until  he  heard  St.  Peter  preach  the 
gospel.  The  lesson  for  us,  at  any  rate,  is  plain. 
Something  more  is  needed  for  salvation  than 
even  a  God-fearing  frame  of  mind,  a  charitable 
disposition,  and  a  certain  amount  of  prayers. 
Salvation — knowledge  of  Christ  alone  can  bring, 
as  Christ  alone  can  give  this  to  the  soui. — Ibid. 


THE  ETHIOPIAN  EUNUCH. 

I.  His  Character. 
He  possessed  the  "  honest  and  good  heart." 

[19350]  This  chamberlain  of  the  queen,  who 
held  the  post  of  first  lord  of  her  treasury,  had 
come  across  the  Jews  and  tlicir  Scrijjtures. 
What  passed  between  him  and  St.  Thilip  shows 
conclusively  that,  though  high  in  station,  he  had 
a  docile,  simple  spirit,  eager  for  instruction,  and 
willing  to  follow  what  approved  itself  as  right  to 
his  conscience.  He  had  been  struck  by  the  Jews' 
religion,  and  believed  it  to  be  from  (iod.  His 
belief  involved  a  periodical  pilgrimage  to  Jeru- 
salem, at  the  tune  of  the  great  festivals.  These 
journeys  must  have  been  inconvenient  to  one  in 
his  position  ;  and,  at  a  heathen  court,  where 
the  ram-headed  Ammon  was  the  great  oliject  of 
worship,  may  have  entailed  some  risk  of  obloquy 
and  suspicion  ;  but  he  did  not  on  this  account 
decline  them.  He  was  returning,  when  Philip 
met  him,  from  the  devotions  which  he  had  been 
paying  in  the  temple.  And  he  was  careful  (as 
too  many  who  profess  and  call  themselves 
Christians  are  not)  to  nourish  those  sentiments 
which  he  had  received  in  public  worship,  and 
not  to  let  them  evaporate  too  speedily  in  the 
atmosphere  of  the  world. — Dean  Goulb'uni. 

[1935 1]  "Spices"  (to  use  Bengel's  exquisite 
simile)  "  transmit  their  fragrance  through  the 
wrapper  which  enfolds  and  conceals  them."  The 
missionary  whom  he  encountered  in  the  desert 
unfolded  for  him  the  wrapper,  explained  the 
mystery  which  had  baffled  him,  and,  in  doing 
so,  led  him  on  to  a  higher  faith  in  God  than  he 
had  hitherto  known.  And  thus  was  fulfilled  in 
his  case  the  promise,  "  To  him  that  hath  shall 
be  given."  He  had  been  faithful  hitherto  to  the 
Divine  guidance,  and  now  it  is  vouchsafed  to 
him  in  larger  measure.  He  had  diligently  used 
the  lower  means  of  grace  exhibited  by  the  old 
covenant  ;  he  is  now  admitted,  as  his  reward,  to 
the  first  sacrament  of  the  new. — Ibid. 

[19352]  He  is  an  eager,  thirsting  inquirer.  He 
is  not  ashamed  to  be  reading  his  Bible  as  he  rides 
in  his  chariot.  Who  knows  that  it  was  not  an 
awakened  sense  of  personal  sin  and  need  that 
made  him  so  intent  upon  the  page  before  him  ; 
so  eager  to  make  it  out  ;  so  ready  to  receive  the 
stranger,  whose  question  was  an  offer  of  help  ? 
He  was  clearly  a  sincere  and  earnest  seeker 
after  the  true  good  ;  just  one  of  those  whom 
God  is  always  pleased  to  meet  with  the  light 
and  grace  which  bring  salvation.  But  not  yet 
had  the  blessedness  of  such  salvation  entered 
his  heart.  Devout,  dili^jent,  downright  earnest 
in  searching  the  Scriptures,  willing  to  confess 
his  ignorance,  and  glad  to  follow  on  to  know 
the  Lord,  the  peace  that  passeth  understanding 
had  not  yet  entered  his  breast.  It  was  when 
IMiilip  "preached  unto  him  Jesus,''  and  he  gave 
trusting  heed  to  that  message,  that  this  dawm.d 
upon  him.     Behold  the  foundation  of  his  new 


5IO 

19352— 19357] 


NEIV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[the   ETHIOPIAN  EUNUCH. 


hope  ;  the  one  true  foundation  of  hope  for  any 
and  every  otherwise  perplexed  and  despairing 
sinner  !  In  the  victim  of  the  cross  he  had  dis- 
covered the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  that  "other 
man,"  who  was  brought  as  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter,  and  on  whom  it  pleased  the  Lord 
to  lay  the  iniquity  of  us  all.  And  so  implicitly, 
and  from  the  heart,  did  he  receive  the  testimony 
concerning  Him,  that  he  was  ready  that  very 
hour  to  confess  His  name,  and  pledge  himself  to 
His  service.  This  he  did.  And  to  him  it  was 
according  to  the  promise,  "  He  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved."  For,  while 
Philip,  his  mission  being  accomplished,  vanished 
out  of  sight,  in  the  full  assurance  of  hope  he 
went  on  his  way  rejoicing. — Sermons  by  the 
Monday  Club. 

II.  His  Baptism. 

It  was   immediately  follov/ed  by  that  "  fruit  of 
the  Spirit  "  which  is  "joy." 

[19353]  The  subject  of  it  went  on  his  way  re- 
joicing, apparently  so  transported  with  holy  and 
spiritual  joy,  that  he  noticed  not  the  removal  of 
the  missionary.  In  order  to  connect  this  joy 
with  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  have 
only  to  remember  that  joy  is  named  by  St.  Paul 
as  one  of  the  firstfruits  of  the  Spirit :  "  The 
fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace."— v^^T/.y. 
Stoug,hto}i. 

III.  Comparison  with  Cornelius. 

[19354]  Both  the  eunuch  and  Cornelius  appear 
to  have  belonged  to  that  class  of  men,  which  the 
providence  of  God  had  prepared  as  a  sort  of 
bridge,  whereby  the  Gospel  might  pass  over 
from  the  Jewish  to  the  Gentile  mind.  Both 
were  proselytes,  that  is  to  say  heathens  by  ex- 
traction, who  had  been  converted  to  Judaism 
by  the  manifest  traces  of  divinity  which  dis- 
tinguished the  religion  of  Moses,  and  by  the 
correspondence  of  the  law  of  Sinai  with  the  law 
written  upon  the  human  heart.  These  proselytes 
adhered  to  Judaism,  according  to  their  con- 
victions, with  more  or  less  strictness.  Some 
appropriated  only  the  monotheism  of  the  Jews, 
their  doctrine  of  the  Divine  government  of  the 
world,  their  hope  of  Messiah,  and  the  chief 
points  of  their  morality  ;  others  went  so  far  as 
to  receive  circumcision,  and  submit  themselves 
to  the  ceremonial  law.  Of  Cornelius  it  is 
strongly  implied,  if  not  actually  asserted,  that 
he  was  a  proselyte  of  the  less  strict  kind,  one 
who  did  not  belong  sacramentally  to  the  Jewish 
communion.  For  when  the  Jewish  party  at 
Jerusalem  allege  against  St.  Peter  his  inter- 
course with  Cornelius,  they  do  it  in  these  terms  : 
"Thou  wentest  in  to  men  uncircumcised,  and 
didst  eat  with  them."  The  Ethiopian  may  have 
been  a  proselyte  of  the  stricter  class,  in  which 
case  there  would  be  a  method  observable  in  the 
admission  of  Gentiles  to  the  Christian  covenant  ; 
first,  circumcised  heathen,  of  which  the  Ethiopian 
would  be  the  first  recorded  instance  ;  second, 


uncircumcised  heathen,  of  which  Cornelius  would 
be  the  first  specimen. — Dean  Goulburn. 

IV.  Comparison     with     the     Prophet 
Daniel. 

[19355]  Daniel  in  the  Old  Testament,  and 
this  Ethiopian  in  the  New,  shine  with  peculiar 
lustre.  There  is  something  analogous  in  their 
fortunes,  which,  though  the  materials  in  the  case 
of  the  Ethiopian  are  so  scanty,  enable  us  to 
draw  a  parallel  between  them.  Both  rose  to 
wealth  and  eminence  at  heathen  courts,  and 
held  high  trusts  from  heathen  sovereigns. 
Both,  though  placed  in  these  difficult  circum- 
stances, fulfilled  their  religious  duties  with  a 
brave  and  admirable  fidelity.  Both  were 
students  of  prophecy,  for  the  eunuch  was  found 
reading  the  prophet  Isaiah,  and  Daniel  tells  us 
of  himself  :  "  I,  Daniel,  understood  by  books 
the  number  of  the  years  whereof  the  word  of 
the  Lord  came  to  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  that 
He  would  accomplish  seventy  years  in  the 
desolations  of  Jerusalem."  And  we  may  add 
that  to  both  was  sent  a  messenger  of  God  for 
the  elucidation  of  prophecy — to  Daniel  the 
angel  Gabriel,  who  both  gave  and  interpreted 
the  prophecy  of  the  seventy  weeks,  to  the 
eunuch  St.  Philip  the  Evangelist,  an  inspired 
human  ambassador.  And  the  lesson  is  in  both 
cases  the  same — that,  whatever  be  the  circum- 
stances in  the  midst  of  which  Divine  Pro- 
vidence has  thrown  our  lot,  however  adverse 
to  piety,  however  apparently  blighting  to  the 
spiritual  life,  grace  can  enable  us  to  walk  in 
the  midst  of  them  unharmed,  as  the  three  holy 
children  walked  inthemidst  of  Nebuchadnezzar's 
furnace. — Ibid. 

V.  HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 

1  The  history  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch 
illustrates  the  value  of  reading  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

['9356]  Learn  a  lesson  from  the  eunuch's 
employment  when  St.  Philip  met  him.  He  was 
reading  the  Scriptures  with  an  inquiring  and  a 
candid  mind.  No  opportunity  could  have  been 
more  favourable  for  the  arrival  of  God's  message 
of  mercy  and  peace  through  Jesus  Christ. 
"  Behold,  he  readeth  the  Scriptures,"  is  nearly 
as  hopeful  a  symptom  for  the  soul  as,  "  Behold, 
he  prayeth."  When  God  sees  any  one  studying 
the  Holy  Volume  with  simplicity  and  earnest- 
ness. He  throws  Himself  across  that  man's  path, 
whether  by  a  human  messenger,  or  by  some 
dispensation  of  Providence,  or  by  the  inward 
teaching  of  His  Spirit,  until  the  scales  fall  from 
the  eyes  of  the  reader,  and  the  study  which  was 
begun  in  darkness  and  perplexity  is  concluded 
in  light  and  joy. — Ibid. 

2  The  history  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch 
illustrates  the  nature  and  importance  of 
spiritual  joy. 

[19357]  When  the  eunuch  had  found  the  pearl 
of  great  price,  he  went  on   his  way  rejoicing. 


19357—19360] 


NEW   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE    CHARACTERS.  511 

CHRISTIAN   ERA.  THE  LAME  MAN  AT  THE  TEMPLE. 


When  the  jailer  of  Philippi  had  been  baptized 
by  his  prisoners,  he  brought  them  into  his 
house,  "and  set  meat  before  them, and  rejoiced, 
believing  in  God  with  all  his  house."  Can  we, 
then,  give  this  evidence  of  sincere  adhesion  to 
Christ?  Let  us  not  deceive  ourselves  in  giving 
the  answer.  In  days  when  health  is  high, 
animal  spirits  in  full  flow,  circumstances  good, 
friends  many  and  kind,  relations  sympathizing 
— in  a  word,  in  the  sunshine  of  life,  it  is  quite 
possible  to  mistake  for  spiritual  joy  that  sense 
of  God's  goodness,  and  that  general  content- 
ment with  persons  and  things  around  us,  which 
is  simply  the  natural  expansion  of  the  heart 
under  the  warmth  of  prosperity.  This  is  the 
experience  of  happiness,  not  the  experience  of 
joy.  Happiness  is  fed  by  external  circumstances, 
not  from  an  internal  spring.  ...  It  is  no  un- 
practical question  which  I  am  asking,  for  it  is 
in  no  other  power  than  that  of  holy  joy  that  we 
can  surmount  the  temptations  and  difficulties 
which  beset  our  path.  It  is  in  no  other  spirit 
than  that  of  joy  that  we  can  render  an  acceptable 
homage  to  God.  "  Be  ye  not  sorry,"  says 
Nehemiah  (and  perhaps  no  word  of  deeper 
spiritual  significance  is  to  be  found  in  either 
Testament),  "  for  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your 
strength."  A  joyless  religion  is  a  nerveless  one. 
—Ibid. 


THE  LAME  MAN  AT  THE   GATE 
OF  THE    TEMPLE. 

\.  His  Need. 

[19358]  We  are  told  that  he  was  "lame  from 
his  mother's  womb."  Many  become  lame 
through  accident  or  sickness  ;  but  this  man 
was  born  a  cripple.  Luke,  who  was  a  physician, 
gives  us  to  understand  the  cause  of  his  decrepi- 
tude. His  description  of  the  healing  process — • 
or  rather  of  the  healing  act,  for  there  was  no 
process — is  very  expressive  :  "  Immediately  his 
feet  and  ankle-bones  received  strength."  His 
lameness  was  owing  to  a  weakness  in,  and  per- 
haps malformation  of,  the  ankle-bones.  The 
man  had  never  walked — he  was  born  a  cripple. 
But  that  hardly  suffices  to  describe  his  helpless 
condition.  The  context  shov/s  that  there  was 
not  the  least  strength  in  his  feet,  not  enough  to 
allow  even  of  the  use  of  crutches.  You  know 
many  lame  men,  but  most  of  them  are  able  to 
move  about  with  the  help  of  artificial  supports. 
But  this  man  was  so  utterly  helpless  that  he 
could  not  even  avail  himself  of  the  aid  of  a 
crutch— he  was  obliged  to  be  carried,  like  a 
new-born  babe,  from  one  place  to  another. 
Mot  that  there  was  any  weakness  in  his  arms 
or  shoulders,  all  the  weakness  was  in  the  ankles  ; 
he  could  not  put  an  ounce  of  weight  upon  his 
feet— they  bent  under  him  like  a  bruised  reed. 
Raphael,  in  his  cartoon  illustrating  this  portion 
of  sacred  story,  seems  to  have  seized  this  feature. 
He  has  drawn  at   a  little  distance  from   him 


another  deformed  man  ;  but  that  man  is  able 
to  hobble  along  by  the  help  of  a  crutch.  But 
he  has  drawn  this  man  without  a  crutch  near 
him.  But  I  think  Raphael  was  mistaken  in 
drawing  his  legs  in  a  stiff,  rigid  form  ;  it  was 
not  rigidity  in  the  ankles  he  was  suffering  from, 
but  extreme  weakness.  "  Immediately  his  feet 
and  ankles  became  firm."  Before  there  was  no 
firmness  in  them  ;  his  feet  were  quite  loose  in 
their  sockets,  twisting  about  like  whipcord.  I 
suppose  he  was  about  the  most  helpless  man 
on  his  legs  that  ever  breathed.  And  not  only 
was  he  lame — that  of  itself  was  a  sore  mis- 
fortune, and  hard  enough  to  bear  ;  but  in  addi- 
tion to  utter  impotence  he  was  in  downright 
poverty.  He  was  a  cripple  and  he  was  a  beggar 
too.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  a  more  pitiable 
condition.  "  A  certain  man  lame  from  his 
mother's  womb  was  carried,  wlujm  they  laid 
daily  at  the  gate  of  the  temple  which  is  called 
Beautiful,  to  ask  alms  of  them  that  entered  into 
the  temple." — Rev.  J.  Jones. 


II.  His  Request. 

[19359]  "  He  asked  an  alms  of  them."  He 
had  long  ceased  hoping  for  anything  else. 
However  lofty  his  aspirations  might  have  been 
in  early  youth,  they  were  now  all  dead  ami 
"  buried,  without  hope  of  a  better  resurrection." 
He  did  not  now  expect  to  be  anything  other 
than  a  life-long  cripple,  or  anything  better  than 
an  abject  beggar.  Forty  years  of  helplessness 
and  beggary  will  kill  ambition  in  the  most 
sanguine  heart.  We  have  known  people  who 
had  been  lying  on  a  bed  of  suffering  for  ten 
years  ;  at  the  close  of  the  ten  they  had  no 
ambition  to  rise.  If  you  spoke  to  them  at 
the  close  of  the  first  year,  you  would  discover 
a  shade  of  discontent — they  had  a  strong  desire 
to  get  up  and  walk.  But  at  the  end  of  ten 
years  the  most  fiery  spirit  is  quite  tamed — ten 
years'  close  confinement  makes  the  lark  forget 
the  way  to  fly.  "  He  asked  an  alms  of  them." 
—Jbid. 


III.  His  Cure. 

[19360]  "  And  Peter,  fastening  his  eyes  on 
him  with  John,  said,  Look  on  us."  They 
fastened  their  eyes  on  him.  Why  .J*  Perhaps 
there  was  an  unusual  earnestness  about  his 
entreaty,  or,  which  is  more  likely,  the  apostles 
felt  an  inward  movement  of  soul,  a  sudden 
stirring  of  the  Divine  life,  a  powerful  operation 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  a  vivid  consciousness  that 
they  were  richly  endowed  with  supernatural 
powers.  "They  fastened  their  eyes  on  him" — 
there  was  terrible  earnestness  in  their  gaze, 
unspeakable  compassion  in  their  looks.  "They 
fastened  their  eyes  on  him."  Is  not  this  a  cha- 
racteristic feature  of  Christianity — that  it  fastens 
its  eyes  on  the  destitute  and  the  sick  ?  Science 
fastens  its  eyes  on  inanimate  matter;  Art  fastens 
its  eyes  on  beauty.  Art  going  up  to  the  temple 
to  pray — which,  by  the  by,  it  seldom  does  in 


512 

19360— 19363] 


NEIV    TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[ANANIAS   AND   SAPPHIRA. 


our  day  and  generation — would  fix  its  gaze  on 
the  "  Gate  called  Beautiful,"  and  would  turn 
away  in  disgust  from  the  loathsome  object  that 
was  craving  alms  of  the  passers-by.  But  Chris- 
tianity going  up  to  the  temple  fastened  its  eyes 
on  the  poor  cripple  ;  and  ever  since  her  eyes 
have  reverted  in  the  direction  of  the  helpless 
and  forlorn.  Science  seeks  out  the  secrets  of 
the  world  ;  Art  seeks  out  the  beauties  of  the 
world  ;  Christianity  seeks  out  its  ills,  and  strives 
hard  to  remove  them.  "  They  fastened  their 
eyes  on  him."  There  is  a  great  deal  in  a  look. 
The  words  of  the  Bible  are  brimful  of  meaning. 
There  is  often  more  philosophy  in  one  of  its 
sentences  than  in  a  score  of  large,  pretentious 
octavo  volumes.  "  Draw  out  thy  soul  to  the 
hungry."  Is  it  not  enough  to  draw  out  the 
purse  to  him?  No — "  draw  out  thy  soul."  Is 
it  it  not  enough  to  draw  out  food  and  raiment  1 
No — "draw  out  thy  soul  to  the  hungry;"  let 
thy  spirit  flow  out  in  tenderest  sympathy  and 
deepest  compassion.  "  They  fastened  their 
eyes  on  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Look  on  us  ; " 
and  thereupon  the  sympathizing  eyes  of  Peter 
caught  the  wondering  eyes  of  the  beggar,  and 
the  latter  felt  a  strange  sensation,  like  a  stream 
of  electricity  thrilling  his  entire  system.  "  And 
Peter  said,  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none  ;  but 
such  as  I  have  give  I  thee  :  In  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  rise  up  and  walk. 
And  he  took  him  by  the  ri,<;ht  hand  and  lifted 
him  up,  and  immediately  his  feet  and  ankles 
received  strength." — Ibid. 


IV,    HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

The  healing:  of  the  lame  man,  viewed  from  a 
spiritual  standpoint,  illustrates  the  Divine 
method  of  saving  the  world. 
[19361]  The  man  sought  alms ;  but  the 
apostles  gave  him  what  was  better— they  o-ave 
him  health.  Health  without  money  is  infinTtely 
better  than  money  without  health.'  Moreover, 
by  endowing  him  with  health  they  were  con- 
ferring on  him  the  ability  to  earn  money  ;  by 
imparting  the  greater  they  were  also  giving  the 
lesser.  In  this  the  miracle  was  a  "  sign,"  and 
typifies  to  us  the  Divine  method  of  saving  the 
world.  The  (iospel  does  not  directly  aim  at 
improving  men's  circumstances  ;  it  aims  at  im- 
proving men.  But  no  sooner  does  the  Gospel 
bring  about  a  moral  improvement  in  the  men 
than  the  men  bring  about  a  noticeable  improve- 
ment in  their  surroundings.  The  Gospel  con- 
verts the  man  ;  the  man  converts  the  house. 
The  Gospel  does  not  directly  aim  at  increasing 
the  material  riches  of  a  nation  ;  it  aims  a^t 
increasing  its  fund  of  spiritual  health  ;  but  no 
sooner  does  the  nation  feel  new  blood  palpi- 
tating in  every  limb  and  member  than  it  shakes 
off  the  lethargy  of  centuries,  and  marches  fear- 
lessly forward  in  the  upward  path  of  discovery 
and  enterprise,  and,  as  a  natural  consequence, 
riches  flow  in  plentifully  to  its  exchequer.— /(^/^Z 

[10^62]  The  Gospel  came  to  a  world  crippled 
in  all  its  powers  and  fettered  in  all  its  faculties. 


It  said  unto  it,  "  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Nazareth,  rise  up  and  walk."  "And  imme- 
diately the  world's  feet  and  ankle-bones  received 
strength."  It  forthwith  began  a  career  upward 
and  forward,  and  Christianity  has  indirectly 
added  enormously  to  its  material  riches.  Which 
are  the  richest  and  most  flourishing  nations  in 
our  day.''  England,  America,  and  Germany, 
the  countries  that  have  received  most  abun- 
dantly of  the  life  and  health  that  are  lodged  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  There  is  a 
philosophy,  and  an  admirable  philosophy  it  is 
in  many  respects,  whose  direct  object  is  the 
improvement  of  men's  circumstances.  Its 
language  is,  Give  men  better  houses,  higher 
wages,  purer  air,  more  wholesome  water,  and 
by  improving  their  circumstances  you  will  im- 
prove their  constitutions.  That  is  the  philo- 
sophy which  boastsof  the  name  of  Utilitarianism. 
But  what  says  Christianity.''  I  have  in  my  pos- 
session the  elixir  of  life,  and  I  will  endeavour 
first  to  improve  the  constitutions  of  men.  I 
will  give  feet  to  the  lame,  and  eyes  to  the  blind, 
and  health  to  the  sick,  and  hope  to  the  de- 
sponding ;  I  will  strive  to  improve  men,  for  I 
know  that  no  sooner  will  men  feel  beating 
within  them  new  and  potent  energies  than  they 
will  set  about  to  improve  their  external  con- 
dition. Men  need  better  houses,  and  purer  air, 
and  more  wholesome  water  ;  but  the  great  want 
of  men  is  life — more  life  ;  and  I  have  come  that 
they  might  have  life,  and  have  it  more  abun- 
dantly. "  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Nazareth,  rise  up,  rise  up,  and  walk."  Utili- 
tarianism does  men  good,  Christianity  makes 
men  good.  Which,  think  you,  is  the  superior, 
doing  men  good  or  making  them  good  ? — Ibid. 


ANANIAS  AND  SAPPHIRA. 

I.  Their  Temptation. 

[1936.3]  In  what  form  is  it  probable  that  the 
temptation  first  presented  itself  to  Ananias  and 
his  wife  ?  We  may  believe  that  they  were  car- 
ried away  by  the  general  enthusiasm  of  the  time. 
When  many  possessors  of  lands  and  houses  sold 
them,  and  laid  the  price  at  the  apostles'  feet, 
when  the  beautiful  idea  of  a  brotherhood,  in 
which  all  alike  should  partake  freely  of  the 
Creator's  gifts,  seemed  to  be  realized,  cold  in- 
deed must  have  been  the  hearts  which  could 
remain  indifferent.  It  is  most  unlikely  that, 
when  the  thought  first  suggested  itself  to  them 
that  they  too  would  be  counted  among  the 
benefactors  of  Christ's  people,  it  was  accom- 
panied with  any  intention  of  deceit  or  fraud. 
Satan  does  not  show  himself  at  once  without 
disguise  ;  he  does  not  attack  the  citadel  until  he 
has  cleared  the  approaches,  and  eftected  a 
breach  in  the  fortifications.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  there  was 
from  the  beginning  something  radically  unsound 
in  their  minds.      The  motive  which  actuated 


19363— 19368] 


^^Ely   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS.  513 

CHRISTIAN   ERA.  [ANANIAS  AND  SAPPHIRA. 


them  must  have  been  throiii^hout  either  entirely 
or  in  great  part  a  selfish  one.  Emulation  or 
ambition,  the  desire  of  applause,  it  may  be  the 
hope  of  high  distinction  in  the  Church,  and  in 
the  kingdom  of  Christ,  which,  excepting  by  the 
most  spiritual  of  the  disciples,  was  expected  to 
be  speedily  established,  with  all  the  pomp  and 
majesty  of  external  dominion,  such  may  have 
been,  and  most  probably  were,  the  predomi- 
nating and  effective  inducements  for  their  de- 
termination.— Rev.  F.  Cook. 

[19364]  The  thought  soon  occurred.  Why 
make  an  unnecessary  sacrifice  .''  Will  not  a  part 
suffice  ?  Why  bring  ourselves  to  a  level  with 
the  recipients  of  charitable  doles  ?  They  knew, 
what  St.  Peter  reminds  them  of  afterwards,  that 
after  all  it  was  entirely  a  voluntary  act ;  they 
could  keep  all  their  property  without  incurring 
blame,  provided  that  they  contributed  in  a 
reasonable  proportion  to  the  wants  of  the 
brethren.  Had  they  sold  the  land  and  given 
even  a  small  portion  openly  and  humbly,  it 
would  have  been  accepted  ;  for  each  man  who 
gave  not  grudgingly  or  of  necessity  the  apostles 
had  words  of  commendation.  We  can  conceive 
that,  even  up  to  this  point,  husband  and  wife 
may  have  talked  over  the  matter  without  any 
consciousness  of  sin,  without  any  apprehension 
of  spiritual  danger.  But  what,  then,  became  of 
the  glory,  the  distinction,  the  reward?  What 
of  their  hope  of  being  numbered  with  the  chosen 
few  ?  After  giving  up  so  much,  should  they  still 
remain  among  the  common  herd  ?  Then,  as  we 
may  believe,  came  the  thought,  just  then,  when 
pride  and  selfishness  and  covetousness  occupied 
all  their  mind,  why  not  make  one  little  step  ?  by 
one  easy  and  single  act  secure  all  that  had  pre- 
sented itself  in  such  attractive  colours  ?  They  had 
but  to  declare  that  they  had  really  done  what  they 
really  had  purposed  ;  they  had  but  to  make  a 
declaration,  which  no  one  was  likely  to  doubt, 
that  the  gift  was  their  all,  to  lay  it  at  the 
apostles'  feet,  and  all  which  they  had  contem- 
plated and  desired  would  be  accomplished. — 
Jbid. 


II.  Their  Sin. 

[19365]  There  was  the  sin — full-grown,  de- 
veloped, carefully  prepared  and  weighed.  They 
looked  at  it.  It  did  not  after  all  seem  so  very 
ugly.  It  was  but  a  white  lie.  There  was  no 
malice  in  it.  It  hurt  no  one,  in  body  or  estate. 
It  lowered  no  man's  reputation.  Doubtless,  on 
looking  back,  they  could  remember  thousands 
of  instances  in  which  they  had  acted  just  in  the 
same  manner  for  very  trifling  objects,  and  had 
been  undetected;  they  could  think  of  those  acts 
without  pain  or  much  shame,  and  if  either  of 
them  felt  any  scruple,  the  other— a  worthy  help- 
meet— was  doubtless  prompt,  ingenious,  and 
plausible  in  removing  it.  The  whole  thing  be- 
came quite  clear  and  simple  ;  and  so,  having 
fully  settled  what  each  was  to  say,  should  any 
question  possibly  be  raised,  the  husband  went 

VOL.  VI.  34 


forth.  He  stood  before  the  apostles  surrounded 
by  the  brethren.  The  eye  of  Peter  was  upon 
him.  .  .  .  Wholly  absorbed  by  one  thought, 
blinded  by  that  spirit  which  had  tlien  entire 
possession  of  his  mind,  he  may  not  have  care;! 
or  dared  to  raise  his  eye  and  meet  the  glance  of 
Peter,  or,  if  he  looked,  was  unable  to  dis(  ern 
the  warning  v^hich  its  very  graciousncss  im- 
plied. There  he  stood  —the  thought  was  realized, 
the  sin  was  acted  ;  he  offered  what  may  or  may 
not  have  been  in  itself  a  munificent  gift,  but, 
offered  with  a  lie  in  his  heart  and  in  his  mouth, 
a  thing  abominable  and  accursed,  an  insult  to 
the  God  of  truth. — Ibid. 

[19366]  The  peculiar  sin  of  this  pair  lay  here, 
that,  being  tempted  by  two  evil  things,  the  love 
of  money  and  tiie  love  of  applause,  tiiey  suffered 
both  these  unchristian  passions  to  enter  and 
occupy  their  souls,  to  fill  them  up  bit  by  bit, 
driving  out  the  love  of  men  and  the  fear  of  God, 
till,  grown  blind  and  hard  and  reckless  through 
sin,  they  plotted  in  cold  blood  to  cheat  the 
Church  and  lie  to  the  face  of  God.  Had  they 
been  covetous  only,  they  would  have  kept  their 
property  ;  vain  only,  they  would  have  given  it 
all.  In  either  case  the  motive  had  been  a  bad 
one,  but  in  neither  case  would  the  offence  have 
grown  into  a  scandal.  It  was  the  effort  to  re- 
concile two  conflicting  passions,  to  be  close  and 
seem  generous,  to  keep  their  gold  yet  win  the 
credit  of  giving  it,  which  betrayed  these  Chris- 
tians into  the  first  open  and  shameful  breach 
of  Christian  morality.  Out  of  the  confluence  of 
covetousness  with  vanity  came  forth  a  he. — 
Oswald  Dykes,  D.D. 


III.  Their  Punishment. 

[19367]  St.  Peter  does  not  pronounce  a  sen- 
tence. He  does  not  excommunicate  ;  he  pro- 
nounces no  curse  ;  much  less  does  he  condemn 
the  offender  to  whatever  punishment  he  may 
have  deserved.  What  he  does  is  simply  this. 
He  gives  the  sin  its  true  name  ;  he  declares  its 
exact  character  ;  he  lays  bare  the  sinner's  heart. 
In  the  presence  of  the  assembled  Church  he 
opens  that  heart.  He  shows  the  Christians 
there  standing,  amazed  and  bewildered,  that  in 
that  heart,  from  which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  been 
expelled,  Satan  dwelt  in  the  fulness  of  his  power. 
He  revealed  to  Ananias  his  true  condition  in  the 
eye  of  God.  So,  indeed,  he  anticipated  for  hiin 
that  day  in  which  the  imaginations  of  all  hearts 
will  be  disclosed  ;  so,  indeed,  he  gave  us  some 
intimation  of  what  will  take  place  when  we  stand 
bare  to  our  innermost  thoughts  before  our  Judge. 
St.  Peter  did  no  more  than  this.  Whatever 
might  be  the  effect  of  his  words,  he  acted  but 
as  a  minister  of  the  Lord  God,  to  whom  ven- 
geance belongeth  ;  to  that  God,  the  God  of 
holiness  and  love,  must  be  attributed  the  result: 
"Ananias,  hearing  these  words,  fell  down,  and 
gave  up  the  ghost.'' — Rev.  F.  Cook. 

[19368]  Supernatural,  beyond  all  doubt,  was 
that  death  ;  yet,  like  all  true  miracles— distin- 


514 

19368— 19372] 


NEW   TESTA niENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[demas. 


guishable,  as  I  believe,  therein  from  legendary 
marvels— the  supernatural  acted  in  accordance 
with  the  laws  of  our  spiritual  nature.  The  direct 
a.c^ency  of  the  Spirit  accelerated  and  intensified 
the  natural  action  of  the  despairing  heart.  A 
toul  like  that  of  Ananias,  covetous  of  applause, 
lising  on  the  breath  of  man,  would  be  smitten 
with  a  deadly  blow  when  exposed  to  open  and 
hopeless  shame.  How  many  suicides  have 
rushed  to  death  from  no  other  motive  !  A  heart 
in  which  hope  and  faith  were  dead,  in  which 
the  springs  of  life  had  been  poisoned,  in  which 
the  human  love  which  should  have  been  a  sus- 
taining influence  for  good  had  become  the 
minister  of  sin,  could  find  no  place  for  rest  or 
strength.  There  was  nothing  to  break  the 
sudden  fall,  nothing  to  cling  to  when  the  black 
abyss  was  opened  beneath  the  convicted  sinner's 
feet. — Ibid. 

[19369]  We  are  prepared  to  hear  that  Ananias' 
wretched  wife,  sustaining,  in  addition  to  all  that 
had  crushed  him,  the  load  of  his  death — the 
consequence  of  their  mutual  sin — should  have 
followed  him.  We  listen  with  awe,  but  scarcely 
with  surprise,  to  St.  Peter's  words — no  sentence, 
but  a  sad  prophecy,  uttered  under  a  controlling 
inspiration — that  she  was  at  once  to  share  that 
unhonoured  grave;  at  once  to  meet  her  husband 
in  that  other  world,  where  the  spirits  of  dis- 
obedience await  the  last  coming  of  the  Judge  of 
the  quick  and  of  the  dead. — Ibid. 

[19370]  From  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Head  of  His  insulted  Church,  came,  as  I  take 
it,  the  blows  which  stretched  these  two  con- 
federates upon  the  ground.  It  was  awfully 
severe  :  it  was  meant  to  be  awful  in  its  severity. 
As  an  exercise  of  earthly  discipline  it  was  en- 
tirely exceptional,  a  warning  not  to  be  repeated. 
Church  discipline,  administered  in  its  normal 
form  through  ministerial  human  hands,  is  a 
discipline  by  words,  not  blows.  It  employs 
spiritual  deprivation,  not  corporeal  chastisement. 
But  since  it  pleased  the  offended  Lord  to  step 
down  for  once  into  the  earthly  congregation  of 
His  saints,  and  execute  before  men's  eyes  the 
supreme  sentence  of  law  on  the  two  first  pro- 
faners  of  His  house,  no  man  can  say  that  instant 
loss  of  life  was  a  judgment  too  heavy  for  the 
greatness  of  their  sin.  The  lives  of  all  men  are 
in  His  hand.  Daily  He  is  cutting  off  men  in  a 
moment  —  even  hot  with  lust  or  red-handed 
from  crime.  His  doom  now  and  then  antedates 
the  slower  processes  of  human  law.  The  time 
and  fashion  of  all  our  deaths  is  with  Him.  The 
life  which  we  are  daily  forfeiting  by  transgres- 
sion is  daily  spared  through  mercy.  If  one  day 
then  His  mercy  turn  to  judgment,  and  He  take 
from  the  earth  two  forfeited  lives,  and  if  such 
sudden  taking  off  be  for  the  warning  and  the 
bettering  of  many,  who  shall  say  that  the  lesson 
was  dearly  bought  or  the  penalty  undeserved  1 
It  was  well  that  men  should  be  tauglit  once  for 
all,  by  sudden  death  treading  swiftly  on  the 
heels  of  detected  sin,  that  the  gospel,  which 
discovers  God's  boundless  mercy,  has  not  wiped 


out  the  sterner  attributes  of  the  Judge.  "  He 
that  despised  Moses'  law  died  without  mercy 
under  two  or  three  witnesses.  Of  how  much 
sorer  punishment,  suppose  ye,  shall  he  be  thought 
who  .  .  .  hath  done  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of 
grace .'' " — Oswald  Dykes,  D.D. 


IV.   HOMILETICAL  REFLECTIONS. 

The  sin  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira  warns  against 
the  evil  of  a  divided  service. 

[1937 1]  Do  none  of  us  try  to  gain  the  world 
and  save  our  soul  at  the  same  time.''  Who 
never  renders  to  God  a  divided  worship  ?  Is 
it  so  rare  to  seem  better  than  we  are  ?  to  culti- 
vate a  cheap  repute  for  piety  'i  to  give  that  we 
may  be  seen  of  men,  while  we  grudge  what  we 
give  and  love  dearly  what  we  keep  ?  Are  our 
prayers  at  no  time  false,  as  though  we  sought 
to  deceive  God.'*  or  do  modern  Christians  never 
show  themselves  devout  before  fellow-worship- 
pers with  a  pretence  of  devotion  ?  Is  there  no 
Holy  Ghost  now  to  be  lied  to  ?  Or  is  He  grown 
indifferent  to  insults  through  long  endurance  of 
them  ?  Because  judgment  against  our  evil  works 
and  evil  worship  is  not  executed  so  speedily  as 
on  Ananias,  shall  we  dream  that  God  the  Spirit 
has  ceased  to  care,  or  God  the  Son  ceased  to 
rule.''  Two  tombs  only  outside  Jerusalem,  rifled 
perchance  long  since,  and  clean  forgotten  now  : 
l3ut  over  how  many  Ananiases  and  Sapphiras 
hangs  the  unexecuted  sentence?  God  grant 
us  repentance  to  the  acknowledging  of  our 
sins,  and  fill  our  hearts  with  the  Spirit  of  reve- 
rence, truthfulness,  and  godly  fear,  lest  anotiier 
spirit  fill  us  with  lies,  with  greed,  with  vain- 
glory, and  with  presumptuous  impiety  ! 


DEMAS. 

I.  His  Apostasy. 

I       It  was  peculiarly  heinous  from  his  previous 
high  spiritual  position. 

[  1 9372]  Once  he  was  not  only  a  church  member, 
but  he  was  accounted  as  no  ordinary  man  among 
his  brethren.  Twice  in  the  friendly  salutations 
with  which  St.  Paul  usually  closes  his  Epistles 
he  mentions  Demas  with  honour.  In  one  of 
these  he  calls  him  a  "fellow-labourer  in  the 
gospel  "  (Philemon  v.  24)  ;  and  in  the  other, 
having  spoken  of  Demas  in  the  same  kindly 
terms  as  he  did  of  St.  Luke  (Col.  iv.  14),  he 
gives  to  another  minister  a  solemn  warning  on 
account  of  his  slackness  in  duty  ;  leaving  the 
conclusion  a  very  natural  one,  that  the  apostle 
saw  no  occasion  for  such  an  admonition  in  the 
case  of  Demas.  Two  years  later  St.  Paul  wrote, 
in  sorrow  of  heart,  to  St.  Timothy,  the  youthful 
bishop  of  Ephesus  :  "  Do  thy  diligence  to  come 
shortly  unto  me  ;  for  Demas  hath  forsaken  me, 
having  loved  this  present  world." — J.  Norton. 


19373— 19377] 


K£IF   TESTAMENT  SCKIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


fDEMAS. 


[19373]  Had  the  apostle's  mournful  tidings 
been  only  these,  that  Deinas  was  not  as  zealous 
and  devoted  as  he  had  been,  or  that  he  had 
grievously  erred  in  some  points  of  duty,  there 
would  have  been  no  special  occasion  for  sur- 
prise. How  many  pages  in  the  lives  of  the  best 
of  men  are  blotted  and  blurred,  with  the  mortify- 
ing evidences  of  their  failings  and  infirmities  ! 
The  case  of  Demas  was  far  worse  than  this. 
He  had  actually  forsaken  St.  Paul  in  his  utmost 
extremity ;  forsaken  him  when  shut  up  in  a 
dungeon  and  awaiting  the  hour  of  his  martyr- 
dom, he  most  needed  sympathy  and  succour. 
Nor  was  this  all.  In  forsaking  this  devoted 
servant  of  God  Demas  had  also  forsaken  his 
Lord  and  Master. — Idid. 

[ 1 9374]  Happy  for  Demas  had  his  sun  gone 
down  at  noon  !  Over  one  who  had  been  his 
friend,  companion,  fellow-labourer,  with  whom 
he  had  often  taken  sweet  counsel,  Paul  lived  to 
weep  ;  and  to  write  this  epitaph  for  his  un- 
honoured  grave,  Demas  hath  forsaken  me, 
having  loved  this  present  world  ;  a  sentence 
that,  like  the  scorpion,  carries  its  sting  in  its 
tail, — "  having  loved  this  present  world."  Look 
at  him  !  Ovid  has  fancied  no  metamorphosis 
more  strange  or  horrible.  The  opposite  of 
Paul,  who  fell  a  persecutor  and  rose  an  apostle, 
Demas,  once  an  apostle,  has  changed  into  an 
apostate  ;  once  a  martyr,  now  a  renegade  ;  a 
brave  soldier  once,  now  a  base  deserter ;  a 
traitor  now ;  his  arms  raised  to  pull  down 
the  pillars  of  a  church  they  had  helped  to  build. 
May  we  not  cry  with  the  prophet,  "  How  art 
thou  fallen  from  heaven,  O  Lucifer,  son  of  the 
morning  !  "  Scripture  is  silent  on  this  man's 
future  course  ;  the  curtain  falls  where  we  see 
him  as  a  dishonoured  knight,  with  the  spurs  he 
had  won  hacked  from  his  heels — as  a  deserter, 
with  the  facings  plucked  from  his  dress,  and 
drummed  out  of  the  regiment.  But  if  ancient 
tradition  speaks  truth,  Demas,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, went  from  bad  to  worse,  sank  lower  and 
lower,  from  one  depth  of  wickedness  to  another, 
till  he  closed  his  infamous  career  as  the  priest 
of  a  heathen  temple — oftering  sacrifices  to  dead 
stocks  and  stones. — Rev.  T.  Guthrie,  D.D. 


2       It  was  caused  by  love  of  the  world. 

[19375]  He  loved  the  world  ;  and  what  has  it 
brought  him  to  ?  what  is  that  world  to  him  now, 
for  which  he  denied  his  Saviour  and  forsook 
his  servants  .''  what  now  profits  him  a  world, 
for  which  he  bartered  his  immortal  soul  ?  He 
was  a  preacher  ;  nor  the  last  who  has  turned 
back  in  the  day  of  battle,  and  abandoned  his 
principles  when  they  had  to  be  suftered  for. 
He  had  been  a  preacher,  perhaps  an  eloquent 
one  ;  but  he  never  preached  a  sermon  such  as 
he  preaches  now— himself  the  sermon,  and  these 
words  his  text,  "  Love  not  the  world,  neither  the 
things  that  are  in  the  world.  If  any  man  love 
the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him." 
—Ibid. 


II.  An  Historical  Parallel  to  Dem.\s. 

[19376]  It  is  recorded  of  the  king  of  Na- 
varre, then  claiming  to  be  a  good  Protestant, 
that  being  urged  by  Bcza  to  behave  himself  in 
a  more  manly  way  for  the  cause  of  God,  he 
made  answer,  that  he  was  "really  the  friend  of 
the  reformers,  but  that  he  was  resolved  to  put 
out  no  further  to  sea  than  he  might  get  safely 
back  to  shore  in  case  a  storm  should  unex- 
pectedly arise."  In  other  words,  he  would  not 
hazard  his  hopes  of  the  crown  of  P" ranee  for  the 
sake  of  his  religion.  You  know  the  sequel  of 
his  story.  Like  Demas,  he  loved  "  this  present 
world"  better  than  he  loved  God.  He  proved 
a  traitor  to  his  religion,  and  bartered  his 
heavenly  crown  for  a  fading  one  of  earth.  The 
world  promises  comforts,  and  pays  its  votaries 
in  sorrows.  No  one  can  serve  two  masters. 
Demas  made  the  experiment,  and  failed. — 
J.  Norton. 


III.    HOMILETICAL   SUGGESTIOXS. 

The  apostasy  of  Demas  suggests  the  necessity 
of  keeping  the  heart  with  all  dihgence 
against  the  persecutions  and  fascinations 
of  the  world. 

[19377]  1^0  you  feel  at  ease,  considering  your- 
selves in  small  danger  of  suffering  such  persecu- 
tions as  led  to  the  fall  of  Demas  ?  It  may  be 
so  ;  but  let  me  warn  you  that  the  world  has 
trials  more  testing  and  severe  than  these.  Its 
smiles  are  to  be  dreaded,  perhaps,  more  than 
its  frowns,  its  subtle  sophistries  more  than  its 
sharpest  sword.  Let  its  love  but  once  get  into 
a  man's  heart,  and  it  has  a  tongue  to  persuade 
him  that  vice  is  virtue,  and  virtue  vice.  Look 
at  the  sentiments  of  such  as  make  a  profession 
of  religion,  and  yet  love  the  world — fearing  the 
Lord,  and  serving  their  own  gods.  According 
to  them,  a  stern  regard  to  duty,  integrity,  purity, 
is  preciseness,  and  the  holy  observance  of  God's 
day  is  Pharisaism  ;  on  the  other  hand,  con- 
formity to  the  fashions  and  practices  and  gaieties 
of  the  world  is  not  being  "righteous  overmuch  : " 
a  godless  indifference  to  religious  matters  is 
charity  and  catholicity ;  looseness  of  principle 
is  liberality,  and  freedom  from  the  trammels  of 
sectarianism  ;  flattery  and  fawning  are  polite- 
ness, or,  to  profane  the  Scripture  expression, 
are  to  be  courteous  ;  low  cunning  is  caution  ; 
cowardice  in  the  cause  of  God  and  truth  is 
prudence  ;  treachery  to  public  principle  is  a 
wise  regard  to  our  own  interests  ;  dishonesty 
and  fraud  are  cleverness  in  business  ;  murder  is 
an  affair  of  honour,  and  seduction  one  of  gal- 
lantry ;  hoarding  money  is  carefulness  ;  and  the 
avarice  that  eats  like  a  cancer  into  the  heart, 
destroying  alike  the  love  of  God  and  the  love  of 
man,  is  such  frugality  as  Christ  commended, 
and,  indeed, commanded,  when  He  said,  "Gather 
up  the  fragments  that  remain,  that  nothing  be 
lost."  And  then,  when  the  love  of  the  world  has 
entered  our  hearts,  the  devil,  clothed  like  an 
angel  of  light,  walks  in  at  its  back. — Rev.  T. 
Guthrie,  D.D. 


5i6 

19378— 19382] 


NEW  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[SIMON  MAGUS. 


[19378]  There  is  no  shadow  of  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  Demas  had  not  devoted  himself  at 
the  outset  in  downright  sincerity  and  earnest- 
ness to  God's  service  ;  but  his  weakness  was 
such  as  might  prove  the  ruin  of  any  one  who 
does  not  keep  every  avenue  to  his  heart  dili- 
gently guarded,  lest  an  inordinate  love  of  tem- 
poral things  force  an  entrance  there.— y.  Norton. 


SIMON  MAGUS. 

I.  His  Sin. 

['9379]  After  a  time  two  of  the  apostles  came 
to  Samaria,  and,  laying  their  hands  on  Philip's 
converts,  imparted  to  them  larger  influences  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  to  some  of  them  the  power 
of  working  miracles.  This  brought  Simon's 
excitement  to  its  height.  He  had  looked  on 
Philip's  works  with  wonder,  and  probably  wished 
to  buy  the  secret  of  performing  them  from  him, 
but  perhaps  was  deterred  by  the  sanctity  of  the 
man.  But  when  he  saw  that  the  apostles  could 
give  to  others,  by  a  mere  touch,  the  power  of 
healing  the  sick  and  of  speaking  in  other  lan- 
guages, he  could  refrain  himself  no  longer.  Oh, 
if  he  had  but  that  power,  and  could  travel  through 
the  earth  with  it,  what  honours  he  would  receive, 
■what  wealth  he  would  gather  !  Money  could 
draw  anything  from  himself,  and  he  doubted  not 
its  power  with  others.  True,  these  strange 
beings  the  apostles  did  not  seem  so  much  in 
love  with  it  as  oidinary  men,  but  he  doubted 
not  that  they  loved  it  in  heart  ;  at  least  he  would 
try  them.  He  did  so,  and  met  with  such  a  re- 
buke as  must  have  deeply  mortified  him.  "  Thy 
money  perish  with  thee  !"  was  Peters  indignant 
reply  ;  which,  however,  is  not  to  be  understood 
as  a  wish  that  Simon  might  perish,  because 
Peter  immediately  after  exhorted  him  to  pray 
and  repent,  tliat  he  might  be  forgiven. — Re7/.  IV. 
Lezvz's,  D.D. 


II.  Traditional  Account  of  his  After 
History. 

[19380]  The  sorcerer  was  not  very  deeply 
affected  by  the  rebuke.  He  dreaded  only  the 
indignation  of  the  apostles,  and  lest  they  should 
turn  upon  him  their  miraculous  powers,  for  he 
prays  to  be  delivered  from  judgment,  not  from 
sin.  His  indignation  at  this  repulse  probably 
led  him  on  to  that  deadly  hostility  against 
Christianity  which  he  afterwards  manifested. 
He  travelled  into  many  provinces,  pretending  to 
work  miracles,  and  everywhere  opposing  the 
gospel,  into  which  he  had  been  baptized.  At 
length  he  came  to  Rome,  where  he  was  honoured 
as  a  god,  insomuch  that  the  Roman  senate 
decreed  a  statue  to  him  in  the  Isle  of  Tiber, 
with  the  inscription,  "To  Simon,  the  Holy  God." 
His  teachings  are  said  to  have  given  origin  to, 
or  greatly  supported  the   Gnostic   philosophy, 


which  long  opposed  and  afterwards  corrupted 
Christianity. — Ibid. 

III.    HOMILETICAL   REFLECTIONS. 

1  The  history  of  Simon  Magus  illustrates 
the  impossibility  of  excluding  unworthy 
members  from  the  visible  Church  of  Christ. 

[19381]  Philip  admitted  Simon  to  baptism 
when  he  probably  had  as  little  of  true  religion 
in  his  heart  as  any  one  who  ever  received  that 
sacrament.  Peter  and  John  probably  confirmed 
him,  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  and  that,  too, 
when  this  was  a  case  demanding  great  circum- 
spection ;  for  if  one  who  had  been  a  notorious 
evil-doer,  like  Simon,  should  ask  admission  now 
to  the  Church,  all  would  say  that  his  sincerity 
ought  to  be  well  proved  before  he  was  taken  in. 
Yet  the  apostles  admitted  him  into  the  Christian 
fold.  He  professed  to  be  a  convert ;  they  saw 
nothing  to  disprove  his  profession,  and  therefore 
they  gave  him  the  sacrament  of  baptism.  We 
may  conclude,  therefore,  from  this  scriptural 
example,  that  unless  we  set  up  a  higher  standard 
than  the  apostles,  we  are  bound  to  lean  largely 
to  the  side  of  charity,  in  our  admissions  to  sac- 
raments, to  take  men  upon  their  own  profession 
of  faith,  when  not  contradicted  by  an  open  evil 
life,  and  that,  if  we  gain  thereby  many  unworthy 
members,  it  is  an  evil  utterly  unavoidable. — 
Ibid. 

2  The  history  of  Simon  Magus  suggests  the 
duty  of  one  who  ascertains  that  he  has  been 
mistaken  in  supposing  himself  a  Christian. 

[19382]  Simon  was  deeply  convinced  for  a 
time  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  But  his  heart 
was  unchanged.  There  was  the  same  love  of 
applause,  the  same  eager  desire  for  riches,  as 
before  his  baptism.  He  soon  showed  that  he 
was  the  old  sorcerer  still,  and  returned  with  ten- 
fold zeal  to  his  former  evil  ways  ;  baptized,  yet 
an  unbeliever— confirmed,  yet  an  opposer.  Now 
we  have  reason  to  fear,  nay,  we  know,  from 
confessions  of  individuals,  that  this  is  too  true 
a  pattern  of  some  cases  in  our  own  days.  Under 
solemn  preaching,  or  the  trials  of  life,  some  good 
feelings  have  been  excited,  and  under  their  im- 
pression men  have  gone  forward  and  made  a 
public  profession  of  religion,  but  afterward 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  had  no  true 
piety.  This  is  a  most  painful  position.  Some, 
when  they  reach  it,  withdraw  at  once  from  all 
participation  in  sacraments  ;  others  pursue  a 
different  course.  They  regret  that  they  have 
ever  made  the  profession,  yet  they  are  ashamed 
to  draw  back,  for  that  would  be  avowing  that  all 
their  pretensions  to  piety  were  a  delusion.  I 
pity  most  heartily  the  person,  who,  after  a  public 
avowal  of  Christ,  is  compelled  to  think  himself 
mistaken  in  his  hopes,  or  even  to  fear  that  he  is 
no  Christian.  What,  they  may  ask,  would  we 
advise  such  to  do  ?  What,  we  reply,  would  they 
do,  if,  in  escaping  from  shipwreck,  they  fancied 
they  had  reached  a  rock  which  the  tide  or  waves 
would  not  cover,  and  yet  soon  saw  their  mistake  ? 


19382— 19384] 


JS/EVV   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


517 


[ff.lix. 


Would  they  turn  to  the  broad  ocean  again  ? 
would  they  stand  still  and  be  drowned  ?  or  would 
they  make  for  a  higher  rock^  where  not  a  drop 
of  the  ocean's  spray  could  touch  them?  If  you 
are  not  in  Christ,  oh,  professing  Christian,  stand 
not  there,  and  turn  not  back,  but  pray  with 
David,  "  Lead  me  to  the  rock  that  is  higher  than 
I,"  and  rest  not  till  you  do  rest  on  Christ.  Such 
was  Peter's  counsel  to  Simon.  He  did  not 
advise  him  to  withdraw  from  the  company  of 
Christians,  though  he  perceived  that  he  was  in 
the  gall  of  bitterness  and  the  bond  of  iniquity, 
but  to  repent  and  pray  to  be  forgiven.  There 
is  but  one  safe  course,  and  that  is  to  go  forward. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  you  ought  to  stay  away 
from  a  single  sacramental  season,  unless  you 
have  fallen  into  some  gross  outward  sin  ;  but 
you  should  rather  do  as  Tertullus  did,  when  he 
discovered  that  he  was  in  error,  learn  the  way 
of  God  more  perfectly,  make  your  fears  ground- 
less by  attaining  true  piety.  If  your  public 
profession  was  premature,  do  not  feel  that  you 
have  committed  an  unpardonable  sin,  for  even 
Simon's  might  have  been  forgiven,  but  seek  to 
make  your  confession  of  Christ  henceforth  sin- 
cere and  faithful. — Jdid. 


FELIX. 

I.  His  Character. 

[19383]  The  character  of  this  governor,  as 
drawn  by  Tacitus,  Suetonius,  and  Josephus,  as 
well  as  by  Luke  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  (for 
they  all  coincide  in  the  description)  was  this  : — 
He  was  a  man  of  great  energy,  ambition,  and 
power.  He  was  admirable  in  some  respects  as 
a  civil  ruler,  for  he  did  much  to  put  down  dis- 
order and  anarchy  in  Jud;ca,  and  to  maintain 
authority  and  law.  But  he  was  a  man  unprin- 
cipled in  the  manner  in  which  he  accomplished 
his  objects  ;  ready  alike  for  his  personal  ambi- 
tion, and  in  his  civil  rule,  to  employ  any  agents, 
and  to  make  use  of  any  means  to  secure  his 
end— bribery,  corruption,  falsehood,  assassina- 
tion, or  any  form  of  cruelty.  He  was  a  sensualist, 
a  profl  gate,  a  libertine.  He  was  venal  and 
mean  ; — a  man  willing  to  be  bribed,  and  covet- 
ing a  bribe.  He  was  timid  and  fearful,  knowing 
that  he  was  living  in  guilt,  and  that  he  had  rea- 
son to  apprehend  the  Divine  vergoance.  He 
was  not  insensible  to  the  rebukes  ot  conscience. 
He  trembled  at  the  preaching  of  Paul,  yet  was 
unwilling  to  repent.  He  was  regardless  of  jus- 
tice, for  though  evidently  satisfied  of  the  inno- 
cence of  Paul,  he  unjustly  rt  tained  him  in  prison. 
He  had  no  love  for  religion,  no  respect  for 
Christianity,  no  purpose  to  al;andon  his  sins  ; 
yet,  though  he  despised  Christianity,  and  though 
he  was  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  the  judgment 
to  come,  so  superior  to  all  these  considerations 
was  his  love  of  gold,  that  he  was  willing  to  hear 
Paulj  and  to  send  for  him  often,  with  the  hope 


that  ultimately  a  bribe  would  be  offered  by  him 
to  secure  his  release. — Albert  Barnes. 


11.  His  Convictions. 
They  never  resulted  in  conversion. 

[19384]  He  was  conscious  that  he  was  guilty, 
that  his  life  had  been  stained  by  knavery  and 
blood,  by  cruelty  and  profligacy,  by  practices,  at 
some  of  which  humanity  blushes,  and  others  of 
which  it  scorns  and  reprobates.  He  felt  that 
he  would  be  loathed  and  execrated  if  men  knew 
all  of  him,  and  what  then  should  he  answer  be- 
fore God.''  The  prospect  of  being  judged — in- 
spected by  an  Omniscient  eye  from  which  no 
veil  could  screen,  and  judged  by  an  impartial 
Arbiter  whom  no  pretext  could  deceive — filled 
him  with  alarm.  The  scene  impressed  him,  he 
partially  realized  it,  felt  himself  in  tiie  presence 
and  under  the  glance  of  the  Searcher  of  hearts, 
and  he  trembled — becoming  afraid  or  seized  with 
a  panic  ;  and  he  replied,  "Go  thy  way  for  this 
time."  If  he  was  anxious  to  hear  him  begin,  he 
was  as  anxious  that  he  should  close.  He  could 
not  bear  th's  dissection  of  his  character  and 
motives  — this  allusion  to  a  coming  judgment. 
He  was  wholly  unprepared  for  such  an  appeal, 
for  he  was  but  an  illiterate  and  sceptical  liber- 
tine, and  his  shallow  nature  vibrated  with  the 
impulse  of  the  moment.  Like  many  men  of 
sensual  depravity,  he  was  far  from  being  pleased 
with  himself.  Amidst  all  his  success  and  splen- 
dour, twinges  of  uneasiness  may  have  often 
shaken  his  conscience— the  fate  of  many  dash- 
ing profligates — 

"  As  a  beam  o'er  the  face  of  the  waters  may 
glow. 

While  the  tide  runs  in  darkness  and  cold- 
ness below. 

So  the  cheek  may  be  tinged  with  a  warm 
sunny  smile. 

Though  the  cold  heart  to  ruin  runs  darkly  the 
while." 

But  the  impression  made  upon  Felix  was  soon 
charmed  away.  Depart,  said  he  to  the  prisoner, 
but  in  courtesy  he  added—"  When  I  have  a  con- 
venient season,  I  will  call  for  thee  " — literally, 
when  I  have  got  time  or  opportunity.  That 
opportunity  came  often,  and  he  and  Paul  had 
many  a  cello quy.  But  there  was  a  sordid  motive 
mixed  up  with  his  conduct.  At  the  very  time 
he  was  so  solemnized  as  to  make  this  reply,  he 
formed  the  resolution  of  securing  a  bribe  if 
possible—"  He  hoped  also  that  money  should 
have  been  given  him  of  Paul,  that  he  might 
loise  him:  wherefore  he  sent  for  him  the 
oftener,  and  communed  with  him  "  Avarice 
put  on  the  guise  of  an  anxious  inquirer,  took  an 
interest  in  the  prisoner  to  make  money  out  of 
him,  and  hoped  to  be  well  paid  for  all  the  com- 
muning which  it  held  with  him.  Felix  would  risk 
another  discourse  on  righteousness,  temperance, 
and  judgment  to  come,  and  even  submit  to  the 
alarm  produced  by  it,  if  he  might  win  compen- 


5i8 

19384— 19389] 


NEIV  TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


[festus. 


sation    in    a    few    shekels    and    talents. — Dr. 
Eadie. 

[19385]  He  succeeded  in  driving  away  his 
convictions.  He  so  disciplined  himself,  prob- 
ably, as  to  hear  what  the  apostle  said  without 
trembling  ;  and  he  continued  to  live  in  sin,  even 
when  subject  to  the  rebukes  of  conscience,  and 
with  the  apprehension  of  judgment  before  him. 
He  loved  geld  more  than  he  feared  the  com- 
punctions of  guilt  and  the  wrath  of  God.  He 
was  a  man  who  sought  to  postpone  present 
attention  to  religion,  not  with  an  intention  of 
attending  to  it  afterwards,  but  to  make  a  pro- 
fessed interest  in  it  an  occasion  for  serving  his 
own  covetousness. — Albert  Barnes. 


III.   Contrast  between  Felix  and  the 
Jailer  of  Philippl 

[19386]  The   conduct    of  Felix   will   be   our 
guide   in    illustrating  this  point.      He  "  trem- 
bled,"  but   he   did   not   yield.      The  jailer   at 
Philippi  "trembled,"  and   yielded;    fell    down 
before  Paul  and  S  las,  his  prisoners,  and  brought 
them  out,  and   s.iid,  "  Sirs,  what  must  I   do  to 
be   saved .''  "  (Acts  xvi.  29,   30.)     He   acted  as 
God  meant  that  men  should  act  ;  and  he  was 
true,  in  this  respect,  to  the  rauire  with  which 
God  had  endowed  him.     But  Felix  "  trembled," 
and  then  said,  "  Go  thy  way  for  this  time  ;  when 
I  have  a  convenient  season,  I  will  call  for  thee.'' 
He  resisted  his  nature  ;  he  violated  a  great  law 
of  his  being,  and  perilled  his  everlasting  wel- 
fare.    The  jailer,  in  humbler  life — perhaps  not 
living  in  any  known  form  of  sin — and   having 
n  )thing   as   derived   from    rank,    position,   and 
associations,  to  prevent  his  acting  out  the  inward 
promptings  of  his  nature,  yielded  to  his  convic- 
tions, and  was  saved  ;  Felix,  living    in  known 
sin,  bound  and  fettered  by  a  guilty  tie — in  a 
position  in  which  a  confession  of  guilt  might 
have  exposed  him  to  the  ridicule  of  those  in  ele- 
vated life,  or  to  a  loss  of  place  and  position — 
refused  to  yield  to  the  suggestions  of  conscience, 
and  sought  relief  from  present  alarm  by  deferring 
all  to  a  future  time.     He  banished  his  serious 
impressions ;   he  calmed   down   the   apprehen- 
sions  of  guilt  ;    he  put  himself   on   his   guard 
against  any  danger  of   being  overcome  in  the 
future   bvj  suth  sudden  and   unexpected  emo- 
tions ;  and,  as  far  as  we  know,  gained  the  victory 
over  the  finer  feelings  of  his  nature, — and  lost 
his  soul. — Ibid. 

IV.  Homiletical  Reflections. 

The  attitude  of  Felix  with  regard  to  the 
matter  of  Paul's  preaching  suggests  that 
the  "convenient  season"  once  deferred 
may  never  recur. 

[19387]  I  do  not  say  that  time  is  never  found 
to  attend  to  religion,  or  that  the  purpose  to 
attend  to  it  is  never  carried  out.  Felix  found 
time  to  consider  the  subject,  for  he  "  sent  ior 
Paul  often  " — the  oftener  because  he  hoped  that 


a  bribe  would  be  offered — "  and  communed  with 
him."  It  is  not  for  us  to  say  that  a  man  who  has 
neglected  a  present  opportunity  of  salvation,  and 
postponed  it  when  his  mind  had  been  awakened 
to  the  subject,  will  never  have  another  serious 
thought,  and  that  he  certainly  seals  his  own  con- 
demnation for  ever.  I  do  not  say  that  a  man, 
thus  disregarding  the  present,  never  is,  or  can 
be  saved.  Not  thus  do  I  understand  the  ar- 
rangements of  God  in  regard  to  the  salvation  of 
men.  But  that  it  may  be  the  last  opportunity, 
no  one  can  doubt ;  for  death  may  be  near.  That 
a  man  will  be  less  likely  to  be  aroused  and 
awakened  at  another  time,  as  the  result  of  hav- 
ing refused  to  yield,  no  one  can  doubt  ;  for  this 
is  in  accordance  with  a  great  law  of  our  nature. 
That  it  does  not,  in  all  1  expects,  depend  on  our 
own  will  when  the  mind  shall  be  serious — when 
it  shall  be  disposed  to  attend  to  the  subject — 
when  it  shall  find  leisure — is  equally  clear.  That 
it  may  not  be  as  easy  to  attend  to  the  subject 
on  a  bed  of  sickness,  or  on  the  approach  of 
death,  as  in  health,  and  when  the  mind  is  calm, 
is  no  less  p'ain.  That  when  a  man  who  has 
been  convinced  of  his  sin,  has  secured  such  a 
triumph  as  to  say  to  the  heavenly  Messenger, 
"  Go  thy  way  for  this  time,"  the  heavenly  Mes- 
senger may  not  take  a  final  departure,  and  that 
sucti  a  man  may  not  by  that  act  determine  tiie 
destiny  of  his  soul  for  ever,  no  man  can  deny. 
This  hour — this  very  moment — you  may  so 
resolve  to  reject  the  invitation  of  mercy,  as  to 
settle  the  question  of  your  salvation  for  ever 
and  ever.  To-morrow — nay,  the  next  moment 
of  your  life — you  may  be  beyond  hope  ! — Ibid. 


FESTUS. 

I.  His  General  Character. 

It  was  marked   by  justice   and   a   firm   impar- 
tiality. 

[19388]  That  character  was  strongly  marked. 
When  Felix,  his  predecessor,  had  been  removed 
from  office  on  charges  of  maladministration, 
Festus  had  been  appointed  to  succeed  him  for 
two  reasons  :  because  he  was  a  more  just, 
honourable,  pure,  and  incoiruptible  man  ;  and 
because  he  would  be  more  likely  to  be  popular 
among  the  Jews.  His  general  character,  as 
honourable  and  upright,  was  evinced,  in  accor- 
dance with  his  general  reputation,  in  the  trans- 
actions which  came  so  early  under  his  notice 
in  the  case  of  the  Apostle  Paul. — Albert  Barnes. 

[19389]  He  was  firm  in  his  purpose  not  to 
grant  the  request  of  the  Jews  in  regard  to 
the  removal  of  Paul  to  Jerusalem.  It  was 
a  simple  request,  and  it  seemed  to  involve 
nothing  improper  or  wrong.  But  his  answer  was 
every  way  becoming  one  who  represented  the 
majesty  of  the  Roman  law.  Paul,  he  said,  was 
in  safe  custody,  and  would  not  be  sufteiei  to 


19389—19395! 


NEjy   TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


5^9 

[AGRIPI'A. 


escape.  He  himself  would  shortly  return  to 
CjEsarea,  when  the  utmost  fairness  should  be 
allowed  to  the  trial.  He  stated  to  them  at 
that  time,  as  he  afterwards  informed  Aj^rippa 
(ver.  16),  that  it  was  a  f^reat  principle  of  Roman 
law,  that  no  man  shcnilcl  be  condemned  to  death 
before  he  had  his  "  accusers  face  to  face  ; "  but 
any  persons  among  the  Jews  who  were  "able  " 
to  manage  the  cause,  should  (he  said)  have 
ample  opportunity  to  substantiate  the  charges 
against  the  prisoner  (ver.  5). — Jdid. 

[19390]  His  promptness  in  bringing  the  case 
of  Paul  to  a  trial,  with  no  unnecessary  delay, 
was  an  indication  of  his  justness  of  character, 
and  was  remarkably  in  contrast  with  the  conduct 
of  his  predecessor.  Felix  had,  with  most  mani- 
fest injustice,  kept  Paul  as  a  prisoner  for  two 
whole  years,  with  the  hope  that  he  might  secure 
from  him  a  bribe  ;  Festus  promised  to  try  the 
cause  himself,  and  to  make  it  his  first  business 
after  his  return  to  Cassarea.  In  the  course  of 
eight  or  ten  days  (Acts  xxv.  6,  margin),  he  went 
thither,  and  the  very  day  after  his  return  he 
took  his  seat  on  the  bench  of  justice,  and  com- 
manded that  Paul  should  be  brought  before 
him.  Nothing  could  be  more  fair  and  honour- 
able than  this  disposition  to  render  speedy 
justice  to  one  who  had  been  so  long  kept  in 
custody. — Ibid. 

[ 1 9391]  The  noble  sentiment  which  Festus 
uttered  in  stating  a  great  principle  of  Roman 
law  showed  what  was  the  character  of  the  man. 
That  principle  was,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
that  no  man  should  be  condemned  to  death 
"  before  that  he  which  is  accused  should  have 
the  accusers  face  to  face,  and  have  licence  to 
answer  for  himself  concerning  the  crime  laid 
against  him."  No  principle  is  more  essential  in 
the  administration  of  justice  than  this  ;  none  has 
gone  more  deeply  into  the  defence  of  the  rights 
of  man.  The  trials  in  the  Inquisition  and  in 
the  Star-chamber  derived  their  enormity  mainly 
from  a  violation  of  this  principle  ;  and  the  chief 
progress  which  society  has  made  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice  has  consisted  in  little  more 
than  in  securing,  by  proper  sanctions  and  pro- 
visions, the  law  here  enunciated  by  Festus. — 
Jbid. 

[19392]  In  him  we  have  the  example  of  a  man 
upright  and  honourable;  just,  true,  firm,  faithful 
to  the  obligations  of  his  ol^ce  ;  prompt  to  do 
what  was  his  duty,  and  not  to  be  turned,  by  any 
personal  considerations,  from  a  purpose  to  do 
ug\\i.—Ibid. 

II.  His  Attitude  with  Regard  to  Chris- 
tianity. 

It  was  that  of  personal  indifference. 

[19393]  It  is  here  that  we  meet  him  in  his 
contact  with  Christianity,  and  it  is  in  this  respect 
that  his  views  and  feelings  become  so  importani 
to  us.  We  find  these  expressed  in  the  account 
which  he  gave  of  the  matter  to  Agrippa  :  "  They 


brought  none  accusation  of  such  things  as  I 
supposed  ;  but  had  certain  questions  against 
him  of  their  own  superstition,  and  of  one  Jesus, 
which  was  dead,  whom  Paul  affirmed  to  be 
alive."  The  feelings  of  Festus  are  indicated 
rather  by  the  expression  that  it  was  "their 
own  " — 7rf<)i  n7r  icKir  : — that  is,  that  it  pertained 
to  them,  to  their  nation ; — not  to  him,  not  to  his 
nation.  The  dispute  was  about  their  own  reli- 
gion. It  was  to  be  settled  by  themselves.  It 
was  a  matter  in  which  he  had  no  concern.  It 
did  not  pertain  to  him  either  as  a  man  or  as  a 
magistrate.  He  regarded  all  the  controversies 
which  they  had  started  among  themselves  about 
the  death  and  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  as  he 
would  have  regarded  the  controversies  of  the 
Greeks,  the  Persians,  the  Babylonians,  or  the 
Egyptians,  about  the  religion  of  their  own  country. 
Those  subjects  of  controversy  might  seem  im- 
portant to  them  ;  they  were  none  of  his. — Ibid. 

III.    HOMILETICAL    HiNTS. 

Festus  is  the  representative  of  religious  indif- 
ferentism. 

[19394]  Festus  is  a  representative  of  a  very 
large  and  a  very  respectable  portion  of  mankind. 
They  are  men  who  would  not  revile  religion,  or 
speak  of  it  with  contempt.  If  they  have  no  per- 
sonal interest  in  it,  they  are  willing  that  others 
should  discuss  its  questions  freely  among  them- 
selves. They  would  not  disturb  others  in  the 
quiet  enjoyment  of  their  own  opinions,  or  of 
their  rights  in  religion  ;  and,  in  numerous  cases, 
their  disposition  to  show  respect  for  religion  is 
increased  by  the  fact  that  it  is  the  religion  of  a 
friend,  a  father,  a  wife,  a  sister.  Yet  they  re- 
gard the  subject  as  not  pertaining  to  them- 
selves. They  do  not  intermeddle  with  it,  nor 
would  they  interfere  with  it.  The  questions 
which  are  raised  among  Christians,  and  which 
are  discussed  with  so  much  warmth,  or  it  may 
be  with  so  much  acerbity,  they  do  not  regard 
themselves  as  required  to  solve.  Their  own 
purpose  is  to  lead  an  upright,  an  honest,  a 
moral  life  ;  to  do  justice  to  all ;  to  settle  questions 
which  do  pertain  to  themselves  as  magistrates, 
as  business  men,  as  patriots,  and  as  philanthro- 
pists. Our  difficulty  in  dealing  with  such  is  in 
persuading  them  at  all  to  regard  the  subjects 
connected  with  religion  as  having  .iny  personal 
claim  on  them,  and  in  inducing  them  to  change 
their  position  so  far,  as,  instead  of  "questions 
of  their  own,"  to  say  "  questions  of  our  own." — 
Ibid. 


AGE  IF  PA. 

I.  Introductory. 
His  descent  and  personal  character. 

[19395]  "King  Agrippa,"  as  ht.  Luke  calls 
him,  is  known  as  Herod  Ayrippa  the  Second 
in  profane  history.     It  was  no  good  slock  of 


520 

1 9395— 19399] 


2VEIV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHRISTIAN    ERA. 


[AGRIPPA. 


which  he  came.  He  was  son  of  another 
Herod  Agrippa,  who  is  branded  in  the  history 
of  the  Acts  as  the  murderer  of  James  the 
Apostle,  and  who  was  only  defeated  by  the 
interposition  of  an  angel  in  his  purpose  of  killing 
Peter  also  ;  of  that  Herod  Agrippa  who  perished 
so  miserably,  being  smitten  of  God  in  the  hour 
of  his  blasphemous  pride.  Nor  was  this  all. 
He  was  descended  from  a  mightier  criminal 
yet  ;  he  was  great-grandson  of  that  first  Herod 
who  slew  all  the  young  children  at  Bethlehem, 
trusting  to  include  in  that  slaughter  the  royal 
Child,  to  whom  the  throne  which  he  occupied 
as  an  intruder  and  usurper  rightfully  belonged. 
There  was  blood  enough  of  God's  saints  and 
servants  on  that  wicked  Herodian  race  ;  and,  to 
do  this  Herod  justice,  there  is  no  desire  upon 
his  part  to  shed  more  of  this  precious  blood,  or 
to  curry  favour  with  the  Jewish  people,  by  de- 
livering Paul,  as  his  father  would  fain  have 
delivered  Peter,  to  their  will.  Had  he  been 
such  a  cruel  persecutor,  breathing  out  rage  and 
threatenings  against  the  followers  of  Christ,  his 
story  would  not  have  contained  half,  no,  nor  a 
hundredth  part  of  the  warning  for  us  which  it 
does  contain.  It  might  hardly  have  touched  us 
at  all. — Abp.  Trench. 

II.  His  Hesitating  Admission. 
Probable  reasons  for  its  want  of  decision. 

[19396]  Agrippa,  as  we  know  from  the  facts 
of  history,  although  he  possessed  excellent 
qualities,  such  as  gentleness,  a  peaceful  cha- 
racter, and  a  beneficent  spirit,  was  influenced 
by  the  opinion  of  men  to  such  an  extent  that, 
rather  than  offend  the  Emperor  of  Rome,  whose 
creature  he  was,  he  suffered  himself  to  take  up 
arms  against  his  compatriots  ;  and  he  feared, 
without  doubt,  that  if  he  should  become  a 
Christian,  he  would  lose  the  favour  of  a  man 
whom  he  hated.  Agrippa  loved  the  world,  and 
the  vanities  of  the  world,  for  the  Jews  report  of 
him  that  he  wept  bitterly  at  a  time  when  he  be- 
lieved himself  excluded  from  the  crown  ;  and 
we  see  by  that  which  is  said  to  us  by  St.  Luke, 
of  his  entrance  into  the  judgment-hallat  Ctesarea, 
that  pomp  and  magnificence  had  great  attrac- 
tions for  him.  Doubtless,  therefore,  the  power- 
ful discourse  of  the  confessor  of  Christ  made 
him  foresee  that,  in  becoming  a  disciple  of  Jesus, 
he  would  be  obliged  to  renounce,  if  not  his 
throne,  at  least  the  love  of  vainglory  to  which 
he  was  attached.  In  short,  Agrippa,  to  whom 
no  one  can  deny,  as  we  have  said,  certain  good 
qualities,  was  the  slave  of  his  passions,  and  had 
entered  into  an  illicit  connection  with  Berenice, 
his  sister  ;  and,  to  embrace  the  Christian  faith, 
it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to  break  off  these 
criminal  ties,  and  to  crucify  the  flesh  with  its 
lusts.  Thus,  the  fear  of  ridicule  or  the  yoke  of 
the  opinion  of  men,  and  the  love  of  the  world 
and  its  vanities,  and  the  slavery  of  the  passions, 
are  the  three  great  causes  which  keep  back 
from  Christianity  many  persons  who  are  per- 
suaded, up  to  a  certain  point,  of  its  divinity, 


and  who  might  be  supposed  on  the  threshold  of 
the  edifice  of  faith,  but  who  have  for  it  in  the 
depths  of  their  heart  only  repugnance  andenmity. 
— Dr.  Grandpierre, 

III.  His  Consequent  Gains  and  Losses. 

[19397]  His  gains,  what  were  they?  For  a 
few  years  more  he  kept  the  glories  to  which  he 
clung,  he  played  his  part  of  king  on  the  world's 
stage,  and  men  bowed  to  him  the  crooked 
hinges  of  the  knee,  and  paid  him  lip-homage, 
and  he  sat  in  the  chief  place  of  honour  at 
wearisome  feasts,  and  was  the  principal  figuie 
m  hollow  court  ceremonials  and  empty  pageants 
of  state  ;  and  then  the  play  was  over,  and  his 
little  day  was  done,  and  darkness  and  night  swal- 
lowed up  all,  and  he  carried  nothing  away  with 
him  when  hedied(except,indeed,hissins), neither 
did  his  pomp  follow  him.  His  gains  then,  they 
were  not  after  all  so  very  large,  and,  such  as  they 
were,  they  did  not  tarry  with  him  long.  But  his 
losses,  or  rather  his  loss  ?  It  may  not  seem  so 
much,  seeing  that  it  can  be  summed  up  in  a 
single  word,  and  yet  that  word  a  word  of  awful 
significance.  What  did  he  lose  ?  He  lost  him- 
self. Christ  has  demanded,  "What  shall  a  man 
profit  if  he  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his 
own  soul.''  "  Agrippa  had  not  gained  the  whole 
world — only  a  miserable  little  fragment  of  it  ; 
and  this  but  for  a  moment,  for  a  little  inch  of 
time  ;  but  in  the  grasping  and  gaining  of  this 
he  had  made  that  terrible  loss  and  shipwreck 
of  which  Christ  speaks,  had  lost  himself;  in 
other  words,  had  lost  all. — Abp.  Trench. 

IV.  Homiletical  Hints. 

[19398]  Perhaps,  like  him,  thou  art  holden  by 
the  cords  of  some  sinful  passion.  Thou  canst 
not  bring  thyself  to  forego  the  sweetness"  of  it. 
It  seems  to  thee  that  if  that  were  taken  out  of 
thy  life,  the  life  which  remained  would  not  be 
worth  the  hving,  that  all  the  wine  would  be 
drawn,  and  nothing  but  the  lees  remain.  Or 
the  sin  may  not  be  sweet,  the  sweetness  of  it,  if 
it  ever  had  any,  may  have  departed  long  ago ; 
but  though  not  sweet,  it  may  be  strong,  binding 
thee  with  bands  which  thou  hast  no  courage  to 
break,  which  thou  knowest  thou  couldst  not 
break  without  a  far  mightier  effort  than  any 
which  thou  art  prepared  to  make. — Ibid. 

[19399]  A  few  years  hence,  and  it  will  be  with 
every  one  of  us,  as  it  was  with  King  Agrippa 
not  very  long  after  these  memorable  words  were 
uttered  ;  and  then  how  utterly  insignificant,  not 
merely  to  others,  but  to  ourselves,  it  will  be, 
vi'hether  we  were  here  in  high  place  or  in'  low, 
rich  or  poor,  talked  about  or  obscure,  whether 
we  trod  lonely  paths,  or  were  grouped  in  joyful 
households  of  love  ;  whether  our  faces  were 
oftener  soiled  with  tears  or  drest  in  smiles. 
But  for  us,  gathered  as  we  then  shall  be  within 
the  veil,  and  waiting  for  the  judgment  of  the 
great  day,  one  thing  shall  have   attained  an 


19399— 19404] 


N£IV   TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE   CHARACTERS. 
CHKISTIAN   ERA. 


[gallio. 


awful  sijijnificance,  shall  stand  out  alone,  as  the 
final  question,  the  only  surviving  question  of 
our  lives,  Were  we  a/most  Christ's  or  altoi^eihcr, 
in  other  words,  were  we  Christ's,  or  were  we 
not  ? — Ibid, 


GALLIO. 

I,  His  Character. 

In  its  degree  of  amiability  it    appears   unique 
amongst  the  characters  of  heathendom. 

[19400]  Very  different  was  the  estimate  of 
Gallio  by  his  contemporaries  from  the  mistaken 
one  which  has  made  his  name  proverbial  for 
indifferentism  in  the  Christian  world.  To  the 
friends  among  whom  he  habitually  moved  he 
was  the  most  genial,  the  most  lovable  of  men. 
The  brother  of  Seneca,  and  the  uncle  of  Lucan, 
he  was  the  most  universally  popular  member 
of  that  distinguished  family.  He  was  pre- 
eminently endowed  with  that  light  and  sweetness 
which  are  signs  of  the  utmost  refinement,  and 
"  the  sweet  Gallio  "  is  the  epithet  by  which  he 
alone  of  the  ancients  is  constantly  designated. 
"  No  mortal  man  is  so  sweet  to  any  single  person 
as  he  is  to  all  mankind,''  wrote  Seneca  of  him, 
"  even  those  who  love  my  brother  Gallio  to  the 
very  utmost  of  their  power,  yet  do  not  love 
enough,"  he  says  in  another  place.  He  was  the 
very  flower  of  pagan  courtesy  and  pagan  culture 
— a  Roman  with  all  a  Roman's  dignity  and 
seriousness,  and  yet  with  all  the  grace  and 
versatility  of  a  polished  Greek. — Archdeacon 
Farrar. 

II.  His  View  of  Christianity. 
It  was  that  of  supreme  indifference. 

[19401]  Gallio  dismissed  the  whole  scene  from 
his  mind  as  supremely  unimportant.  Had  he 
ever  thought  it  worth  alluding  to,  in  any  letter 
to  his  brother  Seneca,  it  would  have  been  in 
some  such  terms  as  these  : — "  I  had  scarcely 
arrived  when  the  Jews  tried  to  play  on  my 
inexperience  by  dragging  before  me  one  Paulus, 
who  seems  to  be  an  adherent  of  Christus,  or 
Chra^tus,  of  whom  we  heard  something  at  Rome. 
I  was  not  going  to  be  troubled  with  their  malefic 
superstitions,  and  ordered  them  to  be  turned 
out.  The  Greeks,  accordingly,  who  were  favour- 
able to  Paulus,  beat  one  of  the  Jews  in  revenge 
for  their  malice.  You  would  have  smiled,  if 
you  had  been  present,  at  these  follies  of  the 
ttirbaforetisis.     Sed  haec  hactetius" — Ibid. 

III.    HOMILETICAL   HiNTS. 

I  •    The  case  of  Gallio  illustrates  the  dangers 
of  a  too  compliant  disposition. 
[19402]    Gallio    was   a   man    of    remarkable 
sweetness  of  disposition  and  great  popularity. 


These  gifts,  attractive  as  they  arc,  have  often 
JDcen  serious  snares  ;  and  they  were  so  in  this 
instance.  An  amiable  person  is  often  weak  in 
principle  ;  he  cannot  stand  alone  ;  he  awakens 
the  hopes  of  the  wicked,  even  where  he  does 
not  gratify  ihcm.— Dean  Vaughan. 

[19403]  That  easy,  good-tempered,  compliant 
person,  surely,  men  say,  we  can  make  a  tool  of 
him  ;  he  has  not  the  resolution  to  resist  us;  and 
then  he  invites  wrong-doing,  and  multiplies 
around  himself  those  circumstances  of  difficulty 
to  which  he  is  most  unequal.  The  character  of 
Gallio  tempted  the  Jews  of  Corinth  to  drag  St. 
Paul  before  his  judgment-seat. — Ibid. 

2  The  posthumous  fame  of  Gallio,  in  com- 
parison of  that  of  St.  Paul,  illustrates  the 
retribution  which  frequently  awaits  a  hasty 
and  superficial  decision  on  matters  of  the 
gravest  moment. 

[19404]  The  superficiality  which  judges  only 
by  externals,  always  brings  its  own  retribution. 
It  adores  the  mortal,  and  scorns  the  divinity  ; 
it  welcomes  the  impostor,  and  turns  the  angel 
from  its  door.  It  forms  its  judgment  on  trivial 
accidents,  and  ignores  eternal  realities.  The 
haughty,  distinguished,  and  cultivated  Gallio, 
brother  of  Seneca,  Proconsul  of  Achaia,  the 
most  popular  man  and  the  most  eminent  lit- 
terateur of  his  day,  would  have  been  to  the  last 
degree  amazed,  had  any  one  told  him  that  so 
paltry  an  occurrence  would  be  for  ever  recorded 
in  history  ;  that  it  would  be  the  only  scene  in 
his  life  in  which  posterity  would  feel  a  moment's 
interest  ;  that  he  would  for  all  time  be  mainly 
judged  of  by  the  glimpse  we  get  of  him  on  that 
particular  morning  ;  that  he  had  flung  away  the 
greatest  opportunity  of  his  life  when  he  closed 
the  lips  of  the  haggard  Jewish  prisoner,  whom 
his  decision  rescued  from  the  clutches  of  his 
countrymen  ;  that  a  correspondence  between 
that  Jew  Shaul,  or  Paulus,  and  his  great  brother 
Seneca,  would  be  forged  and  would  go  down  to 
posterity;  that  it  would  be  believed  for  centuries 
that  that  wretched  prisoner  had  converted  the 
splendid  philosopher  to  his  own  ''  execrable 
superstition,"  and  that  Seneca  had  borrowed 
from  him  the  finest  sentiments  of  his  writings  ; 
that  for  all  future  ages  that  ophthalmic,  nervous, 
unknown  Jew,  against  whom  all  other  Jews 
seemed  for  some  inconceivably  foolish  reason 
to  be  so  infuriated,  would  be  regarded  as 
transcendently  more  important  than  his  deified 
Emperors  and  immortal  Stoics;  that  the  "parcel 
of  questions"  about  a  mere  opinion,  and  names, 
and  a  matter  of  Jewish  law,  which  he  had  so 
disdainfully  refused  to  hear,  should  hereafter 
become  the  most  prominent  of  all  questions 
to  the  whole  civilized  world.  —  Archdeacon 
Farrar. 


522 


NEW  TESTAMENT   SCRIPTURE  CHARACTERS 

(MALE). 


CLASSIFIED  CONTENTS,  SECTION   XVII. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  ERA. 


A.— INAUGURAL   PERIOD  OF   THE 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 

The  Period  from  the  Birth  of  John  Baptist 
to  the  Ascension  of  Jesus  Christ. 

(B.C.  6-A.D.  29:  35  years.) 
The  Saviour      

Priests  and  Prophets    (connecting   link 
between  the  two  dispensations). 

Zacharias 
Simeon 


385 


403 
403 


John  Baptist 406 

The  Apostles. 

The  Twelve  Apostles 411 

The  Sons  of  Thunder         ...         ...  412 

Peter 414 

Andrew 420 

James  422 

John         424 

Philip  428 

Nathanael  430 

Thomas  431 

Matthew 434 

Jude,  Lebbeus  or  Thaddeus  ...  437 

Judas  Iscariot      437 

Disciples  (Miscellaneous  Group). 

James  the  Lord's  Brother  ...  444 

Joseph  of  Arimathea  ...  ...  445 

Luke         447 

Mark 448 

Nicodemus  ...  ...  ...  450 

Penitent  Malefactor,  The 452 

Seventy,  The       ...         ...         ...  456 

Two  Disciples  (The),    on  the   way 

to  Emmaus 458 

Zacchreus       ...         ...         ...         ...  460 

Children  in  connection  with  the  History 
of  Jesus. 

Innocents,  The         ...         ...         ...  464 

Children  in  the  Temple,  The   ...  465 

Persons   favourably    disposed  to  Jesus, 
though  not  Disciples. 

Intelligent  Lawyer,  The     ...         ...  466 

Intelligent  Scribe,  The  ...  467 

Rich  Young  Ruler,  The      ...  ...  46S 

Three  Aspirants,  The 469 


Rulers  and  High  Priests. 

Herod  the  Great       ...  ... 

Herod  the  Tetrarch 

Pilate  

Caiaphas  ... 

Miscellaneous  Group. 
Barabbas 

Magi,  The  

Simon  the  Cyrenian 
Simon  the  Pharisee 

The  Period  from  the  Ascension  to  the 
Pentecostal  Outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

(a.D.  29  :   10  days.) 

Matthias         

B.— FORMATIVE    PERIOD  OF   THE 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 

The  Period  from  the  Outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  the  close  of  the  Sacred 
Canon. 

Apostles,    Chief  Ministers,    and  Evan- 
gelists. 

Paul  

Barnabas 
Timothy  ... 

Stephen 

Philip        

Disciples  closely  connected  with  St.  PauVs 
I\Iinist]y. 
Epaphroditus 
Philippian  Jailer,  The 

Disciples,  Miscellaneous  List  of. 
Antipas     ... 
Cornelius 

Ethiopian  Eunuch,  The... 
Lame   man    at    the    Gate    of    the 
Temple,  The   ... 

Persons  held  up  to  Condeftination  or  Re- 
proof. 
Ananias  and  Sapphira 
Demas 

Simon  Magus 

Roman  Riders  and  Officials. 

Felix        

Festus 

Agrippa 

Gallio 


471 

472 

475 
480 


481 
482 
485 
488 


490 


491 
499 
501 

503 
504 


505 
506 


507 

50S 

509 
511 


512 
514 

S16 


517 
518 
519 
521 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


A.  ^ 

Aaron —  ^         ,  t-  .•      ^^ 

Chararter,  The  General  Estimate 

of  his  ... 
Contrast  with  Moses,  His 
Death,  His  .••         •  ••         •• 

„    Contrasted  with  that 

of  Christ 

Defects,  His  Chief  ...         ••• 

Allowances  to  be  made 

for  his 

Reason  why  they  did  not 

unfit  him  for  his  Office 

Homiletical  Reflections  upon  his 

Life 

Priestly  Duties,  His        ...         ••• 
Rod,     Lessons    Taught    by    the 

Budding  of  his         

Type  of  Christ,  A  

Aaron's  Rod 

Abel —  .   ,  .       .r 

Different    Characters    of   himselt 

and    his    Brother    observalile 

in  their  Relative  Callings... 

Example     and     Lessons    of    his 

Martyrdom 

Faith  Displayed  in  his  Sacrifice, 

and  its  Import  ...  •■_• 

Homiletic     Remarks     upon    his 

Life    ...         ■■■         

Significance  of  his  Name 
Traditional  Views  respecting     ... 

Type  of  Christ,  A  

Abihu,  ste  Nadab. 

Ability 

Abimelech,  king  of  Gerar— 

Rebuke,  The  Dignity  and 

cacy  of  his     ... 
Views  of  the  Almighty,  His 

Abimelech,  son  of  Gideon— 

Argumenium  ad   Hominem 
Contrast  to  Gideon,  His  ■■• 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life... 

Abraham — 

Character  as  a  whole.    Summary 

ofhis 
Contrasted  with  Isaac      ... 
Eminence  and  Renown,  His      ... 

Excellencies,  His  Minor 

Faith,  His,  The  Three  Instances 

which  Display  its   Grandeur 

in  Successive  Gradations    ... 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life 

Inconsistencies,  His        ...         •■• 

RarentaLjeand  Early  History,  His 

Spirituality,      Uprightness,      and 

Dignity  of  his  Life 


Deli- 


VI. 


His    vi. 


Type  of  God  the  Father,  A 
,,  „  Son,  A 

Abrahamic  Covenant,  The     

Absalom — 

Advantages,  His  Natural  ... 

Character,  General  View  ofhis... 
Dominant  Evil  Principles,  His  ... 
Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life 

Punishment,  His 

Abstemiousness — 

Aftecled      

Benefits,  Its  

Examples,  Its       

Forms,  Its... 

Freedom  and  Qualified  Value,  Its 

Fundamental  Principles,  Its 

Nature,  Its  

Origin  and  History,  Its 

Perverted  Aspect,  Its       ...  ••• 

Stated  Seasons  for  it.  Value  of  ... 

Abstinence,  Temperance,  and  Bodily 

Mortification 

The  Vow  of  

Abuse ••• 

Abused  Privileges,  The  Sm  of— 

Folly,  Its 

Nature,  Its  ...         •••         ••• 

Principle  of  its  Punishment,  1  he 

Realization,  Its     

Acacia,  The 

Accessibility      

Accuracy — 

Attainment,  Its     

Importance,  Its    ...         •••      .  .•■ 
Inutility    of    the   Best   Qualities 

without  it 
Need  of  its  Culture 
Results,  Its  Beneficial 
Acknowledgment  of  God 
Acquaintance  with  God 
Acrimony 
Activity     and      Power, 

between 
Acumen — 

Culture,  Its  .••         •••    . 

Deficiency,  Consolations  for  its 
Examples  of  its  Exercise... 
Manifestations,  Its 

Nature,  Its  

Acuteness — 

Examples  of  its  Exercise... 

Nature,  Its  

Power,  Its 

Adam — 

Banishment  from  Eden,  1  ne 


Distinction 


VOL. 

PAGE 

vi. 

62 

vi. 

63 

iv. 

395 

vi. 

225 

vi. 

224 

vi. 

225 

vi. 

226 

vi 

226 

iii. 

290 

iii. 

2S9 

iii. 

291 

iii. 

2S9 

iii. 

290 

iii. 

2S9 

iii. 

288 

iii. 

288 

iii. 

290 

iii. 

290 

iii. 

290 

iii. 

5'S 

i. 

527 

iv. 

136 

iv. 

136 

iv. 

136 

iv. 

136 

iii. 

451 

(  >• 

506 

\  iii. 

234 

ii. 

487 

ii. 

487 

.  ii. 

48S 

ii. 

4S7 

ii. 

4S7 

v. 

300 

V. 

296 

i. 

52S 

n 
ii. 

68 

..  iii. 

61 

..  iii. 

62 

..  iii. 

61 

..  iii. 

61 

..  iii. 

61 

..  iii. 

61 

..  iii. 

60 

..  iii. 

60 

14 


524 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


{,!: 


Comparison    between    him     and 

Christ...  ...  ...  ...     vi. 

Declension  of,  Its  Gradual  Steps 

traced  in  his  Self-defence    ...     vi. 

Formation,   Circumstances  of  his     vi. 

Guilt  of  his  Transgression,  The...     vi. 

Homiletical  Applications  re- 
specting        ...         ...         ...     vi. 

Image  of  God  in  Man,  The        ...     vi. 

Innocence,  His,  and  the  Purity  of 

the  Primeval  Age     ...  ...     vi. 

Innocence,    Loss   of.  Consequent 

on  his  Fall    ...         ...         ...     vi. 

Nature,  His,  and  his  Beauty  and 
Harmony  as  Origmally 
Created  ...  vi. 

Penalty  of  his  Disobedience,  The     vi. 

Question      addressed      to      him, 

"  Where  art  thou  ?  "  ...     vi. 

Test  of  his  Fidelity  and  Love  to 

the  Creator    ...  ...  ...     vi. 

Test  of  Moral  Weakness  displayed 
in  his  Failure 

The  Divine  Promise  to    ... 
Adding  to  the  Doctrines  of  the  Gospel — 

Corollary  of  this  Sin 

Dangers,  Its 

Forms,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints  respecting  this 
Sin 

Unconscious  Manifestation  of  this 
Sin     

Adjustment        .»         ...         „. 

Admiration — 

Adoration  and      ...         ...         ...  v. 

Aspect,  Its  Objective      iii. 

,,         ,,    Subjective     iii. 

Nature,  Its            ii. 

Regulation,  Its     ...         ...         ...  ii. 

Admonition       ...         ...         ...         ...  v. 

Adoni-bezek — 

Cruel  Practice,  His          ...         ...  vi. 

Homiletical  Reflections  upon    ...  vi. 

Punishment,  His  Retributive     ...  vi. 
Adoption — 

Basis,  Its  Legal  and  Moral        ...  iv. 

Cause,  Its  Instrumental  ...          ...  iv. 

Homiletical  Applications  respect- 
ing        iv. 

Nature,  Its  General         iv. 

Obligations,  Its    ...          ...          ...  iv. 

"  Outward  and  Visible  Sign,"  Its  iv. 

Privileges,  Its        ...          ...          ...  iv. 

Source,  Its  Primary         ...          ...  iv. 

Si)iritua]  Significance,  Its          ...  iv. 
Adoption,  Spirit  of — 

Import       ...          ...         ...         ...  i. 

Personal  Realization       ...         ...  i. 

Scripture  Basis     i. 

Adoration          ...         ...         ...         ...  v. 

Adulation          ...         ...          ...         ...  i. 

Adultery            ...         ...         ...         ...  i. 

Advent,  Second            ...         ...         ...  v. 

M  ))        Promise  of  ... 

Affability  

Affectation         

Affections  and  Sentient  Attachments — 
Definition   and    Relation   to   the 
Emotions  and  Passions 


PAGE 

12 
9 

14 

16 
9 

10 
II 


VI. 

II 

IV. 

391 

iv. 

1S2 

IV. 

182 

IV. 

181 

t    i. 
\iii. 


182 

182 
496 
129 

392 
40 
41 
97 
97 

261 

180 
181 

I  So 

449 
450 

452 

44S 

451 
451 
451 
449 
448 

313 
313 
313 

390 

513 

523 
472 

59 
506 
232 
515 
309 


Government,  Their 
Nature,  Their 
Source,  Their 
Affront 

Age,  Spirit  of  the 

Aggrandisement 

Aggravation 

Agitation 

Agnosticism  or  Positivism — 

Aim,  Its  Contemplated  ... 

Arguments  against  the  System  ... 

Definitions  and  Real  Nature 

Nurseries,  Its 

Relations  to  other  Creeds,  Its    ... 

Self-contradictions 

Types,  E.xplanation  of  its  Lower 
Agony  in  the  Garden  ... 
Agreeable    Person,    Characteristics  of 

the 

Agreeableness — 

Counterfeit,  Its    ... 

Nature,  Its 

Requirements,  Its 

Synonyms,  Its 

Value,  Its ... 
Agrippa— 

Admission,  His  Hesitating 

Character  and  Descent    ... 

Consequent  Gains  and  Losses    ... 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life 
Ahab— 

Character,  His  General  ... 

Contrast  between  J ehoshaphat  and 

Defeat  and  Death,  His    ... 

Homiletical  Reflections  upon  his 
Life 

Repentance,  His 

Sins,  His  Particular         ... 
Ahasuerus — 

Greatness,  His 

Homiletical  Hints 

Individuality,  His 

Ahaz      

Ahaziah... 
Alarm     ... 
Alliance,  Worldly 
Almsgiving 

Altar  of  Burnt  Offering,  The 

Altar  of  Incense,  The  ... 

Altercation         ...  ...  ...         ... 

Altruistic  Secularism^ 

Arguments  against  it        ... 

Definition,  Its       

Amaziah 
Ambiguity 

Ambition 

Amen     ... 
Amiability — 

Culture,  Its 

Imperfect  and  Deleterious  Forms, 
Its       

Influential  Value,  Its       

Nature,  Its  

Special  Sphere,  Its 
Amon    ... 
Amos — 

Chief  Characteristics,  His 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life 
Analogy... 


\  >: 


PAGE 
114 
112 
112 

500 
237 
523 
519 
524 

149 

148 
149 
149 

149 
31 

2^0 


ni. 

230 

iii. 

229 

iii. 

229 

iii. 

229 

iii. 

230 

vi. 

520 

vi. 

519 

vi. 

520 

vi. 

521 

vi. 

272 

vi. 

248 

vi. 

276 

vi. 

276 

vi. 

274 

vi. 

272 

vi. 

.381 

vi. 

381 

vi. 

381 

vi. 

257 

vi. 

250 

i. 

5-3 

iv. 

222 

V. 

263 

iii. 

436 

iii. 

440 

i. 

527 

i. 

151 

i. 

151 

vi. 

253 

i. 

514 

i. 

525 

ii. 

68 

iv. 

134 

i. 

487 

231 

232 
232 
231 
231 

206 

297 
299 

142 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


525 


Analogy  as  a  Guide  to  Truth — 

Aid  to  Faith,  An 

Analysis     of     this     Method     of 
Argument 

Argumentative  Use,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Oi)jections  against  it  met 
Present  Position  of  the  Subject... 
Analogy  between  the  Works  of  God 

and  the  Works  of  Man        

Analysis — 

Defmition,  Its 

Neglect,  Its  

Province,  Its  Special       

Value,  Its  ... 
Ananias  and  Sapphira — 

Homiletical  Reflections  upon     ... 
Punishment,  Their 
Sin,  Their... 
Temptation,  Their  ... 

Ancient  Ritual,  Study  of        

Andrew — 

Conversion,  His  ...         ... 

Plomiletical  Suggestions  from  the 

Study  of  his  Life 
Relative     Position     among    the 

Twelve,  His... 
Service  for  Christ,  His    ... 

Angelic  Obedience       

Angels — 

Blessedness,  Their 
Difference  between  Man  and 

Import  of  the  Study  of 

Man's  Attitude  towards  ... 
Nature  and  Properties,  Their    ... 
Office  and  Ministry,  Their 
Power  and  Activity,  Their 

Rank  and  Order,  Their 

Anger — 

Cause,  Regulation,  and  Effects  on 
the  Kindred  Passions,  Its  ... 
Characteristics,  Its 
Government,  Its  ... 
Nature  and  Constituency,  Its    ... 
Objects,  Its 

Pliases  and  Gradations,  Its 
Strength  in  Men  and  Women,  Its 
Uses,  Its  ... 
Anger    and    Hatred,    Difference   be- 
tween 
Animal  Instinct 
Animal  Spirits — 

Characteristics 
Animals,  Kindness  to... 

,,         Limitations  of  ... 

„         Memory  in    ... 

Animosity         ...         ...         ...         ...  | 

Antediluvian  World,  see  Noah. 
Anthropological  Argument — 

Basis,  Its    ... 

Nature,  Its  

Term,  Definition  of  the 

Antichrist 

Anticipation  and  Memory      

Anticipation  of  Evil — 

Arguments  against  it 

Commonness,  Its... 

Method  of  Quieting  the  Heart  ... 
Antinomianism — 

Description  of      ...         ...         ...  \ 


VOL. 

PAGE 

i. 

50 
51 

1. 

51 

1. 

50 

I. 

52 

I. 

50 

iv. 

322 

ii. 

143 

11. 

143 

11. 

143 

11. 

143 

vi. 

514 

V). 

513 

VI. 

513 

VI. 

512 

in. 

430 

420 

422 

422 
421 

427 


IV. 

.367 

IV. 

368 

IV. 

364 

IV. 

369 

IV. 

364 

IV. 

36,S 

IV. 

367 

IV. 

3^5 

ii. 

105 

11. 

104 

11. 

105 

11. 

104 

n. 

104 

n. 

104 

u. 

105 

11. 

105 

136: 


106 
140 

233 
135 

62 

160 

528 

47 


74 

74 

74 

473 

160 

185 
184 

185 

230 

465 


Hyper-Calvinism,  Its  Connection 

with 

Import    of     its    Doctrines,    The 

Real 

Origin,  Its  True 

Phases,  Its  Historical      

Sources,  Its 
Antipas — 

l-'idcMty,  His         

Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life... 

Name,  His  

Anxiety 

,,     Its  Sinfulness   ... 

,.     Over      

Apathy 

,,     and  Patience    ... 

,,     Spiritual  

Apollinariaiiism — 

Basis,  Its  ...  

Consequences,  Its  

Reasoning,  Its  Line  of 

Apostasy 

Antithesis,  Its      

Causes,  Its 

Characteristic  Attitude,  Its 

Nature,  Its  

Possibility,  Its      

Reasons  and  Motives  for  avoiding 

it         

The  Great 

Apostate,  The  Real  Position  of  the  ... 
A    Posteriori    and    A    Priori    Argu- 
ments— 
Definition  of  the  Arguments 
Illustration  of  the  A  Priori  Method 
Illustration  and  Combination   of 

the  Two  Methods 

Apostles,  The  Twelve- 
Appointment,  Their 
Effects  produced  on,  by  the  Re- 
surrection 
Homiletical  Reflections  upon  their 

Lives  ... 
Social  and  Intellectual  Position, 
Their... 
Appetites,  The — 
Acquired,  The 
Advantages  of  Self-Control  over 

Natural,  i  he        

,,       and  the  Acquired,  Differ- 
ence between... 
Application — 

Achievements,  Its 
Culture,  Its 
Nature,  Its 
Requirements,  Its 
Apprehension — 

Nature  and  Capacity,  Its 
Requisites  for  its  Rightful   Action 
Apprehension     and     Comprehension, 

Distinction  between 
A  Priori  Argument 
Aquinas' System  of  Theology 
Archeology — 

Testimony  to  Revealed  Truth,  Its 
Value  of  ,,  ,, 

Ardour  ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  | 

Arian  Heresy,  The 
Arianism — 

Attractiveness  of  the  Doctrine  ... 

Characteristic  Dogma,  Its 


231 


1. 
i. 
i. 
i. 

231 
231 
231 

230 

vi. 
vi. 
vi. 
iv. 

iv. 

507 
507 

507 
134 
4.^9 
186 

1. 
iii. 
iv. 

520 
414 
134 

i. 
i. 
i. 

232 
232 
232 

iv. 
iv. 
iv. 
iv. 
iv. 

146 
145 
M5 
145 
145 

iv. 

V. 

iv. 

145 
473 
146 

i. 
i. 

74 
75 

i. 

75 

vi. 

411 

V. 

41 

vi. 

411 

vi. 

411 

ii. 
ii. 
ii. 

48 
49 
45 

ii. 

49 

ii. 
ii. 
ii. 
ii. 

88 
88 
86 
86 

ii. 

128 

11. 

129 

ii. 
i. 
v. 

129 

74 
277 

i. 

112 

1. 
i. 
ii. 

»I3 
507 
282 

V. 

3'2 

i. 
i. 

235 
233 

526 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Confutation   of  the    System   and 
that  of  Docetism 

Consequence  of  its   Propositions 

Counter  Statement  of  the  Catholic 
Doctrine 

Providential     Use    of    the    Con- 
troversy 

Relation  to  Socinianism,  Its 
,,  other  Heresies 

Seat,  Its  Real       

Summary  of  Points  at  Issue 

Tenets  of,  as  propounded  at  Nicea 
Arius,  The  Real  Aim  of 
Ark  of  the  Covenant,  The 
Arminian  System  of  Theology 
Army,  The  Divine 
Arrogance         ...  ...  ...  ... 

Asa — 

Character,  His  General  ... 

Failure  in  Faith,  His 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life 

Pertinacity  in  Wrong-doing,   His 
Ashamed  of  Christ — • 

Arguments  against  this  Sin 

Causes,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints  for  the  Reproof 
of  this  Sin 

Phases,  Its 
Asher 
Asperity... 
Aspersion 
Aspirants,  The  Three — 

Characteristics,  Their 

Possible  Identifications   ... 

Assiduousness  ...         ...         ...         ...  j 

Association — 

Aspects,  Its  Two  Distinct 
Laws,  General   and    Regulative, 
Its      

Meaning,  Its 

Philosophy,  Its     ... 
Atheism — 

Argument  against 

Causes,  Its 

Definition  and  Phases,  Its 

Scripture,  Attitude  of,  towaids  ... 
Atheism,  Alleged  of  Buddhism 

,,         Historical  Review  of 
,,         Materialistic... 

„        Modern.   Its  Fatalistic  Cha- 
racter    ... 
Atomic  Theory,  The  ... 
Atonement,  The 

„  and  the  Incarnation 

,,  Feast  of  the  Day  of 

,,  in  Relation  to  Redemption 

Attachment — 

Analysis  of  this  Subject 

Attraction,  Its  Uncontrolled 

Moral  Affinities,  Its        

Religious  Aspect,  Its 
Attention — 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Distinction  between  Thought  and 

Necessity,  Its 

Power  and  Value,  Its 

Requirements,  Its 
Attributes  of  God,  The— 

Characteristics,  Their  Joint 

Designations,  Their  Various 

Discriminations,  Their  Scientific 


VOL. 

PAGE 

i. 

235 

1. 

235 

i. 

235 

i. 

236 

1. 

248 

1. 

232 

I. 

233 

1. 

234 

1. 

233 

I. 

233 

ni. 

442 

IV. 

278 

525 


VI. 

244 

vi. 
vi. 

244 
246 

vi. 

245 

iv. 

151 

iv. 

150 

iv. 

151 

iv. 

150 

vi. 
i. 

104 
528 

i. 

513 

vi. 

469 

vi. 

470 

i. 

505 

iii. 

95 

ii. 

235 

i. 

500 

ii. 
ii. 

235 
236 

i. 

162 

i. 

161 

i. 

160 

i. 
i. 

163 
81 

i. 

160 

L 

166 

i. 

237 

iv. 

320 

iv. 
iv. 

408 
508 

iii. 

494 

iv. 

404 

ii. 
ii. 
ii. 
ii. 

85 
S5 
85 
86 

iii. 
iii. 
iii. 
iii. 
iii. 

83 

84 
83 
83 

iv. 

17 

iv. 

17 

iv. 

17 

Displayed  in  Creation 
Divisions,  Their  Scholastic 
Facts  Conditioning  their  Exercise, 

The 

In  Relation  to  Prayer 
Nature,  Their 
Sectional  Index    ... 
Attributes  of  God,  Particular — 
Disj^osition  for  Communion 

,,         Reply  to  Objections 
Knowledge  of  God,    Its  Import 
and  Significance 
„     Nature   and  Condition 
of  its  Attainment    ... 
Wisdom   and  Goodness  of  God, 
Objections  Met 
Audacity 

Augustine's,  St.,  System  of  Theology 
Augustinianism  and  Calvinism 
Austerity 

Authority  of  the  Canon- 
Definition  of  "  Canon"  ... 
Facts    which    Neutralize   Objec- 
tions to 
Grounds,  Its 

Objections  Met,  respecting 
Authority  of  the  Scriptures — 

Evidence,  Historical   and  Scien- 
tific   

,,  Internal 

Paramount     Nature      of,      when 

Established   ... 
Summary    Statements    of    Facts 
about  the 
Avarice... 
Aversion — 

Nature,  Its 

Tendencies,  Its  Beneficial 
Avidity... 
Awakening,  The  .Spirit's— 

Distinction  from  Regeneration,  Its 
Effects,  Its 

Evidential  Marks,  Its      

Means,  Its... 
Nature,  Its 
Necessity,  Its 
Warnings,  Its 

Awards,  The  Ultimate  

Awe — ■ 

Definition,  Its 

Relation  to  God,  Its        

,,            the  Mysteries  of  Na- 
ture, Its... 
■,,            the  Scriptures,  Its  ... 
Awkwardness  ...         


B. 

Backbiting 
Backsliding — 

Causes,  Its 

Characteristics,  Its 

Consequences,  Its  Evil    ... 

Degrees,  Its  

Forms,  Its... 

Healing,  Its 

Hurtfuiness,  Its  Special  ... 

Penalty,  Its     

Signs  and  Symptoms,  Its 

Badgers'  Skins 

Balaam- 
Character,  His  


PAGE 

342 

16 

19 
310 

IS 

521 

20 

22 

27 
28 

23 

523 
277 
441 
517 

265 

266 
265 
266 


267 
266 

268 

267 
523 


86 
523 

91 

90 
90 
90 
89 
90 
91 
452 

43 
43 

44 

43 

529 


513 

147 
14J 

147 
147 
146 
1 40 
147 
14S 
146 
453 

174 


GENERAL     INDEX. 


527 


Character,  Reflective  Summary  of 

his 
Departure  from  God,  His 
Life's  Lesson  for  our  own  Times, 

His 

Prophetic      OflTice      and      Gifts, 

His     ...         

Punivhrncnt,  His  ... 

Similarity  beiwecn  Judas  and     ... 

Baptism  for  the  Dead 

Baptism,  Holy — 

Conditions     and     Requirements, 

Its       

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Efficacy,  Its  

Institution  by  Christ,  Its 

Mode  of  Admini.-.tration,  Its      ... 

Pre-Christian  Aspect  of 

Profanation,  Its    ...     _     

Relation  to  Circumcision,  Its     ... 

Sii:;nificance,  Its 

Solemnity  and  Importance,  Its... 

Subjects,   Its         

Superstitious    Dogmas   Attached 

to  it 

Theological  Meaning,  Its 
,,  Position,  Its... 

Baptism  of  John 
Barabbas — 

Character,  His      

Homiletical      Hints      respecting 
his  Life 

Obedience,  His  Hesitating 

„  Lessons  Taught  by  his 

Barnabas — 

Character,  Traits  of 
Homiletical  Suggestions  upon  his 

Life    

Lesson   for   our  own  Times,  His 

Life  a... 
Significance  of  his  Name 

Barley    ...         

Barzillai...         

Baseness 
Bashfulness 
Basis  of  Faith — 

Existence,  The  fact  of  our  own, 
a  Useful  Stenping-stone  to 
Beliel  in  Christian  Truth  ... 
Human  Personality,  The  Con- 
sciousness of,  a  Necessary 
Assumption  for  all  Reason- 
ing on  Religious  Subjects  ... 
Truth  "should  be  Carefully  Dis- 
tinguished from  Opinion  as  a 

Belief 

Beatitudes.  The — 

Blessings  Promised,  The • 

Contrast  between  the  Giving  of 
the  Decalogue  and  the  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount 

Difference,  Points  of,  between  the 
Records  of  St.  Matthew  and 

St.  Luke        

Graces  Commended,  The 
Introduction 

Purport,  Their ; 

Structural  Character,  Their 
Sublimity,  Their  Matchless        ... 
Suggestive    Remarks  about  their 
"Teaching       


VOL. 

PAGE 

vi. 
vi. 

178 
176 

vi. 

179 

vi. 

178 

vi. 

177 

vi. 

179 

v. 

142 

v. 

137 

V. 
V. 

131 
138 

v. 

132 

V. 

139 

V. 
V. 

133 
138 

V. 

133 

V. 
V. 

140 
138 

V. 

134 

V. 

142 

V. 

131 

V, 

143 

V. 

133 

vi. 

481 

vi. 

481 

vi. 

142 

vi. 

142 

499 
501 

SOI 
499 
453 
236 
526 
524 


53 

53 

53 
348 

345 


Synoptical  and  Comparative 
Table,  with  their  Correspon- 
ding Woes    ... 

First  Beatitude,  sec  Poverty  of 
Spirit. 

Second  15eatitude,  see  Spiritual 
Mourning. 

Third    Beatitude,    sec   Meekness. 

Fourth  Peatitude,  see  I  lunger  and 
Thirst    after     Righteousness. 

Fifth  Beatitude,  Jtv  Merciful,  The. 

Sixth  Beatitude,  see  Purity  in 
Heart. 

Seventh  Beatitude,  see  Peace- 
makers. 

Eighth  Beatitude,  see  Persecuted, 
The. 


^43 


345 
346 
345 
346 
345 
345 

34(i 


Becoming  Conduct       ...         ...         •■•  |  j 

Belief- 
Dangers,  Its  Alleged 
F"oundations  and  Laws,  Its 
Intluences  and  Effects,  Its 
Nature,  Its 

Belief,  Primary 

Believers,  Sins  of  

Belshazzar — 

Character,  His      ...     ■    

Doom,  His  ...     ^ ... 

Heinous  Iniquity,  His  \.. 
Homiletical  Reflections  upon  his 

Life 

Beneficence — 

Benefits,  Its  Personal      

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Relation  to  Kindred  Virtues,  Its... 

Requirements,  Its  

Beneficence,  Its  Relation  to  Benevo- 
lence 
Benevolence — 

Blessings,  Its  Personal     

Characteristics,  Its  Special 
Danger  of  its  Deficiency... 
Distinction   between    the    Feeling 

and  the  Principle     

Exemplar,  Its  Great         

Instances  of  its  Practice 

Manifestations,  Its  Varied 
Nature,  Its 

Need  of  its  Culture         

Objects  and  Limuations,  Its      ... 
Relation  to  Beneficence,  Its 
Requisites,  Its 

Test,  Its  Supreme  

Benevolence  of  God,    Its   Relation  to 

Justice 
Benignity  

Benignity  of  God        

Benjamin 

Besetting  Sins 

Bible,  Chronology  of 

Bible  Difficulties- 
Contemplated  Purpose,  Their    ... 

Replies  to  Objections      

Sources,  Their      

Bible,   Instrument   of  Enlightenment, 
The  

Biblical  Theology        

Bigotry-         _    _ 

Characteristics,  Its  

Consequences,  Its  Evil 


i. 

lii. 

508 
385 

ii. 

125 

ii. 

123 

ii. 

124 

i. 

123 

64 

iv. 

120 

vi. 

378 

vi. 

379 

vi. 

379 

vi. 

380 

iii. 
iii. 

170 
168 

iii. 

168 

iii. 

168 

iii. 

109 

iii. 

116 

iii. 

109 

iii. 

117 

iii. 

117 

iii. 

113 

iii. 

117 

iii. 

112 

iii. 

109 

iii. 

113 

iii. 

112 

iii. 

109 

iii. 

114 

iii. 

112 

iv. 

77 
506 

iiii. 

234 

iv. 

93 

vi. 

105 

iv. 

120 

i. 

270 

i. 

26S 

i. 
i. 

269 
268 

v. 

92 

iv. 

241 

iv. 

190 

iv. 

190 

528 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Counsels  respecting  its  Avoidance 

Definition,  Its 

IJescription,  Its    ... 

Forms,  Its...  ...         ... 

Language,  Its  Real 

Source,  Its 

Survival,  Its 

Bildad 

Bilious  Temperament,  The — ■ 

Physiological    and    Phrenological 
Diagnosis  of... 
Biography,  Scripture — 

Crimes  and  Sins  of  its  Subjects... 

Study  of    ... 

Superiority  of,  to  Profane 
Bitterness 
Blasphemy — 

Aggravation,  Its  ... 

Definition,  Its 

Heinousness,  Its  ... 

Universal  Detestation  it  Deserves, 

The .' 

Blessing  and  Praise     

Blindness 

,,  Spiritual 

>,  ,,        Its  Causes 

Blue,  The  Colour  of 

Bluntness 

Boards  of  the  Tabernacle       

Boastfulness 
Boaz — 

Chivalrous  Yeoman,  A    ... 

Courteous  Gentleman,  A 

Diligent  Farmer,  A 

Pious  Master,  A  ... 

Simple  Man,  A 

Body,  The         

„       ,,     A  Living  Sacrifice 
Boisterousness  ... 

Boldness  | 

Bombast 

Borrowing  of  Trouble,  The — 

Folly,  Its 

Brahminism — ■ 

Description  of  the  System 
Social  Evils,  Its 

Brass 

Bravery  ...         ...         ...         ...         ...  | 

Brazen  Laver,  The 

Bread 

Breastplate,  The 
Breath  of  the  Almighty,  A   Name  of 
the  Holy  Spirit — 

Aspects,  Its 

Import,  Its 

Origin  of  this  Allusion 

Practical  Bearing,  Its      

Thoughts  Suggested  by  this  Phrase 
Bribing,  The  Sin  of 
Brotherhood  of  Man    ... 

Brotherly  Love..,  

Brutishness 
Budflhism — 

Compared  with  Christianity 

History,  Its 

Moral  System,  Its 

Philosophical  System,  Its 

Relation  to  Pessimism,  Its 

Romanism,  Its  Resemblance  to... 


VOL. 

PAGE 

IV. 

191 

IV. 

189 

IV. 

189 

IV. 

189 

IV. 

189 

IV. 

189 

IV. 

191 

VI. 

48 

■■!: 


231 

4 
3 

4 
527 

175 
175 
175 

175 

394 

38 

202 

43 
456 
516 
435 
525 

167 
167 
166 
167 
168 
347 
341 
527 
507 
3" 
525 

1 86 

210 
210 
451 

507 
3" 
437 
441 
506 
461 


300 
300 
300 
300 
301 
517 
389 
~I95 
529 

216 
211 
212 
214 
215 
215 


Success,  The  Causes  of  its 
The  Alleged  Atheism  of 

Buddhist  Morality        

Burden-Bearing 

Burial  of  the  Dead,  The 

Burnt-Offering,  The    ... 

Burnt-Offering,  The  Altar  of... 

Busybodies 


C. 

Caiaphas — 

Iniquitous  Policy,  His     ... 
Unconscious  Prophecy  and  State- 
ment of  Doctrine,  His 
Cain — 

Accusing  Inquiry  to,  The 
Compared  with  Lamech  ... 
Daring  Retort  by.  The    ... 
Despair,  Causes  of  his    ... 
Jealous    Wrath     and     Malignant 

Envy,  His     ... 
Murder,  The  Deliberate... 
Preservation,  Reasons  for  his    ... 
Remonstrance,  The  Divine 
Retributive  Curse,  The  ... 
Sacrifices,  The  Two 

"  Way  of  Cain,"  The      

Caleb — 

Character,  Chief  Traits  of  his    ... 
Homiletical  Reflections  upon  his 

Life 

Callousness 

Calmness,    Collectedness,    Composed- 
ness — 
Exemplification,  Their  Historical 
Mutual  Relationship,  Their 
Calmnessand  Self- Possession,  Origin  of 
,,  „  ,,     Value  of 

Calumny 

Calvinism,    Apostolic    Doctrine,    and 
Augustinianism 
,,  Hyper-  and  Antinomiani.<-m 

Calvmistic  System  of  Theology 

Candlestick,  The  Golden       

Candour — 

Aspect,  Its  Double  

Definition,  Its 
Functions,  Its 

Manifestations,   Its   Genuine  and 
Counterfeit    ... 

Rarity,  Its 

Source,  Its... 

Canon,  Authority  of  the  

Cant — 

Consequences,  Its  Evil   ... 
Definition,  Its 

Exhortations    and    Remarks    re- 
specting 
Liability  of  Christians  to  it 
Loathsomeness,  Its 
Technical  Use  of  the  Word 
Capability 
Capacity 
Caprice  ... 
Carefulness — 

Nature,  Its  j 

Negative  Aspect,  Its       i 

Requirements,  Its  i 

Carelessness 
Carnal-Mindedness — 

Nature  and  Consequences  ...     i 


PAGE 
212 

81 
412 

257 
470 
472 
436 

516 


480 

480 

26 

33 
27 
28 

26 
26 

27 
26 
27 
26 
28 

138 

139 
522 


367 
365 
366 

365 
512 

441 

231 

278 

439 

470 
470 
470 

470 
470 
470 
265 

162 
162 

163 
162 
162 
162 

^H 
185 
520 

70 

71 

71 

518 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


529 


Catholicity        .^ 

Cause,  First 

Causes,  Final,  of  Natural  Things      ... 

Caution,  Obtrusive       

Cautiousness — 

Limited  Aspect  as  a  Virtue,  Its... 

Nature  and  Elements,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Worth,  Its 

Cavilling 

Cedar  Wood,  The        

Censer,  The 

Censorious        Judgment,        Warning 

against 
Censoriousness... 

Ceremonial  Observances,  Christian  ... 
Chagrin... 
Chance  ... 
Changeableness 
Character  

,,       Genius  and  ... 

,,       Man  and  his  Traits  of 

,,       Strength  of  ... 

Characteristics,  Christian       

Charity — 

Authority  and  Example,  Its 
Divine 

Features,  Its  Distinguishing 

Manifestations,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Power,  Its...  ... 

Relations,  Its 

Requirements,  Its 

Source,  Its 

Spurious  Forms,  Its 

Test,  Its  Most  Searching 

Value  and  Importance,  Its 
Charity — 

Blessedness  and  Influence 

Catholicity,  Its  Requisite 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Delineation  of  Special  Attributes 
and  Characteristics  (i  Cor. 
xiii.)    ... 

Egyptian  Emblem 

Hindrances  to  its  Expression     ... 

Manifestations,  Its  Varied 

Methods  of  its  Attainment  and 
Culture,  The 

Moral  Power,  Its... 

Obligations  and  Necessity,  Its 
Universal 

Practical  Sphere,  Its 

Pre-eminence  as  regards  Sister 
Graces,  Its    ... 

Relations,  Its       ...  . 

Standard  or  Measure 
Chastity  and  Continence — 

Aids,  Their  Divine 

Exemplifications  in  Ancient  His- 
tory, Their    ... 

Nature    and    Significance,    Their 

Power  and  Beauty,  Their 

Rarity  in  Early  Times,  Their     ... 

Requirements,  Their 
Cheerfulness — 

Means  of  its  Acquirement,  The...    i 
Nature,  Its  ...         ...         ...    i 

Need  of  its  Acquirement,  The  ... 

Power  and  Value,  Its      ...  ...    : 

Required  Alliance  to  Gravity, 
Its      i 


111. 
iii. 


118 

58 

55 
310 

74 
72 

73 

74 

514 

451 

446 


iv. 

163 

I. 

525 

V, 

171 

1. 

52« 

1. 

61 

1. 

520 

111. 

251 

11. 

190 

1. 

512 

111. 

394 

1. 

125 

124 

120 

122 
118 
123 
121 
119 
118 
124 
121 
125 

270 
271 
248 


249 
271 
273 
254 

272 
271 

268 
271 

26S 
270 
271 

298 

300 
297 
298 
299 
29S 

333 
330 
333 
331 


Source,  Basis,  and  Manifestations, 

Its       ., 

Superior  Relation  to  Mirth,  Its... 
Cheerfulness,  Compatiblity    with    Se- 
riousness   ... 
Cherubim,  The 
Childlikcncss — 

Attributes,  Its      ... 
Growth,  Its 

Helps,  Its 

Origin  as  a  Virtue,  Its 

Value    as    a     Moral     Standard, 

Its      

Children  in  the  Temple — 

Homiletical  Hints  respecting     ... 
Hosannahs,  Their 
Chivaliy^ 

Media-val  Aspect,  Its      

Modern         ,,  ,, 

Origin,  Its 

Choleric  Tem])erament — 
Characteristics,  Its 
Ethically  Viewed... 
Manifestation,  Its 
Christ,  see  .Saviour. 

,,       and  Adam 
Christ,  Ascension  of — 

Beauty  of  St.  Luke's  Description 

Difficulties,  Its  Alleged 

Evidences,  Its 
Expediency,  Its    ... 
Glorification  of  Humanity  in     ... 
Homiletical  Hints  upon  this  Event 
Incidents  immediately  preceding 
Interval  between    the    Resurrec- 
tion and  the  Ascension,  Ob- 
ject of 
Lessons,  Its  Great 
Manner,  Its 
Observance  as  a  Church  Festival, 

Its      

Parting  Blessing  given  at.  Nature 

ofthe  

Promises,  Its 
Scene  itself,  The  ... 
Significance,    Its,  as  marking  an 
Epoch  in  Church  History  ... 
Statement    of     the    Doctrine   in 
Art.    IV.  of  the  Church  of 
England 
Triumph,  Its 

Types,  Old  Festament    ... 
Christ — 

Ascent  and  Descent,  His 
Ashamed   of,    and    Character  of  ( 
this  Sin  ...  ...  ...  I 

Childhood  and  Youth  of 

Contrasted      with      Enoch     and 

Elijah 

Cross  of,  Its  Glory  

,,  Its  Measurements 

,,  Its  Power  and  Influence 

,,  Preaching  of  the 

Cross  and  Passion  of 
Crucifixion  of,  Loss  of  the  Father's 

Presence  at       ...         

Denying    ...         ...         ...         ...     i 

Dignity  of 

Divinity  of,  ste  Divinity. 
Duty  towards,  viz. — 

Confession  of  

Devotion  to  ... 


111. 

330 

iii. 

330 

iii. 

370 

iii. 

443 

ii. 

480 

ii. 

4S0 

ii. 

480 

ii. 

480 

ii. 

481 

vi. 

465 

vi. 

465 

iii. 

25 

iii. 

20 

iii. 

2* 

ii. 

230 

ii. 

230 

ii. 

230 

vi. 

15 

V. 

66 

v. 

65 

V. 

58 

V. 

6i 

V. 

60 

V. 

66 

V. 

56 

V. 

55 

V. 

63 

V. 

57 

V. 

63 

V. 

56 

V. 

58 

V. 

55 

61 


63 

58 
64 

66 
127 
150 

12 

19 
32 
34 
35 
35 
303 

360 

151 

I 


274 

279 


IS 


530 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Exaltation  of        ,« 

Humanity  of         ... 

Humility  of 
Christ,  Incarnation  of... 

,,  ,,         The    Necessity    of 

the  Resurrection  to  ... 
Christ,  Intercession,  His  Mediatorial — 

Acts    of  Christ's  Mediation  after 
the  Ascension 

Acts   of     Christ's    Mediation   on 
Earth 

Acts   of  Christ's  Mediation  prior 
to  the  Incarnation    ... 

Fitness  of  Christ  to  be  a  Media- 
tor        

Importance  of  the  Doctrine 

Intention  of  Christ's  Oblation  in 
Heaven 

Inter-relations, The  Mediatorial. . . 

Meaning  of  the  word  Mediator  ... 

Nature  of  a  Mediator  and  Anti- 
quity of  the  Idea 

Necessity  for  a  Mediator 

Participation    of   the    Church    in 
Christ's  Work  in  Heaven    ... 

Types  Fullilled     ... 
Christ,  Life,  His  Sinless — 

Childhood    and    Youth,    Perfec- 
tion of 

Effects  of  Christ's  Wondrous  Life 

Essential  Sinlessness,  His 

Example,  His 

Harmony   of    His    Nature,    The 
Complete 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  His  Life 
as  the  Sinless  One    ... 

Manhood,  Perfection  of  His 

Christ,  Merits,  His  Perfect     

,,      Moral  Dignity,  His  Supreme... 
,,       Nature  ot,  Tvvolold 
,,       Not  the  Product  of  His  Age  ... 
,,       Prophet,  Priest,  and  King     ... 
Christ,  Resurrection  of — 

Attendant  Circumstances,  Its     ... 

Bearing  on  Ours,  Its 

Credibility,  Its 

Defence      against      Rationalism, 
Its       

Effects  on  the  Apostles,  Its 

Harmony   of  the  Gospel  Records 
respecting 

Homiletical   Applications  of  this 
Subject 

Importance  of  the  Doctrine 

Lessons,  Practical 

Manifestations,  Its 

Necessity    to    the     Incarnation, 
Its      

Object    of    the     Period     which 
Followed  it    ... 

Power,  Its... 

Predictions,  Its,  By  our  Lord  ... 
,,  ,,    Old  Testament... 

Proofs,  Its  InfalHble        

Relations,  Its,  to  History  and  the 
Church 
»  »         Man     

Testimony  of  St.   Paul,  The,  re- 
specting 

Types,  Its  Natural 

Witness     to      Christ's    Divinity, 
Its      


55 
377 
352 
490 

48 


72 
71 
71 

70 

78 

76 
76 
69 

69 
69 

77 

n 


12 

26 

3 

23 

19 

20 
16 

3 

8 

129 

129 

76 

39 

479 

49 

SI 

41 

50 

53 
46 

45 
41 


55 
41 
48 
48 
49 

43 
44 

50 
47 

43 


Christ,     Superiority    of     His     Influ- 
ence   ... 

Sympathy  of,  with  Men 
Christ,  Teaching  and  Character  of — 

Beauty  and  Power,  Its  ... 

Blessedness    of   its   Moral   Reali- 
zation... 

Evidential  Value,  Its       

Infidel  Testimony  respecting 

Various  Aspects  respecting 
Christ,  Types  of,  see  also  Types. 

Aaron 

Abel  

Abraham    ... 

David 

Isaac 

Joshua 

Melchisedek  

Noah  

Christ,  Vicarious  Sufferings  of 
„         Work  of.   Its   Relation  to  the 
Work  of  the   Holy  Spirit 
Christian  Doctrine,  see  Dogmatics. 

,,  ,,         of  Creation 

,,  ,,         of  God      ...    ' 

„  ,,         of  the  Trinity 

,,       Dogmatics  ...  | 

Christian  Ethics,  see  Ethics. 
Christian  Evidences 

,,  ,,      Present  Condition  of 

,,  „      Relation   to  Modern 

Criticism 
„  ,,      Relation   to   Science 

,,  ,,      Sectional  Index 

Christian  Excellence,  Points  of 
Christian,       Heathen,       and     Jewish 

Systems 
Christian  Morals 

Christian  Philosophy,  see  also  Philo- 
sophy of  Christianity. 
Infidel    Testimony  to  the  Excel- 
lence of  Christianity 
Objections  Met     ... 
Christian  Teaching  and  Ancient  Philo- 
sophy,   Points    of     Contrast  be- 
tween 
Christian,  The,  Joshua  a  Type  of 
Christians,  Their  Attitude  in  Regard  to 

Sinners 
Christianity,  see  Modern  Civilization, 
Moral  Philosophy,  and  Philo- 
sophy of. 
Christianity,  Adaptation  of,  to  Man's 
ISature    and  Needs — 
Lines  of  Proof  in  this  .Subject    ... 
Nature  of  the  Adaptation 
Phases  of  this  Adaptation 
Christianity  and  Other  Systems — 

Points    of  Superiority  to  Judaism 

Points  of  Superiority  to  Paganism 

Christianity,  Benefits,  Temporal,  of — 

As  Inducing    Better   Performance 

of  Ordinary  Duties  ... 
As    Inducing     Self-Sacrifice   and 

Care  for  Others 
As    Raising     the     General     and 
National  Standard  of  Moral- 

.  ity       

Objections  Met     ... 
Christianity    Compared     with     Bud- 
dhism           


130 
129 

132 
127 

134 
31 
63 

208 

71 

"7 
23 
31 

82 

329 
284 
289 
524 
5" 


1. 

532 

1. 

125 

vi. 

23 

1. 

121 

i. 

126 

1. 

127 

i. 

126 

VI. 

137 

iv. 

129 

22 

21 
22 

23 
23 


45 
44 


44 
46 

216 


CEXERAL    INDEX. 


531 


Christianity  Contrasted  with  Moham- 

medanism 

i. 

225 

„            Distinctive     Doctrines    of 

i. 

7 

„            Divine  Origin  of,  Its  Lines 

of  Proof 

i. 

33 

„            Forces  Opposed  to 

i. 

147 

„            Heathen    Philosophy   and 

i. 

260 

„            Moral  Philosophy  and,  see 

Moral  Philosophy  and 

Christianity. 

,,            Necessary  Complement  of 

Natural    Religion,  The 

1. 

67 

,,            Not  an   Arbitrary  System 

i. 

127 

,,            Nothing  to  Fear  from  the 

Severest  Tests... 

255 

,,           Progress  of 

42 

,,            Reasonableness  of 

i. 

43 

,,            System  of 

21 

,,            Theistic  Elements  of 

i. 

47 

,,            Triumph  of 

i. 

35 

,,            Vitality  of 

i. 

35 

Chronology  of  the  Bible — 

Concessions  Respecting  this  Sub- 

ject       

i. 

270 

Mistakes  Respecting  it,  Leading 

Cause  of        

i. 

271 

Prospects  of  its  Settlement 

i. 

271 

Churli.shness 

1. 

519 

Church,  The— 

Attributes       and     Characteristics, 

Her 

V. 

"5 

Constitution,  Her... 

V. 

114 

Divine  Head,  Her 

V. 

120 

Dogmatic  Definitions 

v. 

114 

Etymology  of  the  Word,  The    ... 

V. 

112 

Faith,  Her 

V. 

"5 

Government  and   Administration, 

Her 

V. 

122 

History,  Her  Distinctive 

V. 

124 

Material  Side,  Her 

V. 

124 

Mission,  Her  Sacred 

V. 

120 

Obligation     of      her     Members, 

The    ...         ...         

V. 

124 

Position  of  Schismatics  to 

V. 

125 

Relation  to  the  World,  Her 

V. 

123 

Usage  of  the  Word  Itself 

V. 

112 

Church  Accommodation 

V. 

170 

,,       Discipline 

V. 

123 

Church  of  the  Future — 

Assured  Safety,  Its 

i. 

28 

Possible  Dangers   to  the   Church 

i. 

28 

Church,  The — 

Indispensableness     of     Kindness 

to        ...  ■       

iii. 

132 

Nature  of  its  Development 

i. 

27 

Possible  Danger  to 

i. 

28 

Statistical  Growth  of 

i. 

414 

World  and  the       

iv. 

228 

Circumspection — 

Demands,  Its 

iii. 

71 

Difficulty,  Its        

iii. 

72 

Nature,  Its 

iii. 

71 

Necessity,  Its 

iii. 

71 

Relations,  Its         ... 

iii. 

72 

Circumcision,     Relation     of    Baptism 

to 

V. 

133 

Citizens... 

i. 

506 

Citizens  (Love  of)         

iii. 

217 

Civility — 

Culture  and  Practice,  Its 

iii. 

21 

Relation  to  Charity,  Its 

iii. 

21 

Value  and  Advantages,  Its 

iii. 

21 

Civilization  and  Theology 
Civilization,     .Modern,     and     Christi- 
anity— 
The     Relation     between     Civili- 
zation and  Christianity 
Civilizing  Effects  of    Christianity     ... 
Classified    Contents   and    Introductory 
Lists,  see  Tabukr  Statements — 

Attributes  of  God,  The 

Christian  Dogmatics 

,,         Evidences 
Jehovistic    Names  and   Titles  of 

God 

Laws   by    which    Man   is    Con<Ii- 

tioned... 

Man's  Nature  and  Constitution  ... 

>»                )>                )> 
Mosaic  Economy 

Scripture  Characters  (Male)  O   T. 
„        N.  T. 
Sins 

Vices,  including  Faults  and  Defects 
Virtues,  including  E.xcellencies 


Cleanliness — 

Connection  with  Morals,  Health, 
and  Godliness,  Its  ... 

Neglect,  Its  

Obligations,  Its  Social     ... 

Power,  Its... 

Virtuousness       Estimated       and 

Qualified,  It.s 

Cleansing  of  Sin 

Clemency,  including  Leniency — 

Nature  and  Manifestations,  Its  ... 

Regal  Aspecis,  Its 

Synonyms,  Its 
Clerical  Fallibility 
Cleverness 
Clumsiness 
Coarseness 
Codes,  Political,  Social,  and  Ethical  — 

Necessity  and  .Sanction  of  Law ... 

Purpose  and  Design,  Their 

Relation  to  Liberty,  Their 

Source,  Their 

Value,  Their 
Coincidences,  Undesigned 
Coldness 

Collectedness    ... 

,,  Nature  of       

Colour  in  Relation  to  Sight 

Comforter,  The — 

Christological   Aspect    regarding 

Enforcements  of  Duties   respect- 
ing       

Interpretation  of  the  Term 

Objections  Met  rcsjiecting 

Suggested  Thoughts  about 
Commission,  Sins  of   ... 
Common  Prayer  or  Public  Worship — 

Distinctive  Marks,  Its     ... 

Errors,  Common,  respecting 

Motives  for 

Nature,  Its  

Necessity,  Its 

Neglect,  Its         


VOL, 

PAGE 

iv. 

i. 
i. 

270 
36 

37 

iv. 

i; 

,  14 

iv. 

230^ 

23 « 

V. 

i. 

vi. 

vii. 
3>4 

iv. 

i. 

ii. 
i. 

2 

499 
220 
492 

ii. 

3 

iii. 

428, 

429 

45«. 

470 

vi. 

1 

.,  ii. 

vi. 

522 

iv. 

s    i. 

i. 

no. 

III 

5'o 
5t" 

ii. 

409, 

439 

4,51 

,  lOS 

,242 

iii. 

304 

iii. 

305 

iii. 

305 

iii. 

3^5 

iii. 

305 

iv. 

455 

iii. 

181 

iii. 

182 

iii. 

182 

v. 

163 

ii. 
i. 
i. 

1S5 
529 
516 

ii. 

243 

ii. 

243 

ii. 

245 

ii. 

243 

ii. 
i. 
i. 

243 
286 
520 

^    i- 

508 

(iii. 

365 

iii. 

366 

ii. 

34 

i 

i. 

i. 
i. 
i. 

330 

332 
330 
332 
330 

iv. 

124 

V. 

164 

V. 

172 

v. 

169 

v. 

164 

V. 

167 

V. 

169 

532 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


VOL. 

PAGE 

VOL. 

PAGE 

Obligations,  Its 

V. 

167 

Connection  with  Pardon  and  Re- 

Principle, Its  Leading    ... 

V. 

164 

covery 

V. 

357 

Value,  Its 

V. 

167 

Difference    of    the     Doctrine 

as 

Common  Sense,  see  Spontaneousness. 

Taught    by    the    Church  of 

,,           ,,     Reasons  against    Sin- 

England and  by  that  of  Rome 

V. 

360 

ning           

iv. 

129 

Man's  Natural   Disinclinatior 

I  to 

V. 

357 

Communion,  Holy — 

Necessity,  Its 

V. 

357 

Benefits,  Its  Inestimable... 

V. 

152 

Reasons,  Its 

... 

V. 

359 

Designation,  Its  Varied 

V. 

144 

Ruin  Involved  in  its  Neglect 

V. 

359 

Import  and  Significance,  Its 

V. 

14s 

Satisfaction  and  Comfort,  Its 

... 

v. 

359 

Institution,  Its  Primal     ... 

V. 

144 

Confessional  Theology 

... 

iv. 

276 

Intention,  Its  Original 

V. 

145 

Confidence — 

Nature,  Its            

Neglect,  Its  Sinful  and  Dangerous 

V. 
V. 

143 
152 

As  Reposed  in  God 

... 

fiii. 
1  v. 

339 
301 

Obligation,  Its  Solemn   ... 

V. 

151 

,,             ,,      Man 

... 

iii. 

339 

Position,  Its 

V. 

154 

Its  Opposites 

... 

iii. 

341 

Preparation,  Its  Requisite 

V. 

150 

Confirmation — 

Profanation,  Its  Frequent 

V. 

153 

Administration,      Ancient 

and 

Real  Presence,  Its            

V. 

148 

Modern,  Its  ... 

V. 

155 

Types,  Its  Ancient 

V. 

151 

Apostolical  Authority,  Its 

V. 

154 

Communion  with  God 

iv. 

20 

Connection  with  Baptism,  Its 

V. 

155 

Communism — ■ 

Desirability  and  Value,  Its 

V. 

155 

Definition,  Its 

i. 

206 

High   and    Low    Church    Views 

Difficulty  of  Dealing  with  it 

i. 

206 

as  to 

V. 

157 

Effect,  Its 

i. 

206 

Homiletic     Remarks    upon 

this 

Methods    to    Neutralize    its    In- 

Subject 

V. 

157 

fluence 

i. 

206 

Intention,  Its  Primary    ... 

V. 

155 

Phases,  Its            

i. 

206 

Modern  Usage,  Its  Alleged 

V. 

154 

Success,  The  Proved  Impossibility 

Roman«and  Greek  Church  Teach- 

ofits  

i. 

206 

ing  respecting 

V. 

156 

Comparison- 

Conflict,  The  Christian 

.*• 

V. 

400 

Features,  Its  Distinctive... 

ii. 

142 

Conformity  to  the  World — 

Compassion — 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

... 

iv. 

223 

Christian  Aspect,  Its 

iii. 

157 

Evil  Consequences,  Its    ... 

iv. 

223 

Compensations,  Its 

iii. 

159 

Prevalence,  Its 

iv. 

222 

Inculcation,  Its 

iii. 

i5« 

Confucianism — 

Nature,  Its 

iii. 

157 

Chief  Elements  of  its  Success, 

rhe 

i. 

217 

Power,  Its... 

iii. 

158 

Confucian  Morality 

ii. 

413 

Relation  to  Liberality  and  Mercy, 

Conjugal  Love  ... 

... 

iii. 

199 

Its      

iii. 

I59>  177 

Aspects,  Its  General 

... 

iii. 

199 

Relation  to  Pity,  Its        

iii. 

159 

„         Special 

... 

iii. 

199 

Requirements,  Its... 

iii. 

157 

Attributes,  Its      

•  •. 

iii. 

200 

Compassion,  Divine — 

Eff"ects,  Its            

... 

iii. 

201 

Applied  to  Human  Need 

iv. 

89 

Evils  of  its  Absence,  The 

iii. 

202 

Human  Need  of  ... 

iv. 

88 

Hindrances,  Its    ... 

iii. 

201 

Nature  and  Characteristics,  Its  ... 

iv. 

88 

Requirements,  Its 

'.., 

iii. 

199 

Complaisance — 

Simulation,  Its 

iii. 

202 

Influence  and  Effects,  Its 

iii. 

239 

Conscience — 

Nature,    Manifestations  and   Sy- 

Authority and  Ofiice,  Its 

... 

ii. 

211 

nonyms,  Its  ... 

iii. 

238 

Culture,  Its 

ii. 

213 

Social  Value,  Its 

iii. 

239 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

ii. 

209 

Composedness  ... 

\k. 

508 
365 

Imperfections,  Its 

Man's   Accountability   as    to 

its 

ii. 

216 

Comprehension — 

Exercise 

ii. 

216 

Apprehension,  Its  Relation  to  ... 

ii. 

131 

Objections   Met    Concerning 

its 

Capacity,  Its 

ii. 

130 

Morality         

ii. 

215 

Compromise 

i. 

5J3 

Conscience  and  Conscientiousness 

ii. 

454 

Concealment     ... 

i. 

515 

,,          and  Memory 

ii. 

157 

Condescension  ... 

i. 

525 

„          at  the  Last  Day    ... 

V. 

494 

Confession  of  Christ — 

Conscientiousness — 

Aspects   of  False   and  Genuine, 

Abuse,  Its 

ii. 

455 

with  the  Promise  held  out  to 

Action  with  regard  to  the  In 

tei- 

the  True  Confessor  ... 

V. 

277 

lect.  Its          

ii. 

455 

Exemplification,  Its 

v. 

274 

Direction,  Its       

ii. 

455 

Nature,  Its           

V. 

274 

Influence  on  Religious  Character, 

Reasonableness    and    Necessity, 

Its      ...           

ii. 

455 

Its      

V. 

274 

Work, 

its 

ii. 

455 

Rules,  Its 

V. 

276 

Limitations,  Its    ... 

ii. 

455 
454 

St.  Peter's  Confession  of 

V. 

277 

Nature,  Its 

ii. 

Ways  of    ... 

V. 

274 

Qualities,  Its  Basal 

ii. 

454 

Confession  of  Sin — 

Relation  to  Conscience,  Its 

ii. 

454 

Characteristics,  Its  Requisite    ... 

V. 

356 

Value,  Its 

ii. 

456 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


533 


Consciousness — 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Featiues  and  Uses,  Its  Distinc- 
tive    ... 

Mystery  of 
Consecration — 

Advantages,  Value,  and  Blessed- 
ness, Its 

Body  of  the  (Rom.  xii.  I ) 

Conceptions,  The  Two  Leading, 
respecting 

Connection  with  other  Spiritual 
States,  Its    ... 

Influence  for  Good  as  Exemplified 
in  Henry  Martyn,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Power  which  it  imparts  to  a 
Cause,  The  ... 

Requirements,  Its 

Significance,  Its  General 

Symbolism,  Its  Levitical 
Considerateness — 

Force  as  a  Christian  Duty,  Its  ... 

Inculcation,  Its 

Nature,  Its,  Described  and  Ex- 
emplified 

Want  of  it,  The 

Consistency — 

Basis,  Its  ... 

Benefits,  Its 

Characteristics,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Transgression,    Consequences   of 

its       

Consistency,  Christian 
Constancy — 

Meaning,  Its 

Necessity  and  Value,  Its 

Test,  Its  Supreme 
Constitution  and  Course  of  the  World- 

SeCy  Make  and  Constitution  of  the 
World  an  Aid  to  the  Know- 
ledge of  the  Character  of 
God 

See,  Scientific  Discovery  Har- 
monizes with  the  Predicted 
Course  of  Nature  in  the 
Bible 

See,  Use  of  the  Term  in  Analogical 
Reasoning    as    Applied     to 
Religion 
Constitution,  Man's  Nature  and 
Contentment — 

Arguments  in  its  Favour... 

Art  of,  and  how  to  Learn  it 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Dirterence  between  the  Virtue 
and  the  Vice  of,  The 

Motives,  Its 

Necessity  of  other  Qualities  for 
Human  Advancement 

Replies  to  Objections  raised  as  to 
its  Exercise    ... 

Satisfaction,  Difference  of,  re- 
specting 

Source,  Its,  Internal  not  External 

Superiority  to  Satisfaction,  Its  ... 
Contemptuousness 

Continence       ...         ...         ...         ...  ■ 

Continuity  of  the  Scriptures — 
As  seen  in  their  Chiistology 


vou 

PACK 

ii. 

I20 

ii. 

121 

1. 

138 

V. 

341 

V. 

341 

V. 

338 

V. 

340 

V. 

V. 

341 
338 

V. 

341 

V. 
V. 

339 

338 

V. 

341 

iii. 

240 

ni. 

240 

iii. 

240 

ni. 

240 

ii. 
ii. 
ii. 
ii. 

461 
461 
461 
460 

ii. 

462 

11. 

437 

ii. 
ii. 
ii. 

462 
462 
463 

54 


54 


53 
I 

417 
416 

415 

418 
417 

41S 
419 

415 
415 
415 
525 
507 
297 

272 


As  seen  in  the  Merging  of  Juda- 
ism   in    Christianity 
I,         ,,     the  Moral   Leadership 

of  the  Bible 
,«         ,,     Unity    of    Revelation 
Contumacy 
Conventionalities,  Religious — 

Evil  Consequences,  Its 

Nature,  Its 
Conversation     ... 
Conversion,  see  also  Man — 

Distinction    from    Regeneration, 
Its      

Importance     of     the     Doctrine, 
The 

Manner,  Its  

Nature,  Its  

Opposite,  Its        

Signs  and  Tests,  Its 

Subjects  most  needing  it... 

Conversion  of  St.  Paul  

Conversion,  Zeal  for   ... 
Conviction  of  Sin — 

Dangers,  Its  Possible 

Difi'cring    Intensity   in    Different 
Characters,  Its 

Difficulties,  Its  Real 

Inculcations,  Its  ... 

Means  and  Methods,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Necessity,  Its  Universal... 

Relation  to  Enlightenment,  Its... 

Results,  Its 
Coolness 
Copper  ... 
Cornelius  viewed  as — 

Charitable  Friend,  A 

God-fearing   Head  of  a   House- 
hold, A  

Man  of  Prayer,  A  

Object  of  God's  Favour,  An 
Cornelius  compared  with  the  Eunuch 
Correctness — 

Deficiency  in  this  Quality,  Causes 
of        

Definition  of 

Rules  for  its  Cultivation... 
Cosmogonies  Superiority  of  the  Bibli- 
cal to  other 
Cosmogony,  see  Creation — 

Mosaic,  The 

Evidence     of    its     Supernatural 
Origin 

Interpretation,  Methods  of  its    ... 

Moot  Points  as  to  the  Mosaic    ... 

Mythological  Mosaic,  The 

True  Mosaic  Cosmogony 
Cosmological  Argument — 

Considerations     which     give     it 
Weight  

Facts  and  Principles  on  which  it 
is  Based        

Nature,  Its  

Testimonies  in  its  Favour 

Term,  Definition  of  the... 
Cosmology,  Philosophical — 

Position,  lis  Impossible 

Tenets,  Its 
Counsel,  Spirit  of 

Courage,  Embracing  Boldness,  Daring, 
and  Braveiy — 

Aspects,  Its  Moral  and  Religious 


VOL. 

PAGE 

L 

271 

!• 

272 
271 
521 

iv. 
iv. 
iii. 

164 

163 

39» 

100 

lOI 

99 

98 

100 

99 
100 
114 
307 

98 

96 
97 
98 
96 
95 
97 
95 
97 
141 

45' 
508 

508 
508 

509 
510 


489 
488 
4ti8 

322 
282 

284 
282 
286 

282 
283 


77 

76 

75 

77 
75 

196 
•95 
324 


314 


534 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Aspects,  Its  Perverted    ... 

Culture,  Its 

Encouragements  and  Influences, 

Its      

Excellence,  Its 

Forms,  Its  Principal 

Nature,  Its  General 

Power,  Its... 

Requirements,  Its 

Supports    and    Encouragements, 

Its      

Courage,  Moral — 

Connection  with  Purity  ,., 
Fear,  The  Requisite  of  ... 
Necessity,  Its 
Court   of     the   Tabernacle,    Its     En- 
trance 
Courtesy — 

Counterfeits,  Its  Social   ... 
Culture,  Its        ■  ... 
Deficiency,  Its 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Examples,  Its 
Manifestations,  Its 
Religious  Aspect,  Its 
Value,  Its  ... 
Covenant,  The  Ark  of  the 
Covenants,  The 
Covetousness    ... 
Cowardice 

Cowardice,  Relig[ious  ... 
Craftiness 

Creation,    Christian    Doctrine  of,   see 
also  Cosmogony — 
Ascription  to  the  Trinity,  Its     ... 
Biblical  Doctrine  and  Geological 
Science  as  to 
,,        Record  of.  The  ... 
Characteristics     of    the     Divine 

Work  in.  Special     

Definitions,  Its 

Divine  Attributes  implied  in  the 

Act  of  

Evolution  as  related  to  the 
Powers  of  Darkness  and  Domi- 
nion of  Satan,  The  ... 
Purpose  of  Creation,  The 
Theories,  Its 
Creation  and  the  Incarnation  ... 

,,         Involved  no  Change  in  God... 
,,        New,  The     ... 
Creation  of  Man,  The^ — 

Perfect  Plan  of  the  World  Con- 
summated in... 
Creationism 
Creator,  Idea  of 

Credibility  of  the  Gospel  History — 
Admissions  of  Opponents 
Counter  Charges  Against  Oppo- 
nents... 
Difficulties  of  Opponents 
Evidence,  Historical  and  Scientific 

,,        Internal 
Summary  of  Arguments... 
Creeds,  Origin  and  Classification,  Their 
Cremation 

Crime  and  .Sin,  Distinction  between  ... 
Critical    and     Verifying     Faculty    of 
Man — 
Considerations  respecting  it  in  Re- 
lation to  Scripture  ... 
Definition,  Its 


VOL. 

PAGE 

ni. 

314 

in. 

l^"^ 

iii. 

314 

111. 

314 

111. 

3i« 

111. 

311 

111. 

313 

111. 

312 

iii. 

319 

iii. 

319 

HI. 

319 

111. 

xxb 

434 

29 

28 

29 

27 

29 

27 

28 

27 

442 

392 

523 

524 

134 

515 


321 

321 

325 

340 
320 

342 
323 

370 
340 
320 
507 
47 
498 


343 

351 

59 

274 

274 

27s 
273 
272 
274 
247.  273 
470 

"3 


254 
254 


Right  Uses  and  Prescribed  Limits, 

Its      

Criticism,  Textual 
Cross,  The — 

Its  Glory   ... 
„   Measurements... 
,,  Power  and  Influence... 
,,  Shame... 
Preaching  of  the ... 
Cross  and  Passion,  The 
,,     Bearing,  The     ... 
Crossness 
Cruelty  ... 

Culture,  Intellectual,   Its  Advantages 
Cultured  and  Scientific  Sense — 

Logic 
Cunning 
Curiosity — 

Disappointments,  Its 
Distinctive  Features,  Its... 

,,  Uses   ... 

Religion,  Need  for  its  Exercise  in 
Cynicism,  Spiritual 


D. 

Daily  Sacrifice,  The    ... 

Daintiness 

Damnation 

Dan        

Dandyism 
Daniel — ■ 

Character  and  Career,  His 
,,         His  Force  of  ... 
Characteristics,  His  Special 
Ezekiel,  The  Testimony  of 
Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life 
Parallel  between  Joseph  and 
,,  ,,        St.  John  and  ... 

Daring   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  j 

Dastard,  A 
David — 

Character,  Defects  of  his 

„  Its     Excellence    as    a 

Whole 

„  Fruits  of  Divine  Cul- 

ture Traced  in  his 
,,  Traits  of,  as  Displayed 

in  the  PsaJms    ... 
„  Viewed  as  a  Sample  of 

Divine  Education, 

His 

Declension,  His  ... 
Homiletic  Hints  upon  his  Life  ... 
Introductory  Remarks  upon 
Jonathan's  Love  for.  His 
Personal      Aspect      and     Mien, 

His 

Qualities     as     a      Ruler,       His 

Chief     ...         

Return  to  God,  His 
Similarity  of  Experience  between 
Joseph  and     ... 

Type  of  Christ,  A  

Day  of  Atonement 

Death,  see  also  Eternal  Death — 

Awfulness,  Its       

Consecration,  Its  ... 

Dead,  Burial  of  the         

Eloquence,  Its 


VOL. 

PAGE 

i. 

254 

1. 

265 

V. 

32 

V. 

34 

V. 

3S 

V. 

32 

V. 

35 

a. 

303 

V. 

379 

S28 

518 

11. 

162 

ii. 

141 

I. 

515 

94 

93 

93 

94 

IV. 

181 

484 

529 
505 
103 

362 

369 

362 

370 
370 
369 
369 
507 
311 
524 

205 
208 
198 

207 


195 

201 
209 

194 
223 

195 

206 

203 

209 
208 
494 

457 
459 
470 

459 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


535 


Fear  of 

Gate  of  Heaven,  The     .. 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  this  Sub- 
ject    ... 

Impartiality,  Its 

Import  as  fhe  Appointed  Doom, 
Its 

Inevitableness,  Universality,  and 
Reasonableness,  Its 

Jealousy,  Its 

King  of  Terrors,  The 

Life  that  Prcjiares  for  it,  The    ... 

Nature  and  Characteristics,  Its... 

Order  and  Process,  Its    ... 

Power,  Its 

Revelations,  Its    ... 

Sin  and 

Symbols  and  Metaphors  of 

Works  that  Follow  it.  The 
Debauchery 

Debt,  Moral  Sense  of... 
Decalogue,   and   the  Sermon   on   the 

Mount,    Contrast    between    their 

Delivery    ... 
Deceitfulness    ...         ... 

Decency  ...         ...         ...         ...  • 

Decision — 

Advantages      and     Importance, 
Its      

Defective  Forms,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Evils  of  its  Deficiency    ... 

Examples  of  its  Manifestation  and 
Defects 

Necessity,  Its 

Opportunities,  Its 

Requirements,  Its 
Declension 
Decorum 

Decorum,  including  Decency,  Pro- 
priety, Seemliness,  P'itness, 
Suitableness,  and  the  Be- 
coming in  Conduct — 

Application,  Their 

Manifestations   and   Regulations, 
Their  General 

Nature  and  Inter-Relations,  Their 
Dedication,  the  Vow  of 
Defamation 

Defects  and  Faults,  see  Vices. 
Deference — 

Dangers,  Its 

Definition,  Its      

Due,  To  and  from  Whom 

Manifestations,  Its  

Degeneration    ... 
Deism — 

Arginncnts  Against  

Phases,  Its  

Relations,  Its  Historical 

Dejection 

Dejection,  Spiritual  (including  De- 
spondency, Depression) — 

Causes,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  this  Sub- 
ject      

Misery,  Its  

Sinfulness,  Its      

Treatment,  Its      

Delay  in  Religion — 
Causes,  Its 


VOL. 

PACE 

iv. 

152 

V. 

463 

V. 

471 

V. 

458 

V. 

455 

V. 

453 

V. 

458 

V. 

464 

V. 

460 

V. 

456 

V. 

455 

V. 

460 

V. 

459 

iv. 

3«3 

V. 

465 

V. 

462 

i. 

523 

i. 

451 

i. 

345 

i. 

515 

i- 

508 

iii. 

385 

iii. 

254 

iii. 

255 

iii. 

251 

iii. 

25s 

iii. 

255 

iii. 

251 

iii. 

254 

iii. 

252 

i. 

522 

i. 

508 

386 


iii. 

386 

Ml. 

385 

ni. 

514 

1. 

513 

iii. 

39 

in. 

39 

Ul. 

39 

111. 

39 

1. 

522 

184 

1, 

184 

1. 

184 

1. 

524 

Encouragements  to  its  Opposite 

Course 

iv. 

»59 

Heinousness,  Its  ... 

iv. 

>59 

Ilomilelic  Hints  upon  this  Sin  ... 

iv. 

160 

Means     Necessary     to       Watch 

Against 

iv. 

160 

Mischief,  Its         

iv. 

>59 

Mistake  and  Folly,  Its 

iv. 

>57 

,,         ,,     Guilt,  Its 

iv. 

158 

Reply  to  Apologies  for 

iv. 

159 

Stages,  Its 

iv. 

156 

Delicacy — 

Nature  and  Functions,  Its 

iii. 

241 

Negative  Aspect,  Its 

iii. 

241 

Source,  Its 

iii. 

241 

V.aJue,  Its 

iii. 

241 

Delighting  in  God 

V. 

297 

"  Dehver  us  from  Evil  "  (Seventh  Peti- 

tion of  the  Lord's  J 'raver) — 

"  Evil,"  The  Sense  of,  Here 

i. 

475 

,,        Mistaken  Notions  About 

i. 

478 

Divine   Deliverance,   Its  E.xistent 

i. 

480 

,,                ,,              From  Evil  as 

Sin 

i. 

479 

„               ,,              From  Evil  as 

Trial      ... 

i. 

479 

154 

154 
154 
154 
154 

156 


,,  ,,  Viewed       in 

Regard  to 
the  Source 
of  Tempta- 
tion 
Frames  of  Mind  reflected  in  this 

Prayer 
Necessity,  Its 
Prerequisites,  Its  ... 
Structural  Character,  Its... 
Deluge,  The,  see  Noah. 
Delusion  to  believe  a  Lie        ... 
Denial  of  Christ — 

Causes,  Its  ...         

Forms,  Its 

Guilt  and  Inexcusableness,  Its    ... 
Lessons  Taught  by  St.  Peter's   ... 
Demas — 

Apostasy,  His 

Historical  Parallel,  An,  To 

Homiletical  Suggestions  upon  his 

Life 

Departing  from  God — 

Consequences,  Its  Ruinous 
Diagnosis,  Its 

Encouragements    to  its  Opposite 
Course 
Dependence 

Deportment,  Staidness  of 
Depravity 

,,  Human 

Depreciation     ... 
Depression 

,,  Spiritual     ... 

Derision 

Design  Argument,  The 
Desire  of  Knowledge — 

Aim,  Its  Contemplated  ... 
Attainment,  Gratification  arising 
from  its ... 
,,  Moral  Aspects  of  its 

,,  Penalties        arising 

from  its... 
Distinction   between  it  and  Wis- 
dom .. 
Foundation,  Its    ... 


479 

481 
480 
481 
474 

13' 


iv. 

152 

iv. 

151 

iv. 

152 

iv. 

152 

vi. 

5«4 

vi. 

515 

vi. 

515 

iv. 

148 

iv. 

148 

iv. 

149 

ii. 

143 

iii. 

369 

i. 

522 

iv. 

"3 

i. 

5'3 

i. 

524 

iv. 

134 

i. 

526 

»• 

85 

ii. 

60 

ii. 

65 

ii. 

66 

ii. 

66 

ii. 

67 

ii. 

60 

536 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Limited  Sphere,  Its         

ii. 

62 

Progressive  Nature,  Its  ... 

ii. 

62 

Pursuit,  Character  of  its  ... 

ii. 

63 

,,         Requirements  of  its 

ii. 

64 

Sources,  Its 

ii. 

60 

Wisdom,  The,  of  Cultivating  it  ... 

ii. 

66 

Desire  of  Liberty  and  Independence — 

Higl^iest  Aspect,  Its         

ii. 

67 

Safeguards,  Its     ... 

ii. 

67 

Value,  Its              

ii. 

67 

Virtue  and  Liberty,   Connection 

between 

ii. 

67 

Desire  of  Possession,  The — 

Liability  to  Abuse,  Its    ... 

ii. 

58 

Nature,  Its 

ii. 

58 

Desire  of  Power  and  Superiority — 

Aspects,  Its  General 

ii. 

68 

Difference  between  the  Two 

ii. 

69 

Distinction   between   Power  and 

Activity 

ii. 

68 

Extent,  Its            

ii. 

68 

Influence,     Its    Beneficial    when 

properly  Developed 

ii. 

69 

,,             Its  Deteriorating  when 

Perverted  ... 

ii. 

69 

Various  Ways  of  Acquiring 

ii. 

69 

Desire  of  Praise — 

Absorbing  Power,  Its 

ii. 

70 

Requisites    for    its  Rightful   De- 

velopment 

ii. 

70 

Universal      and     Comprehensive 

vSway,  Its 

ii. 

70 

Desire  of  .Society — 

Abuse,  Its             

ii. 

60 

Benefits,  Its 

ii. 

59 

Extent,  Its            

ii. 

59 

Influences,  Its 

ii. 

59 

Necessity,  Its 

ii. 

58 

Desires,  The — 

Mental,  The          

i. 

493 

Moral,  The 

ii. 

56 

Primary,  The 

ii. 

56 

Despair  ... 

i. 

524 

,,       and  Unbelief  ... 

iv. 

207 

Despondency    ... 

i. 

524 

Despotism 

i. 

516 

l^eterioration     ... 

i. 

522 

Determination  and  Resolution — 

Examples  ... 

iii. 

260 

Nature  and  Connection  with  De- 

cision,  Their... 

iii. 

256 

Power  and  Dignity,  Their 

iii. 

258 

Relation    to    Physical   Tempera- 

ment, Their  ... 

iii. 

257 

Requirements,  Their 

iii. 

257 

Value  and  Importance,  Their     ... 

iii. 

259 

Detraction 

i. 

512 

Devils,  sec  Satan — 

Arguments  for  their  Existence     ... 

iv. 

371 

Belief  in.  Prevalent  among  Pagans 

iv. 

371 

Grades,  Their  Probable  ... 

iv. 

371 

History  of  the  Doctrine  respecting 

iv. 

370 

Immaterialism,  Their 

iv. 

372 

Properties  and  Modes  of  Opera- 

tion, Their    ... 

iv. 

372 

Devotion  to  Christ — 

The    Various    Ways   in   which   it 

may  be  Manifested  ... 

v. 

279 

Dictation 

i. 

5^7 

Dictatorialness  ... 

i. 

525 

Difficulties,  Bible         

!;-. 

268 
178 

Difficulties  of  Infidelity,  Article  upon — 

Certain  Problems    Solvable   only 

upon  the  Theistic  Hypoth 

esis 

i. 

138 

Necessary    Infidel    Achievements 

before    Christianity    can 

be 

Overthrown  ... 

i. 

139 

Diffidence^ 

Disadvantages,   Advantages, 

and 

Compensation,  Its    ... 

iii. 

354 

Inculcation,  Its    ... 

.w 

iii. 

355 

Indications,  Its    ... 

... 

iii. 

354 

Manifestations  Illustrated,  Its 

iii. 

355 

Nature  and  Expression,  Its 

... 

iii. 

354 

Dilatoriness 

i. 

512 

Diligence — 

Characteristics     of    the   Diligent 

Man 

ii. 

481 

Fundamental  Principles,  Its 

... 

ii. 

481 

Misdirection 

ii. 

482 

Discernment — 

Examples  of  its  Exercise... 

iii. 

59 

Nature  and  Relation   to  Discre- 

tion, Its         

iii. 

58 

Necessity  for  Christian  Work, 

Its 

iii. 

59 

Requisites,  Its 

iii. 

58 

Discipline,  Church 

v. 

123 

Discontentment 

... 

i. 

528 

Discourteousness 

i. 

516 

Discretion — 

Examples,  Negative  and  Positive, 

of        

iii. 

66 

Manifestations,  Its 

iii. 

65 

Nature,  Its            

iii. 

65 

Necessity  and  Value,  Its... 

iii. 

65 

Qualities,  Its         

iii. 

65 

Relation  to  Discernment,  Its 

iii. 

58 

Sphere,  Its             

iii. 

65 

Discrimination — 

Materials,  Its        

iii. 

59 

Powers  it  Calls  into  Exercise,  The 

iii. 

59 

Rarity,  Its..           

iii. 

bo 

Reality  and  Triumph,  Its 

iii. 

60 

Disdain  ... 

... 

i. 

525 

Disguise... 

i. 

514 

Dishonesty 

i. 

515 

Disingenuousness 

... 

i. 

515 

Disinterestedness — 

Defective  Eorms,  Its 

iii. 

138 

Effects,  Its             

iii. 

137 

Exemplification   and   Inculcation 

by  Christ,  Its 

iii. 

138 

Instances  of  its  Exercise... 

iii. 

1.38 

Liability  to  Misrepresentation, 

its 

iii. 

138 

Nature  and  Manifestation,  Its 

iii. 

^il 

Rewards,  Its 

iii. 

138 

Worth  and  Value,  Its      ... 

iii. 

138 

Disloyalty          

i. 

517 

Dismay  ... 

... 

i. 

524 

Disobedience — 

Inexcusableness,  Its 

... 

v. 

337 

Disparagement... 

i. 

513 

Dispensation  of  the  Spirit 

... 

V. 

84 

Display 

i. 

525 

Disposition  and  Temperaments 

ii. 

227 

Disrespectfulness          

... 

i. 

517 

Dissembling 

i. 

514 

Dissentiousness 

i. 

527 

Dissimulation  ... 

i. 

5'5 

Dissoluteness    ... 

i. 

522 

Distinctive  Organization 

ii. 

221 

Distrust — 

Unbelief  of 

... 

V. 

w^ 

GENERAL   INDEX. 


537 


V. 

Its  Infinite...      v. 


Argu- 


Divine  Direction — 

Helplessness  of  Man's  Self-Guid- 
ance  ... 

Love  and  Wisdom, 

Manifestations,  Its 

Need  of  Faith  in 

,,        Prayer  for         

Promises,  Its 
Divine  Existence,  Proofs  of  the 
Divine     Government,     The,    Article 
upon — 

Institution  of  Natural  Law  in    ... 

Laws  of  Nature  not  Contravened 
by  the... 

Mysterious  throui^h  the  Limitation 
of  our  I'"aculties 

Rationale  of  the  Mystery  Observ- 
able in 
Divine   Legation   of   Moses,    Article 
upon — 

Conditions  of  the  Question 

Considerations,  Preliminary 

Difference  between  the  Mosaic 
Penal  Code  and  that  of 
Modern  States 

Divisions,  Two  Chief,  Its 

Features,  Distinctive,  Its 

Nature  and  Relative  Importance 
of  the  Subject 

Replies  to  Objections  as  to  the 
Severity  of  the  Mosaic 
Code  ... 

Warburton's    Paradoxical 
ment  ... 
Divine  Origin  of  Christianity... 
Divine  Protection — 

Blessedness,  Its    ... 

Danger  of  Disregarding  ... 

Display,  Its  Special 

Pity  of  God  Shown  in     ... 
Divinity  of  Christ — - 

Essential  Prominence  in  the  Chris- 
tian System,  Its       ...         ... 

Evidences,  Its 

How  Afi'ected  by  Arianism 

Mysteriousness,  Its 

Practical  and  E.xperimental  Ef- 
fects, Its 

Witnessed  by  the  Resurrection  ... 
Divisions,    including   Schism,    Article 
upon — 

Causes,  Their 

Consequences,  The  Evil,  of  the 
Controversies  of  even  Good 
Men   ... 

Contrast  between  Man's  Narrow- 
ness and  God's  Breadth  with 
respect  to  Differences  of 
Opinion 

Features,  Their  Distinctive 

Folly  and  Suicidal  Results,  Their 

Gain  of  Satan  by  them    ... 

Nature  and  Sinfulness,  Their     ... 

Remedy,  Their     ... 

Viewed  in  the  I-ight  of  Eternity 

Docetism,  Its  Confutation      

Docility... 

Docility,  including  Tractableness — 

E.xhibition,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Necessity  and  Value,  Its... 

Synonyms,  Its  Descriptive 


412 
411 
410 
412 
411 
410 
74 


354 
55 
55 
54 


276 
276 


277 
276 
276 

276 


277 


1. 

277 

i. 

33 

v. 

413 

V. 

415 

V. 

413 

V. 

414 

i. 

7 

i. 

7 

i. 

233 

i. 

S 

i. 

8 

V. 

43 

iv. 

191 

iv. 

192 

iv. 

193 

iv. 

192 

iv. 

192 

iv. 

193 

iv. 

191 

iv. 

192 

iv. 

193 

i. 

23s 

i. 

508 

iH. 

355 

iii. 

355 

iii. 

355 

iii. 

355 

and     Geological 


Doctrine,     Biblical 
Science 

M      Dangers  to  which  it  is  Liable 
Doctrines —  ■« 

Distinctive  of  Christianity 

Good  and  Bad  Contrasted  in  their 
ElVects  

Of  the  Gospel,  The  Sin  of  Adding 

to  the 

Docg 
Doggedness 

Dogmas,  Rise  of  Theological 

Dogmatic  Faiih — 

Correctives  of  its  Abuses 

Definition,  Its 

Relation    to    History  and   Logic, 
lis       

Uses,  Its 

Dogmatics,  Christian,  Article  upon — 

Introduction 

Normal    Relations  between    God 
and  Man 

Normal    Relations  between   God 
and  Man,  Breach  of.v. 

Normal    Relations  between    God 
and  Man,  Restoration  of    ... 

Dogmatism        ...         

,,         Relation  of  Tolerance,  Its 

"Doing  Good"  

Dolefulness 
Domineering     ... 
"  Don't  Care".., 
Double-dealing  ... 

Doubt- 
Arguments  against 

Causes,  Its  Outside 

Cure,  Its  Methods  of      

Nature,  Its 

Sources,  Its  Personal 

Doubt  and  Faith  ...         

,,       „     Unbelief 

Doubts- 
Causes,  Their 

Different  Kinds  of 

Evil  Consequences,  Their 

Legitimate 

'I'reatment,  Their 
Drink  Offerings,  see  Meat. 
Drudgery 
Drunkenness    ... 
Dualism — 

Definition  and  Phases  of 

Causes,  Its  Historical     ... 

Growth  of  Persian 
Duties  and  E.xercises,  Christian — 

Festive  and  Eucharisiic  ... 

General  and  Exemplary... 

Militant  and  Progressive 

Penitential  and  Disciplinary 
Duties,  Christian,  in  regard  to  Modem 

Thought...  


Ear,  The,  see  Hearing. 
Early  or  First  Impressions 

Early  Rising     

Earnestness — 

Characteristics,  Its 

Incentives,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 


IV. 

321 

iv. 

280 

i. 

7 

iv. 

280 

iv. 

181 

vi. 

231 

i. 

522 

iv. 

237 

i. 

256 

i. 

255 

i. 

25s 

i. 

255 

iv. 

231 

iv. 

2S3 

iv. 

381 

iv. 

391 

i. 

525 

iii. 

401 

V. 

347 

i. 

524 

i. 

525 

iii. 

71 

i. 

5»4 

i. 

153 

i. 

152 

i. 

153 

i. 

152 

i. 

153 

V. 

232 

iv. 

154 

iv. 

155 

iv. 

155 

iv. 

155 

iv. 

154 

iv. 

155 

522 

236 
236 
236 

390 

274 

400 
349 

142 


235 
144 

280 
281 
280 
280 


538 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Power  and  Effects,  Its    ... 
Requirements,  Its 
Eating  and  Drinking,  see  Hunger. 
Eccentricity 

Eclecticism,  Biblical  ... 
Economy — 

Appliances,  Its     ... 
Culture  and  Practice,  Its  ... 

Divine  Example,  Its 
Manifestations,  Its 

Motives,  Its  

Nature,  Its  ...         

Power  and  Value,  Its 
Requirements,  Its 
Economy,  Relation  to  Industry,  Its 
P^fficacy  of  Prayer 
Eleazar  ... 

Election    or   Predestination,     Article 
upon — 
Chief  Views,  The  Three 
Differences  between  the  Apostolic 
Doctrine     and     the 
Calvinistic... 
„          between    St.     Augus- 
tine's Doctrine  and 
the  Calvinistic 
Doctrine,  The,  of  the  Early  Church 
and  Patristic  The- 
ology     

,,  ,,  generally  .Stated  ... 

,,  ,,  of  St.    Paul  and  its 

Application  by  the 
Church    of    Eng- 
land 
„  „  of  the  Westminster 

Confession         of 

Faith      

Evidences  of  its  Truth,  The 
Meaning  and  Significance  of  the 

Term ... 
Objections  Answered  respecting... 
Practical   Applications  respecting 
Relations,  Its 
Eli- 
Contrast  of  Moses  with  

Defect,  His  Great  

Disgrace   and    Punishment,    His 

Manifold 
Ilomiletic  Hints  upon  his  Life  ... 
Virtues,  His  Chief 
"  Eli,      Eli,     Lama,      Sabachthani  " 
{Fou7-th  Saying  on  the  Cross) — 
Circumstances,  Preceding 
Cry,  The  Saviour's 
Lessons 

Reasons   for   this    Divinely   Per- 
mitted Suffering 
Eliezer — 

Chief  Characteristics,  His 
Homiletical  Reflections  upon  his 

Life 

Position  in  Abraham's  Household, 

His 

Elijah — 

Character,  Chief  Moral  Elements 
ofhis 
„          Formation  of  his 
Characteristics  of  the  Man,  The 
,,             of  the  Patriot    ... 
„             of  the  Prophet  and 
Reformer 
Contrasted  with  Elisha 


PAGE 

281 
281 

517 
181 

77 
77 
78 
78 
77 
76 
76 
76 
96 
256 
230 


435 


141 


441 


437 
435 


439 


IV. 

iv. 

442 
444 

iv. 
iv. 
iv. 
iv. 

435 
442 

445 
445 

vi. 
vi. 

160 
158 

vi. 

vi. 

159 
160 

VI. 

157 

ii. 

ii. 
ii. 

358 
360 

369 

ii. 

366 

vi. 

114 

vi. 

115 

vi. 

114 

vi. 

vi. 
vi. 
vi. 

318 

308 
309 
314 

vi. 

3" 

VI. 

319 

Contrasted    with    other    Biblical 

Characters    ... 
Despondency  and  Declension,  His 
,,  God's  Treatment  of 

his 
,,  ,,       Result  of  his 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  his  Life 
Prophecies,  His    ... 
Similarity  to  John  the  Baptist,  His 
Traditional  Views  respecting     ... 
Eliphaz  ... 
Elisha — 

Call,  His ... 

Character,  Elements  in  his 
,,  His  Typical  ... 

Comparison  with  Elijah  and  Jonah 
Contrast  with  Elijah 
Homiletic    Reflections  upon    his 

Life 

Prophetic  Miracles  of 

Request,  His         ...  ...  ... 

Elisha  Contrasted  with  Elijah 
Eloquence         ...  ...  ...  ... 

Elihu      

Emmaus,  The  Two  Disciples  on  their 

Way  to,  see  Two  Disciples. 
Emotions,  The — 

Aspect,  Their  Limited  and  Modi- 
fied      

,,        Their  Moral       

Characteristics  and  Phases,  Their 

Chief 

Definition,  Their  ... 

Distinction    between    them    and 

Sensation 
Influence  and  General  Tendencies, 

Their... 
Range  of  Action,  Their  ... 
Religion,  Their  Place  in 
Sensibility,  Viewed  as     ... 
Weakened  by  Repetition 
Emulation  and  Envy,  Distinction  be- 
tween 
Endowments,  The  Intellectual 
Endurance — • 

Basis  and  Support,  Its     ... 
Exemplification  in  Legal  Life,  Its 
Manifestations,  Its 
Necessity  in  the  Spiritual  Life,  Its 
Nobility  of  Silent  Endurance 
Power,  Its... 
Energy^ 

Difficulties  as  regards  the  Passive 

Virtues,  Its    ... 
Exemplified  in  Thomas  Brassey... 
Necessity  and  Importance,  Its    ... 

Objects,  Its  ...  

Value  as    a   Test    of  Character, 

Its       

Enlightenment,  The  Holy  Spirit's — 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Effects,  Its 

Instrument,  Its     ... 
Necessity,  Its 
Process,  Its  Mysterious   ... 
Relation    to  Kindred  Operations, 

Its       

Special  Methods,  Its       

,,       Subjects,  Its 
Enlightenment  and  Conviction 
Enmity  against  God — 
Nature,  Its 


VOL. 

PAGE 

vi. 

321 

VI. 

314 

vi. 

317 

VI. 

317 

VI. 

322 

VI. 

322 

VI. 

321 

VI. 

322 

VI. 

47 

vi. 

323 

VI. 

324 

VI. 

vi. 
vi. 

327 
328 
328 

vi. 

328 

VI. 

326 

VI. 

324 

VI. 

3i<" 

11. 

166 

VI. 

48 

77 

77 

75 
74 

78 

73 
76 

77 

74 

241 


114 

338 
338 
337 
338 
339 
338 


271 

272 
271 
271 

271 

92 
94 
92 
93 
93 

95 
93 
93 
95 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Subterfuges,  Its    ...  ... 

Symptoms  and  Signs,  Its 
Enoch — 

Contrast  of,  with  Christ 

Lessons  of  his  Life,  The... 

Peculiar  Points  observed  in  his 
History  

Prophecy,  The  import  of  his,  as 
recorded  by  Jude      

Translations  of  Enoch,  Elijah,  and 
Chiist,  viewed  as  belonging 
to  Three  Epochs  in  the 
Church's   History     ... 

Enterprise  ...         ...         ...         ...  j 

Enthusiasm       

Excnij)lified  in  Galileo,  As 

Importance  and  Necessity,  Its    ... 

Influence,  Its 

Limited  Dominion,  Its    ... 

Models  Its,  Divine  and  Apostolic 

Nature,  Ls 

Power,  Its... 

Qualities  and  Requirements,  Its... 
Entrance  Court  to  the  Tabernacle     ... 
Entrance  Veil,  The 
Envy 

Definition,  Its 

Emulation  and.  Distinction  be- 
tween ... 

Penalties,  Its 
Epapliroditus — 

Characteristics,  His 

Identification  with  Epaphras,  His 
Ephesus— 

Geographical  Relations,  Its 

Historical  Relations,  Its... 
Ephesus,  The  Apocalyptic  Epistle  to — 

Characteristics,  Its  Special 

Ilomiletical  Hints  on  the  Epistle 

Judgments  Threatened  against 
this  Church 

Points  of  Censure 

,,  Commendation 

Rewards  Promised  to  this  Church 

Title  of  the  Saviour,  The,  Used 
in  it 

Various  Readings  and  Renderings 
of  the  Text  of  this  Epistle  .. 

Ephod,  The      

Ephraim 

Epicureanism    ... 
Equity    ... 

Analysis,  Its  ...  

Application,  Its    ... 

Nature,  Its 

Value,  Its 

Equivocation     ... 

Error 

Esau — 

Characteristics,  His  General 

Contrast  to  Jacob,  His    ... 

Defect,  His  Chief 

Lessons  of  his  Life  and  Cha- 
racter... 

Reprobation,  Question  as    to  his 
Esteem,  including  Regard       

Dangers,  Its 

Grounds,  Its 

Manifestations,  Its 

Means  of  its  Attainment... 


vou 

PAGE 

IV. 

20 1 

IV. 

201 

vi. 

19 

VI. 

18 

vi. 

17 

vi. 

18 

VI. 

19 

1. 

507 

Ul. 

321 

1. 

507 

ii. 

108 

111. 

276 

111. 

274 

111. 

275 

111. 

275 

111. 

276 

in. 

272 

111. 

273 

III. 

275 

in. 

434 

111. 

442 

1. 

495.  526 

u. 

97 

97 

505 
505 

256 
257 

257 
261 

260 
259 
258 
260 

258 


ii. 

256 

111. 

461 

VI. 

104 

1. 

522 

1. 

503 

111. 

9 

111. 

9 

Ul. 

9 

III. 

9 

1. 

514 

1. 

512 

vi. 

III 

VI. 

79.  "3 

VI. 

III 

vi. 

"3 

VI. 

112 

1. 

506 

Ul. 

190 

Ul. 

189 

Ul. 

188 

III. 

189 

Nature,  Its... 

Value  to  its  Object,  Its 

Eternal  Death,  st-t  Hell. 
Eternity  of  (Jod — ■ 

Evidences,  Its 

Feature,  Its  Distinctive 

Man's  Attitude  to  the      

Nature,  Its 
Eternal  S])irit,  The — 

Allusion  of  the  Metaphor,  The... 

Import,  Its 

Personal  Bearing,  Its       

Theological  Hearing,  Its 

Ethical  Argument^ 

Importance,  Its    ... 

Lines,  Its  ... 
Ethical  Codes  ... 
Ethics,  Christian — 

Apologetic  Value,  Its 

Aspects,  Its  Main 

Consistency,  Importance  of,  in  its 
Professors 

End  and  Aim,  Its  Great 

Features,  Its  Distinguishing 

Nature  of  the  Doctrine,  The 

Objections    Met     respecting    this 
Science 

Peculiar  Praise  of... 

Provisional  Character,  Its 

Relations,  Its 

Standard,  Its 

Superiority,  Its     ... 
Ethics  and  Morals — 

Their  Relative  Meaning  ... 
Ethics  and  Theology   ... 
Ethiopian  Eunuch,  The — 

Baptism,  His 

Character,  His 

Compared  with  Cornelius 
,,  ,,     Daniel    ... 

Homiletical  Reflections  upon  his 

Life 

Eucharist,  The... 

Eutychianism,its  Similarity  to  Apolli- 

narianism  ... 
Evangelical  System,  The 
Evasion... 
Evidences  of  the  Christian  Religion — 

External    (Prophecies,     Miracles, 
History)         

Failure  of  Infidelity 

First  Principles  and  Maxims 

Internal 

Per.sonal 

Proofs  of  the  Divine  Existence  ... 
Evil,  Aggression  against 
,,     Anticipation  of  ... 
,,     Deliverance  from 
,,     One,  The 
,,     Origin  of... 
,,     Rejoicing  in 
Evolution — 

Definition  and  Fallacies,  Its 

Objections  urged  against... 

Phases,  Its 

Pleas  urged  by  its  Christian  Ad- 
vocates 

Schools,  Its  Distinctive 

Evolution  as  Related  to  the  Creation 

,,  in  Ethics 

Exactness  

Attainment,  Its  Conditional 


539 


187 
189 


34 
3« 
38 
36 

296 
296 
296 
296 

79 

78 

243 

435 
433 

437 
434 
432 
431 

437 

2CX; 
432 

435 
432 
436 

432 
259 

510 

509 
510 
510 

510 
143 

232 
277 
514 


95 

1 38 

50 
121 

134 

74 

Z(>7 

184 

474 
475 
381 
202 

191 

»93 
192 

192 
192 

323 
417 
503 
489 


54° 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Cultivation,  Mode  of  its 

,,  Need  of  its  ... 

Defects,  Its 

Nature  and  Standard  Qualities,  Its 

Obligations,  Its    ... 
ExagfTcration     ...         .„         .^         ... 

Exaltation  of  God        ...         ...         ... 

Examination 

Nature,  Its 

Qualifications  and  Requirements, 

Its       

Example  of  Christ 

Exasperation     ...  ...  ...  ... 

Excellence,  Christian,  Points  of 

Excellencies,  see  Virtues. 

Excellency    Distinguished    from     the 

Desire  of  ... 
Excuses  for  Sinning     ... 
Exercises,  Christian,  see  Duties. 
Existence,  Problem  of.  Answer  of  the 

Scriptures  to 
Existence  of  God,  Systems  which  deny 

it 

Expeditiousness  ...  ...         ... 

In  What  it  Results  

On  What  it  Depends       

What  it  is 

Eye,  The — 

Its  Superiority  in  Man    ... 
,,  ,,         to  the  other  Senses 

Ezekiel — - 

Character,  Formation  of  his 

Characteristics,  His  Leading 

Comparison  with  Jeremiah,  His... 

Place  among  the  Prophets,  His... 
Ezra — ■ 

Character,  Leading  Traits  of  his 

Homiletical   Hints  on   this  Cha- 
racter   


F. 
Faculty  or  Talent         ...         ... 

„      of  Genius         ...         ...         ... 

Fairness...         ...         ...         ...         .„ 

Essential  Qualities,  Its     ...         ... 

Nature  and  Source,  Its    ... 
Offices,  Its... 
Reward,  Its 

Spheres,  Its  ,         ... 

Faith — 

Basis  of      ...         ...         ,,,         ... 

Compass  and  Virtue,  Its 
Contrast  between  True  and  False 

,>  ,,    Weak  and  Strong 

Definitions,  Its  Various 

Demands,  The  two  Leading,  which 

God  makes  on  our   ... 
Difference    between    the    Process 

and  the  Act  ... 
Discrimination      of    it     and     its 

Synonyms 
Distinction  between  Human   and 

Divine 
Distinctive    Features    of     it     in 

Christ 
Dogmatic  ... 
Excellencies,  Its  ... 
Exposition  and  Illustrations,  Its,  in 

Hcb.  xi. 

P'oes,  Its 

Good         ... 


PAGE 
490 
490 
489 
489 
490 

85 

85 

23 

519,  528 

125 


221 
128 


179 

160 

503 
4S5 
485 
484 

31 


360 
360 
361 
360 

358 

359 


127 
183 
503 
13 
13 
13 
14 
13 

53 
221 

231 
231 
217 

230 

229 

214 

218 

228 

255 
226 

215 

228 
467 


Growth  and  Process  of  Ripening, 

Its 

Importance  apart  from  Religion ... 
Nature  of  Saving  Faith  Negatively 

Considered    ... 
Nature  of  Saving  Faith  Positively 

Considered    ... 
Necessity,  Its 

Objections  and    Difficulties    com- 
monly Raised... 
Objects,  Its 
Qualities,  Its 

Realities,  Its  Two  Great... 
Relations,  Its,  to  Supposed  Anti- 
thesis 
„  the  other  Chris- 

tian Graces 
Signs  and  Genuine  Marks,  Its  ... 
Source,  Its 
Supports,  External,  Its  ... 

Trial,  Its 

Unchangeable  Nature  as  to  Object 

and  Acts,  Its 
Usage  of  the    Word  in  the  New 

Testament 
Use  of  the  Term,  The  Scriptural 
Faith  and  Faithfulness 
Faith  and  Freethought — 

Popular  Fallacies  respecting  their 
Antithetical  Character 
Faith  and  Honesty 

,,     and  Hope  ...         ...         ... 

,,     and  Obedience  ... 
Faith  and  Philosophy — 

Distinctiveness  of  their  Spheres, 

The 

Meaning   when   Contrasted   with 

each  other.  Their 
Mistakes  respecting  ...         ... 

Faith  and  Reason 

,,     and  Works         

Faithfulness      ...         ...         ...         ...  i 

Characteristics,  Its 

Forms,  Its  ...  ...         ... 

Incentives,  Its 
Measurements,  Its 
Nature,  Its 
Power,  Its... 
Rewards,  Its 
Sanctions,  Its 

Scope,  Its 

Tests,  Its  ...         ... 

Value,  Its  ... 
Faithfulness  of  God — 

Intimate     Communion     between 

Man  and  God  implied  in  it. . 

Manifestations,  Its 

Fall  of  Man,  The        

Falsehood 

Falsity 

Fame,  Love  of — 

Evils,  Its 

Folly,  Its 

Family  Love — 

Blessedness,  Its    ... 

Danger  of  Discouraging,  The 

Exemplification,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Power,  Its 

Requirements,  Its 


225 
216 


219 


V. 
V. 

219 
220 

V. 
V, 
V. 

239 
223 
226 

V. 

224 

V. 

232 

V. 

V. 

234 

226 

V. 

222 

V. 
V. 

225 
236 

V. 

230 

V. 
V. 
V, 

214 
214 
286 

i. 

260 

111. 

10 

V. 

iii. 

244 
17 

I  VI. 


260 

260 
260 

254 

345 
502 
2S8 

463 
464 
464 
464 

463 
464 
467 
465 
465 
466 
463 


81 

79 

381 

II 

5J2 

512 

141 

140 

191 
192 
190 
190 
191 
190 


GEXERAL    INDEX. 


541 


VOL. 

PAGE 

Rules,  Its 

iii. 

191 

Unity,  Its 

iii. 

KJI 

Fanaticism — 

Definition,  Its 

iv. 

193 

Diagnosis,  Its 

iv. 

193 

Reaction,  Its        ...          

iv. 

194 

Relentless    Character    and     Mis- 

chievous   Consequences,    Its 

iv. 

194 

Utter  Uselessness,  Its     ... 

iv. 

194 

Wrong  Light  in  which  its  Con- 

tempt is  Regarded 

Fancy    

iv. 
i. 

194 

497 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

ii. 

193 

Distinction  between  Imagination 

and 

ii. 

193.  196 

Pleasures,  Its       

ii. 

193 

Fantasy 

i. 

520 

Fasting ' 

iii. 

V. 

2S8 
378,  384 

Fastidiousness 

i. 

529 

Fatalism — 

Etymology  of  the  Term 

i. 

237 

Phases,  Its 

2^7 

Fate       

61 

"  Father,  Forgive  them,  for  they  know 

not    what    they    do  '*   {First 

Saying  on  the  Cross)  — 

Answer  to  the  Prayer,  The 

ii. 

333 

"  Father,"  Significance  of 

ii. 

328 

"  Forgive,"         ,,            „ 

ii. 

328 

Lessons  of  the  Prayer     

ii. 

333 

Objects,  Its           

ii. 

330 

Plea,  Its    

ii. 

331 

"Father,    into    Thy   hands    I   com- 

mend   My    Spiiit"    {Seventh 

Sayiug  on  the  Cross) — 

Analysis  and  Significance  of  these 

Words            

ii. 

398 

Death,  The  Saviour's     ... 

ii. 

400 

Import  of  the  Cry 

ii. 

398 

Lessons  suggested  by  the 

ii. 

402 

"  Father  which  art   in  Heaven,  Our  " 

(Invocation     of    the    Lord's 

Prayer)  — 

Analogies  suggested  between  the 

Heavenlyand  Earthly  Father 

i. 

386 

"  Father,"  Chiistological  Aspect 

of 

i. 

388 

„          Condition  of  Realizing 

its  full  Meaning    ... 

I, 

388 

„           Import  of  the  Word 

i. 

3S7 

„           Its  Interpretation     .. 

387 

,,           Lessons  Taught  by  it 

389 

Import  of  the  Clause,  The  General 

385 

"In   Heaven,"    Import    of    the 

Words 

i. 

392 

,,         ,,               Lessons  Taught 

i. 

392 

Objections  '  met     respecting    the 

Absence  of  Christology  from 

the  Clause      

i. 

394 

"Our,"  Import  of  the  Word    ... 

389 

,,        Its  Lessons       

391 

Relation  to  other  Petitions 

385 

Union     of    the     Two     Clauses, 

Reasons  for  ... 

i. 

392 

"  Which    art,"    Import    of    the 

Words            

i. 

392 

Father,  Spirit  of  the 

i. 

303 

Fatherhood  of    God,  Man's    Instinc- 

tive Longing  for 

i. 

68 

Faults  and   Delects,  see  Vices. 

Fawning            

i. 

513 

Fear 

Excess,  The  Danger  of  its 
Imaginative  Power,  Its  ... 

Nature,  Its  

Physical  and  Moral  Aspect,  Its... 
Univer^al  Influence  and  Sway,  Its 
Fear  and  Hope 
Fear  of  Death  — 

Contrast  of  this  Fear  apart  from 
Christ,    with     its     Absence 
when  United  to  Him 
Instances  of  the  ... 
Motives  to  overcome  the 

Nature,  Its  

Fear  of  God 

,,     of  the  Lord,  .Spirit  of  the 
Fear  of  Man — 

Consequences,  Its  Disastrous    ... 
Examples,  Its  Scriptural... 

Folly,  Its 

I'oiDis,  lis  Various 
Remedy,  Its 
Feast  of  the  Day  of  Atonement,  The... 
,,         ,,     New  Moon,  The 
,,         ,,     Sabbatical  Year,  The     ... 
,,         Tabernacles,  The 
,,         Trumpets,   or    Seventh    New 

Moon,  The       

„         Unleavened   bread,    or   Pass- 
over, The 
,,         Weeks,  or  Pentecost,  The  ... 
,,         Year  of  Jubilee,  The 
Feeling — 

In  Helation  to  Heat        

Touch  and,  Distinction  between, 

as  regards  Temperature 
Touch  and.  The  Relation  between 
F'eigning 
Felix — 

Character,  His 

Contrast  with  the  Jailor,  His     ... 
Convictions,  His... 
Homiletical    Reflections   on    this 
Character 


Fellow-countrymen,  Love  of... 

Fellowship  with  God  ... 

Ferociousness   ... 

Fervour,  including  Ardour     

Extinction  and  Loss  of,  from  a 
Religious  Standpoint,  Its    ... 

Importance  to  Youth,  Its 

Means  and  Incentives,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Power  and  influence  in  Women, 

Its       

Fesius — 

Attitude  to  Christianity,  His     ... 

Character,   His     ... 

Homiletical  Hintson  his  Character 
Fetishism  — 

Corrective  Considerations  concern- 
ing it  ••• 

Counter  Theory,  Its 

Different  Senses  of  the  Word    ... 

Refutation,  Its      

Fickleness         

Fidelity...         .►.         - \ 

Fierceness 

Filiation     


(  i. 
^iii. 


PACK 

494.  524 
88 
88 
87 
87 
88 
89 


»53 
152 

153 
152 

29  ;> 
324 

152 
152 
152 

152 

4"'4 
4S5 
502 
499 

493 

486 
490 

503 

40 

41 

39 
5H 

5'7 
518 
5'7 

5'8 
506 

217 
442 
528 
507 

283 
382 
282 
2S2 

282 

282 

5'9 

518 

5'9 


i.  218 

i.  219 

i.  218 

i.  219 

i.  520 

i.  467 

v.  2S6 
i.  527,  528 

i.  506 


542 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Filial  Love — 

Beauty  in  jNIanhood,  Its 

Dutifulness,  Its    ... 
Forms,  Its... 
Instances  of  ... 

Preciousness,  Its 

Filial  S?)irit,  The         

Filioque  Controversy,  The     ... 
Final  Causes  of  Natural  Things — 
Abusesof  the  Doctrine    ... 
Analysis    ,,  ,, 

Definition,  Their 

Fundamental     Propositions    con- 
cerning 
Misconceptions  of  the  Doctrine... 
Objections    and     Difficulties    re- 
lating to 
Original      Signification     of     the 
Word 
"  Finished,  It  Is  "  {Sixth  Saying  on 
the  Cross) — 
Christ  Personally,  Significance  of 

these  Words  for 
Lessons    from   Christ's   Finished 

Work,  Their 
Mankind,  Their    Significance  for 
Powers  of  Darkness,  Significance 
of  these  Words  as  Regards  the 
Prophetic    Bearing   and    Typical 
Import,  T  heir 
Fire,  an  Emblem  of  the  Spirit's  Ope-' 

rations 
First  Cause — 

Argument,  Line  of 
Hypotheses,   Difficulties  of  other 
First  Fruits,  The  Offering  of. 

Fitness  ... 


n. 

194 

n. 

194 

u. 

195 

11. 

195 

11. 

194 

1. 

309 

V. 

294 

i. 

57 

1. 

5i> 

1. 

55 

i. 

56 

I. 

56 

i. 

57 

i. 

55 

•■■{- 


Five  Senses,  The,  see  Senses. 
Fixity  and  Tenacity  of  Purpose 

Culture,  Its 

Necessity  and  Value,  its  ... 

Power,  Its 

Flattery  

Flightiness        

Flour      

Fluctuating       ...  ...  ...         ... 

Foolishness 
Foppishness 
Forbearance  or  Long-suffering — 

Arguments  in  Favour  of 

Connection  between  Gentleman- 
liness  and 

Forms,  Its  Higher 

Instance  of 

Nature,  Its 

Need  for  its  Culture,  The 

Relation  with  Kindred  Qualities, 
Its      

Warning  against  its  Degeneration 
into  Sentimentalism 
Forces  opposed  to  Christianity,  The — 

Heresies    ... 

Infidelity   ... 

Non-Christian  Systems  ... 
Forethought 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Distinction      from      Forebodine, 
Its      ... 

Divine  Authority,  Its      ,„ 

Necessity,  Its 

Negative  Aspect,  Its 


389 

394 
391 

391 

392 

87 


59 
5" 
508 

385 

507 
262 
260 
263 
5'3 
529 
507 
521 
518 
525 

404 

406 
404 
406 

403 
404 

404 

406 

227 

147 
209 

504 
69 

70 
70 
69 
70 


Relation  to  Reflection,  Its 
Usefulness,  Its 
Forgetfulness    ... 
Forgetting  God — 

Guilt,  Its 

Nature  and  Significance,  Its 
"  Forgive  us  our  Trespasses  as  we 
Forgive  them  that  Trespass 
against  us  ''  {Fifth  Petition  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer) — 
Structural  Character  and  Inter-re- 
lations, Its     ... 

Clause  I. 
"  Debts  and  Trespasses, "  Relation 

between 
"  Forgiveness,"  Bestowal  of,    its 
Origin  and  Method    ... 
,,     Character,     Its    Gratuitous 

and  Absolute  ... 
„     Etymological    Meaning    of 

the  Word  

„     Lessons  taught  concerning 
Sin    by    the    Daty    of 
Seeking  Forgiveness  ... 
"  Our,"  Force  of 
"  Our  Debts,"  Lessons  taught  by 
,,     Considerations  respect- 
ing, which  give  special 
point  to  the  Request  ... 
"  Our  Trespasses  "     ,,        ,,     .« 

Clause  II. 

"  As,"  Inference  to  be  drawn  from 
,,      Suggests  the  Terms  of  our 
Forgiveness 
"  As  we  Forgive,"  Practical  Hints 
for  Carrying  out 
,,     Solemn   Reflections  sug- 
gested ... 
„     To  be  Construed  compre- 
hensively 
,,     Viewed  in  regard  to  the 
requirements     of     the 
Gospel 
"  Our  Debtors,"  to  be  Construed 

comprehensively 
The   Heresies  Infeientially  Con- 
demned in  this  Petiiion     ... 

Forgiveness       ...         ...         ...         ...  j 

Arguments  in  its  Favour 
Conditions  and  Requirements,  Its 
Divine  and  Human  Contrasted  ... 
Etymological  Meaning,  Its 
Illustrations  and  Examples  of    ... 
Imperfect  Forms,  Its 
Moral  Worth  and  Value,  Its 

Motives,  Its  

Nature,  Its 

Rarity  in  Heathendom,  Its 
Reward,  Its 
Synonyms,  Its 
Forgiveness  of  Sins — 

Cautions  respecting         ... 
Distinctions,  Its  ... 
Figure  used  by  our  Lord  to  con- 
vey this  Doctrine,  The 
Homiletical     Remarks     on     this 

Subject 
Import,  Its  Grand 
Nature,  Its  


69 

69 

518 

149 
149 


448 

451 
449 
449 
449 


449 

451 

452 

i. 

452 

i. 

456 

i. 

457 

i. 

457 

i. 

460 

i. 

460 

i. 

459 

i. 

459 

i. 

461 

i. 

461 

i. 

457,  505 

iv. 

261 

iii. 

175 

iii. 

171 

iii. 

176 

i. 

449 

iii. 

176 

iii. 

174 

iii. 

174 

iii. 

174 

iii. 

170 

iii. 

175 

iii. 

175 

iii. 

171 

iv. 

459 

iv. 

454 

iv. 

455 

iv. 

460 

iv. 

456 

iv. 

454 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


543 


Negations  implied  in  its  Reverent 
Meditation    ... 

Preror;ative,  Its    ... 

Symbolic  Illustrations,  Its 
Form  of  Godliness  without  the  Power- 
Commonness,  Its 

Evil  Kesults,  Its  

Reproofs  of  this  Sin 

Stages  and  Degrees,  Its 

Uselessness,  Its    ... 

Various  Forms,  Its 

\Varnini;s     against     False    Con- 
clusions respecting  this  Sin... 
Formalism  — 

Admonitions        and       Warnings 
against  this  Sin 

Argumciits  against 

Aspects,  Its  Various 

Caution  against  the  Opposite  Ex- 
treme ... 

Description,  Its    ... 

Dissuasives,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Origin  and  Philosophy,  Its 

Phases,  Its  .. 

Signs  and  Results,  Its     ... 

Source,  Its... 
Formality 
Fornication 
Forsaking  God — 

Absurdity  of  the  Plea  that  it   is 
Common 

Folly  and  Misery,  Its 
Fortitude- 
Aspects  and  Functions,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Distinctions  and  Manner  of  Exer- 
cise, Its 

Human  Capability  of,  and  Conse- 
quent Accountability  for  it  ... 

Origin  and  Basis,  Its  Divine 

Power,  Its... 

Relation  to  Courage,  Its... 

Requirements,  Its... 

Scope,  Its ... 
Forty  Days,  Tne 
"  Forward  ''  the  Watchword  in  Nature 

and  Grace ... 
Fraternal  Love  — 

Argument,  Its 

Exemplifications,  Its 

Inculcation,  Its     ... 

iNature,  Its 
Frankincense     ... 
Frankness 

Nature  and  Constituent  Elements, 
Its       

Objects,  Its  

Requisite  Qualities,  Its  ... 

Fraternal  Love  

Fraud     

Free  Spirit — 

Import,  Its 

Personal  Realization,  Its 
Freedom  of  Man 
Freedom,  Perfect — 

Definition,  Its 

Es--entials,  Its 

Limits,  Its  Pre^criiitive   ... 

Origin  and  Nature,  Its    ... 

Varied  Aspects,  Its  


iv. 

458 

IV. 

454 

IV. 

455 

iv. 

164 

IV. 

166 

IV. 

166 

IV. 

165 

IV. 

166 

IV. 

165 

166 


iv. 

168 

i. 

202 

iv. 

167 

iv. 

168 

iv. 

166 

iv. 

167 

i. 

200 

i. 

201 

i. 

20I 

iv. 

167 

iv. 

167 

i. 

516 

i. 

523 

iv. 

150 

iv. 

150 

iii. 

324 

iii. 

323 

iii. 

324 

iii. 

325 

iii. 

323 

iii. 

325 

iii. 

324 

iii. 

324 

iii. 

32s 

v. 

55 

V. 

408 

iii. 

196 

iii. 

197 

iii. 

197 

iii. 

195 

iii. 

451,  508 

i. 

502 

ii. 

471 

ii. 

471 

ii. 

472 

i. 

506 

iii. 

195 

i. 

515 

i. 

333 

i. 

334 

i. 

16 

v. 

420 

V. 

426 

V. 

4:6 

V, 

421 

V. 

423 

Freethought      

Nature  and  Fallacies,  Its 
Tendency  to  Positivism,  Its  In- 
evitable 

Fretfulness 

Friends,  Love  of  ...         ...         ...  ■ 

Friendship         

,,  Necessity  of  Courtesy  to... 

Friendship  of  the  World — 

Consequences,  Its... 

Counterpart,  Its   ... 

Crii)|)ling  Influences,  Its... 

Inconsistency  with  Christian  Pro- 
fess on,  Its     ... 

Warning    ...         ... 

Fright 

Frugality 

Culture,  Its 

Danger,  Its 

Importance  to  Youth,  Its 

Meaning,  Its 

Obligation,  Its 

Power,  Its... 

Value,  Its  ... 
Fruitlessness — 

Dissuasives  against  

Explanation,  lis  Real 

Feature,  Its  Special 

Remedy,  Its  .Sole... 
Fruits  of  the  Spirit,  The 
Fury 
Fussiness 

Future  Life,  sie  "Immortality  (Indi- 
vidual) of  Man,"  and  '"Soul 
and  the  Future  Slate." 

Arguments  for  its  Existence 

Ideas  (predisposing  to  the  Reception 
of  this  Truth... 

Non-Christian    Views    respecting 

the      .". 

Future  Punishment 
Future  State,  see  Soul. 


Gad        

Gallic — 

Character,  His 

Homiletical  Hintson  hisCharacter 

View  of  Christianity,  His 
Gambling 
Garrulousness    ... 
Geliazi — 

Application  of    the  Narrative   to 
our  own  Day 

Contrast  with  Captive  Maid,  His 

Downward  .Steps,  1 1  is     ... 

Moral  to  be  drawn  from  his  His- 
tory, The 

Passion,  His  Ruling 

Punishment,  His  Bitter 

Gems 

Generousness,  including  Munificence... 

Aspects,  Its 

Benefits,  Its  

Characteristics,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Inculcation,  Its    ... 

Necessity    and     Reasonableness, 
Its       


VOL 

PACE 

i. 

260 

i. 

190 

i. 

191 

i. 

528 

i. 

506 

iii. 

203 

iii. 

203 

ii. 

463 

iv. 

224 

iv. 

223 

iv. 

224 

iv. 

224 

iv. 

224 

i 

524 

i. 

504 

iii. 

74 

iii. 

76 

iii. 

74 

iii. 

74 

iii. 

75 

iii. 

75 

iii. 

75 

iv. 

209 

iv. 

20S 

iv. 

208 

iv. 

209 

v. 

2'3 

i. 

527 

i. 

516 

i. 

10 

i. 

9 

i. 

9 

i. 

249 

103 


VI. 

521 

VI. 

521 

VI. 

521 

I. 

523 

1. 

518 

vi. 

338 

VI. 

3.38 

VI. 

330 

vi. 

337 

VI. 

Zl^ 

VI. 

337 

111. 

45> 

L 

505 

ni. 

163 

111. 

165 

111. 

164 

III. 

163 

in. 

166 

166 


544 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Opposites,  Its 

Rarity,  Its 

Reputation,     Easy     Purchase    of 

its       

Requirements,  Its 

Spurious    or    Unworthy    Forms, 

Its       

Geniality  and  Affability  

Importance,  Their       ,    ... 
Influence,    Effects,    and    Advan- 
tages, Their  ... 
Nature  and  Manifestations,  Their 
Genius    ... 

Aspects,  Its  Chief 
Character,  Its 
Cultivation,  Its     ... 
Discriminations,  Its  Synonymous 
Distinguished   from   Talent   and 

Intellect 
Features,  Its  Distinctive... 
Irritability,  Its 
Men  of,  and  their  Contemporaries 

Mission,  Its  

Mode  of  Action,  Its  Threefold  ... 
Nature,  Its  ,« 

Penalties,  Its 
Pleasures,  Its        .♦.         ...         ,„ 

Rarity,  Its 

Relation  of  Taste  to 
"  Spirit  of  the  Age,"  Its  Influ- 
ence upon  the 
Gentlemanlinets — 

Constituent  Elements,  Its 
Counterfeits,  Its  ... 
Derivation  and  Meaning,  Its 
Examples,  Its 

Manifestations,  Its  Domestic 
,,  ,,    Social 

Gentlemanliness  and  Forbearance 
Gentleness 

Adjunct,  Its  Befitting 
Arguments  in  its  Favour... 
Basis,  Source,  Nature,  and  Mani- 
festation, Its  ... 
Consiiiuent  Elements,  Its 
Distinction  from  Tameness,  Its  ... 
Inculcation  by  Christ,  Its 
Power,  Its... 
Gentleness  of  God — 

Efficiency,  Its,  as  opposed  to  the 

Force  of  Despotism... 
Greatness,   The  Real,  implied  in 
Harmony    between     the     Power 

and     ... 
Manifestation  in  the  Spirit  of  the 

Gospel,  Its    ... 
Motive,  Its 

Nature  and  Significance,  Its 
Sublimity,  Its 
Genuineness      ...  ...         ...         ... 

Counterfeits,  Its  ... 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Precepts,  Its 
Tests,  Its  ...  ...         .^         ... 

Geology  and  Creation ... 
Gershon...         ...         ...         ... 

Gibeonites,  The  

Giddiness  ...         ... 

Gideon — 

Epitome  of  his  Character 

Lessons  from  his  Life      

Special  Distinguishing  Traits,  His 


VOL. 

PAGE 

iii. 

i66 

iii. 

165 

iii. 

167 

iii. 

164 

iii. 

166 

i. 

506 

iii. 

232 

iii. 

233 

iii. 

232 

i. 

479 

ii. 

188 

ii. 

190 

ii. 

186 

ii. 

185 

ii. 

189,  190 

ii. 

185 

iii. 

225 

ii. 

190 

ii. 

188 

ii. 

186 

ii. 

183 

ii. 

188 

ii. 

189 

ii. 

1S6 

ii. 

178 

ii. 

189 

iii. 

30 

iii. 

32 

iii. 

29 

iii. 

32 

iii. 

32 

iii. 

31 

iii. 

406 

i. 

508 

iii. 

394 

iii. 

395 

iii. 

394 

iii. 

393 

iii. 

394 

iii. 

395 

iii. 

395 

iv. 

96 

iv. 

95 

95 


IV. 

96 

IV. 

95 

IV. 

97 

1. 

502 

n. 

457 

11. 

457 

11. 

457 

11. 

457 

IV. 

321 

in. 

469 

ni. 

469 

1. 

529 

vi. 

143 

VI. 

147 

VI. 

143 

VU1-.  rAui^ 

"Give  us  this  Day  our  Daily  Bread  " 
(Fou7-th  Pttition  of  ihe  Lord's 
Prayer) — 
Connection    with   Preceding  and 

Following  Peiiiions...  ...       i.  434 

Clause  I. 
"  Give,"  Lessons  taught  by 
"This  Day,"  Exposition  of 

,,       ,,         Lesson  taught  by... 
"  Us  "  and  "  Our,"  Lesson  taught 

by     ...       •• 

Clause  J  I. 
"  Daily,"  Exposition  of  ... 
,,  Lessons  taught  by 

,,  Bread,     Importance    of 

the  Wurds... 
Lessons  taught  by  this  Petition  ... 
Glorification  and  Exaltation  of  God — 
Nature  and  Significance,  Its 
Regulating  Prmciple  of  Christian 

Life,  The      

Requirement  by  God,  Its 
Gloriousness  of  God — 

Manifestation,   Its,    Man's   Chief 

End 

Means  of  its  Advancement 
Vileness    of    Sin   as   an   Offence 
against  the     ... 
Glory  of  God    ... 
Glory,  Spirit  of — 

Interpretation  and  Import,  Its   ... 
Practical  Bearing,  Its       ...  ... 

Gluttony 
Gnosticism — 

Consequences,   Its  Fatal,  as  con- 
cerning the  Incarnation 
Definition,  Its 

Effects,  Its  

Etymology,    Thoughts  suggested 

by  its 

Failure  to  reach  a  High   Moral 

Standard,  Its 
Features,  Its  Leading 
Origin,  Its... 
Origin  of  the  Attempt  to  Unite 

Christianity  with 
Priority  in  Time  and  Importance, 

Its       

Providential  Uses,  Its     ... 
Range  of  its  Speculations,  The... 
Refutation  as  Concerning  the  In- 
carnation, Its 
Secret  of  its  Fascinating  Power, 

The 

Tenets,  Its 

Terms     find    their    True    Mean- 
ing   in    Christian    Doctrine, 

Its      

Goats'  Hair 

God,  Attributes  of,  see  also  Attri- 
butes of  God,  and  under  the 
several  headings 

Being  of,  Proofs  of  the     ...         ... 

„  Systems  which  Deny  ... 

Character  of.  Its  Study 

Consciousness  of  ... 

Departing  from     ...  

Doctrine  of.  The  Christian 

M  ))  History  of 

,>  I,  Position  of, 

in  Dogmatic  Theology     iv.  285 


1. 

435 

i. 

439 

i. 

439 

i. 

437 

i. 

440 

i. 

440 

i. 

441 

i. 

445 

V. 

396 

V. 

397 

v. 

396 

v. 

57 

v. 

58 

IV. 

58 

i. 

485 

i. 

314 

i. 

315 

i. 

522 

i. 

240 

237 

239 

i- 

237 

i. 

240 

238 

i- 

238 

238 

238 

2M 

239 

240 

239 

i. 

239 

i. 

241 

i. 

454 

14,  288 

i. 

74 

V. 

266 

i. 

160 

/. 

43 

i. 

64 

/. 

148 

IT. 

284 

r. 

285 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


545 


■{ 


Enmity  against 
Fatherhood,  see  Father, 

Fellowship  with   ... 

Forgetting... 

Forsaking  ... 

Gifts  of      

Honour  of... 

Idea  of,  Tiie 

,,         Origin  of  the 

Love  of,  in  Christ 

Loyalty  to... 

Name  of.  The 

Names  of,  The     ... 

,,  Jehovistic,  The 

Nature  of,  The,  Definition  of     ... 

Personality  of 

Relation  of,  to  Human  Sin 

Sole  Source  of  Satisfaction,  The 

Sovereignty  of 

Spirit  of     ... 

Susceptibility  to  Emotion,  His... 

Term,  The,  Derivation  and  Mean- 
ing of 

Trust  m    ... 

Union  with 

Unity  of     ... 

Will  of,  Agencies  by  which  Mani- 
fested   

,,         Relations,   Its     ... 

Working,  His,  Its  Quietness 

Works  of,  and  the  Works  of  Man, 
Analogy  between 

Zeal  for  the  Honour  of   ... 
God,  a  Name  of  the  Holy  Spirit — 

Import,  Its 

Practical  Bearing,  Its 

Scriptural  Basis,  Its 
Ciodliness 

,,         Form  of 

,,         Profession  and  Power  of     ... 

Gold       

Golden  Candlestick,  The        ... 
Good  Faith        

Definition,  Its      ...         

Efifects,  Its 

Negative  Aspect,  Its 

Requisites,  Its 
Good  Humour  — 

Aspects  as  regards  Genius,  Its   ... 

Culture,  Its  ..  

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Distinguished  from  Good  Nature 

Relation  to  Christianity,  Its 

Requiiements,  Its 

Superiority    to    mere    Vivacity, 
Its      

Value  and  Benefits,  Its  ... 
Good  Nature    ... 
Good  Nature,  including  Goodwill — 

Cautions  respecting 

Characteristics,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Dependent    Quality   as    seen    in 
Active  Goodwdl,  Its 

Manifestations,  Its 

Relations,  Its,  with  Good  Humour 

Value,  Its 

Good  Spirit — 

Practical  Bearing  of  this  Title    ... 

Scripture  Basis,  Its 

Significance,  Its   ...         

VOL.  VI. 


VOL. 

PAGE 

iv. 

200 

iv. 

20 

V. 

442 

iv. 

149 

iv. 

150 

i. 

435 

V. 

303 

iv. 

15 

iv. 

284 

iv. 

510 

v. 

286 

i. 

397 

iv. 

287 

iv. 

I 

iv. 

288 

i. 

17 

iv. 

387 

i. 

85 

i. 

406 

i. 

303 

iv. 

87 

iv. 

284 

v. 

301 

v. 

442 

iv. 

290 

i. 

419 

i. 

420 

iii. 

375 

iv. 

322 

V. 

303 

i. 

294 

i. 

295 

i. 

293 

v. 

289 

iv. 

164 

iv. 

164 

iii. 

449 

iii. 

439 

i. 

502 

ii. 

467 

ii. 

468 

ii. 

468 

ii. 

468 

iii. 

225 

iii. 

225 

iii. 

223 

iii. 

224 

iii. 

225 

iii. 

224 

iii. 

225 

iii. 

225 

i. 

506 

iii. 

228 

iii. 

227 

iii. 

227 

iii. 

228 

iii. 

227 

iii. 

224,  227 

iii. 

228 

334 

i. 

334 

334 

•■■{, 


Goodwill  ...         ... 

Good  Works — 

Fiame   of  Mind   in   which   they 
should  be  Wrought,  The     ... 
Importance  and  Necessity,  'I'heir 
Motives,  Their     ... 
Nature  of  the  Work  which  God 
has  assigned  to  each.  The   ... 
Obligations,  Their  IVrniancnt   ... 
Requisite  Elements,  Their 
Significance,  Their 
Goodness  of  God  — 

Manifestations,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Obligations  on  Man,  Its... 

Revelation    through    the    Spirit, 

Its      

Goodness  of  God  in  Redemption,  The 
,,  ,,         Objections     against, 

met 
Gossiping 

Gospel  History,  Crcdibil'.ty  of  the    ... 
,,       The  Sin  of  Adding  to  its  Doc- 
trines 
,,       The  Sin  of  Preaching  another 
Gospels,     The     Synoptic,     Evidence 

Irom  Tradition  in  favour  of 
Gourmand 

Government,    Divine,   Institution      of 
Natural  Law 
in     ... 
„  ,,         Its   Power  and 

Gentleness... 
Grace,  se;  Means  of  Grace. 
Grace,  Divine — 
Abuse,  Its... 

Blessedness  and  Influence,  Its  ... 
Definition  and  Si^'nificance,  Its... 
Distinction   between  True  Grace 
and  its   Counterfeit 
,,  between    Restraining 

and  KenewingGrace 
Embracements  and  Analysis,   Its 
Evidence  and  Witness,  Its 
Homiletic  Applications,  Its 
Process,  Its 
Properties,  Its 

Questions  Raised  by  this  Subject 
Grace,  Spirit  of — 

Interpretation  and  Import  of  this 

Title 

Practical  Bearing,  Its      

Graces  and  Duties,  The  Christian — 
Introduction  to  this  Subject 
Nature  and  Manifestation,   Their 
Nature,  Requisites,  and  Adjuncts, 

Their... 
Oneness  and  Consolidarity,  Their 
Peculiar  Praise,  Tiieir 
Spirit  in  which  they  are  regarded 

by  the  Christian,  The 
St.  Peter's  Choir  of  the  tjrices... 
Graciousness,  including  Benignity  and 
Accessibility... 
Exemplification,  Their    ... 
Nature  and  Manifestations,  Their 

Obligation^,  'Iheir  

Power  and  Influer.ce,  Their 
Relation  of  Kindness  to... 
Source  and  Indications,  Their   ... 
Spiritual  Aspect,  Their 


PACK 
506 
227 


346 

345 
347 

346 
347 
345 
344 

90 
89 
9» 

90 

425 

23 
S«3 
272 

iSi 
182 

119 

522 


354 
95.  97 


465 
464 
462 

466 

466 
462 
465 
469 
464 

463 
467 


3«5 
3'5 

209 
211 

211 
212 
209 

210 
212 

506 
235 
2  4 
234 
234 
I3» 
235 
235 


546 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Graciousness  of  God — 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Human  Ascertainment,  Its 
Gratitude 

Hindrances  to  its  Development. 

Influence  and  Value,  Its... 

Manifestations,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Necessity  and  Obligation,  Its    . 

Qualities,  Its  Characteristic 

Rarity,  Its 

Reward,  Its 
Gratitude  to  God         

,,         to  Parents    ... 

■Gravity  

Benefits,  Its 

Cheerfulness  and  ... 

Exemplified  in  Lord  Bacon,  As  . 

Nature  and  Importance,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Restraining  Value,  Its     ... 

Synonyms,  Its 
Greatness 

,,        of  God,  The 
Greediness 
Grief      

Absorbing  Power,  Its 

Effects  on  the  Soul,  Its  ... 

Impressive  Power,  Its 

Jealous  Depths,  Its 

Relation  to  Tears,  Its     ... 

Sympathising  Tendencies,  Its    . 

Transient  Nature,  Its 
Grief  and  Joy    ... 

,,    and  Resignation... 
Crossness 
Grudge  ... 
Guidance,  Divine 

Guile      

Guilelessness     ... 

Examples,  Its  most  Striking 

H. 
Habit— 

Features  and  Characteristics,  Its 

Distinctive     ... 
Growth  and  Power,  Its  ... 
Influence  on  the  Affections,  Its  ... 
,,  „     General  Charac- 

ter, Its 
»  I,     Happiness,  Its... 

,,  ,,     Soul,  Its 

Habit  and  Instinct       ...         

Habits,    The  Importance  of  Cultiva- 
ting Right 

Hades 

Hair,  Goats' 

"  Hallowed    be   Thy   Name "    {First 

Petition  of  the  Loni's  Prayer) — 

"  Hallowed,"    Meaning    of    the 

Word  .. 
Reasons  why  this  Petition  stands 

First 

"  Thy  Name,"  Import  of  the  Ex- 
pression 
Ways   in  which  God's  Name   is 

Hallowed  by  Himself 
Ways     in    which    God's    Name 
ought   to    be    Hallowed    by 
Man 


iv. 

92 

iv. 

92 

i. 

504 

iii. 

49 

iii. 
iii. 
iii. 
iii. 
iii. 
iii. 

49 
48 
48 
48 
48 
48 

iii. 

49 

v. 

394 

iii. 
i. 

195 
508 

iii. 

370 

iii. 

371 

iii. 

31 

iii. 

371 

iii. 

370 

iii. 

371 

iii. 

371 

iii. 

371 

ii. 

479 

iv. 

4 

i. 

523 

i. 

ii. 

493 
80 

ii. 

80 

ii. 

80 

ii. 

80 

ii. 

80 

ii. 

80 

ii. 

80 

ii. 

82 

iii. 
i. 
i. 

424 
516 

528 

V. 

410 

i. 

515 

i. 

502 

ii. 

477 

239 

238 

241 

240 
241 
240 

139 

241 

466 

454 


399 
396 
397 
400 

401 


Halting  between  Two  Opinions— 

Dissuasives,  Its    ... 

Origin,  lis... 

Phases,  Its 

Haman — 

Character,  Features  of  his 

Homiletical     Reflections    on 
Character 

Question    as   to    Mordecai's 
fusal  to  do  Homage  to 
Happiness,      How      Influenced 

"  Habit         

Hard-heartedness         

Hardened 
Harshness 

Hatred,  see  also  Anger... 

Haughtiness 
Hazael — 

His  History 

Homiletical     Reflections    on 
Character 
Head  of  the  Church,  The  Divine 

Headstrong       ...  

Heady    ... 
Hearers,  Duty  of 
Hearings 

Acquired  Perceptions,  Its 

,,  „     Fulness  of,  Most 

Noticeable   in 
the  Blind      ... 
„  ,,      Mental  Concen- 

tration  neces- 
sary for   aug- 
menting 
Deprivation,  Its    ... 
Formation  of  the  Organ  of 
Problems,  Un'^olved,  Its 
Relation  to  the  Law  of  Acoustics, 

Its     

,,        to  Sound 
Value,  Its  ... 

Heart,  The        

„      of  Stone,  The... 

Heat      

Heathen  Systems,  see  Christian. 
Heaven — 

As  taught  by  Christian  Theology 
As  the  New  Creation     ... 
Characteristics  of  the  Biblical  Ac- 
count of  

Church,  lis  Glory  in  the  Trium- 
phant Kingdom  of  God 
Imperfection    of  our   Knowledge 

about  ... 
New     Creation,      Considerations 
respecting  the 
„  „  Predictions  re- 

specting   the 
I,  „  Scientific    and 

Philosophical 
Conjectures 
respecting  the 
Its  Relation  to  the  Restitution  of 

all  Things 
Popular  Language  concerning  ... 

Varieties  of  Character  in 

Heaven,  Drahminical,  The     ... 

Heaven,  Death  the  Gate  of 

Heaven,    God's   Presence    the    Chief 

Glory  of     ... 
Heedlessness     ... 


VOL. 

PAGE 

... 

iv. 

161 

... 

iv. 

160 

... 

iv. 

i6o 

vi. 

381 

his 

^e- 

vi. 

383 

vi. 

382 

by 

... 

ii. 

241 

... 

i. 

519 

::: 

i. 

i. 

521 
519,  528 

{il: 

495 

... 

104 

... 

i. 

525 

vi. 

344 

his 

vi. 

345 

V. 

i. 
i. 

120 
521 

521 

... 

V. 

192 

37 


37 


38 
38 
37 
39 

37 
3S 
37 
66 
201 
40,  41 


502 
498 

501 

499 
500 

499 
498 

499 

500 
501 
504 
210 

463 

7 
518 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


547 


Hell- 
Degrees  of  SufTering  in  .. 

Misery,  Its  Utter 

Nature  of  its  Punishment 
Practical      Rellections     on      this 
Subject 
Hereditary  Tendencies 

Illustration  of  the  Doctrine 
Practical    Lessons     drawn     from 

them    .. 
Transmission,  Their 
Heresies 

,,       Early 

Heiesy  (Generally) — 

Accidental  Circumstances,  Its  ... 
Contrast  with  Orthodoxy,  Its  ... 
Course,  Its 

Idea,  Its  Radical 

Modem  Type,  Leading  Form  of  its 
Refutation,  Methods  for  its 
Origin  of    ...  ...  ••• 

Heritai^e,  Christian — 
Conditions,  Its 

Considered  Generally      

,,  Specially       

Crowning  Joy,  Its 
Fulness  and  Comfort  of  its  Pro- 
mises and  Hope 
Herod  the  Great — 

Character,  His      

End,  His 

Herod  the  Tetrarch — 
Character,  His 

Honiiletic     Suggestions    on    this 
Character 
Heroism 

Characteristics  and  Requirements, 

Its       

Deficiency,  Its 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Examples  in  Fiction,  Its 

„  History,  Its 

Historical  Analysis,  Its 

Need,  Its  Present  

Obstacle,  Its  

Spheres  and  Manifestations,  Its... 
Hesitation 
Hezekiah — 

Defects  of  his  Character 

Graces  of  his  „ 

Homiletical    Reflections    on    this 

Character       

Modern  i'arallel  to,  A     

Hiqh  Church  System 

High  Priest,  The         


this 


Hilkiah— 

History,  His         

Homiletical      Hints      on 

Character       

Historians,  Veracity  in  

Historical  Argument — 

Facts,  The,  on  which  it  rests      ... 

Line  Taken,  The  

Nature,  Its  

Objections  to  it  Considered 
Historical     Testimony     to     Revealed 
Truth- 
Force,  Its  ...         .^         

Phases.  Its  

Historical  Theology 

History,  Its  Unity        

„      of  Unbelief 


V. 

508 

V. 

508 

V. 

507 

V. 

509 

i. 

499 

ii. 

221 

ii. 

225 

ii. 

222 

i. 

227 

i. 

229 

i. 

228 

i. 

229 

i. 

228 

i. 

228 

i. 

228 

i. 

229 

iv. 

205 

V. 

419 

V. 

416 

V. 

416 

V. 

419 

V, 

420 

vi. 

471 

vi. 

471 

vi. 

472 

vi. 

474 

i. 

507 

iii. 

327 

iii. 

328 

iii. 

326 

iii. 

330 

iii. 

329 

iii. 

327 

iii. 

328 

iii. 

32S 

iii. 

328 

i. 

521 

vi. 

260 

vi. 

259 

vi. 

261 

vi. 

260 

iv. 

277 

iii. 

459 

vi. 

331 

vi. 

332 

ii. 

448 

i. 

80 

i. 

80 

i. 

80 

i. 

81 

i. 

112 

i. 

III 

iv. 

244 

i. 

92 

i. 

140 

Hoblyjs,  His  System  of  Mor.ils 

f 
Holiness  \ 

Holiness  of  God — 

Character  and  Properties,  Its     ... 
Glory,  Its  Peculiar 

N.ccssiiy,  Its       

Rt-flcction  in  Man,  Its     

Rilation  to  Divine  Love,  Its 
Slights  put  upon 

Testimonies,  Heathen  and   Here- 
tical   ... 
Holiness,  Spirit  of — 

Christological  Aspects,  Its 
Thoughts  suggested  by  this  Title 
Hollowness 

Holy     Ghost,    The    {see    also    Com- 
forter)— 
Action  in  the  Church,  His 
Dispensation,     Historical    Epoch 

of  His  

Gift  of  the.  Its  Inestimable  Value 
,,  Its  Reality  and  Con- 

tinuance   ... 

Intercession,  His 

Personal  Agency,  His      

Personality,  His  ... 

Promise  of 

Reception  of,  Its  Blessedness     ... 

Strivings,  His 

Title,  Import  of  this        

,,      Its  .Scriptural  Basis 

,,      Its  Suggestions       

Work,      His,      Revelation      not 
Creation 
Holy  Ghost,  His  Names  arid  Titles- 
Names  expressive  of  His  Nature... 
„  Ofhces... 

,,  Relations 

Sectional  Index 

Holy  Ghost,  His  Operations- 
Distinguished   from   the    Natural 

Operations     ... 
Effects,  Their  Marvellous 

Fire,  Their  Emblem        

Gener-ally  Considered       

Individually  Considered,  see  also 
Separate  Articles:  Awaken- 
ing, Converting,  Convicting 
of  Sin,  Enlightening,  Inter- 
ceding, Quickening,  Regene- 
rating, Sanctifying. 
Mysteriousncss  and  Silence 

Nature,  Their       

Relation  to  the  Work  of  God  the 

Son,  Their 

Requirements,  Their        

Holy  God,  Spirit  of  the  

Holy  of  Holies,  The 

Holy  Orders      

Honesty  

Benefits,  Its  

Counterfeits,  Its 

Culture,  Its  

Law  and   Sphere   of   its   Opera- 
tion   ... 
Qualities     and       Features,      Its 

Special  ...         

Relation  to  Faith,  Its     

Value,  Its 

Honey,  and  its  Interdiction 

Honour 


OL. 

PACK 

i. 

4«3 

i. 

432 

v. 

104,  117 

v. 

51 

v. 

50 

v. 

50 

v. 

5' 

v. 

5' 

v. 

52 

v. 

53 

i. 

3.15 

i. 

335 

i. 

5'4 

v. 

86 

V. 

84 

V. 

83 

iv. 

137 

V. 

9" 

i. 

10 

i. 

10 

V. 

58 

i. 

332 

i. 

3.M 

i. 

33'^ 

i. 

336 

i. 

336 

i. 

323 

i. 

293 

i. 

3'3 

i. 

300 

i. 

533 

V. 

86 

V. 

85 

V. 

5^7 

V. 

81 

87 

81 

82 

83 

307 

441 

'57 

5^3 

n 

12 

1 1 


509 
3<^ 


548 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Honourableness — 

Aspect,  Its  Double 

Incentives,  Its 

Nature,  Its  

Strength,  Its         

Value,  Its... 
Hope      ...         ... 

Excess,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Negative  Aspect,  Its 

Permeating   Influence   and    Uni- 
versal Sway,  Its 

Tendencies,  Its  Benevolent 
Hope — 

Anchor,  The,  Its  Emblem 

Attributes,  Its  Special    .. 

Connection  with  Faith  and  Love, 
Its      

Contrast    between   Worldly    and 
Christian 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Glory  and  Blessedness,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints  on    this   Sub- 
ject      

Necessity  and  Value,  Its 

Peculiar  Christian  Character,  Its 

Permanent  Features,  Its 

Power  and  Influence,  Its 

Relation  to  Fear,  Its 

Source,  Its 
Hope,  False,  Aspects  of 
"Hope  that  Maketh  not  Ashamed," 

The  

Hopefulness — 

Characteristics,  Its 

Disappointments,  Its       

Nature,  Its,  and  Derivation  of  the 
Term  ... 

Necessity,  Its 

Objects,  Its  

Power,  Its... 

Relations,  Its 

Requirements,  Its  

Spiritual  Aspect,  Its        

Value  and  Blessedness,  Its 
Horror   and   Terror,    Distinction   be- 
tween ,„ 
Hosea — 

Character,  His     

Plomiletic  Hints  on  this  Character 

Prophetical  Writings,  His 
„  Acts,  His 

Times,  His 

Hosea  contrasted  with  Joel 

Hospitality — 

Ancient  Aspect,  Its         

Compensations,  Its  

Nature  and  Obligations,  Its 

Need  of  its  Culture,  The 

Reciprocal  Benefits,  Its 

Requirements,  Its... 

Yeomanry...         ...         ...         ... 

Host,  Angelic  ... 

Hosts,  Lord  of 

Ho'-tility  

Hot  Temper     ...         .., 
Human  Depravity 

Human    Nature,    The    Sympathy  be- 
tween Material  and         

Human  Race,  Divisions  of  the 

ft           M      Its  Oneness 
Humane  Feeli  ngs        


u. 

457 

ii. 

456 

ii. 

457 

ii. 

457 

ii. 

457 

i. 

494 

ii. 

90 

ii. 

89 

ii. 

90 

ii. 

89 

ii. 

89 

V. 

247 

v. 

240 

V. 

244 

V. 

246 

V. 

239 

V. 

244 

V. 

247 

v. 

240 

V, 

240 

V. 

240 

V. 

242 

V. 

2 15 

V. 

242 

V. 

245 

V. 

246 

iii. 

334 

iii. 

337 

iii. 

334 

iii. 

335 

iii. 

335 

iii. 

335 

iii. 

334 

iii. 

334 

iii. 

336 

iii. 

ii^ 

ii. 

107 

vi. 

29* 

vi. 

295 

vi. 

293 

vi. 

293 

vi. 

293 

vi. 

297 

iii. 

237 

iii. 

237 

iii. 

236 

iii. 

238 

iii. 

237 

iii. 

237 

iii. 

238 

iv. 

ZH 

iv. 

ii 

i. 

528 

iii. 

396 

iv. 

113 

ii. 

243 

ii. 

9 

ii. 

10 

i. 

505 

Humanity — 

DitTerence  between  Benevolence 
and 

Effects,  Its 

Model,  Its 

Nature,  Its  

Operations,  Its 

Requirements,  Its... 

Significance,  Its  Ancient... 
,,  ,,   Christian 

Humanity  Glorified  in  the  Exaltation 

of  Christ    ... 
Humble  Man,  Portrait  of  the 
Humility — 

History  as  a  Grace  peculiarly 
Christian,  Its... 

Indispensableness  to  the  True  Life 
of  the  Soul,  Its         

Nature  and  Significance,  Its 

Objections  against,  considered  ... 

Social  Foes,  Its 

Humility — 

Aspects  and  Expressions  in  Psa. 
cxxxi 

Characteristics,  Its 

Contrasted  with  Pride 

Counterfeits,  Its   ... 

Dangers,  Its  

Definition,  Its 

Derivation  of  the  Term  ... 

Descriptions,  Its  ... 

Discriminations,  Its         ... 

Indications,  Its 

Meaning  and  Helps,  Its... 

Nature  as  Exemplified  in  Christ, 
Its      

Power  and  Blessedness,  Its 

Range,  Its... 

Requirements,  Its 

Value  and  Importance,  Its 
Humiliation — 

Benefit  and  Value,  Its    ... 

Connection  with  Repentance,   Its 

Evidences,  Its 

Practice  in  the  Primitive  Church 
and  Bearing  on  Godly  Dis- 
cipline, Its    ... 

Voluntary  The,  of  Christ 
Humour 

,,         and  Satire  Contrasted 

,,         and  Wit        

Hunger  ... 

Causes,  Its 

Eating  and  Drinking  as  Religious 
Acts 

Eating,  Evils  of  Ill-regulated    ... 

Nature  and  Aspects,  Its  ... 

Relation  between  Temperance 
and  Purity     ... 

Symptoms,  Its     ... 

Theories  respecting 
"  Hunger  and  Thirst  afier  Righteous- 
ness" {Four/k  Beatitude)  — 

Blessing  Promised,  The... 

Connection  between  the  Condition 
of  the  Persons  Blessed  and 
the  Blessing  ... 

Doctrinal  Aspects  of  this  Beati- 
tude   ... 

Explanation  of  Terms     

Grace  Commended,  The 

Relation  to  the  other  Beatitudes.. 


131 

130 

131 

128 

130 

129 

128 

128 

508 

v. 

60,  100 

V. 

336 

333 


V. 

334 

V. 

333 

V. 

334 

V. 

334 

iii. 

352 

iii. 

345 

iii. 

353 

iii. 

351 

iii. 

351 

iii. 

344 

iii. 

344 

iii. 

345 

iii. 

344 

iii. 

350 

iii. 

346 

iii. 

352 

iii. 

346 

iii. 

345 

iii. 

346 

iii. 

347 

V. 

355 

V. 

355 

V. 

356 

V. 

355 

v. 

355 

i. 

497,  520 

ii. 

174 

ii. 

175 

i. 

493 

ii. 

52 

ii. 

S3 

ii. 

53 

ii. 

51 

ii. 

53 

ii. 

52 

ii. 

51 

358 


359 

357 
357 
357 
356 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


549 


Hurry 

Hushai 

Hypcr-Calvinism,  its  Connection  with 

Antinomianism    ... 
Hypocrisy 

Connection   between  Disposition 
of  Character  and 

Contrast  with  True  Religion,  Its 

Definition,  Its 

P'ailure  and  Uselessncss,  Its 

Folly,  Its 

Forms,  Its  Various  ... 

Guilt,  Its  Extreme 

Hatefulness,  Its   ... 

In  Worship 

Indications  and  Tests,  Its 

Meaning  of  the  Term 

N.iture  and  Motives,  Its... 

Perverting  Power,  Its     ... 

Scripture  Comparisons    ... 
Hypocrites — 

Bigotry  and  Cruelty,  Their 

Description,  Their 

Judgment   Day,   Their   Situation 
at  the  

Picture,  Their 

Sorts  of.  Two  Chief 
"Hypostasis"... 

Hypostatical  Union,  The       

Hyssop 


Idea  of  God,  The  Christian,  Systems 
which  deny  it 
„  in  Man  ... 

,,  the  Sole  Basis  of  Morals 

Idle  Words,  The  Use  of        

Idleness  ...         ... 

Ignorance 
Illiberality 
Ill-nature 

Ill-will  

( 

\ 

Imagination      ...         ... 

Culture,  Its 
Definition,  Its 

Distinctive    Features    and    Cha- 
racteristics, Its   ... 
,,  Functions     ... 

Influence  and  Effects,  Its 
Penalties  and  Dangers,  Its 
Pleasures,  Its 

Power,  Its  

Relation  to  Science,  Its  ... 
Religion,  The  Right  Province  of, 


VOL. 

PAGE 

i. 

S2I 

iii. 

71 

vi. 

229 

i. 

231 

i. 

154 

iv. 

172 

iv. 

171 

iv. 

109 

iv. 

171 

iv. 

170 

iv. 

170 

iv. 

170 

iv. 

171 

iv. 

171 

iv. 

170 

iv. 

169 

iv. 

170 

iv. 

170 

iv. 

169 

iv. 

171 

iv. 

169 

iv. 

172 

iv. 

169 

iv. 

.70 

iv. 

291 

iv. 

292,  497 

iii. 

452 

Image  of  God,  The 


Utility  and  Design,  Its 

Imagination  and  Fancy 

Immoderation 

Immodesty        

Immorality 

Immortality,  s^e  Judgment. 

,,  Belief  in  ...         

„  (Individual)  of  Man 

,,  ,,         Arguments  for 

„  of  the  Sodl  

Immutability  of  God — 

Applications,  Its...  


i. 

184 

i. 

82 

i. 

47 

iv. 

209 

i. 

520 

i. 

5>7 

i. 

5'9 

i. 

519 

i. 

519 

iv. 

345 

vi. 

9 

i. 

497 

ii. 

199 

ii. 

194 

ii. 

195 

ii. 

194 

ii. 

202 

ii. 

203 

ii. 

202 

ii. 

199 

ii. 

203 

ii. 

204 

ii. 

198 

ii. 

193.  >96 

i. 

522 

i. 

523 

i. 

523 

i. 

66 

i. 

II 

i. 

II 

iv. 

349 

44 


Arguments    to     meet     Apparent 
Contrarieties,  The     ... 

Import,  Its  

Lessons  derived    from    its    Right 
Ci)ncc|iti()n,  The 

Peculiar  Majesty,  Its       

Imparted  Strengih        

Inii>artiality 

Characteiistics,  Its 

Conditions,  Its 

Definition,  Its 

Spheres,  Its 
Impenitence 

Effects,  Its  Deleterious    .. 

E.\emplification  in  Israel,  Its     ... 

Ileinousness,  Its  ...         ..,         ...  I 

Ilomiletical  Hints 

Ma<lness,  Its 

Misuse  of  the  Case  of  the  Penitent 

Thief 

Stony  Heart,  Impenitent  or.  De- 
scription   of  the 
Imperiousness  ... 
Impertinence    ... 
Implacableness... 
Impoliteness      ... 
Imposition 
Impressibility  — 
Law  of 

Nature  of  its  Influence    ... 
Impressions,  Early  or  First — 
Culture,  Their 
Inlluence   in    the    Formation    of 

Character,  Their 
Retentive   Power  and   Hallowed 
Memories,  Their 
Improvidence    ... 
lni))rudcnce 
Impudence 
Impulsiveness  ... 
Imputation  of  Sin 
Inaccessibleness 
Inactiveness 
Inattention 
Incarnation,  The  — 

An  Essential  Part  of  the  Gospel 
Different  Views  of 
How  Affected  by  Gnosticism     ... 
Involved  no  Change   in  Christ's 

Divine  Nature 
Purposes,  Its 
Incarnation,  The  Holy — 

Apologetic  \^alue  and  Importance 
of  the  Doctrine 

Benefits,  Its  

Definition  and  Significance,  Its... 
Demonstrations,  Its 
Homiletic  Remarks 
Indissoluble       Union       between 
Divine  and  Human  Natures 
Manner  of  the  Miraculous  Con- 
ception 
Necessity  apart  from  the  Existence 
of  .Sin,  The  Question 
ofits  ... 
,,         to  Human  Nature,  Its... 
Place    of    the    Doctrine    in    the 

Christian  Scheme     ... 
Power  of  its  Manifestation,  The... 
Purpose,  Its  Grand 
Relations,  Its       


IV, 

47 

IV. 

45 

iv. 

46 

IV. 

48 

V. 

439 

1. 

503 

HI. 

'4 

HI. 

'4 

ni. 

«4 

nu 

14 

1. 

506 

IV. 

201 

IV. 

201 

IV. 

201 

V. 

378 

IV, 

201 

IV. 

201 

202 
201 

525 
5.6 

5 '9 
516 

5«5 

233 
233 

235 

235 

23s 
5'8 
518 
516 
520 
384 
519 
520 

5>8 

14 

14 

240 

47 
«5 


513 
512 
491 
510 
5'8 

497 

494 


5'^ 

50S 

513 
505 
506 

450.  507 


550 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Representativeness,  Its  ... 

Time,  The  Appropriateness  of  its 
Incarnations,  The,  False,  or  Pretended 

of  Heathendom    ... 
Incense,  Altar  of 

Incense  and  Olive,  The  

Incoherence 
Incongruity 
Inconsideraiion  ...         ...         ... 

Inconsistency    ..,         ...         ...         ...- 

Incontinence 

Incorrigibleness  ...  ...         ... 

Incorruptibility  

Nature,  Its 

Souices,  Its 

Sphere  of  Exercise,  Its 

To  What  it  is  Exposed   ... 
Indecency 

Indecision 

Indecorousness ... 
Indefiniteness  ... 
Indelicateness  ... 
Independence    ...         ...         ... 

Desire  of,  The .'.' 

Limitations,  Its    ... 

Loss,  Danger  of  its 

Manifestation  in  Religion,  Its    ... 

Motives  and  Objects,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Worth  and  Value 

Indifference,  including  Coolness 

Definition,  Its 

End,  Its 

Forms,  Its  Diverse  

Nature,  Its 

Preacher's    Duty    with    reference 
to  it 

Prevalence,  Its     

Remedy,  Its 
Indifferentism — 

Definition  and  Fallacies,  Its 

Decrease,   Hopeful  Signs   in   re- 
gard to  its      ...         

Folly  of  its  Various  Phases,  The 

Origin,  Its 

Philosophy,  Its 

Indignation       ...         ...         ... 

Indignation  (Just) — 

Nature,  Its 

Power,  Its 

Principles,  Its  Guiding 

Oualities,  Its 

Value,  Its 

Indignity 
Indolence 

„  Religious 

Indulgence        ...         ...         ...         ... 

Nature,  Its 

Oper.itions,  Its 

Regulations,  Its    ... 
Industry  ...  ...  ...         ,.. 

Chief  Requisites,  Its        

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Examples  of 

Necessity  and  Obligation,  Its    ... 

Nobility  and  Sacredness,  Its 

Power,  Its... 

Relation   to  Frugality  and   Eco- 
nomy, Its 

Religious  Aspect  ,  Its     


vou 

PAGE 

iv. 

507 

iv. 

504 

iv. 

518 

iii. 

440 

iii. 

452 

i. 

512 

i. 

512 

i. 

518 

r  i. 

512 

L  ii. 

462 

i. 

523 

i. 

521 

i. 

502 

ii. 

474 

ii. 

474 

ii. 

474 

ii. 

474 

i. 

523 

f  i. 

521 

[iy. 

134,  158 

i. 

529 

i. 

514 

i. 

523 

i. 

508 

ii. 

67 

iii. 

357 

iii. 

357 

iii. 

357 

iii. 

356 

iii. 

356 

iii. 

356 

i. 

520 

iv. 

142 

iv. 

143 

iv 

142 

iv. 

142 

iv. 

143 

iv. 

141 

iv. 

143 

i. 

199 

i. 

200 

i. 

199 

i. 

199 

i. 

199 

i. 

503 

iii. 

44 

iii. 

45 

iii. 

44 

iii. 

45 

iii. 

45 

i. 

516 

i. 

520 

v. 

347 

i. 

505,  508 

iii. 

178 

iii. 

179 

iii. 

179 

i. 

505 

iii. 

97 

iii. 

95 

iii. 

104 

iii. 

98 

iii. 

96 

iii. 

99 

iii. 

96 

iiu 

103 

Rewards,  Its 

Value  and  Advantages,  Its 
Inebriation 
Inebriety 
Inertness 
Infatuation        ...         ...         ...         ..^ 

Infidelity — 

Actual  Phases,  Its 

Failure,  Its  

Latent 

Practical    ... 

Social  Systems,  Its  Allied 
Infidelity  (viewed  Generally) — 

Definition,  Its 

Duty  of  Christians  to  Battle 
against  it.  The 

Folly,  Its  Egregious        ...         ... 

Mental  Tendencies,  Its 

Origin  of  many  of  its  Forms,  The 
Infidelity,  Difficulties  of — 

Testimony  to  the  Excellence  of 
Christianity,  Its 

Testimony  to  the  Suitability  of 
Christ's  Teaching  as  a  Moral 
Standard  and  Guide,  Its 

What  it  must  do   before   Chris- 
tianity can  be  overthrown   ... 
Infinity  of  G&d — 

Relation  to  Space,  Its     

Significance,  Its   ... 
Ingratitude 

Inhospitableness  ... 

Inhumanity       ...  ... 

Injudiciousness... 
Injury    ...         ... 

Injustice  ...         ..^ 

Infiexibility 
Innocence 

Loss,  Its  Irreparable       ...         ... 

Portrait,  Its  Natural        

Power,  Its...         ...         ...         ... 

Value,  Its 

Innocents,  The  Massacre  of  ... 

Inquiring  of  God  ...  

Inquisitiveness  ... 

Insensibility 

Insincerity         

,,  Religious 

Insolence  ...         ...         ... 

Inspiration 

Definitions  and  Important  Dis- 
tinctions, Its 

Objective  and  Subjective,  Con- 
nection between 

Proofs,  Its 

Senses  in  which  the  Word  is  used 

Views  respecting  its  Nature,  Per- 
manence, and  Completeness 
Instinct — 

Classes,  Its  Four  Great 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Habit  and... 

Lower  Animals,  Of  the  ... 

Reason  and 

Sexual       ...         ...         ...         ... 

Instincts,  Re'igious 
Insubordination 

Insult 

Insurrection      ... 

Integrity  ...         ...         ...         ... 

Encouragements,  Its 

Loss,  Its  Irreparable 


PAGE 

103 
100 
522 
522 
520 
517 

159 
138 
146 
ic,8 
205 

147 

148 
148 
147 
147 


126 


u 

132 

i. 

139 

iv. 

34 

iv. 

33 

i. 

517 

i. 

519 

i. 

5'8 

i. 

517 

i. 

5'6 

i. 

515 

i. 

522 

i. 

502 

ii. 

477 

ii. 

477 

ii. 

477 

ii. 

477 

vi. 

464 

v. 

298 

i. 

524 

i. 

519 

i. 

514 

iv. 

134 

i. 

528 

i. 

301 

i. 

278 

i. 

278 

i. 

280 

i. 

278 

i. 

279 

ii. 

»37 

ii. 

»37 

ii. 

139 

ii. 

140 

ii. 

136,  138 

ii. 

54 

i. 

67 

i. 

517 

i. 

516 

i. 

517 

L 

502 

ii. 

452 

ii. 

453 

GENERAL  INDEX. 


551 


Motive,  Its  

Nature,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Power,  Its  

Tested 
Intellect,  Its  Relation  to  Morality    ... 

Intellectual  Culture     

Intellectual  Endowments,  The — 

Abstractions      of        the     Mind, 
The 

Definition,  Its 

Influence  and  Efifects,  Its,  when 
hit;hly  developed 

Nature,  Its  

Oblif^alions,  Its    ... 

Origin,  Its  Divine  

Primitive  Character,  Its  ... 

Requirements,  Its 

Intellectual  History  of  Man 

Intemperance 

Intercession  of  Christ  ...         ... 

Intercession  of  the  Spirit — 

Nature,  Its  

Necessity,  Its       

Operations,  Its      ..  

Interdiction,  The  Vow  of 
Interference 

Intermediate  State,  The         

Interpretation  of  Scripture     ... 

Intolerance,  The  Mischief  of... 

Intoxication 

Intractableness  „.         .^ 


••■{ 


Intrepidity        .„         

Intrigue  ...         

Intuitionalism — 

Aid  to  Faith,  An 

Definition  from  a  Christian  Stand- 
point, Its 
Intuitions  of  the  Mind,  Tke  ... 
Intuitive  Truths — 

Point    in     Dispute    about.    The 
Chief 

Rationalistic  Errors  respecting  ... 

Tests,  Their  Established 
Invection  ...         ...  ...         ... 

Investigation 

Nature  and  Operations,  Its 

Office,  Uses,  and  Effects,  Its     ... 

Power,  Its 
Invisibility  of  God — 

Human  Perception,  Its  ... 

Necessity  to  the  Divine  Perfection, 
Its       

Scriptural  Declarations,  Its 
Inward  Witness — 

Evidential  Value,  Its       

Reality  and  Use,  Its         

Irony      ...         ...         •••         •••         ••• 

Irreverence — 

Effects,  Its  Pernicious     

Forms,  Its... 

Plomiletical  Hints  on  this  Subject 

Lame  Excuses  lor 

Necessity  for  its  Avoidance 

Irritating  

Irritation  

Beneficial  Effects  of  Counter     ... 

Occasions,  Its 

Stimulating  Tendencies,  Its 

Isaac — 

Character,  Points  of  his 


vou 

PACK 

ii. 

452 

ii. 

452 

ii. 

452 

ii. 

45^ 

ii. 

453 

ii. 

427 

ii. 

162 

ii. 

116 

ii. 

"5 

ii. 

119 

ii. 

"5 

ii. 

120 

ii. 

114 

ii. 

"5 

ii. 

n8 

ii. 

120 

i. 

522 

V. 

72 

V. 

91 

V. 

91 

V. 

92 

iii. 

515 

i. 

516 

V. 

466 

V. 

178 

iii. 

403 

i. 

522 

i. 

521 

i. 

507 

iii. 

321 

i. 

515 

i. 

177 

i. 

176 

ii. 

116 

L 

176 

i. 

i77 

i. 

176 

i. 

527 

i. 

490 

ii. 

129 

ii. 

130 

ii. 

129 

iv. 

32 

iv. 

32 

iv. 

32 

i. 

134 

i. 

134 

i. 

527 

iv. 

176 

iv. 

175 

iv. 

176 

iv. 

176 

iv. 

175 

i. 

5'9 

i. 

494.  527 

ii. 

83 

ii. 

83 

ii. 

83 

65 


Character,      Its     Simplicity     and 
lleauiy  asa  whole     ... 

Contrasted  with  Abraham 

lloniiktical  Hints  on  his  Life    ... 

Tradiiiuiis  respecting    this   Patri- 
arch    ... 

Type  of  Christ,  A 

Isaiah — 

Character,  His 

Call,  Ilis 

End,  His  Traditional 

Honiiletical  Hints  un  this  Prophet 

Mission,  His 

Prophecies,  His    ... 
Ishmael — 

Homiletical    Reflections  on    this 
Character 

Prophecy,  The  Antenatal,  regard- 
ing him 

Single  Incident  on  which  his  Life 
turned,  'I'he  ... 

Typical  Character,  His   ... 
Israel's  Change  of  Polity 

,,       Original  Polity  

Issachar...         ...         ...         


J. 

Jabez — 

Name,  His  .«         

Prayer,  His  ...         ... 

Jacob — 

Character,  Inherited  Qualities  of 
,,         Moral  .Side  of  his-     ... 
,,  Spiritual  Side  of    his, 

before  the  Vision... 
,,  Spiritual  Side  of  his, 

after  the  Vision     ... 
„  Spiritual  Side  of  his, 

after  his  Wrestle  ... 
Contrast  between  Esau  and 
Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Patri- 
arch  ...         ... 

Lessons  of  his  Life,  The 
James — 

Call,  His 

Defects,  His         

Homiletic    Suggestions    on    this 

Apostle         

Training,  His 
James  the  Lord's  Brother — 

Position  in  the  Church,  His 
Traditional  Views  of  this  Apostle 

James,  The  Epistle  of 

Jasliobcam 
Jealousy  .. 
Jealousy  of  God — 

Connection  between  Wrath,  Love, 
Holiness,  and 

Human  Excitation  of      

,,       Jealousycomparedwith... 

Illustrated  in  Christ         

Jeering  ... 
Jehoash — 

Disastrous  End,  His 
Homiletical  Hints  on  his  Character 
Instability,  His     ... 
Preservation    as    a    Child,     His, 
Illustrative  of  the   Truth  of 
God's  Promises 
Jehoiakim 


VI. 

70 

VI. 

70 

VI. 

72 

vi. 

72 

VI. 

7« 

vi. 

281 

VI. 

282 

VI. 

28s 

VI. 

285 

vu 

283 

VI. 

284 

no 

no 
no 

184 
183 
102 


VI. 

vi. 

332 
333 

vi. 

vi. 

74 
74 

vi. 

77 

vi. 

78 

vi. 
vi. 

78 
79 

vi. 
vi. 

81 

72 

vu 
vu 

422 
423 

vi. 
vi. 

424 
424 

vi. 
vi. 
vi. 
vi. 
i. 

444 
444 
444 
230 

520 

iv. 
iv. 

iv. 

iv. 

i. 

98 

99 

99 

99 

526 

vL 
vi. 
vi. 

252 

252 

25« 

vi. 
vi. 

251 
26S 

552 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Jehoram — 

Flagrant  Transgressions,  His     ... 
Homiletic  Hints  on  his  Character 
Punishment,  His  ... 
Jehoshaphat — 

Contrast  with  Ahab 
Homiletical  Reflections  upon  his 

Life 

Sin,  His  Besetting 
Uprightness,  His  General 
Jehovistic    Names     and     Titles     of 

God  

Jehovah,  Import   and  Significance  of 

the  Title        

Sacrcdness  and  Majesty,  Its 
Jehovah-  Ely on — 

Greatness  of  God  as  expressed  in 

this  Title       

Jehovah-Jireh — 

Nature   and    Significance   of  the 
Divine  Provision  for  Man   ... 
Jehovah- Mekaddeshcem — 

Import  and  Present  Application, 

Its      

Jehovah-Nissi — 

Lessons,     Warnings,      and     En- 
couragements in  its  applica- 
tion to  God  the  Son 
Jehovah- Robi — 

Scriptural  Applications,  Its 
Tender   Care  manifested   by  God 
as  our  Shepherd 
Jehovah-Ropheca — 

Characteristic  Attributes  of  God 
as  Healer 
Jehovah-Shalom — 

Nature,    Significance,    and     In- 
fluence of  this  Title  ... 
Jehovah-Shammah — 

Meaning,  Its,  suggestive  of  God's 
Presence  the  Chief  Glory  of 
Heaven 
Jehovah-Tsebahoth — 

Necessity  for  this  Military  Title, 
and  its  Obligations  on  Man... 
Varied    Degrees    in    the    Lord's 
Army... 
Jehovah-Tsidkenu — 

Author  of  Ri  hteousness,  The  ... 
Nature  and  Consequences,  Its    ... 
Jehu — 

Characteristics,  His  Ruling 
Homiletical    Reflections    on    this 

Character 
Summary  of  this  Character 
Jephthah — 

Character,  His  General  ... 
Rash  Vow,  His    ... 

„  ,,  Questions  as  to  its 
Morality,  Obliga- 
tion, and  Manner 
of  Ob^ervance 
„  ,,  Moral  sugggesled  by 
his  ... 
feremiah — 

Call,  His  ...         

Character,  His  Personal 

,,  I  lis  Typical    ... 

Homiletical     Reflections    on    this 

Prophet 
Ministry,  His 
Persecutions,  His... 


VOL. 

PAGE 

vi. 
vi. 
vi. 

249 
250 
249 

vi. 

248 

vi. 
vi. 
vi. 

248 
247 
246 

iv. 

I 

iv. 
iv. 

3 
3 

9 

9 

279 

281 
280 

150 
150 


ISO 

151 

286 
288 
290 

291 
286 
287 


Prophecies,  His    ... 
State  of  the  World  in  his  Time  ... 
Jeremiah  compared  with  Ezekiel 
Jeroboam — 

Contrasted  with  Saul  and  David... 
Homiletical      Hints     upon     his 

Character       

Notorious  Sin,  His  ..» 

Solitary  Virtue,  His         

Jewish  and   Christian  Systems   Com- 
pared 

Jezebel  ...         

Joab— 

Character,  His  Mixed     

End,  His 

Relationship  to  David,  His 
Job- 
Afflictions,  The  Value  and  Blessed- 
ness of 

Book  of,  The        

Friends,    His,    Combination     of 
Truth  and  Error 
in  their   Utter- 
ances  ... 
,,  y,     Their    Personality 

and    Character- 
istics   ... 
„  „    Job's    Vindication 

of  his  Integrity 
against 
Homiletic     Hints      upon      this 

Character 
Humility,  Penitence,  and  Justifi- 
cation by  God,  His... 
Jehovah's  Answer  to  his  Doubts 
Peculiar  Poignancy  of  his  Mental 

Sufferings 
Personality,  His  ... 
Points  of  Character  noticeable  in 
Prosperity,  His  Worldly... 
Reward,  His 
Second  Advent,  His  Realization 

of       

Trial,  His  First,    and  his  Sted- 

fastness 

„        ,,    Second,      Evidencing 

his  continued  Piety 

,,        ,,    Third,  and  Indirect... 

Trials,  The  Object  and  Design  of 

his 
Upright  Character,  His  ... 
Joel- 
Character,  His 
Contrasted  with  Hosea  ... 
Homiletical  Hmts  on  this  Prophet 
Mission,  His 
Period  of  his  Ministry,  The 

Style,  His 

John- 
Character,  Formation  of  his 

,,  General  View  of  his... 

,,  Particulars  of  his 

Compared  with  Daniel 

„    St.  Paul 

Writmgs,  Character  of  his 
John  the  Baptist — 
Baptism,  His 
Character,  His 
Compared  with  Elijah     ... 
Distinguishing  Characteristics,  His 
Homiletical  Hmts  on  this  Apostle 
Inquiry,  His 


VOL. 

PAGE 

VI. 

vi. 

290 
286 

VI. 

361 

vi. 

271 

vi. 

271 

VI. 

271 

VI. 

270 

i. 
vi. 

23 
276 

vi. 

228 

VI. 

vi. 

229 
228 

vi. 

42 

VI. 

34 

48 


47 

43 

51 

50 
49 

40 
35 
43 

3.=; 

51 

43 

36 

38 
39 

42 
36 

296 
297 
297 
296 
295 
296 

424 

425 
420 

369 
427 
427 

409 
406 
321 
406 
410 
410 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


553 


Message,  Ilis        ...         .m 

Missiun,  His         

Jonah — 

Character,    General   Estimate   of 

his  

,,  His  Typical 

,,  Special  Traits  of  his 

Compared  with  Elisha     ... 
Homiletical    Reflections    on    this 

Prophet  

Place  in  Sacred  History,  His     ... 

Prayer,  His  

Question     as     to    him    and    the 

"Whale"      

Jonathan — 

Character,  General  Grace  of  his 

,,  Its  Lessons 

Characteristics,  His  Special 
Friendship,  Value  of  his,  to  David 
Homiletical     Hints     upon      this 

Character 
Love  for  David,  Attractive  Power 

of        

Joseph — 

Analogy    between    his   Life   and 

that  of  our  Lord       

Blessing  on 

Childhood    and    Youth,    Special 
Chnractenstics  of  his 

Compared  with  Daniel 

Influence  of  his  Character  as  seen 

in  Posthumous  Testimony  ... 

Similar  Experiences  of  David  and 

Special  Chirncteristics  as  a  Man 

and  a  :    .uesman 
Success,  The  Sources  of  his      ... 
Symmetry  and   Harmony   of   his 
Character  as  a  whole.  The  ... 
Joseph  of  Arimathea — 

Character,  Homiletical  Hints  upon 
„         Previous  to  the  Cruci- 

fi.xion.  His... 
„         Subsequent  to  the  Cru- 
cifi.xion.  His 
Joshua — 

Character,        His     Simple      yet 

Lolty 

Excellence,  His  Particular 

Type  of  Christ,  A  

,,     ,,  the  Christian,  A 
Josiah    ... 
Jotham — 

Force  of  his  Parable        ... 
Magnanimous  Character,  His     ... 

Joy         

Analogy  to  Grief,  Its      

Aspects,  Its  Varied         

Beneficent  Influence,  Its 
Capricious  Tendencies,  Its 
Carnal  and  Spiritual  Contrasted 

Contrast  to  Peace,  Its     

Nature,  Its 

Peace  and 

Sorrow  and 
Jubilee,  The  Feast  of  the  Year  of    ... 

Tudah    

Judaism,  Modern — 

Evidential  Aspects,  Its 

Feature,  Its  Leading      

Morals,  Its  

Phases,  Its  Latest  

Superiority  of  Christianity  to     ... 


VI. 

vi. 


409 
408 


300 

303 
300 
328 

305 
300 
302 

304 

224 
217 
218 
223 

224 

223 


96 
104 

84 
369 

95 
209 

86,87 
95 

96 
446 
445 
445 


134 
135 
137 
137 
267 

149 
149 

494 
82 
82 
82 
83 
83 
82 
81 

431 
92 

503 

lOI 

220 
219 

413 
220 

23 


Judas  Iscariot — 

Contrast  between  Peter  and 
Doom,  His 
Heinous  Sin,  Ilis... 
Homiletical  Reflections  upon  this 

Character 
Question  as  to  his  Selection  as  an 

Apostle 
Repentance,  His  ... 
Ruling  Passion,  His 
Judas  and  Balaam,  Similarity  between 

,,      and  I'ilale  Cimliasicd  ... 
Jude-Lebbeus  or  Thaddeus — 
Personal  Identification,  His 
Solitary  Question,  His    ... 
Judges,  The 

Judgment  ...         ...         ...         ...  ] 

Culture,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Form  and  Matter,  Its     

Illustration  of  its  Exercise 

Limitations,  Its    ... 

Nature  and  Definitions,  Its 

Quality,  lis  

Reality,  Limits,  and  Obligations, 
Its      

Relationship  to  the  other  Reason- 
ing Faculties,  Its     ... 

Requisites,  Its 

Relative    Value    of  Man's     and 
Woman's 

Standard,  Its         

Value,  Its 

Judgment,  The  General,  Article  upon- 

Advent,  The  Second. 
Contrasted  with  the  First 
Manner.  Its 

Signs  Preceding,  The      

Uncertainty  of  the  Time  of 

Day,  The  Last. 
Conscience  at,  Awful  Illumination 

of         

Failures  which  will  be  finally  con- 
demned at 
Memory,  Striking  Power  of,  at... 

Retrospect  of  Life  at      

Final  Jiidgutent. 
Erroneous    Standards    respecting 

the      

Equity,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints  upon 

Impartial   Effacemeiit  of   Human 

Distinctions  at 
Individuality  and  Comprehcn>ive- 
ness.  Its 

Inevitableness,  Its  

Invitation  to  the  Just  at  the 
Judge,  Qualifications  of  the 
Premonitions  in  Nature  of 
Sentence  of  the  Wicked  at  the  ... 

Significance,  Its 

Tests,  Its 

Vindications,  Its 

Immortality. 
Arguments  for  it 
Considered    as    a    Teacher 

Interpreter 

Doctrine,    The    True,     and 
Counterfeits 


vi. 

44' 

vi. 

440 

vi. 

439 

vi. 

442 

vi. 

441 

vi. 

440 

vi. 

437 

vi. 
vi. 

179 
478 

vi. 

437 

vi. 

437 

vi. 

140 

ii! 

504 
81 

li. 

145 

ii. 

144 

iii. 
iii. 
lii. 

57 
58 
58 

iii. 

57 

iii. 

57 

iii. 

57 

ii. 

144 

iii. 

57 

iii. 

58 

iii. 

57 

ii. 

144 

V. 

475 

v. 

475 

V. 

472 

V. 

474 

and 


494 

494 

494 
493 


490 
491 
497 

490 

489 
490 
496 
4S8 
488 
496 
487 
491 
492 

484 
485 
481 


554 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Evidences  of  its  Truth  in  the  Life 
of  Holiness 

Nature  of  the  Hope  of  Eternal 
Life     ..         ...         ... 

Objections  against,  their  Futility 

Practical  Denial  of,  in  a  Life  of 
Sin     ... 

Relation  of,  to  the  Present  Life... 

Revelations  of,  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ... 

Universality  of  its  Anticipations 

Millennium,  The. 

Jewish  Origin  of  the  Doctrine  ... 

Liability  to  Perversion,  Its 

Meaning,  Its 

Objections  urged  against  Early 
Chiliastic  Views,  The 

Opinions, The  GenerallyReceived, 
about... 

Tenets  of  the  Fourth  Century  re- 
specting, The 

Resiii  rection,  The. 

Aspects  as  regards  the  Just,  Its ... 
,,  ,,  Unjust,  Its 

Bible  Proofs  and  Enunciations  of 

Christ's  Preparaiive  Teaching  for 

Comfort,  Its 

Illustrative  Types,  Its 

Moral  Reasonableness,  Its 

Nature  of  the  Resurrection  Body 

Power  of  Chi  ist's  in  its  Bearing  on 
our  own 

St.  Paul's  Arguments  in  l  Cor.  xv. 

Universality,  Its 
Judgment,    The     General,    Heathen 
Ideas  of  the  ... 

Heathen,  in  Relation  to... 
Judgment,  Spirit  of — 

His  Work  as  such  in  the  Chris- 
tian Dispensation     ... 
Justice 

Advantages,  Its    ... 

Attributes,  Its      

Due,  To  Whom  ... 

Hindrances,  Its    ... 

Learned,  How 

Nature,  Its  

Penalties  of  its  Infraction 

Principle,  Its  Governing 

Relations,  Its 

Value,  Its  ... 
Justice  of  God — 

Arguments  in  Support  of  it,  as 
distinct  from  Benevolence  ... 

Deference  paid  i)y  Christ  to 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Distinctive  Aspects,  Its  ... 

Distorted  Ideas  of 

Harmony  with  Divine  Mercy,  Its 

Manifestations,  Its 
Justice  of  God  in  Redemption 
Justification  of  Smners — 

Articles  of  the  Church  of  England 
on.  The 

Cause,  Its  Instrumental  ... 
,,         ,,   Meritorious    ... 

History  of  the  Doctrine,  The     ... 

Homiletical  Remarks  upon  this 
Subject 

Importance  of  the  Doctrine 

Meaning,  Its 


483 


V. 

484 

V. 

485 

V. 

483 

V. 

485 

V. 

482 

V. 

481 

V. 

486 

V. 

487 

V. 

486 

V. 

487 

V. 

487 

V. 

486 

V. 

477 

v. 

477 

v. 

478 

v. 

479 

V. 

480 

V. 

476 

V. 

477 

V. 

478 

V. 

479 

V. 

479 

V. 

476 

V. 

497 

V. 

496 

i. 

339 

i. 

503 

ii. 

i> 

ii. 

6 

77 
78 
74 
75 
78 
76 

75 
429 


487 
480 
476 
473 

489 
488 
472 


Necessity,  Its       iv.  475 

Question  as  to  its  Time iv.  485 

Relation  to  Sanctification,  Its    ...     iv.  484 

Source  or  Origin,  Its       iv.  476 

Teaching  of  St.  Paul  and  the  Early 
Fathers  respecting  this  Doc- 
trine,   Accordance    between     iv.  4S6 
Teaching   of    St.    Paul    and    St. 
James    respecting   this  Doc- 
trine Reconciled       ...          ...     iv.              486 

Justification  and  Pardon         .«        ...    iv.  454 


K. 

Key  of  David,  The      ii.  287 

Kindheartedness  ...  ...         ...       i.  5°5 

Characteristics,  Its  ...  ...     iii.  137 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its  ...     iii.  137 

Kindness,     including    Lovingkindness 
and  Kindheartedness — 
Brute  Creation,  Towards  ...     iii.  135 

Culture  and  Practice,  Its  ...     iii.  133 

Indispensabieness,  Its      ...  ...    iii.  132 

Manifestations,  lis  ...  ...     iii.  132 

Nature  andMeaning,  Its  ...     iii.  131 

Perverted  Aspect,  Its      iii.  134 

Power,  Its iii.  133 

Relation  to  Graciousness  and  Ten- 
derness, Its   ...         ...         ...     iii.  131 

Rewards    ...         ...         ...         ...     iii.  134 

"Kingdom     Come,     Thy"     {Second 

Petition  ofthi  Lord's  Pi  aycr) — 

Connection    with    the   preceding 

Petition  U  405 

Encouragement  to  pre.ss  the  Re- 
quest ... 
"Kingdom,"  Definition  of 

,,  Viewed  as  Messianic 

,,  ,,  the  Sove- 

reignty of  God 
Need   of  the  Petition,  from   the 

Condition  of  Mankind 
Realization,  Modes  of  its 
"  Thy,"  Import  of 
Ways  in  which  we  can  hasten  the 
Coming  of  the  Kingdom 

Kingdom  of  Christ,  The         

,,         of  God,  The... 
,,         of  Israel,  'I'he 
Knavery... 

Knowledge,  Desire  of... 
„  of  God 

,,  Spirit  of   ... 

,,  and  Faith 

,,  and  Taste... 

Kohathites,  The  

Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram — 
Aims,  Their 
Homiletical  Application,  Their... 

Modern  Parallel,  Their 

Rebellion,  Their  ... 
Koran,  The      ...         .„         ...         .„ 


L. 

Lame  Man  at  the  Gate  of  the  Temple — 

Cure,  His...  ...  ...  ...     vi.  511 

Homiletical  HintsonthisCharacter     vi.  512 

Need,  His...  ...  ...  ...     vi.  511 

Request,  His        ...     vi.  511 


i.     414 

1.     405 

1.     407 

i.     406 

i.     414 

1.     413 

i.     412 

i.     415 

1.  407 
i.     406 

^i.     183 

1-  5«5 
li.       60 

V.    27,  74 

1.      322 

V.  232 
li.  183 
li.     469 

i.     168 

n.  169 
i.  169 
ri.              168 

1.       222 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


555 


Lamech — 

Aspects  of  his  Character 
Comparison  of  the  Characters  of 

Cain  and 
Foretold     Reproduction,    in    the 
Latter  Day,  of  the  Characters 
of  Cain  and  ... 
Language — 

Aspect  as  Regards  Music,  Its    ... 
„  „        Oratory        and 

Elocpience... 
,»  ,,        Speech  in  Gen- 

eral 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Man's  IV-culiar  Privilege,  As 
Origin,  lis 
Responsible  Use,  Its 
Laodicea — 

Geographical  Descriptions  of    ... 
Historical  Relations  of    ... 
Laodicea,  Epistle  to  the  Church  of — 
Characteristics,  Special   ... 
Homiletical  Hints  upon  ... 
Points  of  Censure  in 
Repentance,  Exhortations  to,  in... 
Rewards  Promised  in 
Titles  of  the  Saviour  Employed  in 
Last  Things,  The  Four 
Layer,  The  Brazen       ...         ,., 
Layers  for  Purification 
Law,  see  Codes. 
Law,  Mosaic  (j^^  Mosaic  Economy)  — 

Typical  Design  of ... 
Law,   Natural,    Institution  of,   in  the 
Divine  Government... 
,,     of  Association    ... 
,,     of  Impressibility 
,,     of  Reaction 
Lawlessness 

,,  and  Christian  Liberty    ... 

Laws  by  which  Man  is  Conditioned — 

Metaphysical         ...         ...         ... 

Moral  or  Ideal      ...         ...         ... 

Physical     ...  

Revealed   ...  ...         ...         ... 

Sectional  Index    ... 
Laws  of  Nature,  see  Nature. 

„  „     Allow    of     no     False 

Liberty  with  Impunity 

Laxity 

Laziness... 

Leaven  and  its  Interdiction    ... 

Lechery... 

Legality  and  Christian  Liberty 

Legation  of  Moses,  see  Divine. 

Leniency  ...         ...         - 

Lethargy 

Levi 

Levites,  The     ... 

Levitical  Priesthood,  The 

Levity    ... 

EfHects,  Its  Sinister  and  Baneful... 

Meaning,  lis 

Pie  valence.  Its 

Ways  in  which  it  is  Manifested,The 

Lewdness  ...         ...         

Libel      

Liberality  ...         

Characteristics,  Its 

Contrary  Qualities,  Its     

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 


VOL. 

vu 


33 
33 

33 

169 

166 

16s 
163 
169 
164 
169 

291 
291 

291 
295 
292 
294 

295 
292 
452 
437 
43S 

433 


IV. 

354 

ii. 

235 

ii. 

233 

ii. 

242 

i. 

517 

V. 

426 

i. 

500 

i. 

500 

i. 

499 

i. 

500 

ii. 

500 

i. 

71 

i. 

514 

i. 

520 

ii. 

509 

i. 

523 

V. 

420 

i. 

506 

lii. 

181 

i. 

520 

vi. 

lOI 

ii. 

468 

ii. 

465 

i. 

529 

iv. 

210 

IV. 

210 

IV. 

210 

v. 

210 

i. 

523 

i. 

5'3 

i. 

505 

ii. 

I6l 

ii. 

162 

ii. 

161 

Limitations,  Its 

VOL. 

iii. 

PACR 
162 

Re(|uirements,  Its... 

iii. 

161 

Rewards,  Its          ...          

i'i. 

162 

Spuiiou-;  Forms,  lis 

iii. 

162 

Liberality,  lis  Relation  to  Compassion 

iii. 

«59 

Liberty,  Christian         ..           

v. 

420 

,,        iJesiie  of 

ii. 

67 

,,        Relation  to  Law,  Its... 

ii. 

245 

_  ..              II              Obedience,  Its  ... 

iii. 

17 

Licentiousness  ... 

i_ 

522 

Lie,  Delusions  to  Believe  a    ... 

iv. 

'3' 

Life,  The  Christian,  Its  Possibilities... 

V. 

211 

Life,  Hidden,  The       

V. 

443 

Law  of  the  Regenerate,  The      ... 

V. 

104 

Mystery  of            

/    i. 
i. 

«38 

5 

3'7 

Of  God  in  the  Soul         

Relation  to  Eternity,  Its 

V. 

4X5 

Sacrcdness,  Its 

ii. 

() 

That  Prejwres  for  Death,  The  ... 

V. 

466 

Theories  of 

ii. 

5 

Life,  Spirit  of — 

Chri.sto!ogical  Aspect  of  the  Term 

316 

Personal  Realization,  Its... 

3'7 

Practical  Bearing,  Its 

3'7 

Theological  Imjiort,  Its  ... 

3'7 

Light,  Its  Effect  on  Eyes  and  Body  ... 

lL 

33 

Light  of  Nature — 

Guide,  Its  Limited  Power  as  a  ... 

ii. 

242 

Lightness           « 

i. 

529 

Linen                 ...         .... 

iii. 

455 

Lisllessness       ...         ... 

i. 

520 

Little  Sins         

iv. 

122 

Littleness 

i. 

526 

Liturgy,  Advantages  of  the  English... 

V. 

176 

Locke's  System 

i. 

182 

Logic 

ii. 

141 

LongsufTering    ...         .».         

r    i. 

509 

\iii. 

403 

LongsufTering  of  God — 

Abuse,  Its 

iv. 

ICO 

Design,  Its 

iv. 

100 

Greatness,  Its        

iv. 

lOI 

Manifestations,  Its           

iv. 

100 

Proof  of  Omnipotence  conveyed  in 

the      

iv. 

Id 

Looseness          

i. 

5'4 

Loquaciousness... 

i. 

518 

Lord,  see  Jehovah. 

Lord,  The,  a  Name  of  the  Holy  Spirit 

i. 

295 

,,           Scriptural  Basis,  Its 

i. 

295 

Lord,  Spirit  of  the       ...          

i. 

295 

Lord  God,  Spirit  of  the 

i. 

303 

Lord's  Day,  Observance  of — 

Antiquity,  Its       ...         

V. 

198 

Arguments  for 

V. 

203 

Blessedness,  Its    ... 

V. 

202 

Change  from  the   Seventh  to  the 

First  Day  of  the  Week 

V. 

201 

Due  Observance,  Its 

V. 

199 

Homiletical    Remarks   upon   this 

Subject 

v. 

207 

Nature  and  Importance,  Its 

y. 

J97 

Oi)jections  Considered     ... 

V. 

206 

Obligations,    Its    Universal    and 

lerjictual 

V. 

197 

Origin,  Its... 

V. 

196 

Re-Institution  at  Sinai,  Its 

V. 

196 

Lord's  Prayer,  The — 

Authority,  Its       ...          .«         .» 

i. 

375 

Characteristics,  Its           

i. 

379 

Excellence,  Its      

i. 

376 

556 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Nature,  Its  

Objections  to  its  Frequent  Use  met 
Relation  to  Existing  Forms,  Its... 
Structure  and  Design,  Its 
Uses,  Its 

Lord's  Supper  ... 

Lost,  Unpopularity  of  Preaching  Con- 
cerning the 

Lot- 
Character  Estimated,  His 
Choice,   His   Worldly   and   Self- 
seeking 
Flight  from  Sodom,  His  Laggard 
Homiletical  Reflections  upon  his 
Character 

Love  (see  also  Charity) — 
Characteristics,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its         ...  < 

Divisions,  Its  Main 

Difference  between  Affection  and 

Features  and  Characteristics,  Its 
Special 

Influences,  Its 

Manifestations,  Its  Varied 

Power,  Its... 

Purposes  and  Design,  Its 

Value  and  Blessedness     ... 
Love,  Conjugal 

Family    ...         

Filial      

Fraternal 

Parental 

Social 

Love  of  Citizens  and  Fellow  Country- 
men, or  Patriotism — 

Basis,  Its  Religious  and  Moral  ... 

Contrast  between  True  and  False 

Culture,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Divine  Sanction,  Its 

Examples  of 

Hindrances,  Its    ... 

Manifestations,  Its 

Reward,  Its 

Universality,  Its  ... 
Love  of  Fame  ... 
Love  of  Friends — 

Exemplification,  Its  Divine 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Immortality,  Its  ... 

Manifestations,  Its 

Requisites,  Its  Special    ... 

Rules,  Its  ... 

Value  and  Blessedness,  Its 
Love  of  God — 

Answer  to  Philosophical  Objec- 
tions to 

Characteristics  as  Manifested  in 
Christ... 

Display,  Its 

Peculiar  Divinity,  Its 

Reflection  in  Man,  Its     ... 

Terrible  Intensity,  Its  ... 
Love  of  Man,  Its  Divine  Origin 
Love  of  Master  and  Servant — 

Advantages,  Its    ... 

Basis,  Its  ... 

Manifestations,  Its 

Rarity,  Its 

Love  of  Neighbours  — 

Duties  and  Motive,  Its    ... 


376 

383 
3!^2 

373 
381 

V. 

143 

V. 

506 

vi. 

108 

vi. 
vi. 

105 
108 

vi. 

109 

iii. 

126 

ii. 

107 

iii. 

126 

ii. 
iii. 

107 
128 

ii. 

108 

ii. 

no 

iii. 

127 

iii. 

127 

ii. 

107 

iii. 

127 

iii. 

199 

iii. 

190 

iii. 

194 

iii. 

195 

iii. 

192 

iii. 

202 

iii. 

217 

iii. 

221 

iii. 

220 

iii. 

217 

iii. 

217 

iii. 

221 

iii. 

220 

iii. 

218 

iii. 

221 

iii. 

217 

iv. 

140 

iii. 

206 

iii. 

203 

iii. 

207 

iii. 

204 

iii. 

212 

iii. 

207 

iii. 

210 

87 

87 

86 
85 
87 
80 
112 

223 
221 
222 
223 

214 


Exemplification,  Its  Heathen    ... 

Manner,  Its 

Negative  Aspect,  Its 

Rarity,  Its... 
Love  of  Power ... 
Love  of  the  World — 

Cure,  Its    ... 

Di^suasives,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  this  Sub- 
ject 

Import  of  the  Prohibition  against 
Love,  Relations  of — 

To  Faith 

,,  Hope 

,,  Kindness 
,,  Obedience 
,,   Righteousness 
Lovingkindness 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Operation  and  Effects 
Lowliness — 

Aspects     in     Connection     with 
Humility,  Its 

Dignity  and  Worth,  Its  ... 

Nature,    Its,  Contrasted  with  its 
Counterfeits  and  Opposites... 

Reward,  Its 
Loyalty — 

Manifestations,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Objects,  Its  

Loyalty  to  God — 

Connection    between    Faith   and 
Faithfulness,  The     ... 

Difficulty  and  Glory  of  Continu- 
ing Faithful,  The     ... 

Nece.ssity     and     Importance     of 
Fidelity  in  Small  riiin;;s,  The 

Underlying  Principles,  Its 

Various  Ways  of  its  Manifestations 
Luke — 

Fidelity,  His         

Pergonal  Identification,  His 

Writings,  His 
Lukewarm,  Portrait  of  the 
Lukewarmness — 

Causes,  Its 

Characteristics,  Its 

Danger,  Its 

Definition,  Its 

Diagnosis,  Its 

Remedy,  Its 
Luxuriousness 
Lyuia,  Her  Contrast  with  the  Gaoler 

Lying  

Lymphatic  Temperament — 

Physiological  and   Phrenological 
Diagnosis,  Its 


M. 

Magi,  The— 

Adoration,  Their 

Faith,  Their 

Guidance,    Question  as  to  their 
Natural  or  Supernatural 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  ... 

Intellectual  Position,  Their 

Joy,  Their 

Traditional  Views  respecting 
Magnanimity 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 


VOL. 

PAGE 

iii. 

216 

iii. 

215 

iii. 

215 

iii. 

215 

ii. 

68 

iv. 

225 

iv. 

225 

iv. 

225 

iv. 

224 

V. 

234 

iv. 

244 

iii. 

136 

iii. 

17,  18 

iii. 

7 

i. 

505 

iii. 

136 

iii. 

137 

iii. 

353 

iii. 

354 

iii. 

353 

iii. 

354 

iii. 

20 

iii. 

19 

iii. 

20 

V. 

286 

V. 

286 

V. 

287 

V. 

288 

V. 

289 

vi. 

447 

vi. 

447 

vi. 

448 

iv. 

143 

iv. 

144 

iv. 

I4i 

iv. 

144 

iv. 

143 

iv. 

144 

iv. 

144 

i. 

522 

vi. 

506 

i. 

512 

232 


vi. 

484 

VI. 

483 

vi. 

482 

VI, 

484 

VI. 

482 

VI. 

483 

VI. 

484 

1. 

598 

111. 

301 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


557 


Discouragements,  Its 
Excellence  and  Rarity,  Its 
Inlluence  and  I'oiver,  Its 
Manifestations,  Its  Various 

Means  and  Aids,  Its        

Need,  Its  I'resent  

Magnanimous    Man,     Description    of 

the,   by  Aristotle 

M;ajesty  of  God  — 

Incomparableness   of   its    Sacred 

Revelations    ... 
Manifestations,  Its 
Man's  Contemplation  of... 
Malefactor,  The  Penitent,  see  Penitent. 
Malefactors,  The  Crucified     ... 
Malevolence 
Malice 
Malignity 
Man  (Generally) — 

Antiquity  of  ...  

Aspects,  His  Various 
Capacity,  His  Limited     ... 
Character,  His  Qualitied... 
Constituency,  His  Wonderful    ... 
Delinition  of  the  Term    ... 
Dependence  on  the  Creator,  His 
Dignity,  His  Pre-eminent 
„        His,  in  Christ  ... 

Fall,  His 

Fear,  His  ... 

Life,  Theories  and   Sacredness  of 

his 
Nature     and    Needs,    see    Chris- 
tianity 
„       Distinctive  Facts  of    his 
,,       His  Mysterious  ... 
,,       Original  ... 
Origin,    Nature,    and    Primitive 

State  of  Man 

Self  Knowledge,  Reasonableness  of 

his 
State,  His  Paradisiacal    ... 

World,  In  the       

Man,  Creation  of — 

Connection   with  Previous  Crea- 
tion, His 
Divine  Resolve,  The 
Material  Employed,  The... 
Merciful  Purpos'*,  The    ... 
Theories,  The  Three  Leading    ... 
Unique  Position  of  Man  ... 
Man,  Free  and  Re-ponsible — 

Metaphysical    Difficulties    con.si- 
dered  respecting  this  (j)uestion 
Limitations  arising  from  Personal 
Conditions  and  Environments 
considered      respecting      this 
Question 
See  Responsibility. 
Man,  Invention  Limited  to  Mechanical 
Construction... 
,,     Laws  by  which  he  is  Conditioned 
Man,  Nature  and  Constitution — 
Material  Side,  His 
Mental  Side,  Plis... 

Moral  SiJe,  His 

Sectional  Index  to  this  Subject... 
Man  as  a  Spiritual  Being — 

Argument    from     Human    Con- 
sciousness 
Corroborative    Scripture    Testi- 
mony... 


364 
3H 
364 
361 
363 
364 

36s 


56 
56 
57 

338 
51S 
518 
51S 

346 
22 

23 
23 
16 

7 
24 

14 
S'o 
3iii 
152 


345 
20 

14 
10 

345 

24 
381 

7 


343 
343 
343 
343 
34^ 
344 


16 


16 


58 
220 

49J 
493 
497 
499 


15 
16 


Man,  Traits  of  Char.acter — 

Laws  by    which   he    is   Condi- 
tioned 
Nature  and  Constitution,  His  .. 
Vices,     including    Faults    and 

Defects         ...  

Virtues,     including     Excellen- 
cies   ... 

Man,  Zeal  for  Conversion  of 

Man  of  (Jod  from  Judah— 

Commission,  His  .  . 

Fall,  liis 

Punishment,  His...  

Manasseh  — 

Apostasy,  His 

Compaiison  with  Ahnz,  His 

llomileiical     Reflections    on    his 

Character 
Repentance,  His... 

Mannsseh,  Tribe  of      

Manna,  The  lliilden 

The  Pot  of    

Maniage 

Ma.ster  and  Servant,  Love  of 

Materialism — 

Arguments  against  it       

iJeflnitions,  Its     ... 
Locus  Standi,  Its... 
iSIaterialism,  Phihjsophical     ... 
Materialistic  Athei-m — 

Character,  Its  Real  

Interpretation,  Its  True  ... 
Phase,  Its  Present 

Maternal  and  Paternal  

Matter 

Matthew — 

Conversion,  His  ... 
Homiletical    Reflections   on    this 
Evangelist     ... 
Matthias — 

Election,  Manner  of  his  ... 
Lessons  from  the  Silence  of  .Scrip- 
ture concerning 
Qualification  lor  Apostolic  Office, 

His 

Meanness 

Means  ol  Grace,  The  ... 

Meat  and  Drink  OfTerings 

Mediator 

Mediation,  Christ's 

Meekness 

Arguments  for  its  Cultivation     ... 

Basis,  Its  ... 

Counterfeits     Easily    Made     but 

Easily  Detected 
Defm  tion   and  Distinctive  Fea- 
tures, Its 
Exemplification  in  Christ,  Its    ... 

Nature,  Its  

Opposite  Qualities,  Its    ... 
Rt-quiiite  A<ljuncts,  Its  ... 
Meekness  {Third  Beatitude') — 
Blessing  Promised,  The  ... 
Connection  between  the  Condition 
of  the  J'ersons  Blessed  and 
the  Blessing  ... 
Contrast  l>etween  the  Teaching  of 
this  Beatitude  and  Prevai.ing 
Sentiment 
Grace  Commended,  The... 
Suggested  Duties... 


Ini. 


499 
493 

510 

501 
3'-^7 

330 
350 
330 

263 

264 

264 
263 
104 
272 

447 
109 
506 


164 

164 

164 
167 

166 
166 
166 
506 
330 

434 

436 

490 

49 1 

49' 
526 
III 

507 
69 
69 
50S 
399 
39S 

400 

396 
399 
397 
397 
399 

354 
35^^ 


35t> 
353 
356 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Melancholic  Temperament — 

Ethically  Viewed ...  ...         ... 

Manifestations,  Its 

Physiological  and   Phrenological 
Diagnosis,  Its 
Melancholiness... 
Melchisedek — 

Historical  Facts  recorded  of 
him     ... 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Person- 
age    ••■ ■•• 

Mysterious  Reticence  of  Scripture 
concerning  him 

Relative  Position  to  Abraham, 
His 

Speculations  as  to  his  Person- 
ality   ... 

Spiritual  Significance  of  his  Per- 
son and  Acts 

Memory*. 

Aids,  Its  Artificial 

Anticipation  and  ... 

Characteristics,  Its  Distinctive  ... 

Conception  and    ... 

Definition,  Its 

Deprivation,  Its  ...         ... 

Importance,  Its    ... 

Limitations,  Its    ... 

Means  of  its  Invigoration 

Moral  Functions,  Its 

Oblivion,  Remarkable  Instances 
of  its 

Office  and  Operations,  Its 

Pleasures,  Its 

Power  as  Displayed  in  the  Lower 
Animals,  Its  ... 

Relation  to  Man's  Future,  Its    ... 
,,        ,,  the  other  Faculties,  Its 

Remarkable  Instances  of 

Memory  at  the  Last  Day        

Merari 

Merciful,  The  {Fifth  Beatitude)— 

Blessing  Promised,  The 

Class  of  Persons  Blessed,  The  ... 

Connection  between  the  Condition 
of  the  Persons  Blessed  and 
the  Blessing... 

Grace  Commended,  The  ... 

Mercifulness     ...         ...         S 

Deficiency,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

E.xemplification,  Its  Divine 

Incentives,  Its 

Limits,  Its 

Objects   and    Manifestations,    Its 

Relation  to  Pity  and  Compassion, 
Its      

Requirements,  Its 
Mercifulness  of  God — 

Abuse,  Its  ...         ... 

False  Views  of    ... 

Glory,  Its 

Influence,  Its  Blessed     ... 

Lessons  as  Displayed  in  Christ ... 

Manifestations,  Its 

Qualities  and  Characteristics,  Its 
Mercilessness    ... 
Mercy  and  Justice        ... 
Mercy  and  Pity 
Mercy  of   God,    Its    Harmony  with 

Justice       


vol.. 
ii. 


231 
231 

231 

524 


116 
118 

"5 

118 
116 

116 

496 

154 
160 

151 
159 

146 

159 
146 

157 
154 
15s 

161 

147 
156 

160 
158 
»57 
160 

494 
469 

361 

359 


361 

359 
505 
235 
178 
177 
178 
177 
178 
178 

177 
177 

104 
104 
102 
104 
104 
103 
102 
S19 
7 
160 

76 


Mercy-seat,  The  ...         ...         ...    iii.  442 

Messianic  Prophecy — 

Foreshadowings,  Its        ...  ...       i.  96 

Fulfilment,    Collateral  Confirma- 
tions of  its     ...  ...  ...       i.  96 

Interpretation,  Psychological  Prin- 
ciples of  its    ...  ...  ...       i.  96 

Special  Characteristics,  Its         ...       i.  97 

Variety  and  Extent,  Its  ...  ...       i.  96 

Metaphysical  Argument  ...  ...       i.  81 

Metaphysics       ...  ...         ...  ...       i.  81 

Method- 
Excesses  and  Defects,  Its  ...      ii.  497 
Materials  or  Objects,  Its...         ...      ii.             496 

Mental  Aspect,  Its  ...         ...      ii.  496 

,,       Requirements,  Its  ...      ii.  496 

Nature,  Its  ...         ...         ...      ii.  495 

Necessity,   Its       ...         ...         ...      ii.  496 

Sphere  of  its  Action,  The  ...      ii.  496 

Methodical  Man,  ('haracter  of  the     ...      ii.  497 

Might,  Spirit  of — 

Ecclesiastical  Aspect,  Its  ...       i.  318 

Historical  Aspect,  Its      i.  318 

Origin,  Its...         ...         ...         ...       i.  318 

Practical  Bearing,  Its      i.  319 

Mildness — 

Connection  with  Gentleness       ...    iii.  400 

Definition,  Its       ...         ...         ...    iii.  400 

Influence,  Its        ...         ...         ...    iii.  400 

Necessity  of  Vigour  to     ...         ...     iii.  400 

Nobility,  Its  ...         ...         ...     iii.  400 

Origin  and  History,  Its iii.  400 

Severity,  Its  iii.  400 

Millennium   see  Judgment. 

Mind     ...         ...         ...         ...         ...      ii.  114 

Ministry,    The    Christian,    see  Holy 
Orders. 

Miracles  — 

Definition,  Their ...         .».         ... 

Design,  Their  Apparent ...         ... 

Distmctive  Character  of  Bible  ... 
,,  ,,  Christ's 

Evidential  Value,  Their  ... 
Natural   Law,    Their  Connection 

with    ... 
Possibility,  Their... 
Rejection,  Difficulties  in  the  Way 
of  their 
„          Evil  Consequences    of 
their  

Miracles  and  Science — 

The  Proper   Function  of  Science 

in  regard  to  the  Miraculous  ...       L  106 

Miracles  of  Pagans  and  Papists — 

Difference  between  Pretended  and 

Real  Miracles,  The i.  107 

Pretended  Miracles  should  not  be 
allowed  to  Discredit  the  Real 

Miracles,  Prophetic,  of  Elisha 

Miraculous  Conception,  The 

Mirth     

Nature,  Its  

Tendencies,  Its  Capricious 

Mirth  and  Cheeriulness  

Misrepresentation 

Mission  of  the  Church... 

Mistrust 

Misunderstandings 

Mitre,  The        

Mockery 

Moderation — 

Exhibition  and  Imitation,  Its    ...    iii  296 


97 

100 

1. 

105 

u 

105 

1. 

98 

i. 

lOI 

I. 

99 

i. 

106 

1. 

107 

VI. 

326 

IV. 

494 

I. 

494 

n. 

92 

11. 

93 

in. 

330 

1. 

512 

V. 

120 

1. 

526 

1. 

527 

Ul. 

463 

1. 

526 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


559 


Incompntihility    with    Genius    or 

Ambition,  Its 
Nature  and  Source,  Its  ... 
Power  and  Dii^nity,  Its   ... 
Spheres  and  Methods,  Its 
Supreme  Importance,  Its 
Value  and  Necessity,  Its... 
Modern    Civilization    in    Relation    to 

Christianity 
Modern  Thought — 
Definition,  Its 
Duties   of  Christians  consequent 

on       ...         

Objections  met     ... 
Opposition  to  Christianity,  Futil- 
ity of  its 
Phases,  Review  of  its 
Unconscious  Oliligations  to  Chris- 
tianity, Its     ... 
Modesty 

Considerations    favourable   to   its 

Culture 
Counterfeits,  Its   ... 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Functions  and  Advantages,  Its... 
Manifestations     and      Influences, 

Its       

Relations,  Its 
Requirements,  Its  ... 

Wonh  and  Vilue,  Its 

Moderation  and  Modesty        

Mohammedanism — 

Aspects,  Its  Various 

Character,  Its  Civil  and  Religious 

Christianity  and  Mohammedanism 

contracted 
Explanation  of  Terms  in... 
Founder,  The  Character  of  its  ... 
History,  Its 
Success,  Causes  of  its 
Monarchy,  Jewish,  Its  Origin  ... 

Monotheism  — 

Argument  in  its  Favour  ... 
Contrast  between  Polytheism  and 
Monthly  Sacrifice,  The 
Moon,  The  Feast  of  New — 

The  Seventh  New  ... 

Moral  Averages  ...         ... 

,,      Courage... 
Moral  Philosophy  and  Christianity — 
The  Excellence  of  Christian  Phil- 
osophy when  Contrasted  with 
Moral  Philosophy 
The   Failure  of  Moral  Philosophy 
when  Contrastetl  wiih  Chris- 
tianity 
Moral  Systems- 
Asiatic 

Classical,  Definitions,  Their 
,,        Failure,  Their... 
„        Imperfection,  Their    ... 
,,        Merits,  Their  ... 
Continental,  Kantean 
Diversified  Interpretations,  Their 
Modern,  Combined  Failure  of  ... 
,,       General  Remarks  on    ... 
,,       Nominalism 
„      Realism 

„       Utilitarianism,       Evolu- 
tion, &c. 
Origin,  Their 
Primitive  Religious  Aspect  towards 


297 

2f)4 

297 
294 
297 
296 

.36 
141 


I. 

142 
142 

L 
i. 

142 
143 

i. 
i. 

141 

50S 

i. 
\. 
i. 

li. 

309 
309 
306 

307 

:i. 
ii. 
li. 
ii. 
i. 

308 
.307 
307 
300 

307 

i. 
i. 

223 
222 

i- 

225 
221 

222 

1. 

221 

vi. 

224 

184 

L 
i. 
ii. 

IS5 
185 
485 

ii. 
ii. 
ii. 

493 
419 

314 

39 


38 

412 
410 
412 
412 
412 
420 
410 
419 
420 

413 

414 

415 
410 

412 


Questions  with  which   they  Deal 
Scholastic 
Morals  {see  Ethics) — 

Basis  of,  in  the  Idea  of  God 

Morals,  Christian         ...         

Objections  Concerning,  Met 
Phases  and  Excellencies,  Their... 
Preliminary  or   Allied   Questions 

Rcs|)ecting 
Value  of  the  Argument  in  favour  of 
Christianity  drawn  from 
Morality,  General,  or  Virtue — 
Apologetic  Value,  Its 
Aspects,  Its  Distinctive  ... 

Attribute,  Its  Chief        

Basis,  Its  Practical  

,,       ,,   Scientific 
Counterfeits,  Its   ... 
Demands,  Its  Special 
Encouragements    and      Reward, 

Its      

Essential  Quality,  Its 
Fundamental  Principles,  Its 
Motive,  Its 
Need  of  its  Acquirement,  The  ... 

Object,  Its 

0]5eration  and  Effects,  Its 
Power,  Its... 
Presuppositions,  Its 
Province,  Its  Particular  ... 
Relation  to  the  Intellect,  Its 

,,  Religion,  Its 

Sphere  of  Action,  Its  .Special    ... 
Study  and  Culture,  Its    ... 

Morality  not  Sanctification     

Mortal  Sins 
Mortification     ... 
Mosaic  Cosmogony 

,,      Covenant,  The  

Mosaic  Economy,  The 

Ministers  and  Office  Bearers 
Sacrifices,  Oblations,  Sacred  Fes- 
tivals ... 
Sectional  Index  to  this  Subject  ... 
Tabernacle,  The  ... 
Moses  (.f^<?  also  Divine  Legation) 
Character,  Formation  of  his 

,,  Its  Grandeur  as  a  whole 

„  Its  Moral  Elements  ... 

,,         Traits  of,  as  Courtier. . . 
„  ,,         ,,     Leader  ... 

,,  ,,         ,.     Statesman 

Characteristics,  His  Special 
Contrasted  with  Aaron    ... 

„     Eli  

,,     Saul       

Eminence  and  Renown,  His 

Homiletical    Hints  on   the   Law- 
giver   

Intellectual  Endowments,  His   ... 
Mother's  Love.  A 

Motive,  A  High  

Munificence 

Definition  and  Nature  of  its 

Relations,  Its 
Music     ... 
Mutability  of  All  Things         ...         ... 

Mysteriouspess  of  Scripture  Doctrines 

no  Valid  Cause  of  Offence 
Mysticism — 

Definition,  Its 

Divisions,  Its  Two  Main 


PACK 

410 

413 

47 
121 
124 
122 

121 

124 


11. 

429 

ii. 

420 

ii. 

423 

ii. 

429 

ii. 

4.^0 

ii. 

424 

ii. 

423 

ii. 

425 

ii. 

423 

ii. 

430 

ii. 

422 

ii. 

425 

ii. 

428 

ii. 

424 

ii. 

425 

ii. 

430 

ii. 

428 

ii. 

427 

ii. 

425 

ii. 

425 

ii. 

422 

V. 

109 

iv. 

124 

i. 

52S 

i. 

282 

iv. 

397 

iii. 

42.S 

iii. 

459 

iii. 

471 

iii. 

520 

iii. 

430 

i. 

276 

vi. 

121 

vi. 

130 

vi. 

129 

vi. 

127 

vi. 

127 

vi. 

127 

vi. 

124 

vi. 

132 

vi. 

I  Co 

vL 

191 

vi. 

121 

vi. 

130 

vL 

122 

iii. 

103 

iii. 

97 

i. 

505 

iii. 

167 

iii. 

16S 

ii. 

169 

V. 

453 

iv. 

42 

i. 

241 

i. 

242 

560 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Origin,  Its 

VOL. 

i. 

PAGE 
242 

Relation  to  Speculation,  Its 

i. 

242 

Secret  of  its  Error,  The... 

i. 

242 

Mythology — • 

Definition,  Its 

i. 

226 

Relation  to  Christian  Mysteries, 

Its       

i. 

226 

Theories   concerning  its  Sources 

i. 

226 

N. 

Naaman — 

Cleansing,  His     ... 

vi. 

340 

Discipline,  His     

vi. 

339 

Homiletical    Reflections   on   this 

Character      

vi. 

342 

Mistaken  Views,  His 

vi. 

338 

Personal  Qualities,  His  ... 

vi. 

338 

Questions  Raised  by  the  Narrative 

vi. 

341 

Typical  Character,  His 

vi. 

341 

Nabal— 

Characteristics,  His  Dominant  ... 

vi. 

232 

Doom,  His 

vi. 

234 

Homiletical   Reflections   on   this 

Character      

vi. 

234 

Social  Position,  His 

vi. 

232 

Nadab  and  Abihu — 

Homilei  ical  Reflectionsupon  these 

Characters     ... 

vi. 

170 

Punishment,  Their 

vi. 

170 

Sin,  Their 

vi. 

169 

Naphtali            

vi. 

104 

Nathaniel — 

Characteristics,  His  Ruling 

vi. 

430 

Identification,  His  Personal 

vi. 

430 

Reward,  His 

vi. 

431 

Testimony,  His 

vi. 

430 

Nathaniel  compared  with  Philip 

vi. 

429 

Nature — 

Awfulnessand  Grandeur,  Its 

iv. 

334 

Beauty  and  Utility,  Its    ... 

iv. 

335 

Does  not  Satisfy  Man  s  Religious 

Instincts 

i. 

70 

Laws  of.  Power  and  Immutability 

of  the 

i. 

60 

,,      Relation  to  Liberty, Their 

i. 

71 

„      The,  Viewed  Comprehen- 

sively  

i. 

60 

Light  of     

i. 

42 

Mysteriousness  andWonderfulness 

iv. 

333 

Non-Supremacy  of 

i. 

70 

Relation   to   Science  and   Philo- 

sophy, Its 

i. 

62 

Vastness,  Unity  and  Continuity... 

iv. 

336 

Nature  and  the  Supernatural 

i. 

no 

Nature,  Love  of           

ii. 

243 

„       Man's... 

ii. 

] 

,,       System  of 

iv. 

329 

„       Uniformity  of... 

i. 

70 

,,        Worship 

iv. 

330 

Natural   Law,  In'^titution  of,   in   the 

Divine  Government 

iv. 

354 

M           ,,       Unity  of         

iv. 

330 

Natural  Philosophy — 

Various  Theories,  Its       

i. 

61 

Natural    Religion,     Christianity     the 

necessary  Complement  of... 

i. 

67 

,,          Selection 

i. 

60 

,,         Theology       

iv. 

242 

Naturalism — 

Arguments  against           

i. 

187 

Compared  with  Revealed  Religion 

i. 

186 

Phases,  Its  Twofold 

Place,  Its  Proper... 
Naturalism  in  Ethics  ... 
Naturalness — 

Characteristics  and  Sphere,  Its... 

Culture,  Its 

EtTects,  Its  

Neatness 

In  Dress 

,,  Style      

Nebuchadnezzar — 

Beacon  of  Warning,  A 

Bigoted  Persecutor,  A     ... 

Homiletical    Reflections   on    this 
Character 

Monument  of  Mercy,  A 

Prince  among  Idolaters,  A 

Proud  and  Arrogant  Man,  A     ... 

Successful  Conqueror,  A 

Tyrannous      and      Demoralizing 
Monarch,  A  ... 

Wonderof  Weakness,  A... 
Necessity  of  Revelation,  j-^^Possibility  of. 
Negligence 
Nehemiah — 

Call,  His 

Characteristics^  His  Prominent  ... 

Homiletical    Reflections   on   this 
Character 

Lesson  for  our  Own  Times,  A  ... 

Master  Principle,  His 

Summary  of   his   Character   and 
Career 

Neig'. hours.  Love  of  ...         ...  ..-! 

Neology — 

Definition  and  Mistaken  Attempt, 
Its      

Errors,  Its  Underlying    ... 

Origin,  Its 

Purport  and  Scope,  Its  General... 

Tactics,  Its 
Nervous  Temperament — 

Nature,  Characteristics,  and  Inter- 
Relations,  Its 

Physiological   and   Phrenological 
Diagnosis,  Its 
Nescience 
Nethinim 

New  Creation,  see  Heaven. 
Nicodemus  Contrasted  with  Zacchreus 
Nicolaitanes,  The 
Ni;:gardliness    ...         ... 

Nihilism — 

Arguments  against  its.  Principles 

Definition,  Its 
Noah — 

Approbation,  The  Divine 

Contrasted  with  the  Antediluvians 

Faith,  and  its  Influence  upon  his 
Life,  His        

Firmness  of  Soul,  His     ... 

Gratitude  upon  Quitting  the  Ark, 
His 

Intercourse  with  God,  His  Habitual 
and  Intimate... 

Obedience,  The  Strength  of  his  ... 

Righteousness,  His  General 

Sin  and  its  Warning,  His 

Type  of  Christ,  Considered  as  a... 
Nobleness — 

Attainment,  Its     ... 


VOL. 

i. 

PAGE 
186 

i. 

186 

ii. 

419 

ii. 

475 

ii. 

475 

ii. 

475 

i. 

508 

iii. 

384 

iii. 

385 

vi. 

376 

vi. 

375 

vi. 

377 

vi. 

377 

vi. 

374 

vi. 

375 

vi. 

374 

vi. 

375 

vi. 

376 

i. 

518 

vi. 

350 

vi. 

350 

vi. 

357 

vi. 

356 

vi. 

350 

vi. 

356 

i. 

156 

iii. 

214 

189 

189 

189 

190 

190 

233 

233 

61 

469 

463 

256 

523 

167 
167 

23 

20 

21 
23 

24 

21 

23 
21 
24 
25 

359 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


561 


In  what  it  Consists  

Requirements,  Its  

Transparency,  Its... 

Types,  Its  Historical        

Value  and  Intluence,  Its 

Nominalism  in  Ethics 

Notes  of  the  Church     

Number,  a  Link  between  the  Divine 
Intelligence  and  the  Human — 

Line  of  Argument,  The 

Objections  Met 

Wide  Application  of  the  Argument 
Numbers,  Symbolism  of  the  Sacred  ... 


o. 

Obadiah — 

Fidelity,  His         

Homiletical  Hints  on  his  Character 
Obdurateness  ...         ... 

Obedience — 

Animating  Motives,  Its  ...         ... 

Characteristics,  Its  ...         ... 

Effects,  Its  

Helps,  Its  Needful  

Hindrances,  Its    ... 

Importance  of  its  Early  Cultivation 

Incentives,  Its 

Inexcusableness  of  Disobedience 

Nature,  Its 

Obligation  and  Necessity,  Its    ... 

Operations  and  Embodiment,  Its 

Relations,  Its 

Value,  Its 

Warrant,  Its         

Obedience  to  Parents... 
Oblige,  Readiness  to  ...  ... 

Obligingness     ... 

Oblivion,  Remarkable  Instances  of 

Obsequiousness 

Observation — 

Nature,  Its  

Neglect,  Its  

Rules,  Its 

Value  and  Benefits,  Its    ... 
Observance  of  the  Lord's  Day 
Obstinacy 
Obstructiveness 
Offerings,  First  Fruits^ 

For  the  Holy  Place 

Meat  and  Drink  ... 

Tithe  

Officiousness     ... 

Oil  

Olive,  The,  j^if  also  Incense 

Omission,  Sins  of         ...  ... 

Omnipotence  of  God — 

Comprehensiveness,  Its  ... 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Subject 

Influence,  Its  Active        

,,  ,,   Awe-inspiring 

Manifestations,  Its  

Nature  and  Source,  Its   ... 
Omnipresence  of  God — 

Illustrations     and     Confirmatory 
Proofs  of 

Influences  of  its  Realization,  The 

Manifestations,  Its  Diversified  ... 

Nature,  Its  

Omniscience  of  God — 

Comprehensiveness,  Its  ... 

Display  at  the  Final  Judgment,  Its 
VOL.  VI. 


111. 

357 

111. 

359 

111. 

359 

111. 

359 

111. 

359 

11. 

4'3 

y. 

115 

i. 

62 

1. 

63 

1. 

64 

111. 

433 

VI. 

335 

vi. 

336 

i. 

522 

V. 

337 

iii. 

15 

iii. 

18 

iii. 

18 

iii. 

19 

iii. 

19 

iii. 

17 

V. 

337 

iii. 

15 

V. 

330 

iii. 

16 

iii. 

17 

iii. 

17 

iii. 

19 

iii. 

195 

iii. 

235 

i. 

506 

ii. 

161 

i. 

521 

iii. 

81 

iii. 

83 

iii. 

81 

iii. 

81 

V. 

196 

i. 

521 

i. 

516 

iii. 

506 

iiL 

507 

iii. 

S13 

i. 

516 

iii. 

506,  508 

iii. 

452 

iv. 

124 

iv. 

59 

iv. 

62 

iv. 

60 

iv. 

60 

iv. 

60 

iv. 

59 

iv. 

66 

iv. 

64 

iv. 

64 

iv. 

63 

iv. 

67 

iv. 

68 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Subject 

Necessity,  Its 
Ontological   and    Metaphysical   Argu- 
ment— 

Difficulties,  Its 

Lines,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Terms,  definition  of  its 

Opinion,  Public  ...  

Oratory,  The  Qualities  of  Successful... 
Order- 
Abuse,  Its  Liability  to 

Import,  Its  General  

Model,  Its  Highest  

Necessity,  Its 

Value,  Its 

Orderliness 
Order";,  Holy — 

P'allibility  of  those  in 

High  Church  Vie-^s  of  their 
Authority 

Importance  and  Sacredness,  Their 

Nature,  Their 

Non-Episc(jpal     ... 

Presbyter  or  Priest  of      

Solemn  Considerations  which 
should  Influence  Candidates 
for       

Witness  of  Ancient  Writers  to    ... 
Ordinances 
Ordination 

,,         Office    of,    in    the  English 
Liturgy    ... 

Organization,  Man's  Distinctive       ...- 

,,  and  Responsibility 

Origination — 

Abuses,  Its  ...  ...  ... 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Limited  Sphere  in  Early  Life,  Its 

Uses,  Its    ... 

Orthodoxy  and  Heresy  

Oscillation 

Ostentation       

Outrage...  ...         ... 

Over-Anxiety — 

Antidotes,  Its 

Folly,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Perils,  Its ... 

Prevalence,  Its 

Sinfulness,  Its 
Overbearingness  ...         m         ." 


P. 


Paganism,  Miracles  of  ...   _      ... 

,,         Superiority  of  Chiistianity 

to 

Pain- 
Aspect,  Its  Educational 

,,        ,,    Mental  .^         ... 

Influence  on  Belief,  Its  ... 

Moral  Effects,  Its  

Physical  Uses,  Its  

Relation  to  Pleasure,  Its 
Sources,  Its 

Pain    and    Pleasure,    Connection   be- 
tween 

Paltriness  ...  


FACB 

69 
67 


84 
82 
82 
81 
236 
167 

495 
495 
495 
495 
495 
503 

163 

158 
161 

>57 
102 
160 


161 

157 
126 

157 

162 

499 
221 
224 

»93 
191 

192 
192 
229 
521 

525 
516 

188 
187 

1 86 

187 
186 
187 
525 


L 

107 

i. 

23 

i. 

79 

1. 

79 

11. 

79 

1. 

79 

1. 

79 

11. 

78 

li. 

78 

ii. 

81 

i. 

526 

37 


562 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Pantheism — 

Arguments  again'^t 

Characteristics,  Its 

Forms  and  Developments,  Its  ... 

Objections  Met  regirding  it 

Tenets,  Its  

Par  ists,  Miracles  of 

Parade  ... 

"  Paradise,  This  Day  shalt  thou  be 
with  Me  in"  (Second  Saying 
on  the  Cross)  — 

Analysis  and  Import  of  the  Pro- 
mise ... 

Answer  to  the  Prayer 

Characteristics  of  the  Prayer 

Circumstances  preceding 

Lessons,  Its 

Relative  Position   of  the  Saviour 
and  the  Malefactors 

Symbolic   Import  of  our   Lord's 
Position 

Parasite...         

Parental  Love — 

Maternal  Manifestations,  Its 

Paternal         ,,  ,, 

Purity  and  Unselfishness,  Its     ... 
Party  Spirit 
Passionateness  ... 
Passions,  The  .. 

Affection,     Distinction     between 
Passion  and  ... 

Definition,  Their... 

Etymology,  Their 

Government,  Their 

Influence  and  Effects  when  unre- 
strained. Their 

Nature,  Their 

Origin  and  Growth,  Their 

Power,  Their 

Use,  Their 
Passover,  The  ...         ... 

Past,  Sins  of  the  ...         ... 

Patience  — 

Arguments  in  its  Favour 

A'ipects,  Its 

Connection  with  Faith,  Its 

Contrast   between   Christian  and 
Stoical 

Definition,  Its 

Equivalents,    Greek  New  Testa- 
ment, Its       

Eulogies  on 

Extent.  Its  

Impatience     of    Present     Myste- 
ries    ... 

Instances  of 

"  Let  Patience  have  her   Perfect 
Work,"  Meaning  of 

Limitations  to  Prevent    it  Dete- 
riorating into  Apathy 

Mode  of  its  Attainment,  The     ... 

Motives,  Its  

Operations  and  Effects 

Practical  Outcome,  Its    ... 

Rarity  and  Difficulty,  Its 

Synonyms,  Its 

Woman,  As  seen  in 
Patience  of  God — 

Character   and  Natural    Distinc- 
tions, Its 

Homiletical  Hints  upon  ... 

Incomparableness,  Its     ... 


175 
>74 
174 
176 

174 
107 

52s 


n. 

344 

ii. 

343 

ii. 

342 

ii. 

ii. 

339 
346 

ii. 

338 

ii. 

338 

i. 

513 

iii. 

193 

iii. 

192 

iii. 

iv. 

i. 

192 
196 
526 

i. 

495 

ii. 
ii. 
ii. 

103 

98 
98 

ii. 

102 

ii. 

100 

ii. 

98 

ii. 

99 

ii. 

100 

ii. 

102 

iii. 

486 

iv. 

125 

iii. 

411 

iii. 
iii. 

407 
408 

iii. 

409 

iii. 

407 

iii. 

406 

iii. 

413 

iii. 

407 

iii. 

413 

iii. 

413 

iii. 

414 

iii. 
iii. 

414 

408 

iii. 

410 

iii. 

410 

iii. 

410 

iii. 

412 

iii. 

406 

iii. 

414 

iv. 
iv. 

105 
108 

iv. 

107 

Manifestations,  Its  

St.  Peter's  Testimony  to  it 

Patriotism         ] 

Paul- 
Character,    General  View  of  his 
Conversion,  His  ... 
Homiletical    Reflections   on   this 

Apostle 
Mental  and  Moral  Qualifications, 

His 

Writings,  His       

Paul,   Analogy   between    King    Saul 
and 
„    Compared  with  John     ... 
,,     Conversion  of     ... 
Points  of  the  Argument  in  favour  of 

Revealed  Truth    ... 
Peace  and  Joy  Contrasted 
,,     of  God,  The 

,,     Offering,  The     

Peace.  Perfect — 

Blessedness,  Its  Supreme 
Characteristics,  Its  Essential 
Connection  with  Joy,  Its 
Contrast   between    Worldly    and 

Divine,  The  ... 
Distinguishing  Mark  of  the  Ideal 

Life,  The       

False,  Aspects  of... 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Quality 

Impossibility  when  Conscience  is 

Unappeased,  Its 
Lack   of  it.    Reasons  for    Man's 

Natural  

Nature,  Its  ...         

Source  and  Foundation,  Its 
Struggle,  The   Perpetual,  of  the 
Earnest  Soul  after  it 
Peaceabl  en  ess — 

Effects,  Its 

Excellence,  Its     ... 
Inculcation,  Its     ... 
Motives,  Its 
Nature,  Its 
Obstacles,  Its 
Perverted  Aspect,  Its 
Rules  and  Regulations,  I's 
Peacemakers  (Seventh  Beatitude) — 
Blessing  Promised,  The  ... 
Class  of  Persons  Blessed,  The  ... 
Grace  of  the  Persons  Blessed,  The 
Peacemaking — 

Requirements,  Its 
Rule  and  Regulations,  Its 
Peculiar  People,  The  Choice  of  a 
Pedantry 
Peevishness 
Pelagianism — 

Contrasted  with  Augustinianism... 
Definition,  Its 
Doctrines,  Its  Distinctive 
Failure   as  a   Rival   to   Catholic 
Doctrine,  Its... 

Origin,  Its 

Penetration — 

Examples  of  its  Exercise 
Nature  and  Forms,  Its    ... 
Use  and  Abuse,  Its 
Pentecost,  The  Events  of  the  Day  of 

Perfect  Freedom  

,,     Peace    ...         ...         


VOL. 

PAGE 

iv. 

los 

iv. 

i. 

107 
506 

iii. 

217 

vi. 

491 

vi. 

495 

vi. 

498 

vi. 

492 

vi. 

497 

vi. 

191 

vi. 

427 

i. 

114 

i. 

ii. 

114 
82 

iv. 

6 

iii. 

475 

V. 

430 

V. 

432 

V. 

431 

V. 

438 

V. 

432 

V. 

437 

V. 

439 

V. 

435 

V. 

435 

V. 

429 

V. 

429 

V. 

434 

iii. 

186 

iii. 

186 

iii. 
iii. 
iii. 

187 

185 
184 

iii. 

187 

iii. 
iii. 

187 
185 

i. 
i. 
i. 

365 
364 
364 

iii. 
iii. 

184 

iv. 

392 

i. 
i. 

-"J 
528 

i. 

242 

i. 

242 

i 

243.  244 

i. 

245 

i. 

242 

iii. 
iii. 

62 

iii. 

V. 

63 

81 

V. 

420 

V. 

429 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


563 


Perfection  

Perfection  of  God — 

Display,  Its 

Necessity  to  the  Divine  Indepen- 
dence, Its     

Perfidy... 
Pergamos — 

Geograjihical  and  Historical  Re- 
lations, Its     ... 
Pergamos,  The  Epistle  to  the  Church  of- 

Characteristics,  Special,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Epistle 

Judgments  Threatened  in 

Points  of  Censure  noted  ... 

Rewards  Promised  in 

Title  of  the  Saviour  employed  in... 
Perjury  ... 

Perpetual  Sacrifice,  The         

Persecuted,  The  {Eii^hth  Beatitude) — 

Explanation  of  Terms  in 

Grounds  of  Blessedness  in  their 
Case 

Homiletical  Sketch  upon 

Relation  to  the  other  Beatitudes, 

Its      

Persecution — 

Relation  to  Christian  Life,  Its   ... 

Relat  i  ve  Trial  of  Public  and  Private 
Perseverance — 

Definition  and  Significance,  Its... 

Examples,  Its 

Necessity  in  the  Spiritual  Life,  Its 

Requirements,  Its 

Rewards,  Its 

Value  and  Power,  Its      

Perseverance  and  Progression — 

Blessedness,  Its    ... 

Canons,  Its  

Connection  with  Christianity,  Its 
Intimate 

Encouragements,  Its 

Nature,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Test,  Its 

Personality  of  God — 

As    a     Distinctive    Doctrine    of 
Christianity  ... 

Christian    View     of,    Consistent 
with  Reason  ... 

Necessity  of  its  belief 

Summary  of  the  Proofs  of 
Personality  of  God,    Systems   which 

Deny 
Pertinacity 

Pertness  ...         

Perverseness     ... 
Pessimism — 

Arguments  against 

Christianity  Contrasted  with 

Historical  Relations,  Its... 

Meaning  of  the  Term 

Mental  Source  of  its  Error 

Miserable  Conclusion,  Its 

Nature  of  its  Philosophical  Creed 

Reasons  Aiding  its  Present  Adop- 
tion   ... 
Peter- 
Character,  General  View  of  his ... 

Characteristic,  His  Dominant     ... 

Commendation  and  Commission, 
His 

Confession,  His  Great     


VOL. 

vi. 

PACE 
36 

iv. 

50 

iv. 
i. 

49 

5'2 

270 


ii. 

270 

ii. 

273 

ii. 

271 

ii. 

271 

ii. 

272 

ii. 

270 

i. 

512 

iii. 

484 

i. 

366 

i. 

367 

i. 

367 

i. 

366 

«. 

366 

i. 

367 

iii. 

264 

iii. 

267 

iii. 

266 

iii. 

264 

iii. 

267 

iii. 

267 

V. 

408 

V. 

406 

V. 

405 

V. 

405 

V. 

405 

V. 

405 

V. 

408 

17 


17 

17 

17 

174 

I. 

521 

516 

>• 

521 

i. 

170 

171 

171 

1, 

168 

1, 

169 

168 

I. 

169 

i. 

170 

A. 

414 

n. 

415 

n. 

416 

n. 

416 

Contrast  between  Judas  and 

Fall,  His 

Growth  in  Grace,  His 
Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Apostle 
Position  in  the  Church,  His 
Repentance,  Ili.s.. 
Traditions  of  his  Martyrdom     ... 
Petulance 
Pharaoh — 

Hon1iletic.1l    Reflections   on    this 

Character 
Policy  towards  Israel,  His 
Punishment,  His  ... 

Ruling  Sjiirit,  His  

Test  by  God,  His 
Pharisaism — 

Contracted  Sphere,  Its    ... 
Contr.ist  with  the  School  of  Christ, 

Its        

Question  raised  in  relation  to  this 

Sin      

Source,  lis  ,., 

Philadelphia — 

Geographical  Notes  on  this  City... 
Historical  Notes  ,,  ,,    ... 

Philadelphia,  The  Epistleto  the  Church 
of — 
Characteristics,  Its  .Special 
Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Epislle 
Rewards  Promised  in,  Ground  of. 

The 

Titles  of  Christ  employed  in 
Philanthropy- 
Christian  Aspect,  Its 
Counterfeits,  Its 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Exemplified  in  W.  Penn,  As 
Obligation  and  Opportunities,   Its 
Purpose  and  Uses,  Its     ... 
Requirements,  Its 
Philip,  the  Apostle — 

Call,  His 

Character,  His 

Compared  with  Nathaniel,  As    .. 
Homiletical    Reflections   on    this 
Character 
Philip,  the  Evangelist 
Philippian  Jailer,   The — 

Contrast  withLydia,  His  .^ 

Conversion,  His  ... 
Conviction,  His    ... 
Inquiry,  His 
Philosophers,    Heathen,    Christ's   In- 
fluence Superior  to  that  of 
Philosophical  Cosmology 
Philosophical  Materialism — 

Arguments  against  this  Creed    ... 
Philosophy,  Ancient,  Contrasted  with 
Christian  teaching 
,,  Christian  ... 

,,  Moral,    see  Moral    Philo- 

sophy. 
,,  Natural     ... 

,,  Speculative  

,,  and  Christianity 

,,  and  Faith... 

,,  and  Religion 

,,  and  Science 

,,  and  Theology 

Philosophy  of  Christianity — 
Excellence,  Its 
Importance  ot  the  Study,  The    ... 


VOL. 

PACK 

vi. 

441 

vi. 

417 

vi. 

419 

vi. 

420 

vi. 
vi. 

419 
418 

vi. 
i. 

420 
528 

vi. 

173 

vi. 

17' 

vi. 

172 

vi. 

>7i 

vi. 

172 

iv. 

172 

iv. 

172 

iv. 

173 

iv. 

172 

ii. 

2S6 

ii. 

286 

ii. 
ii. 

287 
2S9 

ii. 

2S8 

ii. 

287 

iii. 

141 

iii. 

142 

iii. 

139 

iii. 

142 

iii. 

140 

iii. 

140 

iii. 

139 

vi. 
vi. 

42S 
428 

vi. 

429 

vi. 

429 

vL 

504 

vi. 
vi. 
vi. 
vi. 

506 
506 
506 
506 

i. 

13' 

i. 

195 

i. 

167 

i. 

126 

i. 

126 

i. 

61 

i. 

17S 

i. 
i. 

30 
260 

i. 
i. 

3« 

28 

iv. 

264 

i. 

41 

i. 

40 

5^4 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Nature,  Its  

Positive  Arguments  in  its  Favour 
Philosophy  of  Unbelief,  The  ... 
Phlegmatic  Temperament — 

Manifestations,  Its 
Physico-Theological,    or    Teleological 
Argument — 

Difficulty  of  its  Impugners 

Extent,  Its 

Nature,  Its... 

Objections  to  the    Argument    It- 
self      

Objections  to  its  Conclusions 

Term,  Definition  of  the  ... 

Testimony  in  its  Favour  ... 

Value  and  Force,  Its 

Various  Lines,  Its 
Pilate- 
Character,  Factors  in  the  Forma- 
tion of  his  ... 
,,         General  View  of  his... 

Characteristics,  His  Special 

Contrast  with  Judas,  His... 

Guilt,  Estimate  of  his 

Homiletical    Reflections    on    this 
Personage      ...         ...         ... 

Punishment,  His  ...         ... 

Pique      

Pity      -      .-{ 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its  ...     i 

Practice  and  Regulations,  Its  ...  i 
Rarity  in  Heathendom,  Its  ...  i 
Relation  to  Friendship,  Its  ...     : 

,,      „  Mercy,  Its     i 

Reward,  Its  ...         ...         ..,    i 

Value,  Its ...         ...         ...         ...    i 

Pity  and  Compassion  ...         ...    i 

,,  and  Mercifulness...         ...         ...     i 

Plausibility 

Pleasure... 

Connection  with  Pain,  Its 
Influence  on  Belief,  Its  ... 

Mental  Aspect,  Its  

Nature,  Its 

Pleasures,  Intellectual...         ...         ... 

Pliability  

Poeiical  Genius... 

Politeness  

Aspect,  Its  Catholic         i 

,,        ,,   Christian       ...  ...     i 

„        ,,   Perverted,  and  Coun- 
terfeits ...         ...     i 

Attributes,  Its  Special     ...         ...     i 

Contrast  between  True  and  Arti- 
ficial, The     ...         ...         ...     i 

Culture,  Need  of  Its        ...         ...    i 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its i 

Forms,  Its...         ...         ...         ,.     i 

Qualities,  Its  Essential    ...         ...     i 

Sources,  Its  i 

Value  and  Advantages,  Its         ...     i 

Political  Codes... 

Poltroon,  The  Character  of  the 

Polycarp,  Martyrdom  cf 

Polytheism,  Contrast  between  Mono- 
theism and... 

Pomps  and  Vanities,  Love  of — 

Duty  of  Renouncing  it,  The      ...     i 

Folly,  Its i 

Obscuring  Power,  Its     ...         ...     i 

Possession,  Desire  of 


PAGE 
40 

144 

228 


91 

88 
85 

88 
88 

85 
92 
00 
86 


475 
470 
476 
478 
478 

478 

478 

527 

495,  505 

96 

159 
160 
160 
161 
iCo 
161 
160 

159 
177 

514 

49+ 

78,  81 

81 

81 

81 

136 

521 

188 

503 
23 
23 

22 

23 

24 

24 

21 

22 

22 

22 

23 

243 

524 

264 

185 

213 
213 
213 

58 


Possibility  and  Necessity  of  Revela- 
tion— 

Objections  against,  Met 

Pot  of  Manna,  The      

Poverty  in  Spirit  {First  Beatitude) — 
Blessing  Pronounced,  The 
Connection  between  the  Condition 
of  the  Persons  Blessed   and 

the  Blessing 

Grace  Commended,  The... 
Power,  Desire  of 

Power  of  the  Highest,  A  Name  of  the 
Holy  Spirit — 

Practical  Bearing,  Its      

Scripture  Basis  and  Origin 
Powers  of  Darkness  and  Dominion  of 

Satan 
Praise — 

Benefits  and  Value,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Distinction  between  Blessing  and 
,,  ,,       Thanksgiving 

and 

Excellence,  Its     

Helps,  Its 

Hindrances,  Its    ... 
Neglect,  Culpability  of  its 
Qualities,  lis 
Range,  Its... 
Relations,  Its 
Praise,  Desire  of 

Prayer    (s,e    also    Communion     with 
God)— 
Advantages  and  Blessings,  Its  ... 
Aspects  and  Modes,  Its  Varied  ... 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Difference  between  Worship  and 
Hindrances,  Its    ... 
Mechanical,  Examples  of 

Medium,  Its         ...         

Mistakes  respecting  it     ... 
Necessity  of  Cultivating  its  Regular 

and  Frequent  Practice 
Objections      urged      against      its 

Theory  and  Practice 
Principles  on  which  the  Instinct 

is  Based,  The 
Region  and  Range,  Its   ... 
Relations,  Its       ...         ...         ... 

Religious  Instinct,  A 

Requisites,  Its 

Sin   and    Folly  of  Grudging  the 

Time  spent  in 
Spirit's  Aid  in.  The 
Viewed  as  a  Natural  Instinct  and 
a  Duty  of  Natural  Religion 
Prayer,  Common 
Prayer,  Its  Efficacy 

Arguments  which  Anticipate  Ob- 
jections 
,•  which  Strengthen  the 

Belief  in    ... 
Considerations      respecting     the 
True    Manner,    by    way    of 
Neutralizing  Objections 

Objections  against.  Met 

Prayer,  The  Lord's 

Preachers,  Great  French         

Preaching  Another  Gospel — 
Uselessness,  Its    ... 
Warning    against    Misconstruing 
the  Precept    ... 


109 
447 

350 


1. 

351 

i. 

348 

ii. 

68 

i. 

301 

i. 

301 

iv. 

370 

V. 

393 

V. 

392 

V. 

394 

V. 

394 

V. 

392 

V. 

394 

V. 

394 

V. 

396 

V. 

392 

V. 

392 

V. 

393 

ii. 

70 

V. 

323 

v. 

313 

v. 

3" 

V. 

332 

V. 

327 

v. 

329 

V. 

321 

V. 

329 

V. 

327 

V. 

330 

V. 

309 

V. 

322 

V. 

326 

i. 

68 

V. 

317 

V. 

329 

V. 

91 

V. 

309 

V. 

164 

i. 

256 

i. 

258 

i. 

259 

i. 

259 

i. 

256 

i. 

370 

V. 

194 

V. 

182 

v. 

182 

GENERAL   INDEX, 


565 


Preaching  of  the  Cross  .„ 

Concerning  the  Lo'^t 
Preachingof  the  Gospel  and  the  Law 
Preaching  of  the  Word — 

Advantages,  Its    ... 

Ancient  and  Modern       ...         ... 

Controversial  Aspect,  Its 

Criterion  of  Success,  Its  ... 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Difhculty,  Its        

Dignity  of  the  Work  of  ... 

Duty  of  its  Hearers,  The 

Encouragements.  Its        ... 

Homdetical  Rules  for     ... 

Modes,  Its...         ...         ... 

Necessity,  Its 

Origin,  Its 

Purpose  and  Design,  Its  ... 

Requisites,  Its       ...  ...         ... 

Warrant,  Its  Divine         .^ 
Precision  ...         ...         

Nature  and  Conditions,  Its 

Rules  for  its  Cultivation  ... 
Precijiitousncss...         ...         ...         ... 

Predestination  or  Election      ...  ... 

Prejudice — 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its  ... 

Principle  and 

Properties    and     Characteristics, 
Its      

Remedy  and  Removal,  Its 

Results,  Its  Mischievous 

Scripture  Illustrations  of  this  Vice 

Sources,  Its 
Prejudices  of  Youth  and  Age 
Presbyter,  Force  of  the  Term... 
Presumption     ...  ...  ...  ... 

Enormity,  Its 

Final  Stage.  Its 

Nature  and  Folly,  Its      ...      ^  ... 

Phases,  Its 

Progressiveness,  Its  Fatal 
Presumptuous  Sins 
Pretence 
Prevarication     ...         ...         ... 

Pride      

Characteristics,  Its  

Definition,  Its 

Influence,  Its  Universal  and  Cor- 
rupting 

Penalties,  Its 

Results,  Its 

Vanity  and,  Difference  between... 

Priest,  Meaning  and  Uses  ofthe  Term  as 

applied  toaChristian  Minister 

,,       The  High  

Priesthood  of  Believers,  The  ... 

,,  Levitical,  The 

Priests,  The      

Primary  Belief — 

Influence,  Its 

Nature  and  Tenets,  Its    ... 
Relation  to  Christian  Truth,  Its 
Privileges,  Abused 

,,  Christian    ... 

Probity — 

Advantages,  Its    ... 

Ancient  and  Modern  Instances  of 
its  Exercise   ... 

Definition,  Its       ...         ... 

Procrastination ... 


V. 

35 

V. 

506 

V. 

192 

V. 

181 

V. 

194 

V. 

191 

V. 

191 

V. 

179 

V. 

181 

V. 

191 

V. 

192 

v. 

181 

V. 

195 

V. 

IS2 

V. 

180 

V. 

iSo 

V. 

I  So 

V. 

182 

V. 

180 

i. 

503 

ii. 

490 

ii. 

491 

L 

521 

iv. 

435 

V. 

194 

iv. 

196 

iv. 

195 

iv. 

195 

iv. 

195 

iv. 

194 

iv. 

195 

iv. 

195 

v. 

160 

i. 

525 

iv. 

177 

iv. 

177 

iv. 

177 

iv. 

177 

iv. 

177 

iv. 

126 

i. 

514 

i. 

5H 

i. 

494.  524 

ii. 

94 

ii. 

94 

ii. 

95 

ii. 

95 

ii. 

95 

ii. 

95 

v. 

160 

iii. 

459 

iii. 

468 

iii. 

459 

iii. 

465 

i. 

66 

i. 

64 

i. 

66 

iv. 

136 

V. 

409 

ii. 

454 

ii. 

454 

ii. 

453 

i. 

512 

ii. 

232 

Prodigality        .«         ...         ...         ... 

Profanity — 

Connection  with  Lying,  Its 

Derivation  and  Meaning,  Its 

Dissuasives  against 

Forms,  Its  Various 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Sin    ... 

Malignity,  Its 

Remedy,  Its 

Source,  Its 
Profession  and  Power  of  Godliness    ... 
Profligateness    ...  ...         ... 

Progress  of  Christianity — 

Causes  of  the  Past 

Objections  against,  Met  ... 

Prospective    View    of     the    Sub- 
ject 
Progression 

Promise,  Holy  Spirit  of 
Promises,  The,  God's  Faithfulness  in 
Promptness 

Characteristics,  Its 

Contrasted  with  Delay     ... 

Divine  Examples  of 

Helps  and  Hindrances,  Its 

Importance,  Its 

Spheres  of  Action,  Its     

Prophecies  of  Hosea,  The 
„       of  Isaiah,  The 
,,       of  Jeremiah,  The... 
Prophecy  (Generally) — 

Definition,  Its 

Extent  of  its  Fulfilment  ... 

Marks  of  True 

Nature,  Its  

Prophecy,  Spirit  of — 

Christologlcal  Aspect,  Its 

Extended  Meaning,  Its 

Practical  Basis,  Its 

Scripture  Basis  and  Purport,  Its 
Prophetic  Miracles  of  Elisha,  The  ... 
Propitiatory  or  Mercy  Seat,  The 

Propriety 

Protection,  Divine 
Providential  Argument — 

Denial   of   its    Principle,    Conse- 
quences of     ... 

Nature,  Its  

Point,  Its 

Province  of  Reason — 

Range,  Its... 
Provision  for  Man,  The  Divine 
Provocativeness 
Prudence 

Acquirements,  Its 

Cheerful  Tendency,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Examples  of  its  Practice... 

Manifestations,  Its  

Regulations,  Its    ... 

Relation  to  Morality,  Its 

Value  and  Necessity,  Its 

Pnulery... 

Pry'"g 

Psychological  Argument — 

Term,  Definition  of  the 

Various  Lines,  Its  

Public  Opinion 

Characteristics,  Its  

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Influences  and  Effects,  Its 


VOL. 

i. 

PAl.K 
5.8 

iv. 

178 

iv. 

177 

iv. 

178 

iv. 

178 

iv. 

179 

iv. 

178 

iv. 

17'J 

iv. 

178 

iv. 

J  64 

i. 

522 

i. 

42 

u 

43 

i. 

43 

v. 

4CS 

i. 

308 

iv. 

79 

i. 

503 

ii. 

483 

ii. 

484 

ii. 

484 

ii. 

484 

ii. 

483 

ii. 

483 

vi. 

293 

vi. 

284 

vi. 

290 

i. 

95 

i. 

96 

i. 

95 

i. 

95 

i. 

322 

i. 

322 

i. 

322 

i. 

322 

vi. 

326 

iii. 

442 

r  i. 

508 

[iii. 

385 

v. 

4'3 

i. 

93 

i. 

92 

'• 

92 

i. 

262 

iv. 

4 

i. 

5'9 

i. 

504 

iii. 

64 

iii. 

64 

iii. 

63 

iii. 

65 

iii. 

63 

iii. 

64 

iii. 

64 

iii. 

64 

iii. 

309 

i. 

524 

i. 

84 

i. 

84 

i. 

500 

ii. 

236 

ii. 

236 

ii. 

237 

566 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Public  Worship 

Publicans,   Their  Position   and   Cha- 
racter 
Pugnaciousness... 
Punctuality 

Difficulty,  Its       

Necessity,  Its 

Obligation,  Its     

Origin  and  Meaning,  Its... 

Scope,  Its ... 

Value,  Its  ... 
Punishment,  The  True  Notion  of    ... 

Future,  Danger  of  its  Denial     ... 

Importance  of  the  Doctrine 

Its  Justice 

Its  Relation  to  other  Truths 
Punishment  of  Sin,  see  Hell. 

Purification,  Lavers  for  

Purity 

Characteristic,  Its  Chief... 

Importance,  Its    ... 

Inculcation,  Its    ... 

Means,  Its... 

Nature,  Its  ...         ...         ... 

Necessity,  Its  Vital         

Power  and  Influence,  Its 
Purity  and  Moral  Courage 

„        „    Temperance,  Relation  be- 
tween    ... 
Purity  in  Heart  {Sixth  Beatitude) — 

Blessing  Promised,  The ... 

Connection  between  the  Condition 
of  the  Persons  Blessed  and 
the  Blessing  ... 

Grace  Commended,  The 
Purple    ... 

Purpose,  Fixity  and  Tenacity  of      ...  -{ 


Quarrelsomeness  ., 

Quenching  the  Spirit — 

Danger,  Its 

Folly  and  Sinfulness,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Sin    . . . 

Import,  Its 

Process,  Its 

Various  Ways  in  which  this  Sin 

may  be  Committed 

Querulous  Disposition,  The 

Quibbling 

Quickening,  The  Spirit's — 

Nature,  Its  ...         .^ 

Necessity,  Its       ...         

Power,  Its  ...         ...         ... 

Tests,  Its 

Quietness 

Aspects,  Its 

Characteristic    of    God's    Work-^ 
ing.  As 

Dignity  and  Gentleness,  Its 

Displayed  in  Reticence  of  Speech, 
As      

Eloquence,  Its 

Exemplified  in  Dr.  Watts,  As   ... 

Limitations,  Its    ... 

Manifestations,  Its  Divine 

Nature,  Its 

Obligations  and  Difficulties,  Its 


VOL. 
V. 

PAGE 
164 

vi. 

461 

i. 

527 

i. 

503 

ii. 

486 

ii. 

486 

ii. 

486 

ii. 

485 

ii. 

485 

ii. 

486 

V. 

505 

V. 

507 

V. 

506 

V. 

506 

V. 

506 

iii. 

438 

i. 

507 

iii. 

301 

iii. 

301 

iii. 

303 

iii. 

302 

iii. 

300 

iii. 

301 

iii. 

301 

iii. 

319 

ii. 

53 

i. 

362 

i. 

l^Z 

i. 

361 

iii. 

456 

i. 

507 

iii. 

260 

527 


V. 

140 

V. 

140 

IV. 

140 

IV. 

137 

IV. 

137 

iv. 

138 

n. 

50 

I. 

514 

V. 

88 

V. 

8q 

v. 

89 

V. 

89 

1. 

508 

a. 

378 

ii. 

375 

Ul. 

374 

ii. 

375 

u. 

378 

u. 

375 

n. 

379 

n. 

378 

n. 

372 

u. 

373 

Opponents,  Its     ...         ...         ...     iii.  374 

Power,  Influence,  and  Value,  Its     iii.  373 

Relations,  Its       iii.  372 


R. 

Rage      -      i.  526 

Rams'  Skins     iii.  454 

Rancour  ...  ...         ...         ...       i.  528 

Rapaciousness  ..         ...         ...         ...       i.  528 

Rashness  i.  523 

Rationalism — 

Confutations,  Its i.  188 

Consequences,  Its  Evil    ...         ...       i.  188 

Definition  and  Fallacies,  Its       ...       i.  188 

Rationalistic  System,  The       iv.  277 

Ravenousness i.  528 

Reaction  i.  500 

Reaction,  The  Law  of — 

Effects  on  the  Mind,  Its ii.  242 

Influence,  Its        ii.  242 

Relation  to  Rest,  Its        ii.  242 

Readiness  to  Oblige  and  Accommodate — 

Determinate  Quality,  Its  ...     iii.  236 

Nature  and  Manifestations,  Its...     iii.  235 

Objects,  Its  iii.  236 

Reading  iii.  93 

Real  Presence,  The v.  148 

Realism  in  Ethics        ii.  414 

Reason — 

Definition,  Its      ii-  131 

Demands,  Its       ...      ii.  132 

Features   and   Aspects,  Its   Dis- 
tinctive        ii.  131 

Foundations,     Ornaments,     and 

Properties,  Its  ii.  131 

Import  of  its  Culture      ii.  136 

Mode  of  Procedure,  Its i.  263 

Pleasures,     Powers,     Uses,    and 

Effects,  Its  ...     ii.  133 

„  in  relation  to  those  of 

Memory,  Imagina- 
tion, and  Hope,  Its 
Province,  Its 

Purpose,  The  Divine,   in  its  Be- 
stowal 
Range,  Its 
Things  above        ... 

Reason  and  Faith        

,,      and  Instinct 

„      and  Reasoning 

,,      and  Taste        ._  

Reasonableness  of  Christianity — 

Arguments  E  Contrario  ...         ... 

Arguments  Positive 

Objections  against,  Met 

Rebellion 

Reciprocity,  Moral 

Recklessness 

Recollection,    Remarkable    Instances 

of 

Reconciliation,  Substitution  in  Rela- 
tion to 
Rectitude  

Attainment,  The  Means  of  its  ... 
,,  „     Nature  of  its  ... 

Definition,  Its 

Encouragements,  Its       

Necessity,  Its       


ii. 

136 

1. 

262 

ii. 

131 

1. 

262 

1. 

261 

1. 

254 

V. 

232 

a. 

136,  138 

a. 

m 

a. 

17^ 

i. 

43 

1. 

43 

1. 

44 

I. 

517 

ni. 

5 

1. 

523 

ii. 

160 

iv. 

422 

1. 

502 

a. 

449 

a. 

449 

a. 

448 

a. 

450 

a. 

449 

GENERAL    INDEX. 


567 


Rectitude,  The  Divine,  Objections  to 
the,  met 
Offices,  Its  Special 

Origin,  Its  

Penalties,  Its         

Kewarils,  Its 
Redemption,    Acts    and    Decrees   of 
God  the  Father  in  ... 
„  Offices    and     Work    of 

God  the  Son  in 
n  Operations  of  God  the 

Holy  (jhost  in 
Redemption,  Divine  Preliminary  Ar- 
rangements for — 
Choice   of    a     Peculiar     People, 

The 

Covenants,  The    ... 

Promise  to  Adam,  The 

Redemption,  The  Necessity  of — 

Morally      

Theologically        ...  ...         ... 

Redemption,  The  Scheme  of — 
Atonement,  Aspects  of  the 
,,  Extent,  Its  ... 

„  Force  of  the  Preposi- 

tion "  for  "  in  its 
bearing  on  the 
„  Infinite    Value    and 

Sufficiency 
,,  Objections  to  its  Vi- 

carious   Character 
considered 
,1  Practical    Tendency 

and  Moral  Effici- 
ency, Its... 
,,  Reality,  Its... 

,,  Views  of  the  Early 

Church  on 
Benefits,  Its  Unspeakable 
Ends,  Its  Great    ... 
God's  Goodness  in  ...         ... 

„       Justice  in   ... 
Grandeur  of  the  Doctrine,  The... 
Homiletical  Applications  of  this 

Subject 
Power  and  Fulness,  Its  ... 
Relation  to  Atonement,  Its 
Significance    of    the    Term    and 
Meaning  of  Redemption     ... 
Wonderfulness  and  Mystery,   Its 
Reflection — 

Culture  and  Operations,  Its 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Necessity,  Its 
Negative  Aspect,  Its 

Value  and  Effects,  Its     

Refractoriness  ... 

Regard | 

Regeneration — 

Completeness,  Its 

Doctrine  as  treated  by  Inspiration, 
The 

Influence,  Its 

Instrument,  Its     ... 

Mysteriousness,  Its  ... 

Necessity,  Its 

Reasonableness,  Its 

Regenerate  Life,  Law  of  the 

Scripture  Illustrations,  Its 
Regeneration  and  Awakening 
.,  and  Conversion 


450.  45  > 
449 
448 
450 
450 

iv. 

435 

iv. 

490 

V. 

81 

iv. 
iv. 
iv. 

392 
392 
391 

i. 
i. 

18 
18 

iv. 

iv. 

408 
419 

iv. 

415 

iv. 

421 

415 


IV. 

420 

iv. 

419 

iv. 

411 

iv. 

406 

iv. 

404 

iv. 

425 

iv. 

429 

iv. 

403 

iv. 

432 

iv. 

405 

iv. 

404 

iv. 

402 

iv. 

405 

iii. 

94 

iii. 

95 

iii. 

94 

iii. 

95 

iii. 

95 

i. 

521 

i. 

506 

iii. 

187 

V. 

103 

V. 

104 

V. 

104 

V. 

102 

V. 

102 

V. 

lUI 

V. 

103 

V. 

104 

V. 

104 

V. 

91 

V. 

ICX) 

Regeneration  and  Pardon       ... 
Rehoboam — 

Contrast,  A  Modern,  to  ... 
Crisis  at  which    he  came  to  the 

Throne,  The..  

Folly,  His  

,,         ,,  Its  Causes 
Homiletical     Reflections    on   this 

Character 
Subseiiuent  Shrewdness  and  .Saga- 
city, His        

Rejoicing  in  Evil — 

Ileinousness,  Its  ...         .„ 

Source,  Its  

Relations,  Normal,  between  God  and 

Man  

>i  >f         Ikeach  of 

„  ,,         Restoration  of    ... 

Reliance 

,,       upon  God        

Religion,  Conventional 
,,         Delay  in 
,,         lis  Practical  Nature 
,,         and  Dogma  ... 
,,         and  Morality 
,,         and  Science  and  Philosophy 
,,         and  Theohjgy 

Religious  Fustianism 

Religious  Instincts       

Existence,  Their  ... 
Expression,  Their 
Origin,  Their 
Religious  Instincts,  The,  not  Satisfied 
by  Nature  ... 
„         Life,  The,  guided  by  Instinc- 
tive Beliefs 

Remissness        

Renovation,  Universal  

Repentance — 
Benefits,  Its 

Biblical  Use  and  Meaning,  Its  ... 
Connection  between  Faith  and  ... 
Constituent  Elements,  Its 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Difference  between  that  of  a  Sin- 
ner and    that  of  a  Child  of 

God 

Eff^ects,  Its  

Faith  and 

False         

Foes,  Its 

Illustrations    of  this   Duty  from 

Scripture 
Inadequate  Principles  relating  to 
Necessity,  Its 
Postponement,  Folly  and  Danger 

of  its  ... 
Responsibility  for,  Man's 
Source,  Its  Divine 
Sphere  and  Objects,  Its  ... 

Tests,  Its 

Working,  Its  Internal 
Repentance  in  God 
Reprobate 
Reproof... 
Resemblance    ... 
Resentment 

Considerations  for  its  Exercise  ... 

Danger,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Design,  Its 

Necessity  and  Justice,  Its 


455 
241 

23S 
239 
240 

241 

240 

202 

2u2 

2S4 
3S0 
401 

507 
302 
16.? 
156 
209 
256 

425 

28 

25S 

181 

21 

67 

68 
67 

70 

67 
518 
498 

370 
361 

373 
363 
362 


373 
370 
23s 
374 
373 

374 
375 
369 

376 
375 
362 

363 

ni 

375 

48 

522 

261 

142 

503.  526 

47 

46 

46 

46 

46 


568 


GENERAL     INDEX. 


Reserve  

Fitness  and  Necessity,  Its 

Manifestations,  Its  

Operations,  Its  Beneficial 
Reasons  for  its  Cultivation 
Spurious  Forms,  Its 
Resignation 

Arguments  in  its  Favour 
Consistency     with    Natural    and 

Moderate  Grief,  Its... 
Contrast    between     Stoical     and 

Christian 
Definition,  Its 

Encouragements  to  this  Duty     ... 
Instances  of  this  Duty     ... 
Limits,  Its  Prescribed 
Methods  and    Means   of  Attain- 
ment, Its 
Reasonableness,  Its 

Tests,  Its 

Resoluteness     ...         ... 

Resolution 

Respect  ...         ... 

As  regards  Others 

„         „      Self 

Culture,  Its 
Deficiencies,  Its   ... 
Pleasures  it  Confers,  The 
Respect  to  Parents 
Respectable  Sin,  so  called 
Responsibility  of  Man... 

,,  ,,    and  his  Organi- 

zation 

Restitution  of  all  Things         

Restlessness       ...  ...  ... 

Description,  Its    ... 
Impropriety,  Its   ... 

Infelicity,  Its        

Ridiculousness,  Its 
Unproductiveness,  Its 
Restoration  of  the  Finally  Unforgiven 
Restraining  and  Renewing  Grace 
Resurrection,    General,  see  Judgment. 
Resurrection  of  Christ,  The — 

Characteristics   in    Contemporary 

Witnesses,  Its 
Denial,  Difficulties  Involved  in  its 
,,        by  the  Sadducees,  Its    ... 
Evidential  Value,  Its 
Primary   Importance    as  an  Evi- 
dence of  Christianity 
Theories,  Modern,   to  explain  it 
away  ... 
Resurrection   of  Christ  and   the    In- 
carnation   ... 
Reuben  ... 

Revelation,    Accommodation    to    the 
Necessities  of  Mankind, 

Its 

„  Necessity  and  Possibility, 

Its 

„  Probability,  Its  ... 

Revelation,  Spirit  of — 

Practical  Bearing  of  this  Title   ... 

Reverence         ...        ...         ...         ...  i 

Aspect,  Human  and  Social,  Its... 
,,        Religious... 

Contrasted  with  Irreverence 

Reviling  

Revolution        ...         ...         ... 

Ridicule 


VOL. 

PAGE 

i. 

507 

iii. 

310 

iii. 

310 

iii. 

309 

iii. 

3" 

iii. 

310 

i. 

509 

iii. 

423 

iii. 

424 

iii. 

421 

iii. 

421 

iii. 

424 

iii. 

423 

iii. 

424 

iii. 

421 

iii. 

422 

iii. 

422 

i. 

507 

iii. 

256 

i. 

503 

iii. 

2,Z 

iii. 

33 

iii. 

34 

iii. 

34 

iii. 

34 

iii. 

195 

iv. 

126 

i. 

16 

ii. 

224 

v. 

500 

i. 

520 

iv. 

1S3 

iv. 

183 

iv. 

183 

iv. 

183 

iv. 

183 

iv. 

457 

iv. 

466 

116 

i. 

119 

i. 

118 

i- 

117 

i. 

118 

i. 

118 

iv. 

508 

vi. 

98 

i. 

254 

i. 

108 

i. 

108 

i. 

323 

i. 

503 

V. 

293 

iii. 

38 

iii. 

35 

iii. 

39 

i. 

512 

i. 

517 

i. 

526 

Right  to  Exist,  The 

Righteousness,  The  Divine     ...         ... 

Righteousness,     Hunger    and    Thirst 

after 
Rigour    ...         ...         ...         ...         ... 

Ritual,  see  Ancient. 

,,        The  Tabernacle  

Rivalry  ...  ...  ...  ...  ... 

Rod,  Aaron's 

Roughness 

Rudeness 

Ruffianism 

Ruler,  The  Rich  Young — 

Answer,  His         ...         

Homiletical    Reflections   on  this 
Character 

Question,  His 
Ruthlessness 


s. 


Sabbath ...         .» 

,,       Festal  Sacrifice,  The... 
Sabbatical  Year,  The  Feast  of  the    ... 
Sabellianism 

Consequences  of  its  False  Views 

Concerning  Sin 
Forms,  Its  Various  ...         ... 

Tendencies,  Its    ...         ...         ... 

Sacraments  and  Ordinances — 

Evangelical  and  Tractarian  Views 

respecting 
History  of  the  Word,  The         ... 
Nature,  Their 
Necessity,  Their  ...         ...         ... 

Offices,  Their  Two  Distinct 
Position  in  the  Economy  of  Grace, 

Their... 
Preparation  for    their    Reception 
Relations,  Their  Mutual... 
Teaching  of  the  Romish  Church 

respecting  the 
Value  and  Efficacy,  Their 
Sacred  Numbers,  Symbolism  of 

,,       Vessels,  The    ...         ...         ... 

Sacrifice  of  Cain  and  Abel,  The 
Sacrifices,  The  Jewish — 
Annual  Festal 

Daily  

Definition,  Their ... 

Fitness  and  Utility,  Their 

Monthly  or  Feast  of  New  Moon 

Origin,  Their 

Perpetual  or  Daily 

Significance   of    the    Differences 

between   the  Various 
Weekly  or  Sabbatic  Festal 
Sacrilege  and  Misuse  of  Scripture — 
Illustrations,  Historical,  Its 

„  Practical    and   Per- 

sonal, Its 
Punishment,  Its   ... 

Salt        

Samson — 

Complex  Character,  His 

Defect,  His  Radical        

Divine  Deliverance,  Principles  of. 
Illustrated  in  his  Life 

Fall,  His 

Homiletical     Hints     upon     this 
Character 


VOL. 

ii. 

PAGE 
418 

IV. 

9 

i. 

356 

1. 

517 

iii. 
iii. 

430 
526 
448 

516,  529 

529 

vi. 

468 

vi. 

vi. 

468 
468 

1. 

519 

V. 

196 

iii. 

485 

iii. 

503 

iv. 

312 

i. 

246 

i. 

245 

i. 

246 

v. 

131 

V. 

126 

V. 

126 

v. 

128 

V. 

129 

v. 

129 

V. 

130 

V. 

130 

V. 

130 

V. 

127 

iii. 

433 

iii. 

438 

vi. 

26 

iii. 

486 

iii. 

484 

iii. 

471 

iii. 

472 

iii. 

485 

iii. 

471 

iii. 

484 

iii. 

471 

iii. 

48s 

iv. 

179 

iv. 

180 

iv. 

180 

iii. 

508 

vi. 

152 

vi. 

153 

vi. 

155 

vi. 

154 

156 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


569 


Ruling  Spirit,  His 

Secret  of  his  Strength,  The 
Samuel — 

Character,  General    View  of  his 

Contrast  between  Saul  and 

Excellences,  His  Chief    ... 

Homiletical     Hints     upon     this 
Character 

Influence    of     Hannah     in     the 
Formation  of  his    Character 

Moral  of  liis  Life  for   our   own 
Day,  The 

Position  in  the  Theocracy,  His... 
Sanballat 
Sanctification  (^see  Holiness)  ... 

lilessedncss.  Its    ... 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Distinction  from  Mere  Morality, Its 

Evidence,  Its 

Growth  and  Development,  Its  ... 

Identification    with      Happiness, 
Present  and  to  Come,  Its  ... 

Means,  Its  ...         ... 

Motive,  Its 

Necessity,  Its        ...  .». 

Range  and  Extent,  Its 

Standard  and  Model,  Its  ... 

Sanctification  and  Consecration 
,,  and  Justification 

,,  and  Substitution 

, ,  The  Work  of  the  Spirit  in 

Sanctimoniousness — 

Repulsiveness,  Its 

Ridiculousness,  Its  ...         ... 

Underlying  Error,  Its     

Sanguinariness  ... 

Sanguine  Temperament  ...         ... 

Characteristics,  Its  

Ethnologically  Viewed    ... 

Manifestations,  Its 

Physiological   and   Phrenological 
Diagnosis,  Its 
Sarcasm 
Sardis — 

Geographical  Description  of 

Historical  Relations  of    ... 
Sardis,  Epistle  to  the  Church  of — 

Characteristics,  Special,  Its 

Homiletical  Hints 

Judgments  Threatened  in 

Points  of  Censure  in 

Repentance,    Exhortation    to,   in 

Rewards  Promised  in 

Title  of  the  Saviour  employed  in 

Various  Readings  and  Renderings 

of  the  Text  of  

Sardonic  ...         ...  *      

Satan — 

Fall,  His  Original  

Knowledge,  His  Curtailed 

Man's  Attitude  Towards 

Miserable  Condition,  His 

Nature  and  Characteristics,  His... 

Personality,  His  ... 

Power  Mighty  but  Limited,  His... 

Proof  of  his  Heing,  The 

Subtle   Purposes    and   Malicious 
Designs,  His... 
Satan,  Powers  of  Darkness  and  Do- 
minion of  ...         ...         ...         ... 

Satire     ...         ...         ... 

Satire  and  Humour     


vou 

PAGE 

vi. 

152 

vi. 

153 

vi. 

162 

vi. 

191 

vi. 

163 

vi. 

166 

vi. 

162 

vi. 

«65 

vi. 

165 

vi. 

3S4 

iv. 

5 

v. 

no 

V. 

104 

V. 

103 

V. 

109 

V. 

lOI 

v. 

no 

V. 

105 

v. 

107 

V. 

105 

V. 

loS 

V. 

106 

V. 

340 

iv. 

4S4 

iv. 

423 

i. 

335 

iv. 

^1Z 

iv. 

173 

iv. 

173 

i. 

529 

i. 

500 

ii. 

229 

ii. 

230 

ii. 

229 

ii. 

228 

i. 

527 

ii. 

281 

ii. 

281 

ii. 

281 

ii. 

284 

ii. 

283 

ii. 

282 

ii. 

283 

ii. 

282 

ii. 

281 

ii. 

281 

i. 

519 

iv. 

375 

iv. 

376 

iv. 

37S 

iv. 

376 

iv. 

in 

iv. 

375 

iv. 

376 

iv. 

375 

iv. 

377 

iv. 

370 

i. 

497.  527 

ii. 

174 

Satisfaction       ...         ...  

Arguments  in  Favour  of... 
Constituent  Elements,  Its 
Contentment  and  ...         ... 

Definition,  Its      

Ilomilctic  .Sketches 
Instances  of 

Modeof  Attainment,  Its... 
Satisfaction  — 

Use  and  Abuse  of  this  Theological 
Term  ... 
Saul,  King — 

Analogy  between  Saul  of  Tarsus 

and 
Characteristics,  General,  His     ... 

,,  Special,  His 

Contrast  with  Moses,  His 

,,  ,,      Samuel,  His 

Homiletical  Hintson  thisCharacler 
Lessons  and  Value  of  the  Narrative 

of         

Savageness 

Saved,     Proportion   of.    The,    to    the 

Damned     ... 
Saving  Faith 
Saviour,  The  {see  also  Christ) — 

Childhood  and  Youth,  Perfection 

of        

Effects  of  His  Wondrous  Life    ... 
Example  of  His  Sinlessness  and 

Merits  

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Subject 
Manhood,  Perfection  of  His 
Nature,  lis  Complete  Harmony... 
Teaching,  Beauty  and   Power  of 

His 

Scandal ...         ...         

Scapegoat  ...         ...         ... 

Scarlet   ...         ...         ...         ... 

Scepticism — 

Arguments  Against  it     

Cure,  Its  ... 

Definition,  Its      

Phases,  Its  Varied  

Sceptics,  Theories  of  .Supposed... 

Treatment,  Mode  of,  Its 

Schism  ... 

Science,  Anti-Miraculous       

„        Geological,  biblical  Doctrine 
and... 

,,        Theological 

Science    and  Christian  Evidence 

„        and  Christianity       

„        and  Faith       

„        and  Miracles  

,,        and  Philosophy,  Their  Con- 
n  e  ct  ion 
with    Re- 
ligion    ... 
„  „  „  Their  Har- 

mony with 
Religion  . 
,,        and  Religion,  Their  Supposed 

Antagonism 
„        and  Revelation         ...         ••• 

„        and  Theology  

Scientific  and  Cultured  Sense 

Scientifically 

Scientism — 

Contrasted  with  True  Science  ... 
Defectiveness,  Its  Inherent 


PACB 

509 
419 
419 

415 
419 
420 
420 
419 


424 


VI. 

191 

vi. 

1S6 

vi. 

186 

vi. 

191 

vi. 

191 

vi. 

191 

vi. 

185 

i. 

528 

v. 

508 

V. 

219 

vx. 

385 

vi. 

399 

vi. 

307 

vi. 

401 

vi. 

389 

vi. 

392 

vi. 

394 

i. 

5'3 

iii. 

495 

iii. 

457 

i. 

156 

i. 

156 

i. 

153 

i. 

154 

i. 

154 

i. 

>55 

iv. 

191 

L 

144 

iv. 

321 

iv. 

24S 

1. 
i. 

29 

i. 

260 

V. 

234 

i. 

106 

2S 


31 

28 
321 

260 
141 

503 

197 
196 


570 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Definition  and  Fallacies,  Its 

Scientists,  Unwisdom  of,  in  Travel- 
ling Beyond  their  own  Pro- 
vince... 
Scoffing 

Causes  and  Sources,  Its  ... 

Developments,  Its  ... 

Guilt,  Its 

Indefensibleness,  Its       

Unreasonableness,  Its    ...         ... 

Scorn     

Scribe,  The  Intelligent — 

Homiletical   Hints  on    this  Cha- 
racter... 

Purpose  of  his  Inquiry   ... 

Significance  of  his  Comment  and 
Commendation 
Scripture,     Printed     for     Homiletical 
Uses — 

Beatitudes,  The   ... 

Lord's  Prayer,  The 

Seven  Churches,  Epistles  to  the — 
Ephesus 
Laodicea       ...         ...         ... 

Pergamos       ...         ... 

Philadelphia...         ,« 
Sardis 
Smyrna 
Thyatira 
Scriptures,  1  he  Holy  {see  also  Bible) — 

Answer  to  the  Problem  of  Exist- 
ence, Their    ... 

Authority  of  the 

Continuity,  Their... 

Interpretation,  Their 

Mysteries,  Obscurities,  and  Diffi- 
culties, Their  •  ... 

Sacrilege  and  Misuse  of 

Sublime  Character,  Their 

Supremacy  and  Sufficiency,  Their 
Scriptures,  Reading  of  the  Holy — 

Frequency  of,  1  he 

Manner  of,  The    ... 

Necessity  of,  The... 
Scrupulousness... 
Scurrility 

Second  Advent,  The,  see  Judgment. 
Secrecy... 

Secret  Sin         

Sectarianism  or  Party  Spirit — 

Banefulness,  Its    ...         ...         ... 

Causes,  Its 

Definition,  Its 

Hopeful     Signs     respecting     its 
Decline 

Remedies,  Its 

Union,  Advantages  of  their 
Sects,  Our  Duty  on  Account   of  the 

Variety  of 
Sections  in  the  Work  Itself — 

Attributes  of  God,  The 

Beatitudes,  The    ... 

Christian  Dogmatics 

>«  )>  ••.         ... 

,,        Evidences 

Epistles  to  the  Seven  Churches  of 
Asia,  The 

Jehovistic   Names  and  Titles  of 
God 

Laws  by  which    Man  is  Condi- 
tioned, The  ... 

Lord's  Prayer,  The  


PAGE 
196 


197 
526 
180 
180 
180 
180 
180 
525 


467 
467 

467 


290 
269 
285 
280 
262 
275 


179 

266 

271 

178,  193 

178 
179 
173 
193 

177 

174 
174 
529 
528 

127 

196 
196 
196 

196 
196 
197 

196 


11. 

iv. 


Man     

Man's    Nature   and    Constitution 

Mosaic  Economy,  The    ... 

Scripture  Characters  (Male)  O.  T. 
N   T 

Seven  Sayings  on  the  Cross,  The 

Sms 

Titles  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  The  ... 

Vices 

Virtues  (first   part)  

,,        (second  „ )  ...         ... 

Secularism — 

Axioms,  Its  ...         

Development,  Its 

Failure  when  put  to  the  Test,  Its 

Meaning  of  the  Term 

Principles,  Its 

Science  of  Theology,  The,  cannot 
be  consistently  Denied  by  ... 
Secularism,  Altruistic... 

Sedateness 

Culture  of... 

Definition  and  Nature  of... 
Sedition  ...         ...         ...         ... 

Sedulousness  ... 
Benefits,  Its 
Count  ction   with    Diligence   and 

Assiduity,  Its 
Elements,  Its 
Nature  and  Operations,  Its 

Seeing    ...         ...         ...         

Acquired  Perceptions,  Its 
Dependent  Action,  Its    ... 
Dignity,  Its  ...  ...         ... 

Limitations,  Its    ... 
Mechanism  and  Value,  Its  Won- 
drous ... 
Nature  and   Power  of  its  Func- 
tion, The  Varied 
Relation  to  Colour,  Its   ... 

,,       of  Organic  to  the  Intel- 
lectual Faculty 
Superiority  of  the  Organ  of 

Seemliness        ...         ...         ... 

Self-conceit 

Self-conquest 

Disastrous  Consequences   of  De- 
feat      

Divine  Aid  Imparted  for 

Moral  Grandeur,  Its 

Operations  and  Difficulties,  Its... 

Self-control       ...         ...         ...         ...  | 

Characteristics,  Its 

Culture,  The  iVlode  of  its 

,,  ,,     Necessity  of  its     ... 

Enemies  to  be   Confronted,  The 
Chief 

Nature,  Its 

Tests  and  Confirmations,  Its 

Self-culture  and  Self-denial 

Self-denial 

Influence,  Its 

Instances  and  Examples  of 

Motive,  Its  

Nature,  Its  

Necessity,  Its 

Requisites,  Its      

Reward,  Its 


f  1- 
( iii. 


ni. 
iii. 


157 

157 

207 

157,  207 

157 

158 
151 

508 

367 
368 
368 
517 

106 

106 
105 
105 

493 
32 
32 
36 
36 

31 

32 
34 

36 
30, 31 

508 

38s 
525 
500 

383 

250 
250 
250 

249 
506 

49 
244 
247 
246 

247 
244 

245 
381 
50s 
145 

»45 
145 
143 
143 
144 

145 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


571 


Self-denial,  including  Fasting — 

Blessedness  and  Reward,  Its      ... 
Exemplilied  in  Christ,  As 

,,  ,,  St.  I'aul,  As 

False  Theories  of... 
Homiletic  Remarks  on  this  Duty 
Importance asa  Christian  Duty,  Its 
Motive,  Its 

Relation  to  .Self-culture,  Its 
Retribution  Involved  in  its  Neg 

lect,  The        

Specific  Aspects,  Its 
True  Aspect,  Its  ...         ... 

Self-devotion    ... 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Feminine  Aspect,  Its      ...         ... 

Manifestations,  Its  

Power  and  Value,  Its 

Requirements,  Its  

Self-examination — 

Benefits,  Its  

Danger  of  Trusting  the   Verdict 

of  our  Hearts  without 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Design,  Its 

Difiiculty,  Its        

Importance,  Necessity  and  Wis- 
dom, Its 

Motive,  Its  

Need   of,    as    a    Preparation   for 
Holy  Communion... 
„  as    a    Guard   Against 

Selfishness... 
Rules  and  Regulations,  Its 
Standard  of  Comparison,  Its 
Self-improvement 
Self-knowledge...         ...         ...         ... 

Self-reliance — 

Dangers  of  its  Excess 
Inculcation,  Its    ... 

Nature,  Its  

Necessity,  Its 
Requirements,  Its 
Tests  and  Stimulants,  Its 
Value  and  Importance,  Its 
Self-respect 
Self-righteousness — 

Connection  with  other    Sins,  Its 
Consequences,  Its  Fatal... 
Dangers,  Its 
Definition,  Its 
Description,  Its    ... 

Folly,  Its 

Hopelessness,  Its  Apparent 
Need  to  be  Laid  Aside,  Its 
Prevalence,  Its 

Unprofitableness,  Its  Absolute  ... 
Self-righteous    Thoughts    about    Sin, 

Contrast  between  Holy  and 
Self-sacrifice 

Advantages,  Its    ...         ...         ... 

Basis,  Its  ... 
Characteristics,  Its 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Examples,  Its 

Model,  Its  Divine  

Power,  Its... 

Rarity,  Its  

Requirements,  Its 
Self-sufttciency... 

Self-will  

Selfishness 


V. 

3S1 

V. 

382 

V. 

385 

V. 

3^7 

V. 

3S8 

V. 

379 

V. 

380 

V. 

3S1 

V. 

386 

V. 

383 

V. 

378 

i. 

505 

iii. 

146 

iii. 

146 

iii. 

146 

iii. 

146 

iii. 

146 

V. 

353 

V. 

354 

V. 

349 

V. 

350 

V. 

353 

V. 

349 

V. 

353 

V. 

355 

iv. 

184 

V. 

350 

V. 

353 

iii. 

89 

ii. 

24 

iii. 

344 

iii. 

344 

iii. 

341 

iii. 

342 

iii. 

34 1 

iii. 

343 

iii. 

342 

iii. 

31.33 

iv. 

174 

iv. 

174 

iv. 

174 

iv. 

174 

iv. 

173 

iv. 

174 

iv. 

174 

iv. 

174 

iv. 

173 

iv. 

174 

iv. 

174 

i. 

505 

iii. 

148 

iii. 

147 

iii. 

147 

iii. 

147 

iii. 

149 

iii. 

149 

iii. 

148 

iii. 

149 

iii. 

»47 

i. 

525 

i. 

525 

i. 

5'9 

Banefulness,  Its    ... 

("(jrrupt  Generating  Power,  Its... 

Definition,  Its 

Description,  Its    ... 

Importance   of    Self-examination 
respecting 

Philology,  lis        

Subterfuges,  Its    ...         .^ 
Semi  -  Pelagianism  — 

Contemplated  Aim,  Its 

Points  of  .lugustine's  Theory  re- 
jected by 

Points  in.  Denied  by  Pelagius,  but 
Admitted  by  Cassian 

Summary  of  Cassian's  Teaching 
respecting 
Sennacherib — 

End,  His   ...         ...         .„ 

Life,  His 

Moral  from  his  History  ... 

Position  and  Deeds,  His 

Sensation 

Sense,  Cultured  and  Scientific 

,,       Spontaneous  or  Common 
Senselessness    ... 

Senses,  The  Five         ...         ...         ...  ■ 

Arrangement,  Their,  Dictated  by 
their    Gra- 
dation in  In- 
tellectuality 
,,  ,,      TheOrilerof 

Definition  of  Terms  respecting  ... 
Divisions,  Their  ... 
Importance,  Their 
Limits,  Their  Respective 
Powers,  Their 
Psychological  Aspect,  Their 
Relation   of    the    Higher   to   the 
Lower,  The  ... 

Sensibility         

Sensuality         ...         

Sentient  Attachments 

Sentimentalism  ...         

Sentimentality  ... 

Serenity  ( 

Blessedness,  Its    ... 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Means  of  its  Attainment 

Sources  of  its  Deficiency 
Seriousness — 

Compatible  with  Cheerfulness   ... 

Manifested  in  G.  Herbert's  Style, 
As      

Nature,  Its 

Obligation,  Its      

Sermon   on   the   Mount  on    Exercise 

for  Faith 

Sermons 

Servant  and  Master     ...         ... 

Servility ...  j 

Seven  Churches,  The — 

Characteristics,  Their     

Present  Condition,  Their... 
Representative    and   Comprehen- 
sive Character,  Their 
Symbolical     Number     "  Seven," 

Their 

Seven  Churches,  The  Epistles  to  the — 
Analysis  of 


IV. 

1S4 

iv. 

184 

iv. 

•83 

iv. 

•83 

iv. 

184 

iv. 

'83 

iv. 

183 

i. 

247 

L 

247 

i. 

247 

i. 

247 

vi. 

346 

vi. 

345 

vi. 

347 

vi. 

34<i 

ii. 

74 

ii. 

141 

ii. 

141 

i. 

5'8 

f  i. 

493 

I  ii. 

124 

ii. 

26 

ii. 

26 

ii. 

26 

ii. 

26 

ii. 

26 

ii. 

29 

ii. 

30 

ii. 

27 

ii. 

30 

ii. 

74 

i. 

522 

ii. 

112 

iii. 

406 

i. 

5'9 

i. 

508 

iii. 

372 

iii. 

380 

iii. 

379 

iii. 

3*0 

iii. 

379 

iii. 

370 

iii. 

370 

iii. 

370 

iii. 

370 

V. 

238 

V. 

1S2 

i. 

506 

i. 

506 

iii. 

39 

ii. 

2!;2 

ii. 

254 

ii. 

252 

ii. 

251 

ii. 

251 

572 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Interpretations,  Suggested  Pro- 
phetical 

Lessons  Drawn  from       

Literary  Character,  Their 

Method  of  their  Arrangement    ... 

Peculiarities,  Their  

Rewards,  The  Promised 

Summons  to  Attention  and  En- 
forcement of  Duty,  Their    ... 

Titles  of  Christ  Appropriated  by... 
Seven  Sayings  on  the  Cross,  The — 

Analysis  of 

Introduction  to 


The  Cross  and  Passion, 

Agony  of  the  Cross 
Circumstances,    Their    Attendant 
,,  Their  Succeeding 

Mode  of  Punishment,  This 

Order  of  Events,  Their 

Predictions  Concerning  Christ's... 
Scene,  The 

Special  Features  of  its  Record  ... 
Teaching  and  Import  of  the  Cross 


II. 

7%e  Seven  Sayings. 

Analysis,  Their     ... 

Distinctive  Aspects,  Their 

Prophetic  Bearing,  Their 

Significance,  Their 

Teaching     and     Import,     Their 
General 

Value,  Their 
Seven   Spirits    of  God,    A  Name  of 
the  Holy  Spirit — 

Import,  Its  

Interpretation,  Its  ... 

Seventh  New  Moon,  The       .^ 
Severity... 

Sexual  Instinct...         ...         ...         ...  | 

Shadrach,  Meshech,  and  Abednego... 

Shallowness 

Shame    ... 

Causes,  Its  Variable  .     ... 

Effects,  Its  

Nature,  Its  ...         ... 

Office,  Its 

Shamefacedness  ...         ... 

Shamelessness  ...         ...         ,,,         ... 

Shamgar — 

Lesson  of  his  Brief  History,  The 

Points  of  his  Character   ... 
Shammah  ...         ...         ...         ... 

Shechinah         ...  ...         ,,.         ,,, 

Shepherd,  The  Lord  our        

Shewbread,  The  Table  of      

Shibboleths,  Use  of— 

Alliance  with  Disintegrating  Prin- 
ciples in  the  Church,  Its     ... 

Effect  on  Vital  Religion,  Its  Para- 
lyzing... 

Homiletical  Hints  respecting     ... 

Origin  of  the  Term  and  Present 
Meaning,  The           ,^ 
Shortsightedness  


254 
254 
251 
251 
252 
253 

254 
252 

300 
302 


305 
312 

314 

304 
304 
305 
303 
321 
316 


322 
322 
322 
322 

324 
323 


302 

302 

4S5 

517 

493 

54 

371 

514 

495 

96 

96 

96 

96 

524 
526 

141 
141 

230 

446 

6 

440 


197 

197 
197 

197 
517 


Shuffling  

Shyness...         ...         ...         ... 

Sight,  see  Seeing. 

Silver     ...         ...         ...         ...         ... 

Simeon — 

Character,  His      ... 

Expectation,  His... 

Faith,  His  

Homiletical    Suggestions  on  this 

Character 
Reward,  His 
Testimony  to  Christ,  His 
Simon  the  Cyrenian — 

Bearing  the  Cross,  Probable  Effect 
of  his 
„  „        Probable   Rea- 

sons  for    his 
„  „        Spiritual  Signi- 

ficance of  his 
„  „        Typical      Cha- 

racter of  his 
Homiletical    Reflections   on  this 

Character 
Nationality  and  Faith,  His 
Simon  Magus — 

Homiletical  Reflections    on    this 

Character 
Sin,  His    ... 

Traditional  Account  of  his  After 
History 
Simon  the  Pharisee — 

Blindness,  His  Spiritual ... 
Contrasted  with  Zaccheeus 
Homiletical    Reflections    on   this 

Character      

Simplicity         ...         ...         ... 

Analysis,  Its         

Characteristics,  Its 
Embodiment,  Its... 
Nature  and  Definition,  Its 
Power,  Its... 
Relations,  Its        ...         ... 


Sin- 


Attitude  of  Christians  in  Regard 

to  Sinners 
Characteristics,  Its 
Classes  and  Aspects,  Its  Various 
Commission  of     ... 
Confession   of 
Consciousness   of    its    Existence, 

The  Universal 
Conviction  of 

Crime  and.  Distinction  between 
Deathand... 
Definitions,  Its     ... 
Delusion  to  Believe  a  Lie,  Its   ... 
Description  and  Real  Character, 

Its      

Enfeebled     Condition     of     Man 

Through 
Forsaking,  Inadequate  Motives  for 
Forgiveness    of     ... 

If  Lessons  taught  by 

the     Duty      of 
Seeking 

God  in  Relation  to  

Imputation  of       

Meaning,  Its         ..^         ...         ... 

Nature,  Its  ... 

Offering,  The        

Practical  Counsels  respecting     ... 
Punishment,  Its  ... 


VOL. 

PAGE 

i. 

514 

i. 

524 

iii. 

450 

vi. 

403 

vi. 

404 

vi. 

404 

vi. 

405 

vi. 

405 

vi. 

405 

vi. 

486 

vL 

485 

vi. 

487 

vi. 

487 

vi. 

487 

vi. 

485 

vi. 

S16 

vi. 

516 

vi. 

516 

vi. 

488 

vi. 

463 

vi. 

490 

i. 

502 

ii. 

479 

ii. 

479 

ii. 

479 

ii. 

479 

ii. 

480 

ii. 

479 

iv. 

129 

iv. 

116 

iv. 

120 

iv. 

124 

V. 

356 

iv. 

115 

V. 

95 

iv. 

129 

iv. 

383 

iv. 

112 

iv. 

131 

iv. 

1X2 

iv. 

387 

V, 

375 

iv. 

453 

i. 

449 

iv. 

3S7 

iv. 

384 

iv. 

112 

iv. 

"3 

iii. 

478 

iv. 

131 

iv. 

130 

GENERAL   INDEX, 


573 


Reality  of— 

Shown  by  its  Universality  ... 
Shown  by  its  Tendency 
Shown  by  its  EtTecls 
Reality,  Significance,  and  Primary 

Manifestations,  Its    ... 
Strongholds  of 

SutTeringand,  Connection  between 

The  Unpardonable 

Sinning,       Common-sense       Reasons 

against 

„       Difference  between  the  Sincere 

and    the    Insincere    in    the 

Matter  of 

„       Excuses  for    ... 

Sins        ...         ...         ...         

Sins  of  Pelievers — 

Conspicuous,  Necessarily 
Prejudicial,  Highly 
Sneers  of  Infidels,  Provocative  of 
Sins,  Besetting — 

Aspect,  Their  Objective  ...         ... 

,,  ,,      Subjective 

Cure,  Their 

Exhortations  and  Directions  re- 
specting 
Marks,  Their  Principal    .. 
Nature  and  Existence,  Their 
Treachery,  Their... 

Sins,  Little  (so-called)  

Danger  of  the  Term 

Fatal  if  Neglected  

More  to  be  Feared  than  Greater... 
Need  of  Divine  Grace  to  Discover 

Sins,  Mortal  and  Venial  

Sins  of  Omission  and  Commission — 
Sins  of  Omission  lead  to  Sins  of 

Commission  ... 
Sins  of  Omission  the  Occasion  of 
Distress  in  the  Hour  of  Death 
Sins  of  the  Past — 

Always  leave  behind  Bitter  Effects 

Forsaken,  sometimes,  in  Act,  but 

not  in  Thought  and  Desire... 

Should  be  Spoken  of  with  Shame 

and  with  Thankfulness  for  the 

Pardon  ...         ...         ... 

Sins,  Presumptuous — 

Character,  Their 

Moral  Wastefulness,  Their 
Sins,  Respectable — 

Definition,  Their ~ 

Nature,  Their 

Sins,  Secret — 

Sure  to  be  Discovered     

Sins,  Unpardonable — 

Various  Views  respecting 

Sins,  Sectional  Index 

Sincerity — 

Attainment,  Its    ...         

Definition,  Its 

Derivation,  Metaphorical,  of  the 
Term 

Insufficiency,  Its 

Manifestations,  Its  ,„ 

Nature,  Its  

Opposite,  Its 

Relations,  Its       

Reward,  Its 

Sincerity  of  God,  The 

Skins,  Badgers'  


i. 

i. 

i8 
i8 
i8 

iv. 

V. 

iv. 
iv. 

385 
402 
386 
457 

iv. 

129 

iv. 
iv. 

228 
128 

tv. 

134 

iv. 

120 

IV. 

120 

IV. 

120 

iv. 

121 

IV. 

121 

IV. 

122 

iv. 

122 

IV. 

121 

IV. 

120 

IV. 

iii. 
iv. 
iv. 

121 

67 
124 
122 

IV. 

iv. 
iv. 

123 
124 
124 

iv. 

124 

iv. 

125 

iv. 

125 

iv. 

125 

...{ 


125 

126 
126 

126 

126 

127 

127 

522 

460 

458 

458 
144 

460 
459 
458 
460 
458 
460 
84 
453 


Skins,  Rams'    ...         ...         

Smelling  ...  ...         

Associations,  Its  ... 

Nervous  Relation  to  the  .Sense  of 
Taste,  Its       

Objects,  Its 

Office,  Its „ 

Smyrna — 

Characteristics,  Its  

Historical  Relations 
Smyrna,  The  Epistle  to  the  Church  of— 

General  Principles,  Its    ... 

Ilomilctical  Hints  upon  ... 

Persecutions  Endured  by  its  Reci- 
pients 
,,  Foretold  in 

Rewards  Promised  in 

Special  Characteristics,  Its 

Title  of  the  Saviour  Employed  in 
Snappishness    ... 
Sneaking  .„         ... 

Sneering  .^         ...         ... 

Soberness  ...         .„         ... 

Nature,  Its  ...         

Sobriety... 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Power  and  Influence,  Its 

Spheres  and  Methods,  Its 

Social  Codes     ...  ...  

Social  Love — 

Authority,  Its  Divine      ...         ... 

Growth,  Its  Gradual        

Manifestations,  Its  

Motives,  Its  Unselfish     ... 

Necessity  and  Blessedness,  Its  ... 
Socialism — 

History  and  Tenets,  Its 

Misnomer,  A 

Objections  to  its  Theory... 

Society,  Desire  of        ...         

Socinianism 

Leading  Feature,  Its 

Relation  to  other  Systems,  Its  ... 

Solemnity  ...         «^         \ 

,,       Affected      

Solomon — 

Character    as    a    Man,    General 
View  of  his    ... 

Characteristics,  His  Special 

Declension,  His   ... 

Homiletic  Hints  on  this  Ch.aracter 

Policy   as    a    Monarch,    General 
Characteristics  of  his 

Position   in   Scripture  and    His- 
tory, His       

Son,  Spirit  of  the         

Sons  of  Thunder — 

Name  "Boanerges,"  The  ...     ' 

Rebuke,  Their      

Request,  Their  Wrong-Spirited...     ■> 
Sonship,  Divine,  see  Adoption. 
Sonship,  Divine,  Its  Privileges 

Sophistry  

Sorrow 

Characteristics,  Its  Leading 

Compensntions,  Its 

Effects,  Its  ...         

Joy,  Its  Connection  with 
,,        Contrast  to 

Nature,  Its 


VOL. 

PACK 

iii. 

454 

i. 

493 

ii. 

42 

ii. 

43 

ii. 

42 

ii. 

42 

ii. 

263 

ii. 

263 

ii. 

263 

ii. 

268 

ii. 

266 

ii. 

267 

ii. 

268 

ii. 

265 

ii. 

264 

i. 

528 

i. 

524 

i. 

525 

i. 

508 

iii. 

368 

i. 

507 

iii. 

292 

iii. 

292 

iii. 

293 

iii. 

293 

ii. 

243 

iii. 

202 

iii. 

202 

iii. 

202 

iii. 

202 

iii. 

203 

i. 

208 

i. 

208 

i. 

208 

ii. 

58 

iv. 

312 

i. 

248 

i. 

248 

i. 

508 

ii. 

370 

iii. 

3" 

vi. 

212 

vi. 

212 

vi. 

215 

216 


210 

309 

412 

414 
414 

3>4 

5'4 

494 

9' 

92 

91 
92 
92 
91 


574 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Religious  Aspect,  Its      

VOL. 

ii. 

PAGE 
92 

Sordidness 

i. 

523 

Soul,  The          

(  IV. 

17 

347 

,,        A  Creature  of  Habit 

ii. 

240 

Soul  and  Future  State,  The — 

Ideas  of,  Apart  from  Revelation... 

i. 

68 

Teaching   of  Holy  Scripture  re- 

specting          

i. 

69 

Views   of  the  Early  Church    re- 

specting          

i. 

70 

Sound — 

Contrasted  with  Light 

ii. 

38 

Effects  on  the  Mind,  Its  .. 

ii. 

38 

Modes  in  which  it  is  Conveyed  to 

the  Ear          

ii. 

38 

Sourness            

i. 

537 

Sovereignty  of  God — 

Characteristics,  Its  Special 

iv. 

53 

Nature,  Its 

iv. 

53 

Obedience  it  Requires,  The 

iv. 

55 

Space,  and  the  Divine  Infinitude 

iv. 

34 

Speciousness     ... 

i. 

514 

Speculative  Philosophy — 

Contradictory    Character    of   its 

Chief  Exponents,  The 

i. 

178 

Failure  under  Crucial  Tests,   Its 

i. 

178 

Speech,  see  Language. 

Spirit,  The— 

Import  of  this  Title         

i. 

297 

Practical  Bearing,  Its      

i. 

298 

Thoughts  Suggested  by  this  Title 

i. 

298 

Spirit  of  the  Age,  The  — 

Power,  Its 

ii. 

237 

Spirit  of  Christ — 

Christological  Interpretation,  Its 

i. 

306 

Practical  Bearing,  Its      

i. 

306 

Theological  Import,  Its  ... 

i. 

306 

Spirit  of  the  Father — 

Christological  Aspect,  Its 

i. 

303 

Practical  Bearing,  Its      

i. 

303 

Spirit  of  God — 

Aspects,  Its          ...         ...         ... 

i. 

303 

Spirit  of  God  (Holy) — 

Import,  Its 

i. 

307 

Practical  Bearing,  Its      

i. 

307 

Scriptural  Basis,  Its 

i. 

307 

Thoughts  Suggested  by  this  Title 

i. 

307 

Spirit  of  the  Lord  God — 

Christological  Aspect,  Its 

i. 

304 

Interpretation  and  Import,  Its  ... 

i. 

303 

Spirit  of  Man,  The 

iv. 

347 

Spirit  of  Promise  (Holy) — 

Historical  Aspect,  Its      

i. 

308 

Interpretation,  Its 

i. 

308 

Scriptural  Application,  Its 

i. 

308 

Spirit  of  the  Son — 

Doctrinal  Import,  Its      

i. 

309 

Interpretation,  Its            

i. 

309 

Practical  Bearing,  Its 

i. 

309 

Spirit,  Fruits  of  the 

v. 

213 

,,      The  Quenching  of  the 

iv. 

131 

Spirits,  Animal            ...         ...         ... 

ii. 

237 

,,        World  of         

iv. 

363 

Spiritual  Blindness — 

Causes,  Its 

iv. 

203 

Conditions  of  Removal,  Its 

iv. 

203 

Consequences,  Its            

iv. 

203 

Cure  by  Christ,  Its 

iv. 

204 

Dreadfulness,  Its... 

iv. 

203 

Heinousness,  Its  ... 

iv. 

203 

Nature  and  Description,  Its 

iv. 

202 

Rationale,  Its 
Spiritual  Insight 
Spiritual  Mourning  (Second  Beatihide)- 

Blessing  Pronounced,  The 

Connection  between  the  Condi- 
tion of  the  Persons  Blessed 
and  the  Blessing 

Grace  Commended,  The 

New  Light  Thrown  on  the  Philo- 
sophy of  Life 
Spiritualism — 

Absurdity,  Its       

Novelty,  Its  False  Claim  to 

Sinfulness,  Its 
Spirituality  of  God — 

Conclusions  from  the  Doctrine  ... 

Importance  of  the  Principles  in- 
volved in  the 

Nature  and  Significance,  Its      .. 

Reasons  for  the  Deductions  from  it 

Scripture  Confirmation,  Its 
Spitefulness 
Spontaneous  or  Common  Sense — 

Influences  and  Effects,  Its 

Nature  and  Office,  Its     ... 
Squabbles 

Squandering     

Squeamishness 

Stability  .«         ...         ...         ...  \ 

Staidness  

,,        as  applied  to  Deportment  ... 

,,        in  its    Mental  and  Circum- 
stantial Aspect 

„        in  its  Religious  Aspect 
Steadfast  Man  of  God,  Characteristics 

of  the  

Stead  fastness — 

Exemplified  in  Bacon  and  Sidney, 
As 

Influence  and  Reward,  Its 

Nature  and  Connections,  Its 

Necessity  in  the  Spiritual  Life,  Its 

Negative  and  Excessive  Aspect, 
Its       

Origin  and  Root,  Its       

Requirements,  Its  ...         ... 

Value,  Its 

Steadfastness  in  the  Faith 

Steadiness         ...         ...         ... 

Stephen — 

Defence,  His        

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Martyr 

Resemblance  to  Christ,  His 

Testimony,  The  Point  of  his 
Sternness 
Stewardship 
Stiffness 

Stone,  The  Tables  of  ... 
Straightforwardness     ... 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Rules,  Its 

Strength,  Imparted — 

Manifestation  in  Temptation,  Its 
„  ,,  Weakness,  Its... 

Required  Activity,  Its 

Strictness 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Operation,  Its 

Perversion,  Its 
Stubbornness    ...         ..         ... 


PAGE 

202 

323-324 

352 


I. 

352 

i. 

351 

i. 

352 

i. 

187 

i. 

187 

i. 

1S8 

iv. 

31 

iv. 

31 

iv. 

30 

iv. 

30 

iv. 

32 

i. 

528 

ii. 

141 

ii. 

141 

i. 

527 

i. 

518 

i. 

529 

i. 

507 

iii. 

268 

i. 

508 

iii. 

369 

iii. 

369 

iiL 

369 

(    i. 
■(  iii. 


270 


269 
269 
268 
269 

269 
268 
268 
269 
301 

507 
268 

503 

504 
503 
503 
517 
288 
516 

447 
502 
472 
473 

441 

439 
442 

503,  517 
491 
491 
491 
521 


GElfERAL   INDEX. 


575 


Study „ 

Advantages,  Its    ...         ... 

Cautions  resiiecting  ...         ... 

Incentives,  Its      ...  ... 

Necessity,  Its 

Objects  and  Motives,  Its... 

Responsibilities  and  Obligations, 

Its       

Requirements,  Its 
Rules  and  Regulations,  Its 
Scriptural  Asjiects,  Its    ... 
Votaries,  Its         ...         

Suavity 

Submission 

Arguments  in  its  Favour... 
Counterfeits,  Its  ... 
Description,  Its    ... 
Family  Group  of  Words  to  which 

it  is  Related 

Instances  of 

Motives,  Its  

Substitution  in  Relation  to  Reconcilia- 
tion 
,>  ,,  Sanctifica- 

tion     ... 
Subtleness        ...         ... 

Sufifering  and  Sin  

Suitableness      ...         ...         ...         ...  ; 

Sunday  ...         ...         ...         

Superciliousness  ...  ...         ... 

Superficiality    ... 

Superiority,  Desire  of...         ...         ... 

Supernatural,  The — 

Ground  for  Belief  in         ... 

Nature,  Its  

Supernatural,  Belief  in 
Superstition 

Characteristics,  Its 

Connection  with  Unbelief,  Its  ... 

Contrast  with    the  Spirit  of  Re- 
ligion, Its 

Definition  and  Real  Character,  Its 
Its        

Forms,  Its... 

Injuriousness,  Its... 

Instances  of,  amongst  Criminals 

Relation  to  Atheism,  Its 

Scenery, Supposed  Influenceof,on 

Sources  and  Causes,  Its  ... 

Triumphs,  Its  Cruel        

Supineness 

Supper,  The  Lord's     

Surprise...         ...         ••• 

Association  with  Pain,  Grief,  and 
Joy,  Its  

Causes,  Objects,  and  Effects,  Its 

Contrast  to  the  Feeling  produced 
by  Novelty,  Its 

Excess,  Its 

Independent  Character,  Its 

Nature,  Its  ...         

Relation  to  Philosophy,  Its 
Susceptibility    ... 
Suspense 

Nature,  Its  

Suspicion 
Swearing — 

Connection     between    Vain    and 
False...  

Degradation,  Its 


VOL. 

PACE 

i. 

505 

iii. 

91 

iii. 

93 

iii. 
iii. 
iii. 

92 
89 
89 

iii. 

92 

iii. 

91 

iii. 

90 

iii. 

93 

iii. 

i. 

iii. 

92 

506 
238 

i. 

509 

iii. 
iii. 
iii. 

425 
426 
426 

iii. 
iii. 

424 
426 

iii. 

425 

iv. 

422 

iv. 

423 

i. 
iv. 

i. 
iii. 

V. 

5^5 
387 
508 

385 
196 

i. 

525 

i. 
ii. 

514 
68 

i. 

no 

i. 
i. 

109 
64 

iii. 
iv. 

42 
198 

iv. 

199 

iv. 

199 

i. 
iv. 
iv. 

204 
198 
198 

iv. 

109 

iv. 

199 

i. 
iv. 

204 
198 

iv. 

199 

iv. 

199 

i. 

520 

v. 

143 

i. 

494 

ii. 
ii. 

85 
S4 

ii. 
ii. 
ii. 
ii. 
ii. 

^5 
85 
84 
83 
84 

ii. 

74 

i. 

494 

ii. 
i. 

93 
526 

iv. 

181 

iv. 

181 

Evidence,  Its 

In      Christ's       Name,       Special 
Ileinousness  of 

Sinfulness  and  Folly,  Its 

Source,  Its  ...         ...         ... 

Sycophant,  The  

Syni])athy 

Characteristics,  Its 

Conditions  and  Demands,  Its     ... 

Culture,  Its 

Defective  Forms,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Limitation  and  Development,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Negative  Aspect,  Its 

Power  and  Value,  Its 

Province,  Its  Peculiar      

Sources,  Its  Primary        

Tendency,  Its  Special 
Synagogue  or  Tabernacle  the  Type  of 

Christian  Worship,  Which  ? 
System — 

Cautions  to  be  Observed  respect- 


PAGE 
181 

181 
180 
181 
513 

152 

»S5 
>S4 
156 
150 
156 

»55 

156 

•53 
'5' 
«5' 
>5' 

433 


mg  ttie 

n. 

494 

Meaning,  Its 

ii. 

492 

Modes,  Its  Varied            

ii. 

492 

Regulative  Action,  Its     ... 

ii. 

493 

Rcfjuisites,  Its       ...         

ii. 

492 

Sjstematic  Thef)k)gy    ... 

iv. 

244 

Syitemalically  Working          ...         ... 

i. 

503 

T. 

Tabernacle,  The— 

Colours                   ...         

iii. 

456 

Fabrics 

iii. 

453 

Introductoiy — 

Analogy  to  the  Plan  and  Con- 

struction of  the  Earth,  Its 

iii. 

432 

Interest    and    Value    of    the 

Study    of     its    Ancient 

Ritual 

iii. 

430 

Names  and  their  Significance, 

Its           

iii. 

433 

Resemblance  to  the  Plan  of 

the  Human  Body,  Its  ... 

iii. 

432 

Symbolism     of    the     Sacred 

Numbers,  The  ... 

iii. 

433 

SjTiagogue  or,  the  Type    of 

Christian  Worship, 

Which? 

iii. 

433 

T}'pical    Significance    of    its 

Structure  and  Ordinances 

iii. 

430 

Mineral  Substances — 

Used   in    its    Ornamentation 

and  Service 

iii. 

449 

Ministers  and  Office  Bearers — 

Organization  of  the  Levitical 

Priesthood 

iii. 

459 

Officiating  Priests  and  Levites 

iii. 

459 

Serf  Assistants  of  the  Levites 

iii. 

469 

Principal  Thingsand  Appendages — 

Iloly  of  Holies,  The 

iii. 

441 

,,             Its  Furniture 

and  Appendages 

iii. 

442 

Holy  Place  or  Sanctuary  and 

Appendages,  The 

iii. 

439 

Tabernacle      Structure     and 

Appendages,  The 

iii. 

434 

Sacrifices,    Oblations,    and     Fes- 

tival-s — 

Feasts,  Additional 

iii. 

502 

576 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Oblations,  Prescribed  ...    iii. 

,,         Voluntary  ...    iii. 

Offerings,  Freewill  Meat  and 

Drink     ...  ...  ...    iii. 

Offerings  for  the  Holy  Place    iii. 
Sacrifices,    Occasional,    with 

Reference  to  Individuals     iii. 
Sacrifices,  National  and  Perio- 
dical        iii. 

Vegetable  Substances — 

Granular    Plants   Serviceable 

in  the  Offerings...         ...    iii. 

Trees  and  Shrubs  Serviceable 
in  the  Priestly  Offices  and 
Ordinances         ...         ...    iii. 

Trees  and  Shrubs  Serviceable 

in  the  Structure...         ...    iii. 

Tabernacles,  The  Feast  of      ...         ...    iii. 

Table  of  Shewbread,  The      ...         ...    iii. 

Tables  of  Stone,  The  ...         ...         ...    iii. 

Tabular     Statements     [see    Classified 
Contents) — 
Beatitudes  with  their  Correspond- 
ing    Woes,     A     Synoptical 
and    Comparative    Table    of 

the       i. 

Divine  Existence,  Classification  of 

the  Proofs  of  the      ...         ...      i. 

Holy   Spirit,    Names  and   Titles 

of  the ...         ...         ...         ...      i. 

Sayings    of    the  Saviour   on   the 

Cross,  Analysis  of  the  Seven     ii. 
Seven   Churches    of    Asia,    Ana- 
lytical and  Comparative  Table 
of  the  Epistles  to  the  ...     ii. 

Taciturnity        ...         ...         ...         ...       i. 

Tact- 
Definition  and  Nature,  Its  ...    iii. 
Example  of  its  Exercise...  ...    iii. 

Perfection  in  Women,  Its  ...    iii. 

Rarity  in  the  Aljlest  Men,  Its    ...    iii. 

Worth  and  Power,  Its ...    iii. 

Talent  or  Faculty — 

Active  Uses,  Its ii. 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its  ...      ii. 

Dormant  Aspects,  Its       ...         ...     ii. 

Talent  and  Genius  Compared  ...     ii. 

Talkativeness    ...  ...  ...         ...      i. 

Tameness,  Gentleness  not       iii. 

Tantalization      ...  ...  ...         ,,.      i. 

Tartness...         ...         ...         ...         ...      i. 

Taste — 

Aspect,  Its  Negative       ii. 

,,         ,,    Perverted      ii. 

Culture,  Its  ii. 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its  ...     ii. 

Development,  Its  Varied  ...     ii. 

Features,  Its  Distinctive ii. 

Influences,     Uses,    and     Effects, 

Its      ii. 

Knowledge  and,  Contrasted       ...     ii. 
Metaphorical  Resemblance  to  Ex- 
ternal Taste,  Its       ii. 

Relation  to  Genius,  Its    ...         ...     ii. 

,,  Reason,  Its  ...         ...     ii. 

Tasting i. 

Conditions,  Its      ...  ...         ...     ii. 

Limited  Nature  as  Compared  with 

the  other  Senses,  Its ii. 

Limited  Power  in  Man  as  com- 
pared with  Animals,  Its     ...     ii. 
Nervous  Action,  Its        ii. 


PAGE 

5" 

514 

507 
506 

472 

484 

453 

452 

451 
499 
440 
446 


343 

73 

291 

300 


248 
519 

62 
62 
62 
62 
62 

127 
127 
128 
190 
S18 
394 
520 
527 

183 
181 
180 
176 
179 
176 

181 

183 

177 

178 

178 

493 

44 

45 

44 
44 


Significance    of  the 


Objects,  Its  ...        ..«        ... 

Offices,  Its...         ...         ...         ... 

Organs,  Construction  of  its        ... 

Rank,  Its 

Relation  to  Smelling,  Its 

Teaching  and  Character  of  Christ,  The 

Teasing  ... 

Teleological  Argument 

Temerity 

Temper  in  Relation  to  Temperament 

Temper,  Hot    ... 

Temperament    ... 

Nature,  Its 

Origin   and 

Term 

Temperament — 

Bilious       ...         ...         ...         ... 

Choleric     ...         ...         ...         ... 

Lymphatic  ...         ...         ... 

Melancholic  ...         

Nervous     ...         ...         ...         ... 

Phlegmatic 

Sanguine...  ... 

Temperance      ...         .«         ...         ... ' 

Difficulty,  Its        

Forms,  Its... 

Motive,  Its  

Nature  and  Meaning,  Its... 

Purity  and...  ...  ...  ... 

Regulation,  Its     ... 

Relations,  Its         ...         ...         ... 

Spheres  and  Method,  Its 

Synonyms,  Its       ...         .„ 

Value  and  Importance,  Its 
Temporal  Benefits  of  Christianity 
Temporizing 
Temptation 

,,  in  Relation  to  God 

,,  of  Man     

"Temptation,  Lead  us  not  into  "  [Sixth 

Petition  of  the  Lord's  Prayer) — 

Introductiott. 

Comprehensive  Character  of  this 
and  the  Three  Preceding  Pe- 
titions...               i. 

Lessons  Taught  by  its  Relation  to 

the  Previous  Petition  ...      L 

The  Separate  Words. 
"  Lead  "  and  "  Bring,"  Difference 

between 
"  Us,"  Significance  of 
"  Not,"  In  what  Sense  Used 
"Temptation,"  Its  Meaning  and 

Force...         ...         ...         ...      i. 

The   Whole  Petition. 
Consolations  in  Temptation        ...      i. 
False     Views      of      Temptation 

Removed       ...         ...         ...      i. 

Lessons  and    Reflections  of  this 

Petition  ...         ...         ...      i. 

Meaning  and  Import,  Its...  ...       i. 

Reasons  why  God  allows  us  to  be 

Led  into  Temptation  ...      i. 

Ways  in  which  God  Answers  this 

Petition    ...    ...    ...   i. 


u. 

44 

ii. 

43 

ii. 

43 

ii. 

45 

ii. 

44 

i. 

127 

V. 

20 

i. 

519 

i. 

85 

i. 

523 

ii. 

228 

iii. 

396 

i. 

499 

ii. 

227 

ii. 

226 

ii. 

231 

ii. 

230 

ii. 

232 

ii. 

231 

ii. 

233 

ii. 

228 

ii. 

228 

i. 

507 

ii. 

49 

iii. 

144 

V. 

383 

iii. 

285 

iii. 

284 

iii. 

284 

iii. 

283 

ii. 

53 

iii. 

285 

iii. 

284 

iii. 

285 

iii. 

283 

iii. 

286 

i. 

44 

i. 

513 

i. 

464 

i. 

464 

iv. 

381 

463 
463 


464 
465 
465 

466 


470 
469 

471 
466 

469 

469 


CKyEKAL    /.Y/)/C.\: 


577 


Coijchisiott. 
Frame  of    Mind   Implied   in   this 

Player 
Keality  as  Dealing  in  a  Real  Way 

with  the  Realities  of  Life    ... 

Tenacity  of  Purpose    ... 

Tendencies,  Hereditary 
Tenderness 

Compatihility  with  Strong,  Deep, 
and  Stern  Natures,  Its 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

Exemplifications,  Its  .Scriptural... 

P'eminine  Aspect,  Its 

Inculcation,  Its     ... 

Kindness,  Relation  of,  to 

Natural  Depths,  Its         

Revelations,  Its    ... 

Winning  Power,  Its 
Terror    ... 

Horror,  Distinction  between  Terror 
and 

Nature,  Its  

Signs  and  Effects,  Its 
Testimony 
Textual  Criticism 
Thankfulness 

Blessings,  Its 

Compared  with  Gratitude 

Contrasted    with    Unihankfulncss 

Reasons,  Its 

Subjects,  Its 
Thanksgiving    ... 

Advantages,  Its    ... 

Duty,  Its  Perpetual 

Grounds  and  Extent  of  its  Obliga- 
tion 
Theism — ■ 

Definition,  Its 

Inference  from  this  Doctrine,  The 
True... 

Recognition,  Its  General 
Theism  the  Only  Solution  for  Certain 

Problems    ... 
Theistic  Elements  of  Christianity — 

Their  Place  in  Christianity 

The  Sole  Basis  of  Morals 
Theocracy,  The 

Theology,  see  Christian  Dogmatics. 
Theology — 

Aim  and  Purpose  of 

Ancient  and  Modern,  Symbolical 
and  Confessional,  Distinction 
between 

Central  Truths  and  Fundamental 
Principles,  Its 

Characteristics,  Its  Leading 

,,  of  its  Doctrine  ... 

Conditions,  Its 

Connection  with  Creeds,  Its 

Dangers  to  which  it  is  Liable 

Departments,  Its  General  Leading 
„  „  Special         ,, 

Effects  of  Good  and  Bad  ... 

Hostility  to  its  Dogmatic  Teaching 

Nature,  Its 

Necessity,  Its 

Progress  and  Development,  Its  ... 

Relations,  Its 

Rise,  Its 

Scientific  Features,  Its 

Services,  Its 

VOL.  VI, 


I  1- 
i  iii. 


472 

472 

507 
260 
221 

5"5 

I  So 
179 

iSi 
181 
iSo 

131 
180 
180 
iSi 

495. 524 

107 
106 
106 
124 

265 

504 
50 
50 
50 
50 

.so 
392 
395 
394 

395 
18s 

185 
185 

138 

47 
47 

183 


272 


iv.  273, 


276 

236 
238 
240 

235 
274 
280 
241 
241 
280 
278 
232 
265 
252 
256 

237 
248 
269 


38 


Sources,  Its  ...         

Study  and  Exposition,  Its 
Systems,  Specimens  of  its  ... 

Technical  Terminology,  Its 
Tests  of  its  Verity 
"Thine   is  the   Kingdom,    the   Power 
and  the  tilory  '^  (Dox<-lo_iy  of  the 
Lord's  Player) — 

Introduction. 

Anglican  Use,  Its  

Origin,  Its... 

Relation  tr>  Christian  Liturgies,  Its 
Structural  Character,  Its... 
Theories  as  to  how  it  Crept  into 
the  Text         

Separate  Words. 
•'Amen,"  Import  of 

„         Frame   of    Mind    Indi- 
cated by 
,,         Lessons  Taught  by     ... 
,,         Liturgical  Uses  of 
,,         Reasons  for  the  Earnest 
Utterance  of 
"  P"or,"  Import  of 
"  For  Ever,"  ,, 

"t'lory,"         „  

"  Kingdom,"  ,, 
"  Power,"        ,, 

„         Lessons  Taught  by  its 
Position    ... 

Conclusion. 
Import,  Its... 

Prerequisite    and    Accompanying 
Frame  of  Mind  in  Regard  to 
Daily  Duties  ... 
Things  above  Reason — 

Answers    to    Objections     against 
Christianity  from  their  Exis- 
tence ... 
Mistakes  Removed  respecting  the 
Restricted   Use  of  the  Term 
Various  Meanings  of  the  Term  ... 

Thirst 

"  Thirst,    I  "   (/^^///t    Saying    on   the 
Cross) — 
Lessons  Derived  from  Words  and 

Circumstances 
Physical  Aspect  of  the  Thirst  of 

Christ... 
Prophetic  Aspect,  Its 
Spiritual  Aspect,  Its 
Thomas — 

Character,  Features  of    ... 
Homiletical    Suggestions  on  this 

Character 
Significance  of  his  name  Didymus 
Thought,  Human,  Its  Limitations     ... 

,,         Modern 
Thoughtlessness 
Threatening 

Three  Children  of  Dan.  iii.,  The — 
Conspicuous  Virtues,  Their 
Homiletical   Rel'.eclions  on  these 
Characters     ... 

Thrift     

Danger,  Its 

Motives,  Its 

Nature  and  Essence,  Its... 

Necessity,  Its 

Requirements,  Its... 


FAGK 

233 
271 
277 
251 
273 


4S4 

4S4 

4-^3 
484 

486 

486 

4S7 
486 

486 
4S4 
4S6 

4S5 
4S5 
485 

4S5 


487 


487 


262 

262 

201 

52 


3S3 

375 
381 
378 

431 

432 
43' 
271 
141 
518 
5«7 

37 « 

372 
504 
So 
80 
79 
79 
79 


578 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Value  and  Benefits,  Its    ... 
Thyatira — 

Relations,  Geographical,  Its 
,,         Historical,  Its 
Thyatira,  The  Epistle  to  the  Church  of— 

Analysis  of 

Characteristics,  Special,  Its 

Judgments  Threatened,  Its 

Points  Censured  in 
,,       Commended  in 

Rewards  Promised  in 

Title  of  the  Saviour  Employed  in 

Various  Readings  and  Renderings 
of  the  Text  of 
Tidiness  and  Neatness... 

Difference  between  the  Two,  The 

Evils  of  their  Excess,  The 

Importance  and  Value,  Their     ... 

Mode  of  their  Attainment,  The... 

Significations,  Their  Various 
Time  Serving    ... 
Timothy — 

Character,  His  General    ... 

Homiletical  Hints  on  thisCharacter 

St.  Paul's  Testimony  to  his  Work 
Tithes     ... 

Tittle  Tattle      

Tolerance 

Arguments  in  its  Favour ... 

Character,  Its  Distinctively  Chris- 
tian 

Criteria  of  Genuine 

Definition,  Its 

Mode  of  Procedure,  Its  ... 

Relation  to  Dogmatism,  Its 

Requisite  Gifts  and  Qualities,  Its 

Spurious,  Marks  of 
Touching 

Distinctive  Characteristics,  Its   ... 

Distinction  between  this  and  other 
Senses,  The  ... 

Perceptions,  Its,  in  what  they  Con- 
sist 

Relations  with  Feeling,  Its 

Tractableness  ...         ...         ...  ...  | 

Tradition — 

Argument,    The,    Drawn    from, 

in    Favour   of  the  Synoptic 

Gospels 
Traducianism    ... 


Tranquillity 

Desirability,  Nature,  and   Means 

of  Attainment,  Its  ... 
Inculcation  by  Nature,  Its 
Loss,  Its    ... 
Transcendentalism  — 
Arguments  against 
Attempts,     Its     Ambitious     and 

Hopeless 
Characteristic,  Its  Leading 
Definition,  Its 
Effects  on  Sociology,  Its 
,,        ,,  Theology,  Its 
Locke's    System    viewed    as    its 

Antithesis  and  Corrective   ... 
Principle,  Its  Radical 
Purposes  which  in  a  Modified  and 

Poetical  Form  it  may  Serve 
Tendency,  Special,  of  Some  Minds 

towards 


VOL. 

PAGE 

iii. 

80 

ii. 

276 

ii. 

276 

ii. 

276 

ii. 

277 

ii. 

279 

ii. 

27S 

ii. 

27S 

ii. 

279 

ii. 

277 

ii. 

276 

i. 

508 

iii. 

3S2 

iii. 

383 

iii. 

382 

iii. 

3S3 

iii. 

382 

i. 

513 

vi. 

501 

vi. 

502 

vi. 

502 

iii. 

513 

i. 

513 

i. 

508 

iii. 

402 

iii. 

401 

iii. 

401 

iii. 

400 

iii. 

403 

iii. 

401 

iii. 

402 

iii. 

401 

i. 

493 

ii. 

40 

ii. 

42 

ii. 

41 

ii. 

39 

i. 

508 

iii. 

355 

i. 

119 

iv. 

351 

i. 

508 

iii. 

372 

iii. 

381 

iii. 

382 

iii. 

382 

i. 

181 

i. 

181 

179 

178 

180 

i- 

179 

i. 

1S2 

i. 

178 

182 


Translation   of    Enoch,    Elijah,    and 

Christ         

vi. 

19 

Transparency   ... 

i. 

502 

Nature,  Its           

ii. 

476 

Treachery 

i. 

512,  517 

Tree  of  Life,  The 

ii. 

256 

Trespass  Offering,  The 

iii. 

481 

Trespasses         

i. 

451 

Triflmg,  Religious — 

Dangers,  Its 

iv. 

211 

Nature,  Its           

iv. 

211 

Traits,  Its              

iv. 

211 

Trimming 

i. 

513 

Trinity,  The  Holy— 

Mysteriousness  of  the  Doctrine  ... 

i. 

19 

,,              Guards  against   Ir- 

reverence, Its  ... 

i. 

19 

Trinity,  The  Christian  Doctrine  of  the 

Holy- 

Church's  Teaching  respecting,  The 

iv. 

295 

,,                ,,           Connection  of 

that  of  Scripture  with 

iv. 

299 

Confirmation  of  the  Doctrine  from 

Reason 

iv. 

304 

Confirmation  of  the  Doctrine  from 

Religious  Consciousness 

iv. 

305 

Definition  and  General  Summa- 

ries of  the  Doctrine 

iv. 

295 

Definition, Tests  to  be  Applied  to  its 

iv. 

295 

Errors  and  Heresies  respecting  ... 

iv. 

3" 

Explanation    of   Terms    in    this 

Doctrine        

iv. 

290 

History  of  the  Doctrine,  Eccle- 

siastical 

iv. 

293 

History  of  the  Doctrine,   Econo- 

mical... 

iv. 

292 

Illustrations  of      

iv. 

306 

Importance  and  Practical  Effects, 

Its      

iv. 

307 

Mythological   Adumbrations,    Its 

iv. 

301 

Nature  and  Characteristics,  Its... 

iv. 

299 

Objections      to     the      Doctrine, 

Common 

iv. 

312 

„               ,,         Rationalistic 

and  Scientific           

iv. 

314 

Proofs  from  Scripture  in  its  favour 

iv. 

301 

Theories  and  Speculative   Views 

respecting     ...         .*. 

iv. 

310 

Trinity,  The  Holy,  How  Affected  by 

Arianism   ... 

i. 

234 

Trouble,  Borrowing  of 

iv. 

1 86 

Trumpets,  The  Feast  of 

iii. 

493 

Trust  in  God — 

Advantages,  Its    ... 

V. 

303 

Excellence,  Its     .. 

V. 

302 

Extent  and  Limits,  Its 

v. 

301 

Manifestations,  Its 

V. 

302 

Nature,  Its            

V. 

301 

Objects,  Its           

v. 

301 

Special  Seasons,  Its 

V. 

301 

Triumphs,  Its 

V. 

303 

Trustworthiness           

i. 

502 

Culture,  Its 

469 

Deficiency,  Its     ... 

ii. 

469 

Nature,  Its 

ii. 

469 

Responsibility,  Its 

'  ii. 

469 

Stages,  Its  Various          

ii. 

469 

Value,  Its 

ii. 

469 

Truth    

i. 

502 

Truth,  Actively  Considered — 

Demands,  Its 

ii. 

442 

Duties,  Its 

ii. 

443 

GENERAL    /JVDEX. 


579 


Effects,  Its  

Perception,  Its      

Power,  The  Nature  of  its 
Search  anil  Ac(|uirenient,  Its     ... 
Truth,  Positively  Con>idered — 
Definition,  Its 
Distinguished  from  Opinion 
Qualities  and  Characteristics,  Its 
Relations  and  Aspects,  Its 

Search  for.  The 

Strongholds  which  Retard  its  Pro- 
gress   

Thirst  for.  The 

Value,  Its 

Truth  of  God  considered  as   Embra- 
cing IPs  Veracity,   Faithful- 
ness, and  Sincerity  ... 
Denials,  Its,  Met... 
Practical  Uses,  Its 
Significance,  Its  ...         ... 

Truth,  Spirit  of — 

Christological  Aspect 
Conilitions  of  His  Recejition 
Objections  respecting,  Met 
Questions    respecting    the   Inter- 
pretation of  the  Title 
Questions  respecting  its  Practical 

Bearing 
Relation  of  His  Working  to  the 
Word  of  God 
Truth,    Need   of  Spiritual  Insight  to 

Discern    ... 
Truthfulness     ... 
Character,  Its 

Constituent    Elements    and    Re- 
quisite Accompaniments,  Its 
Definition,  Its 
Demands,  The  Extent  of  its 
Importance,  Its    ... 
Incentives,  Its 
Motives,  Its 
Objects,  Its 
Reward,  Its 
Significance,  Its  ... 
Violation,  Mode  of  its    ... 
Truths,  The  Intuitive 
Tumuliuousness 
Turbulency 

Twelve  Tribes,  Blessings  of  the 
Two  Disciples  on  the  Way  to  Emniaus 
Identification,  Their 
Spiritual  Darkness,  Their 

,,        Enlightenment,  Their... 

Types 

,,      Fulfilled  in  Christ        

,,      of  Christ,  Personal,  see  Christ, 
Types  of. 

,,      of  Christ's  Mediation 

Typical  Design  of  the  Law    

,,         Sigiiliicance  of  the  Tabernacle 
Structure  and  Ordinances... 
,,        Character  of  Elisha   ... 
,,        Character  of  Jeremiah 
,,         Character  of  Jonah    ... 
,,        Character  of  Naaman 
Tyrannicalness 


U. 
Unbelief — 

Danger  of,  in  regarding  any  one 
Truth     


PACE 

444 
442 

443 

442,  47« 

440 

53 
441 
440 
47S 

402 

441 


82 
84 
84 
81 

324 
337 
326 

325 
325 

337 

323 
502 

444 

445 
444 
445 
445 
446 
446 
444 
447 
444 
447 
176 

527 

527 

96 

458 
459 
459 
43 « 
393 


77 
43} 

431 
327 
290 

303 
341 
516 


205 


Danger  of,  Its  Relative 

Developments,  Its. 

DifViculties,  lis     .'. 

Forms    and     Ramifications,    Its 

Various 
Guilt  and  Criminality,  Its 
Ilomilctic  Minis  on  this  Subject 
Meaning  and  Synonyms,  Its 

Nature  and  Kffects,  Its 

Powcrlcssness,  Its  ...  ... 

Primary  Step,  Its  Usual 

Relation  to  Despair,  Its 

Root  and  Origin,  Its 

Signs  and  .Symptoms  in  Believers, 

Its      

Sinfulness,  Its 
Sujierstition  and   ... 
Unnaiuralness,  Its  ... 

Unbelief,  History  of — 

In  the  Farly  Centuries 

In  the  Middle  Ages         

In  the  Fourteenth  and   Fifteenth 

Centuries 
In  the  Seventeenth  andEightecnth 

Centuries 
In  the  Nineteenth  Century 
Unbelief,  Philosophy  of-- 

Error,  Its  Old  Fundamental 

Unchangeableness       ...         ...         ...- 

Uncharitableness 

Unchaslity 

Uncivility 

Uncleanness 

Uncomplainingly 

Uncontrollableness 


Undauntedness  

Underhanded  ness 
Understanding... 

Adjuncts  and  Attributes,  Its 
Special 

Nature,  Its  

Requisites  for  its    Right   Action, 

The 

Understandmg,    The  .Spirit  of 
Undesigned  Coincidences  of  Old  and 
New  Testaments — 

Facts  which  they  helj)  to  Fstablish 

Practical  Value  of  tiie  Argument 
for  the  Truth  of  Christianity 
derived  from 

Strength            ,,                  ,, 
Undutifulness  ... 
Unfairness 
Unfaithfulness 

Causes,  Its,  in  the  Pulpit 

Consequences,  Its 

Special  Guilt  of  Ministerial 
Unfilialness,  Its  Inhumanity  ... 
Unforgivingness 
Ungainliness     ... 
Ungodliness — 

Explanation  of  Terms  respect- 
ing       

Misery,  Its 

Universality  and  Guilt,  Its 
Ungodly,  Delusion  of  the 
Ungovernableness 
Ungraciousness 

Unifoimity,    Its    ApjKirent    Impossi- 
bilities 


i  iii. 


PaCB 

204 

204 
xi. 

205 

239 
207 
204 
206 
206 
205 
207 
304 

205 

206 

199 

67 

140 
1 40 

1 40 

1 40 
141 

144 

268 
5'9 
523 
5'6 
523 
509 
521 
507 
321 
5«5 
497 

126 

;.  126 

126 

327 


2S6 


2S7 

5'7 
516 
512 

212 
211 
212 
«95 

5«9 

529 


208 

20S 

208 
521 
5'9 

197 


58o 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


VOL. 

PAGE 

VOL. 

PACK 

Uniformity  of  Nature — 

V. 

Does   not    Prevent    Human    Im- 

Vacillation 

i. 

521 

provements  in  Natural  Con- 

Vagueness 

i. 

514 

ditions 

i. 

70 

Vaingloriousness 

i. 

525 

Relation  to  Liberty,  Its 

i. 

70 

Vainglory 

iv. 

217 

Union    with    Christ    and    Fellowship 

Contrast    between    Heathen    and 

with  God — 

Christian  Teaching  as  to     ... 

iv. 

220 

Blessedness,  Its  Supreme 

V. 

449 

Definition,  Its 

iv. 

220 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 

V. 

442 

Description  of  the  Man  of 

iv. 

220 

Hidden  Life,  Its 

V. 

443 

Objections  against  Christian  Senti- 

Homiletical Applications  on  this 

ments  respecting,  Met 

iv. 

221 

Subject,  The... 

V. 

451 

Vain  Man,  The,  His  First  Necessity... 

iv. 

220 

Manifestation,  Outward,  Its 

V. 

447 

Vain  Thoughts — 

Moral  Effects,  Its             

V. 

450 

Characteristics,  Their 

iv. 

214 

Outcome,  Its  Natural  and  Neces- 

Correctives, Their 

iv. 

215 

sary    

V. 

448 

Distinctions,  Their 

iv. 

213 

Source  and  Means,  Its    ... 

V. 

446 

Guiltiness,  Their  ... 

iv. 

214 

Unitarianism     ... 

i. 

191 

Perniciousness,  Their 

iv. 

215 

Unity  of  the  Church    ... 

iv. 

V. 

197 
"5 

Valour    ... 

Valour,  Embracing  Undauntedness — 

i. 

507 

Universal  Renovation... 

V, 

49S 

Intrepidity  and  Enterprise 

iii. 

321 

Universalism — - 

Examples  of          

iii. 

322 

Inconsistency,  Its... 

i. 

249 

Nature  and   Relations,  Its 

iii. 

321 

Phases,  Its            

i. 

248 

Requisites,  Its  Chief       

iii. 

321 

TTniverse,  System  Oi  Nature  in  the    ... 

iv. 

329 

Value  and  Necessity,  Its... 

iii. 

322 

Unkindness 

i. 

519 

Vanities,  Love  of  Pomps  and... 

iv. 

213 

Unleavened  Bread,  The  Feast  of 

iii. 

4S6 

Vanity — 

Unmanageableness 

i. 

521 

Boundaries,  Its     ... 

iv. 

219 

Unmanliness     ... 

i. 

526 

Causes,  Its  Incidental 

iv. 

219 

Unmercifulness 

i. 

519 

Connection  with  Certain  Virtues, 

Unpardonable  Sin,  The 

iv. 

127 

Its  Accidental 

iv. 

210 

Unprincipledness 

i. 

516 

Definition,  Its 

iv. 

217 

U  nprofitableness — 

Difficulty  of  its  Effective  Examina- 

Cause, Its 

iv. 

212 

tion    ... 

iv. 

217 

Guilt,  Its               

iv. 

212 

Discriminations,  Its 

iv. 

229 

Nature,  Its           

iv. 

212 

Effects,  Its  Mischievous... 

iv. 

219 

Unpunctuality 

i. 

512 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Subject 

iv. 

221 

Unreas(.)nableness 

i. 

516 

Irrepressiveness,  Its         

iv. 

21S 

Unrelentingness           

i. 

519 

Native  Home,  Its 

iv. 

218 

Unruliness 

i. 

521 

Predominance,  Its 

iv. 

217 

Unsearchablenessof  God — 

Remedies,  Its 

iv. 

219 

Homiletical  Hints  on  this  Subject 

iv. 

42 

Subterfuges,  Its    ... 

iv. 

218 

Nature  and  Significance,  Its 

iv. 

39 

Tenacity  and  Vitality,  Its 

iv. 

218 

Scriptural  Assertions,  Its 

iv. 

42 

Wounds,  Its 

iv. 

220 

Unseemliness    .» 

i. 

529 

Vanity  and  Pride 

ii. 

95 

Unsociableness 

i. 

5'9 

Variableness 

i. 

520 

Unthankfulness 

i. 

517 

Variance 

i. 

527 

iii. 

50 

Vauntingness    ... 

i. 

525 

Untruthfulness 

i. 

512 

Vehemence 

i. 

526 

Unwariness 

i. 

51S 

Veil,  The  Entrance 

iii. 

442 

Uprightness 

i. 

502 

Venality... 

i. 

526 

Arguments  for  this  Duty 

ii. 

451 

Veneration 

i. 

503 

Basis,  Its 

ii. 

451 

Definition,  Its       

iii. 

42 

Illuminating  Properties,  Its 

ii. 

451 

Excellence,  Its     ... 

iii. 

42 

Sphere,  Its 

ii. 

451 

Objects,  Its            

iii. 

42 

Urbane  Man,  Portrait  of  the 

iii. 

33 

Perverted  Aspect,  Its 

iii. 

42 

Urbanity 

i. 

503 

Veracity 

i. 

502 

Advantages,  Its  ... 

iii. 

U 

Definition,  Its 

ii. 

447 

Evolution  and  Culture,  Its 

iii. 

32 

Difficulty,  Its        

ii. 

44S 

Origin  and  Meaning  of  the  Term 

iii. 

32 

Growth,  Its  Principles  of 

ii. 

448 

Urim  and  Thummim,  The     ... 

iii. 

462 

Flistorians  in 

ii. 

44S 

Utilitarianism  ... 

ii. 

415 

Value  and  Importance,  Its 

ii. 

448 

Uzzah — 

Verifying  Faculty,  see  Critical. 

Homiletical  HintsonthisCharacter 

vi. 

171 

Vessels,  The  Sacred     ... 

iii. 

438 

Offence,  His         

vi. 

170 

Vexatiousness    ... 

i. 

519 

Punishment,  His 

vi. 

171 

Vices,  including  Faults  and  Defects — 

Uzziah— 

Lack  of  Benevolence 

51S 

Failure  as  a  Man,  His     ... 

vi. 

255 

,,       Justice     

515 

Homiletical    Reflections   on   this 

,,       Self-Control 

520 

Character 

vi. 

256 

„       Truth       

512 

Punishment,  His 

vi. 

256 

,,       Wisdom  ... 

517 

Success  as  a  King,  His  ... 

vi. 

255 

Vices,  Sectional  Index  to  this  Subject 

536 

GENER  A  L    INDEX. 


581 


\'igilance           ...          ...          ...          ...  i. 

Culture,  Its           ...          ...          ...  iii. 

Danger,  Its           ...          ...          ...  iii. 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its          ...  iii. 

Religious  Necessity,  Its  ...          ...  iii. 

Use  and  Motives,  Its       ...          ...  iii. 

Vilification         ...          ...          ...          ...  i. 

\'iolence             ...          ...          ...          ...  i. 

\'irtuc  or  Morality        ...          ...          ...  ii. 

Virtue    and  Liberty,   Connection    be- 
tween         ...          ...          ...          ...  ii. 

\'irtue.  Necessity  of  Charity  to           ...  iii. 

Virtue,  Theories  respecting    ...          ...  ii. 

(  '}: 

\  irlues,  including  E.xcellencies           ...  -    ii. 

(iii. 

,,      Sectional  Index  to  this  .Subject  -!  ii. 

(iii. 

Vision,  Conditions  of  Spiritual           ...  iv. 

Vital  Force,  Uniqueness  of    ...         ...  i. 

\'ituperation      ...          ...          ...          ...  i. 

Voice  of  the   Lord,  A  Name  of  the 
Holy  Spirit — 
IIistt)rical  Aspects  and  Significa- 
tion, Its         ...          ...          ...  1. 

Personal  Realization;  Its...          ...  i. 

Scriptural  Basis,  Its         ...          ...  i. 

Suggested  Thoughts  respecting  ...  i. 

Volatility           i. 

\'ohiptuary        ...         ...         ...         ...  i. 

Vows       ...          ...          ...         ...         ...  iii. 

,,     of  Abstinence     ...          ...         ...  iii. 

,,     of  Dedication     ...          ...         ...  iii. 

,,     of  Interdiction    ...         ...         ...  iii. 


W, 


504 

69 

69 

6S 

69 

6S 

512 

527 

420 

(>! 
121 

414 
502 
409 

534 

536 
203 

5J< 
52S 


310 
310 
310 
311 

529 
5  2 
514 
515 
5'4 
515 


Wantonness 

i. 

523 

NVarfare,  The  Christian- 

Arms,  Its  Spiritual 

,,       ,,    .Subordinate    ... 

V. 
V. 

400 
400 

Characteristics,  Its 

V. 

400 

Duty  and  Spirit,  Its 

V. 

402 

Encouragement,  Its 
Features,  Its  Distinctive 

V. 
V. 

403 
402 

Objects,  Its           

Responsibility  of  Individual  Com- 
batants             

Waste 

V. 
V. 

i. 

402 

400 
5'8 

Watchfulness     ... 

i. 

504 

Cautions  respecting 
Divine  Examples,  Jts 

V. 

iii. 

404 
68 

Import  and  Purpose,  Its... 
Nature,  Its            

V. 

iii. 

404 
66 

Religious  Aspect,  Its 

Requisite  Connection  with  Trayer, 

iii. 

66 

Its       

Requisites,  Its 

V. 

iii. 

404 
66 

Waveringness    ... 

i. 

521 

Waywardness    ... 

i. 

521 

Weakness 

i. 

521 

Weapons  of  the  Christian  Warfare    ... 

V. 

400 

Weekly  .Sacrifice,  The 
Weeks,  The  P'east  of  ... 

iii. 
iii. 

4S5 
490 

Wheat  and  Barley 

iii. 

453 

Whimsicalness 

i. 

520 

White 

iii. 

457 

White  Raiment             

ii. 

2S3 

,,      -Stone,  The 

ii. 

272 

Wilfulness 

i. 

521 

Wiliness 

i. 

5'5 

Will,  The  

Nature,  Its 

Original  Character,  Its    ... 

Power  and  .Supremacy,  Its 

Reality,  Its  ...   ' 

Value,  Its 

"Will  be  done  in  Karth  as   it    is  in 
Heaven,  Thy"  {T/ind  Peli- 
tioit  uf  the  Loiifs  Pttiyei)  — 
Introdudion. 

Connection  with   I'receding  Peti- 
tion    ... 

Omission  by  St.  Luke  Explained, 
Its       

Various  jVgents  of  Gi)d's  Will,  The 

Clause  I. 
Import,  Its 
Metajihysical  Reflections  on 

"  I'hy  Will,'"  Import  of 

,,        ,,         Practical       Reflec- 
tions on 

Clause  II. 

"  As,"  Preci.se  Force  of 

"  As  it  is  in  Heaven,"  Lcs.sons 

Taught  by     ... 
"As   it   is  in   Heaven,"  Angelic 

Obedience  Suggested  by      ... 
"  Heaven,"  Meanuig  of... 
Various    Interpretations    of    the 

Clause 

Kfvieii/  of  the  Pel i lion. 

Beneficial    Results  if  Carried  out 
in  Life,  Its     ... 

Import,  Its  General  

Necessity,  Its 

Spirit    in     which    it    should    be 

Prayed,  The 

Winning  Souls  ... 
Wisdom 

Aspect,  Its  Practical  and  Moral... 

Comparisons  and  Contrasts,  Its... 

C"ulture,  Its 

Difhculties,  Its     

Etilects,  Its  

Hindrance,  Its  Main 

Nature,  Its 

Office  and  Function,  Its... 

Qualities  and  Characteristics,  Its 

Relations,  Its 

Reward,  Its 

Source,  Its 

\'alue  and  Excellence,  Its 
Wisdom  and  Knowledge,  Distinction 

between 
Wisdom  of  God 

Characteristics  as    Displayed   in 
God's  Works,  Its     ... 

Essential  and   Independent  Cha- 
racter, Its      ...  

In  Nature,  Its 

Knowledge  as  Distinguished  from 

Manifestation.!,  Its  Special 

Objections  Mel    ... 
Wisdom,  Spirit  of — 

Import 

Practical  Bearing 


vol.. 

KAGE 

422 

497 
206 

207 

207 

206 

2og 

Wit 


Contrast  between  Humour, Satire, 

and 
Contrasted    Tendencies    in   Men 

and  Women,  Its 


418 

41.S 
419 

423 
425 
420 

422 

426 

429 

427 
426 

427 


43' 
429 

430 

430 
30S 
504 
52 
56 
55 
55 
56 
56 
52 
53 
53 
54 
56 
52 
55 

67 
23 

70 

70 
337 
74 
7« 
23 

327 

327 
497 

»74,  175 

«74 


582 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Definition,  Nature  and  Capacity, 

Its      

ii. 

170 

Divisions,  Its  Main          

ii. 

171 

Essence  and  Process,  Its 

ii. 

170 

Forms,  Its  Diversified     ... 

ii. 

171 

Objections  Met,  and  its  Use  Justi- 

fied      

ii. 

172 

Perversions,  Its    ... 

ii. 

173 

Phases,  Its  Special           

ii. 

172 

Pulpit,  The  Question  of  its  Use  in 

ii. 

173 

Reason  of  its  Power,  The  Special 

ii. 

172 

Uses,  Its  Beneficent        

ii. 

172 

Witness,  Inward,  The... 

i. 

134 

Witness  of  the  Spirit,  The 

i. 

7>^2) 

"Woman,   behold   thy  Son"  (Third 

Saying  on  the  Cross) — 

Address  to  His  Mother,  Christ's 

ii. 

352 

Charge     to     the    Disciple,     and 

Reasons  for  his  Selection    ... 

ii. 

354 

Group  at  the  Cross,  The 

ii. 

350 

Lessons 

ii. 

355 

Mutual  Love  and  Suffering  of  the 

Mother  and  the  Son... 

ii. 

351 

St.    John's    Acceptance    of    the 

Charge            

ii. 

354 

Woman,  Creation  of 

iv. 

341 

,,         Self-devotion  in         

iii. 

146 

Woman's  Patience        

iii. 

414 

Word  of  God,  see  Bible,  Scriptures. 

Word,  Preaching  of  the           

V. 

179 

Words,  Idle,  Use  of— 

Classes  and  Guiltiness,  Its 

iv. 

209 

Definitions  and  Distinctions,  Its... 

iv. 

209 

Work,  Our        

V. 

346 

Works  and  Faith 

v. 

235 

,,       Good     ... 

V. 

344 

,,       of  God,  Analogy  between,  and 

Works  of  Man       

iv. 

322 

World  and  the  Church,  The 

V. 

123 

Difficulty    of    Drawing    a    Sharp 

Line  of  Demarcation  bet  ween 

iv. 

228 

World,  Conformity  to... 

iv. 

222 

„      Friendship  of  the         

iv. 

223 

„      Love  of  the 

iv. 

224 

„      Man  in  the        

ii. 

7 

,,      of  Spirits,  The 

iv. 

361 

„       Plan  of  the 

iv. 

323 

1,       Possibility  of  being    "  In    the 

World,  yet  not  of  it" 

iv. 

228 

„      Ultimate  Destiny  of  the 

V. 

499 

Worldliness — 

Cause,  Its 

iv. 

226 

Difference   between    the   Sincere 

and  Insincere  in  this  Matter 

iv. 

228 

Elements,  Its  Constituent 

iv. 

226 

P'orms  and  Developments,  Its   ... 

iv. 

226 

Meaning  and  Manifestations,   Its 

iv. 

225 

Misery,  Its 

iv. 

226 

Nature  and  Essence,  Its  Real    ... 

iv. 

225 

Tests,  Its 

iv. 

226 

Unsatisfactoriness  and  Evil,  Its... 

iv. 

224 

Worldly  Alliance- 

Duty  of  Disentanglement  from  ... 

iv. 

222 

Evil  Consequences,  Its    ... 

iv. 

222 

Extent  of  the  Scriptural  Prohibi- 

tion of           

iv. 

222 

Meaning  of  the   Scriptural  Pro- 

hibition of 

iv. 

222 

Worry 

iii. 

71 

Worship  and  Adoration — 

Beneficent  Inlluence,  Its 

v. 

391 

Characteristics,  Its  Requisite     ... 

V. 

391 

Distinction   between   Admiration 

and     ... 
Indestructibility,  Its 
Meaning,  Its 
Medium,  Its 

Nature  and  True  Idea  of 
Object,  Its  Supreme 
Source,  Its  Secret 
Tests  as  to  its   Spirituality   and 
Sincerity 
Worship,  Christian,  Is  the  Tabernacle 
or  the  Synagogue  the  Type 

of 

,,         Public  ...         

Wrangling 
Wrathfulness    ... 

Y. 

Year  of  Jubilee,  The  Feast  of... 
Year,  Sabbatical            ,, 
Yieldingness     ..,         

Z. 

Zaccheus — 

Contrast    with    Nicodemus     and 

Simon  the  Pharisee ... 
Position  and  Character,  His 
Religious  Awakening,  His 
Spiritual  Conversion,  His 
Zacharias — 

.  Condition  of  the  Priesthood  of  his 

Day 

Gracious  Visitation,  His... 
Personal  Character,  His... 
Zeal 

Definition  and  Nature,  Its 
Exemplifications,  Its 
Incentive,  Its 

Qualities   and  Requirements,  Its 
Rarity,  Its... 

Spuriousand  Pernicious  Forms,  Its 
Stimulating  Power,  Its    ... 
Zeal  for  the  Conversion  of  Men — 
Encouragements,  Its 
Excellence,  Its 

Exemplifications  of  the  Spirit  in 
which   it   should    be   under- 
taken... 
Importance,  Its    ... 
Obligatory  Nature  and  Long-suf- 
fering, Its 
Opportunities,  Its 
Qualifications  for  the  Work,  The 
Warning  against  its  Neglect 
Zeal  for  the  Honour  of  God — 

Contrast  between  True  and  False 
Marks  by  which  True  and  False 

may  be  Distinguished 
Ways  in  which  it  may  be  Mani- 
fested 
"Zeal  without  Knowledge,"  Mis- 
applications   and   Misuse   of 
the  Phrase     ... 
Zebulun...         ...         ...         ... 

Zedekiah — 

Character,  His  Feeble     ... 
Doom,  His 

Ilomiletical     Reflections  on   this 
Monarch 
Zophar    ... 
Zoroastrianism  ... 


392 
391 
390 
391 
390 
391 
391 

392 


433 
164 

527 
526 


503 

502 

521 


463 
460 
461 
461 


403 
403 
403 
507 
277 
278 
278 
277 
279 
279 
278 

308 


308 

307 
308 
308 
308 

303 
304 
306 

305 

lOI 

269 
269 

270 

48 

413 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 


1012  01237  8065 


Date  Due 


